Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf

"A wolf born into the blues" according to Blues Wolf. If BB King's autobiography is engaging, this is well and truly the next level in terms of detail and research. The people consulted included the most intimate connections of the wolf from his wife and daughters to Hubert Sumlin, a unique member of the Wolf's band who saw Wolf like a father figure. He had a very tough life, like most early Blues musicians but sported a very strong personality an. I loved this book Paul M. Toscano I loved this book. It gave so much information about the life of Wolf. There were many things I learned about his childhood and life that I found fascinating. I have always loved his music, but after reading the book I have a much deeper appreciation of the man he was. A true gentleman and keen band leader. If you love the Blues, and love Howlin' Wolf's music, you must read, "Moanin' At Midnigh. "Excellent, readable biography of the great Howlin' Wolf" according to Tony King. A wonderfully written biography of the great Howlin' Wolf. Provides a nice mix of the historical progression of his career along with discussion of the music (for example, not just recording dates). All in a very readable form. As I think others have said it is certainly one of the most readable musician biographies I have read. Learned a lot and it was an easy read.

Half a century after his first hits, his sound still terrifies and inspires. He stood six foot three, weighed almost three hundred pounds, wore size sixteen shoes, and poured out his darkest sorrows onstage in a voice that captured all the pain of growing up black and poor in Jim Crow Mississippi. One of the greatest artists the blues ever produced, Howlin' Wolf was a musical giant in every way. Wolf began his career singing with the first Delta blues stars, was present at the birth of rock 'n' roll in Memphis, and vied with rival Muddy Waters for the title of king of Chicago blues. This new and revised edition is full of harrowing anecdotes about his early years, entertaining stories about his decades at the top, and never-before-seen photographs of the artist onstage. An essential volume for Wolf's legions of fans, lovers of blues, and anyone interested in the history of American music.

From Publishers Weekly This fluid, fascinating and thoroughly researched biography is a long overdue tribute to one of the two giants of post-WWII Chicago-style electric blues music. Born Chester Burnett in Mississippi in 1910, Wolf, as the authors show, endured "crushing poverty" and almost constant physical abuse, the source of much of the anger in his music. Best of all, the authors wonderfully describe Wolf's inimitable style on the many recordings he made in Chicago for Chess Records, such as "Smokestack Lightnin," Wolf's masterpiece