The Blues of Howlin' Wolf
Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf hide caption
ยป Read an ExcerptHowlin' Wolf electrified the blues of the Mississippi Delta and laid the foundation of rock and roll in the early 1950s. His lyrics -- delivered in a gruff, haunting voice -- evoked his hard-life experiences.

Detail: The cover 'His Best (Chess 50th Anniversary Collection) .' hide caption
"Wolf's No. 1 weapon was his voice: he used it to brag about his sexual prowess to the ladies, or deliver a threat to the men," Ashley Kahn says in a Morning Edition profile of the late blues giant. "When he sang 'evil is going on,' there was little doubt about it."
Related NPR Stories
Blues Singer Koko Taylor Gets Her Due June 5, 2004
Charlie Musselwhite's Blues 'Sanctuary' April 29, 2004
Eric Clapton Takes on Robert Johnson's Blues March 30, 2004
Remembering Blues Legend Charley Patton March 18, 2004
'The American Folk Blues Festival' Oct. 21, 2003
Buddy Guy's Unplugged Blues Sept. 21, 2003
Tracking the Migration of Blues Aug. 31, 2003
The Rise of the Country Blues Aug. 1, 2003
The Life and Times of Muddy Waters Oct. 17, 2002
Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey Dec. 13, 2001
Honoring Chess Records Oct. 30, 1999