Died On This Date (January 10, 1976) Howlin’ Wolf / Blues Legend
themusicsover Howlin’ Wolf (Born Chester Burnett)
June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976
With his loud booming voice and raw harmonica skills, Howlin’ Wolf became one of the mid-20th century’s most influential blues men. Wolf’s career began to build during the 1930s when he performed with the likes of Robert Johnson, Son House and Sonny Boy Williamson II. His electrifying versions of such blues standards as “Smokestack Lightning” and “Backdoor Man” were what became embraced by later generations of rock bands like the Rolling Stones and the Doors. Unlike most bluesmen before and since, Wolf did well financially. He got an education, albeit later in life, and learned business skills that benefited him and his career. Wolf suffered a few heart attacks toward the end of his life, and had his kidneys injured during a car accident. On January 10, 1976, 65-year-old Howlin’ Wolf died of complications from kidney disease.
What You Should Own
Hank Williams was not only the patriarch of a musical family that includes Hank Jr, Hank III, Holly Williams, Jett Williams and Hillary Williams, but is also considered by many to be the patriarch of honky-tonk music. Williams’ career began when, at 17, he took up residence outside the local radio station on weekends and after school. He was soon invited to perform on the air which lead to a twice-weekly program of his own. Over the course of the next 15 years, Williams released a string of records that cemented his place in music history as one of the most influential songwriters of all time. With nearly a dozen #1 hits, his catalog included such classic country songs as “Move it on Over,” “Jambalaya,” “Hey Good Lookin’,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and “Cold, Cold Heart.” Not only have his songs been covered by hundreds of country, folk, R&B, and rock singers, but Williams himself has been the subject of or mentioned in over 50 songs by the likes of 
If you lived in Los Angeles in the mid ’90s and were into music, you know doubt heard the proverbial “buzz” about this old black soul/blues singer belting it out for change on the Venice boardwalk. That voice belonged to Ted Hawkins, and thank God, the folks at Geffen Records followed that buzz until they also witnessed one of the greatest contemporary blues voices as he soothed the crowds of beach urchins. But before all that, Hawkins was forced to survive a rough childhood when he was abused and left to fend for himself as an illiterate child. In and out of reform school and jail, Hawkins finally settled in Los Angeles, but not before spending time in Mississippi’s notorious Parchman Farm penitentiary. By the time he hit his mid 30s, Hawkins had made several attempts at establishing a music career in Los Angeles, but nothing substantial materialized. But in the mid ’80s, Hawkins was becoming somewhat of a blues legend in Europe thanks to a British DJ spinning his records. Hawkins moved overseas and found a bit of success throughout Great Britain and Japan. But returning home to Los Angeles, he was met with the same indifference. And then in 1994, Hawkins was finally “discovered” and signed to Geffen Records. The label then released The Next Hundred Years, a collection of soulful blues with a voice that is at once as smooth as the an L.A. sunset and as rough as windblown Venice boardwalk. In a cruel twist of fate, Hawkins died of a stroke just as the rest of us were just catching up to him.