“You’ll Be Mine.” Upon hearing Chester Arthur Burnett’s voice for the first time on that track, I knew I had possibly discovered the man who influenced rock music more than any other. Amazingly enough, this vocalist was born near West Point in 1910. He died in 1976.
Burnett, or the famous bluesman Howlin’ Wolf, only needed to sing one word to win me over: “mine.”
To this day, it is the greatest howl in blues and rock history (a close second would be Roger Daltrey’s yell near the end of “Won’t Get Fooled Again”). Whereas most singers would be content to sing “mine” as one syllable, Burnett’s audaciously belts “mi-i-i-ine!” In fact, those extra syllables register more as different words than additions to the root word, notwithstanding the fact that Burnett doesn’t seem to be breathing while singing them.
It only takes about four Howlin’ Wolf tunes to realize how many vocalists he inspired. Perhaps Tom Waits is the most obvious example, followed by Jim Morrison (The Doors) and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin).
However, any rock singer who has performed an obligatory howl owes Burnett his manhood now.
Chris Cornell howls about a dozen times-in a very Howlin’ Wolf way-during Soundgarden’s “Outshined,” so the process should start with him, if anyone.
The intimidating scope of Burnett’s influence doesn’t stop there.
Many artists have covered several of his works (e.g., the Rolling Stones version of “Little Red Rooster”), while others simply borrowed or ripped off elements of his songs.
For example, Cream, the supergroup featuring Eric Clapton on guitar, recorded the seminal “Crossroads,” which hearkened back to two Robert Johnson songs, “Cross Road Blues” and “Traveling Riverside Blues.” However, the tempo and feel of “Crossroads” was probably taken from the Howlin’ Wolf song, “Down in the Bottom,” written by Willie Dixon.
Speaking of Dixon, it is true that he wrote and co-wrote many of Burnett’s best songs, such as “Evil,” a track that was given a more positive spin on Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Pride and Joy.”
And yes, Dixon was also responsible for “You’ll Be Mine.”
Yet those songs would have been nothing without Burnett’s powerful and original delivery.
Of course, Burnett was also adept at songwriting, as he penned the majority of the songs on his first album, Moanin’ in the Moonlight. Unsurprisingly, elements of those tracks were carried into countless rock songs, like Led Zeppelin’s “How Many More Times,” which mimics “How Many More Years” and “Smokestack Lightning” simultaneously.
From Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, West Point is holding “Point City Fest,” a festival dedicated to Howlin’ Wolf. Hubert Sumlin, who played guitar for Howlin’ Wolf on fantastic tracks like “Goin’ Down Slow,” will be headlining the event, so the festival will have some merit.
However, if you really want an introduction to Howlin’ Wolf, I recommend purchasing his music and listening to it the way it was meant to be listened to: by yourself, away from loud festivities.
At the very least, his genius will give you a reason to be proud of Mississippi.