​What the hell was going on in the Burnett household when these songs were recorded? It’s not for me to say (and I certainly wouldn’t have had the temerity to ask him, but), just ask Howlin’ Wolf himself.

The subject matter on “Moanin’ in the Moonlight” is so tightly focused on cheating, being ‘dogged around’, being neglected or lied to, or simply being ‘done wrong’ that taken collectively, the songs sound like a blues psychodrama version “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?”. The songs span approximately six years, so it’s no wonder Wolf repeatedly wonders “How Many More Years” (1951) he’s going to put up with this mistreatment before he finally decides “I’m Leaving You” (1957), thus inadvertently answering his own question.

​You don’t need to be an audiophile to discern that the songs on this album were collected from numerous sessions, dating throughout the ‘50s. The distortion on “Moanin’ at Midnight” and “How Many More Years” are a telltale letting you know that they date back to 1951 and were recorded at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service (with equipment that would be considered antiquated, not only by today’s standards but by the standards of Chess Studios only a few years later). The lack of fidelity does nothing to diminish the raw strength of the performance though.

Phillips had no distribution network, so he sold his recordings to Leonard and Phil Chess, who made decent money on the recordings and eventually coaxed the Wolf north for subsequent recordings. The guitar player responsible for most of the heavy distortion is Willie Johnson, not to be confused with Blind Willie Johnson (who was blind). There’s a ‘who’s who of the blues’ cast of characters here, including Hubert Sumlin on guitar, Wille Dixon on bass (he also wrote “Evil”), Otis Spann or Ike Turner on piano (depending on which studio was utilized), and Willie Steele, Fred Below or any number of others manning the drums.

​Like many albums from this era, the songs that make up “Moanin’ in the Moonlight” are a compilation of 78 RPM releases. At the time, Wolf and Muddy Waters were competing to be kingpin not only at Chess but in the entire blues hierarchy. With both men taking some of their best material from the same source (bass player Willie Dixon provided both with some of their biggest hits), it’s no wonder that they would grapple for attention.

As an independent label that also boasted Chuck Berry, Little Walter, Dale Hawkins, The Moonglows, Bo Diddley and John Lee Hooker on their roster, Chess Records had every right to boast that it was America’s premier blues label, but nobody came close to the scary intensity of Howlin’ Wolf. At 6’ 6” tall and nearly three hundred pounds, he could terrify his audience, especially when he started to move around onstage. All of this might sound like so much hyperbole, but one listen to this album ought to wipe that smirk off your face. Howlin’ Wolf, without a doubt, is the real deal.

Featured Tracks:

Moanin' at Midnight

How Many More Years

Smokestack Lightnin'

Baby How Long

No Place to Go

All Night Boogie

Evil I'm Leavin' You

Moanin' for My Baby

I Asked for Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)

Forty-Four

Somebody in My Home

April 1959 – Billboard Did Not Chart