Howlin' Wolf is my all-time favorite blues singer, so it's no surprise that I enthusiastically recommend his 3 CD edition of The Chess Box series, a set that deserves a full five stars. Perhaps more than a casual fan would want to own, it is nevertheless packed with 71 songs that he cut in a 20 year period for Chess Records.

Wolf, who was born as Chester Arthur Burnett, started to make a name for himself in the West Memphis blues scene in the years after World War II. He caught the ear of legendary producer Sam Phillips, who recorded his first singles before selling Wolf's contract to Leonard Chess. It must have been a relatively lucrative deal for Wolf because he bragged that he arrived in Chicago in 1953 driving a new car when many Southern blues singers came to Chicago by bus, by train, or by hitch-hiking.

Even though he shifted line-ups while at Chess, Wolf's backing band rivaled Muddy Waters' band as the best of the Chicago blues players, in my opinion. Hubert Sumlin was his right-hand man on lead guitar, and Willie Dixon a mainstay on bass. The piano stool swiveled under Otis Spann, Lafayette Leake, and Hosea Lee Kennard while either Fred Below or Sam Lay manned the drums.

But as good as his band was, it took a back seat to Wolf's powerful and ferocious vocals. His voice sounds gravelly, like sandpaper coated the lining of his throat, and the way he used those chords made you think that the Devil hisself possessed the body of this 300 pound man.

His genre being the blues, he sang about the ways of the flesh, and with that fire and brimstone delivery of his, you could sense that it wasn't just empty boasting. Just listen to how he lasciviously turns the phrases on a number called "Tail Dragger:"

When the mighty Wolf
Come along waggin' his tail
He done stole
Somebody's daughter
I'm a taildragger
I wipe out my tracks
When I get what I want
Well I don't come sneakin' back

However, when the Wolf was on the prowl making his midnight creep, he would sometimes find himself in an unpleasant situation if the man of the house returned home. In the fast-paced song "Down in the Bottom," (curiously titled since Wolf doesn't sing that phrase), a nasty slide guitar greets Wolf as he frantically sings the opening verse in the blues' traditional call and response style:

Well, now meet me at the bottom,
Bring me my running shoes.
Well, now meet me at the bottom,
Bring me my running shoes.
When I jump out the window,
I won't have time to lose.

Both of those above examples were written by Dixon, whose triple-threat talent as a musician, songwriter, and producer were in high demand by other Chess Records artists. But Howlin' Wolf wasn't a slouch at songwriting, either, having had success on his own before partnering with Dixon. One of his most widely covered songs, "Who's Been Talking," sort of wraps up this little morality play I've patched together. If you fool around, you may not get caught, but don't expect your home to be immune, either. If your old lady isn't fooling around, she's catching wind of your action.

Well who been talking, everything that I do
Well who been talking, everything that I do
Well you is my baby, I hate to lose

Well good bye baby, hate to see you go
Well good bye baby, hate to see you go
You know I love you, I'm the causin' of it all

What he doesn't sing he leaves to his harmonica, blowing like the steam-engined train that took his baby away. On this song, his voice sounds strained, fully aware that his actions set in motion his lover's departure. That point is hammered home as he repeats the final words "I'm the causin' of it all", softer and softer, until the song fades out. The effect is chillingly brilliant.

While the creme de la creme of Howlin' Wolf's "hits" are found on disc 2 during his fruitful collaboration with Dixon, do not overlook the first disc. These are the gritty tracks that define the urban blues, much of them rougher in tone than the later, Dixon-produced gems. Also, scattered throughout the first two discs are snippets from a 1968 interview with the Wolf. These reveal information about the man's beginnings, like how he was given his stage name, as well as the inspiration for a few of his songs, like "Smokestack Lightnin'." Wolf also explains how he learned to play the harmonica from his brother-in-law Sonny Boy Williamson, and the slide guitar from legendary Delta bluesman Charley Patton.

Disc 3 suffers only in comparison to the first two discs as an older Wolf took to writing his own material again. However, on its own the third disc is solid as it includes some fine acoustic work like "New Crawlin' King Snake" that isolates what an underrated guitarist Howlin' Wolf was.

During his lifetime (Howlin' Wolf died in 1976), rock and roll artists caught on to what Howlin' Wolf was laying down, and his influence was noticeable in the early development of several bands. The Rolling Stones were so enamored with Wolf that they not only recorded his "Little Red Rooster" for their debut album, but they also invited him as their special guest on a network TV show, thus exposing Wolf to a potential audience of millions. The Doors also recorded a Wolf song on their debut album, "Back Door Man." The Yardbirds had a minor hit with a cover of "Smokestack Lightining." And Led Zeppelin borrowed quite liberally from Wolf's songs "How Many More Years" and "Killing Floor" without crediting the songwriter.

The Chess Box also includes a booklet containing an essay that traces Wolf's legacy, as well as pictures of Howlin' Wolf in a late '60s concert. In the photos, he is seen wearing a baseball cap sideways in the style of some of today's youth. I can see it now: in a few years he will be portrayed as the original b-boy. And why not? Howlin' Wolf (along with Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and John Lee Hooker, to name three) is at the roots of gangsta rap, what with the boasting of sexual conquests, and lyrics like "I asked for water/She gave me gasoline." Though the lyrics are tame by today's standards, you would be hard pressed to top the Wolf in terms of quality and substance.

Recommended: Yes