The Howlin' Wolf Story (2003)

Director:

Don McGlynn

Release Date:

4 November 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot Keywords:

Rock | Blues | Chicago Illinois

Cast

Chester Burnett	...	Himself (archive footage)
Hubert Sumlin	...	Himself
Barbra Marks	...	Herself
Bettye Kelly	...	Herself
Son House	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bukka White	...	Himself (archive footage)
Memphis Slim	...	Himself (archive footage)
Willie Dixon	...	Himself (archive footage)
Muddy Waters	...	Himself (archive footage)
Robert Gordon	...	Himself -Muddy Waters biographer
Mark Hoffman	...	Himself - biographer
Richard Shurman	...	Himself
Sam Phillips	...	Himself
Sonny Boy Williamson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Paul Burlison	...	Himself
Marshall Chess	...	Himself
Jody Williams	...	Himself
Evelyn Sumlin Goodwin	...	Herself
Bob Koester	...	Himself
Sam Lay	...	Himself
Billy Boy Arnold	...	Himself
Brian Jones	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jack Good	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mick Jagger	...	Himself (archive footage)
James Cotton	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Estes	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Sleepy John Estes)
Clifton James	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bob Dylan	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joan Baez	...	Herself (archive footage)
Mississippi John Hurt	...	Himself (archive footage)
Sunnyland Slim	...	Himself
Charlie Watts	...	Himself (archive footage)
The Beatles	...	Themselves (archive footage)
The Kinks	...	Thenselves (archive footage)
The Yardbirds	...	Themselves (archive footage)
Jimi Hendrix	...	Himself (archive footage)
Eric Clapton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jimmy Page	...	Himself (archive footage)
Keith Richards	...	Himself (archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bill Wyman	...	Himself (archive footage)

Directed by
Don McGlynn

Produced by
Joe Lauro	....	producer
Celia Zaentz	....	executive producer (as Celia Mingus Zaentz)

Cinematography by
Frank Axelsen

Film Editing by
Christian Moltke-Leth

Sound Department
Nick Clemente	....	sound
Thomas Langballe	....	post-production sound
Joe Lauro	....	sound
Doug Mara	....	sound
Jacques Pedersen	....	post-production sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Don McGlynn	....	camera operator

Other crew
Marshall Chess	....	archive footage
Nick Clemente	....	consultant
Janis Garramone	....	production secretary
Peter Guralnick	....	archival sound
Mark Hoffman	....	archival sound
Mark Hoffman	....	consultant
Bob Koester	....	archive footage
Joe Lauro	....	archive source
Joe Lauro	....	consultant
Sam Lay	....	archive footage
Doug Mara	....	consultant
Jim O'Neal	....	archival sound

Thanks
Wolfgang Behr	....	special thanks
Gene Casey	....	special thanks
Andy Cornet	....	special thanks
Henry Gray	....	special thanks
Peter Guralnick	....	special thanks
Mark Heidemann	....	special thanks
Norbett Hess	....	special thanks
Lise Skafte Jensen	....	special thanks
Bob Koester	....	special thanks
David Little	....	special thanks
Toni Ann Mamary	....	special thanks
Calvin Newborn	....	special thanks
Michael Ochs	....	special thanks
Dave Peck	....	special thanks
Judy Peiser	....	special thanks
Richard Schwegel	....	special thanks
Andrew Solt	....	special thanks
John Tefteller	....	special thanks

Distributors

• BMG Ariola (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• BMG Distribution (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

a story of the Blues - what they are, how to play them and with a minimum of musician-life drama

Howlin' Wolf, aka Chester Burnett, came out of the deep south, out of the fields of Mississippi, out of a super-religious mother who stuck so firmly to her guns that Blues was "the devil's music" that she never spoke to her son for decades, out of racism and hardship, and made his own original, vibrant kind of music. He wasn't alone, as others like Muddy Waters came into prominence (and, according to a special feature on the DVD that should have been included with the rest of the doc, had a rivalry for some time), and shook up popular music first for black audiences and then slowly but firmly whites.

It's a remarkable journey, told with not a whole lot of style as a kind of direct-to-video approach, with a plethora of good facts and some humbling opinions (one of Wolf's closest musician friends and band-mates, Hubert Sumlin, provides the most entertaining anecdotes as a die-hard blues-man through and through). Plus, of course, the music, with some rare performances and even some home movies shot at Chicago clubs, of the Wolf's presence and magnetism coming out in strong forcefulness as he does crazy things on stage like lick his guitar and crawl on all fours. Whatever you want to say about his music it's inarguable that he doesn't get your attention, if only through that distinctive voice that's a sounds like it's been run-over and resurrected as an all-powerful bad-ass.

Thankfully, too, in such a short running time, there's a limit of how much drama there usually is in a musician-bio pic. Then again, Howlin' Wolf wasn't as naughty as other musicians: he didn't sleep around as a ladies's man (at least, from the doc's perspective, as much as say Muddy Waters), was a devoted husband and father, stayed away from drugs and most drink (he was so against it he openly criticized Son House during a performance), and only had his one real stinging problem being a lack of communication with his mother. While one wishes the movie was longer- more detailed, more infused with that pure air of rhythm and blues- what's here is enough to whet the appetite. At the least you'll want to put on some Wolf on the stereo right away or rush out to find some kind of record. He wasn't maybe the #1 best blues-man in America, but he certainly left his mark like only few others did. This doc is a good tribute to the Wolf's spirit.