Howlin' Wolf
Moanin' in the Moonlight

LA RECENSIONE

Chester Arthur Burnett, better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf (likely a tribute to his grandfather who used to tell him stories about wolves as a child), learned to play the guitar from Charlie Patton, whom he imitated quite shamelessly in his youth, and later he learned to play the harmonica from Sonny Boy Williamson II.
"Moanin' in the Moonlight" is his first album, compiling a series of singles released between 1951 and '59; the line-ups change throughout the tracks, but the only constant presence, when the song calls for it, is the double bass of the great Willie Dixon. The Wolf/Dixon duo would henceforth become a unique trademark in the history of blues for the proverbial power and hardness they could lend to their sound.
The album opens with the splendid title track "Moanin' In The Moonlight" from '51, a piece with twists that could be described as ancestral. Wolf impresses with his vocal magnetism; he is accompanied by the harmonica and is driven by the reverberating guitar of Willie Johnson and the sparse, rural drumming of Willie Steel, and from here, it can already be inferred that the blues would never be the same.
A gem is "Smokestack Lightnin'" from '56 (he recorded an earlier beautiful version in '52 titled "Crying At Daylight"). This track is the most famous on the album, immediately capturing the listener with its immediate and effective riff that extends throughout the piece. Howlin' Wolf's voice is vigorous and harsh, always ready to emit those typical lone wolf howls.
Another gem, supported by a robust sextet, is "Evil" from '54, and it is one of those simple but unique tracks that show the luciferous nerve of the Wolf/Dixon pairing.
The enjoyment obviously doesn’t end with the three songs I chose to examine.
This album is an essential starting point for a new path of the blues and to discover how much influence it has generated on all the rock to come, although the definitive consecration would come, thanks also to greater rapport and cohesiveness of the sidemen, with the following album, namely the milestone "Howlin' Wolf" also known as "The Rockin' Chair Album" due to the effective cover image (here on Deb you'll find a good review: https://www.debaser.it/howlin-wolf/howlin-wolf/recensione).
If you don't know him (is that possible?), listen to these recordings and the primal howl of Mr. Wolf; I assure you, it will never leave you.