One of the most important blues artists of all time was Chester Arthur Burnett, better known by his stage name Howlin’ Wolf. He introduced the Mississippi Delta’s music to Chicago in 1952, making him a great blues exemplar.
Chester Burnett grew up on the Young and Morrow Cotton Plantation close to Ruleville. Howlin’ Wolf was born on June 10th, 1910 in White Station, Mississippi, just north of West Point. His grandfather would narrate tales of the local wolves to him and his siblings.
Chester was a young boy when something startled him and he rushed roaring upstairs; as a result, his family dubbed him the Howlin’ Wolf.
Where did Howlin’ Wolf go to college and high school?
Howlin’ Wolf was almost illiterate into his forties, but he eventually earned his GED and went on to study business and accounting. He was not musically literate.
He relied on extended practice sessions where he would explain his vision to the support musicians until they got it. The Chicago-based Columbia College awarded him an honorary doctor of arts degree in 1972.
