The Howlin' Wolf Album - Howlin' Wolf (1969)

Howlin Wolf, like a lot of artists of his generation, started in the south playing acoustic delta blues, and moved north where he encountered the electrified squall of the Chicago blues.

The narrative isn’t quite so straightforward, though, because he also found success in the back-to-its-roots “real folk blues” movement that was wound up in the folk revival of the early 60s. I don’t think the Wolf really cared if he was playing in front of a festival crowd of white kids or a Chicago blues club. He brought his energy and his unique voice to whatever he did.

This is all to say that, when Chess Records landed him in what could only be described as a “psychedelic blues” session with a bunch of Chicago musicians he didn’t usually play with, he still worked with what he had.

This album was a flop when it first dropped, and you can find plenty of blues-purist reviews that have no time for it, but it’s an interesting document of the man sounding like himself despite his skronky backing musicians trying to steal the show.