Some months ago, there was a spirited debate on this forum about whether Howlin' Wolf deserved a spot in the Top 10 list carried elsewhere on this website. No question that he's one of the greatest of all bluesmen, an extraordinarily powerful and charismatic performer--even, arguably, THE most powerful and charismatic blues performer. But is he, in fact, one of the greatest all-time blues harmonica players?
It's a good and fair question. Some forum members, last time around, said "Of course." Others were not convinced.
I just stumbled across the following video, one that's gotten more than a million hits, and I suggest that it belongs somewhere near the heart of the debate. The Wolf didn't have a particularly wide range, but he did have one heck of a sound.
From my viewpoint, he would not make it into the top ten. Most of his playing seems pretty straight forward and simple so much so that even I can mimic some of it. There are people right here on this forum that could outplay him by a wide margin. Top Ten ? I think not. ---------- My YouTube Channel
Last Edited by on Jan 17, 2011 12:52 PM
Personally, I think the Wolf had a powerful harmonica tone and cool vibrato that very few people can duplicate. His style may not be as fluid as a player like Howard Levy, but i can tell you that Howlin' Wolf gets much more airplay on my iPod than Howard Levy and all of his proteges combined.
Wolf's music was very soulful stuff. Much like Junior Parker, one of the other things I really dig about his harp playing is that its not on everyone of his tunes. The blues being a vocal art form. He's a singer first. Harp player and guitarist second.
When he does play, he plays the right stuff. I don't listen to his music and think that he could have improved a tune by playing something different. In my book, that's a rare breed of artist.
not sure about that,nc pacemaker he was taught by rice miller and sounds a lot like him dont think there is that many who could top him in the forum but there are some who might could
Last Edited by on Jan 17, 2011 11:46 AM
To clear things up in the debate, we would need two Top 1O lists : - Top 10 harp players playing blues - Top 10 bluesmen playing harp IMO The Wolf belongs to the later.
I like Charlie Musselwhite. He's an excellent player. There are bigger names in the pop music world than Cyndi Lauper.
For example, the Rolling Stones.
Howlin' Wolf performed and recorded with the Rolling Stones. Sugar Blue performed and recorded with the Rolling Stones. Junior Wells was asked to open a tour with the Stones.
I'm with Joe-sure, Wolf played very reserved lines, notewise-but they all fit. And his tone and vibrato? Excellent. Now, compared to his inimitable powerhouse voice and delivery, his harp playing pales in comparison, but it wasn't weak by any means.
As saregapadinisa said, I'd agree that he would be on a separate list of blues players who ALSO played harp, and he'd be near the top of that list, based on tone and vibrato alone. ----------
Todd L. Greene, Professor of Meaningless Trivia
Last Edited by on Jan 17, 2011 12:13 PM
I don't know. My only problem with Wolf being in the top 10 is that he's not quite the innovator as the others. He's got a seriously distinctive sound and I,for one,can't quite match his wonderful vibrato. I love his playing. And who would I replace him with in the top 10? I'd have trouble choosing. He's certainly in my top 20. I have too many favorites to limit it to just 20!
For my money HW is unquestionably top 10. The factors I consider are artistic as well as musical. Everything he plays is so RIGHT--fits the material perfectly and is emotionally expressive. Always a high level of emotional intensity and artistic economy. Why play anything more if what he's played makes such a complete musical and artistic statement for the material he's performing?
Also, stylistically he is very impressive. Clean tone, but great depth of tone and flawless technique all employed to express fully realized, powerful, hard rocking musical ideas. And with GREAT tone and flawless command of the instrument. If you listen closely, he does a lot of very subtle stuff on some tunes that is VERY difficult to duplicate. His technical ability is impressive. Perhaps under appreciated, but only because some of what he does is so subtle that it is not immediately recognized as being as technically difficult as it is.
HW was an enormous influence on me when i was first trying to learn harp and continues to be a great source of inspiration. He plays harp with an authenticity and depth of soul few musicians achieve. And his technical ability is impressive and very very under appreciated.
Unquestionably top 10 in my book. Not a close call.
Last Edited by on Jan 17, 2011 1:18 PM
I think he's top 10. The Wolf hads haps when it's needed and always the right dose and his playind and sound can't be mistaken with anyboddy esle. I listen to Howlin' Wolf everyday I don't get tired of His music.
Martin
ps Adam you're music's only one with the Wolf that I have get my dose of everyday ---------- Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Isaac Asimov
If you had two separate lists as suggested by Sarega, I would definitely put Howlin Wolf and Junior Wells at the top of the Blues Men who play harp (Frontmen).
On THAT list I would also add Alan Wilson, Robert Plant and Jack Bruce.
For me the Wolf will always be a top ten. I view musicians as a whole package. There are tons of great players out there. You can have a top 1,000 list for that, but only a very few create an unforgetable presence. I saw him perform. It was unforgettable. The Wolf will always be on my top list. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
I agree with Joe_L's first post. Technique isn't everything. He creates such a powerful groove and strong playing that is simple. The Wolf is my favorite.
@ncpacemaker "There are people right here on this forum that could outplay him by a wide margin. Top Ten ? I think not."
Play the same notes? Yes. Play more notes? Yes
Outplay him ? No
Wolf wrote most of his own songs,the harp is perfect in each and every one of them. It adds to the feel of the song, conveying as much emotion as the lyrics.
I'm always left wanting more harp,which is the best way to leave your audience.
Here's a superb example of simple playing that is perfect for the song,and could not be bettered.
The sound and emotion he put in playing? It pulls on my balls and that is all that matters to me. I couldn't care less how many can "outplay" him, that's a big whoopty doo as far as my concern.
I saw Sugar Blue last week here in Seattle and he was amazing. But for me I'd rather have the tone of Howlin' wolf at the expense of the speed skills of Sugar Blue. Obviously it would be nice to have both. But the Wolf was the man. If I could see ANY bluesman ever - it would be Chester.
You know, 2 summers ago i saw Sugar Blue play "Another Man Done Gone" on a 365 unaccompanied. Unbelievable tone--second to none.
SB is capable of a lot more on the harmonica than those warp speed lines he is best known for. He is by no means as one dimensional as he may appear to some casual observers. i have often felt he would do better working with a producer when he records instead of producing his own albums since a producer might place more emphasis on some of the other aspects of SB's virtuosity on the instrument.
Reading this post,I noticed 4 or 5 guys mention tone. Thats it~ TONE TONE TONE! Talking a few years ago with Lazy Lenny Rabenovits(RIP)He said,With a head as big as a refrigerator and a chest as big as a VW,how could he not?
A great blues man; no argument. A man who masterfully used the harmonica to enhance his delivery, indeed. But a great, top ten harmonica player, I'd have to vote no.
wolf`s blues are timeless regret I never saw him live like I saw muddy,willie dixon,jrwells,paul butterfield and james cotton dont care if he makes top 10 or not he was the epitamy of blues
If you took away everything but the harmonica playing (I mean audio tracks containing only his harp playing) there's a number of guys on the 11-20 list I'd prefer listening to and instantly 2 of which I think would appear in the first 10 before him.
But, I suppose this is not about taking everything away but the harmonica playing (is it?) and in my short-lived-blues-awareness opinion there's only one or two guys on list two that are as instantly recognizable, attention grabbing, or very enjoyable as Howlin' Wolf in his complete form.
And don't forget, he got to play with Eric Clapton :) .
(edit: spell check)
----------
~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
I still think he belongs in the top ten for the combination of Tone, vibrato and expression.
In the original video, I think I am right in saying that it is Son House sitting at the bar doing the conducting, who at the end lays his hands on Wolf. I think I have seen an extended versions of this somewhere where Son is starting to get fairly wasted, and starts interjecting and upsetting the Wolfs performance. The Wolf starts to get fairly agitated and has some words to say to Son House...........Son would be living fairly dangerously there I would have thought.
For me The Howlin' Wolf definitely belongs in the top ten. For me music and musicianship is not about how many notes you can play in a minute.
Wolfs playing, as many have commented, includes an incredible tone/vibrato. His ability to find and define the groove is something you do not hear in many modern players.
He clearly has his own distinctive sound as a harp player, singer and band leader and was one of the biggest innovators of blues music.
Joe L...who players jammed with is not a criteria. This was just one more little thing that added to his recent exposure.
A lot of you are making comments that start with "to me". Remember this is not about who you like best or who plays the greatest in your opinion...if so, my top 10 would be totally different thans Adams and would include Ricci and others. Reread Adams criteria. If you heard Wolf backing another singer on harp, I don't think it would be near as recognizable as Musselwhite. IMHO
There are plenty of players who may blow away Howling Wolf technically, based on the total number of licks, but the big thing about his playing isn't the licks. It's how he uses space (something too many players NEED to learn), his overall tone, and his trademark slow vibrato, which took me quite a while to learn.
I got to see him a few times in the 70's, but he was really sick back then, as he had to have his gigs near a VA hospital so he could get kidney dialysis, which is no fun, as I had to do that for 3 years before I finally got a kidney transplant.
When he was younger, he used roam around the stage, crawl on all fours, howl all over the place, jerk the microphone off at crotch level, shove broomsticks into people's faces, but in his final years, he had play seated.
He ALWAYS played thru the PA and with that tone, that's all he needed.
The only other guy I know who has Wolf's sound cold is my old NYC friend Danny Russo.
When I met Wolf, his speaking voice was actually even deeper and raspier than his singing voice was. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
I always think it's difficult, when you have knowledge of a particular subject, to take a step back and talk about it in an objective manner, to comment on the outcome rather than the process.
I work in graphic design and you see it all the time in advertising and design industry awards; work that is technically brilliant is awarded prizes and accolades left, right and centre. Yet in the real world that advertisement may have had little to no effect on the consumer it's actually aimed at. It's not sold the product, and hence is, if you want to be crude about it, useless.
I think the same thing can go on when we (as harmonica players) look at another player and try to rate them. We break down the process of what they're doing in isolation. We look at their licks, riffs, phrasing, speed, accuracy, tone etc. etc. What we forget to ask is 'Did whatever he played make good music?' Again, it's crude; but at the end of the day isn't that what it's about? (That's a genuine question BTW, I'm not being rhetorical. Feel free to disagree)
Top ten? I would cop out here & say I don't have enough knowledge of players past and present to really answer that, but; did his playing make good music? Unquestionably.
"What we forget to ask is 'Did whatever he played make good music?' Again, it's crude; but at the end of the day isn't that what it's about?"
Thats it exactly. Making good music.
Technically brilliant/difficult, does not mean musically brilliant.
A very well known London harp player I know, is technically brilliant, but after 10 minutes of technical brilliance,you're left feeling cold and unmoved. Well maybe just a move towards the exit!! He was described to me as having no soul by another, even better London based player.I agreed.
"Technically brilliant/difficult, does not mean musically brilliant."
BINGO! That's for sure. Satriani & Vai and such on guitar for example. I had a friend in the Army that could play guitar like that, REALLY just awesome, unbelievable. But after a couple of songs worth of that stuff it doesn't do anything for me, actually it's more than enough, like please stop. Hendrix, SRV, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, something with some soul in it, I never get tired of that stuff, It's music not just complicated noise.
What always amazes me is how Howlin Wolf's harmonica matches his voice. His harmonica is like a mirror, it's just as rich, deep and nasty as his voice. The harmonica on Moaning at Midnight for example has the same fatness and vibrato. On the stripped down songs like Smokestack Lightnin and Who's Been Talking the harmonica creates this beautiful balance with the vocal. How can you argue with that? Number 8!
That's what I was thinking about too, how much his harp tone was related to his voice. It seems logical : his vocal technique got him his great tone on harp... what do you people think ?
Does being a great singer make you a better harp player ? With the Wolf, I find at least a similarity in the vibrato when singing and when playing.
@pistolero "It's music not just complicated noise"
Thats a great line. I'm stealing it!! ;o)
@ Gloth "Does being a great singer make you a better harp player ?"
Yes.Singing is all about phrasing and timing. Singing on,before or after the beat. Changing the phrasing of words in line to better sit in the groove. Just like playing harp.
A few great musicians have picked up the harp and used it played quite simply, but to great effect in their songs. The right note at the right time is better than a whole lot of notes papered over everything. ---------- The Pentatonics Myspace Youtube
"Why don't you leave some holes when you play, and maybe some music will fall out".
@adam your top 10 list I cannot drop any of these players you have listed they are just too effen good but still love everything about howlin` wolf including blowin` harp
"@pistolero "It's music not just complicated noise"
Thats a great line. I'm stealing it!! ;o)"
Anytime, bro. Hopefully when I become a musician my way with words will help with lyrics? Also added it to my sig also.
Last Edited by on Jan 20, 2011 4:19 PM
as far as blues goes I think Howling Wolf is the main man #1 he's got more front than The Statue of Liberty & Blackpool tower together. he walks on stage on all fours in this clip he's the top dog / I mean wolf
top 10 players? absolutely not... but i guarantee he places above other top 10 players overall because of what made him famous: his voice, and his complete stage presence. ---------- Kyzer's Travels Kyzer's Artwork "Music in the soul can be heard by the universe." - Lao Tzu
I agree with Walter. The Wolf WAS the complete package. His blues harp licks were always tasty and fit his blues style. ---------- Ricky B www.bushdogblues.blogspot.com RIVER BOTTOM BLUES-A crime novel for blues fans due out late 2011
strawoodclaw's claim helps foreground the central issue, as I see it: the fact that Howlin' Wolf was a dynamic stage personality APART from his harmonica playing is completely irrelevant to the question at hand. I see the "complete package" argument as equally missing the point. (And I offer this critique not to slam anybody, but simply to keep the focus what I consider the relevant issue.) One might argue from precisely the same evidence, in fact, that Howlin' Wolf is notably limited harp player who, in these sorts of harp-playing judge-offs, gets a wildly unfair advantage because he happened to have amazing stage presence.
So let me restate and clarify--or rather, let me re-stipulate: Howlin' Wolf is a riveting performer, apart from his harp playing. He's easily one of the greatest blues performers, AS a performer--a singer and stage personality--who has ever graced this earth.
Put that aside for a moment. Does his harp playing ALONE make him one of the Top 10 blues harp players of all time? Take another look at the criteria that I lay out for judging harp playing in this way:
My own reasons for placing him on the list in the first place have been seconded and expanded on by various people in this thread. I don't have time right now, but it might be good if somebody summarized the strongest case for his harp playing.
It occurs to me that I've left off one criterion: stagecraft USING the harmonica. Some players, including Rice Miller and Rick Estrin, but also in different ways including Kim Wilson and Rod Piazza, do tricks with the harp or have particularly dynamic--visually dynamic--ways of carrying the beat or wrestling with their instruments, so that the dance of the blues harmonica becomes part of what makes them special. This is a debatable criterion, but I should put it out there because I can imagine somebody saying, by way of the "complete package" argument, "Hey, the Wolf was one of the best all-time performers at compelling your attention WHEN he blew the harp. He was a magician who became uniquely charismatic when he cupped that tin sandwich to the vocal mic. He made his alternating between the harp and vocals, both of them on the vocal mic, seem NATURAL--as natural as anybody has ever made that process seem. He is the archetype and prototype for the powerful blues performer who knows how to make the harmonica into an a devastatingly effective prop."
I can't dismiss that argument out of hand. It's possible that Wolf's influence comes partly from that--or from the fact that the stuff he played, with amazing and immediately recognizable tone (the 3-second test of originality), was deceptively simple, and thus hugely influential. I believe that a lot of rockers in the 60s took Wolf as one of their main influences--far more, certainly, than took Little Walter.
Last Edited by on Jan 23, 2011 8:42 AM
As arbritrary as the top ten list question is it can generate and prioritize quality criteria. Adams (originality, influence, technical mastery and soulfulness) all reflect his priorities. My rubric would consolidate down to a "name that player" in three notes or less test. In that case Wolf rings in with one note.
Give me Wolf over Sugar Blue at least 6 days out of 7.
I'm going to upset some people though - on the V chord, Wolf needed to improve his intonation of that 3-draw full-tone bend. Sorry. ---------- Andrew, gentleman of leisure, noodler extraordinaire.
