Howlin’ Wolf on Shindig! on May 20, 1965

Howlin' Wolf Shindig In the thirteenth Oxford American Annual Southern Music issue, author Peter Guralnick wrote an excellent essay about Howlin’ Wolf, “What is the Soul of Man?” In the essay, Gualnick, who has written definitive biographies of great artists such as Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke, recounts how the greatest moment on television for him was Howlin’ Wolf’s appearance on Shindig! taped on May 20, 1965.

On that Thursday night, The Rolling Stones were the headliners on the show, and Wolf for some reason was listed on the show under the name “Chester Burnett,” as his given name was Chester Arthur Burnett. But when he took the stage and began his first hit, “How Many More Years,” the 6’3″ Wolf made it so “[e]very moment was larger than life.”

In this clip from the show, the Stones talk of their admiration for Howlin’ Wolf. Then Wolf took the stage and wiggled and leapt, as Guralink described, “with The Stones sitting at his feet, as if not just the stage but the entire world would shake.”

According to the website The 60s at 50, the May 20th taped show appeared on ABC on May 26, 1965.

What do you think of Howlin’ Wolf’s performance? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Charlie Rich’s Journey Through Many Record Companies: Where to Begin with His Music?
  • The Man Behind the Organ in “Like a Rolling Stone”
  • “All You Need Is Love” Worldwide Broadcast
  • Charlie Rich’s “Mohair Sam” on “Shindig!”
  • Rolling Stones Sing About Rice Krispies
  • Colvin & Earle: “Ruby Tuesday”
  • (Some Related Chimesfreedom Posts)


    Author: chimesfreedom

    Editor-in-chief, New York.

    What do you think? Leave a Reply below.

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.