norman dayron on howlin' wolf...

Norman Dayron: “Wolf was extremely complicated. One part of him was voodoo. One part of him was the devil. Another part of him was a very decent and generous man. One part of him was a homebody. He loved his home and his family and his quiet. One part of him was a street guy. And one part of him was a performer who at one time in his life would probably have done things onstage that no other bluesman would have ever done. One part of him was connected to show business, so he knew how to exploit his unique properties. That’s why he took the name Howlin’ Wolf.… He had his own rationality. You had to learn what that was if you wanted to argue with him. Conventional wisdom was of little interest to him.…

Segrest, James; Hoffman, Mark. Moanin' at Midnight

Howlin' Wolf, posing with his guitar, during an interview for the Chicago Defender, Chicago, ca.1970s. (Photo by Robert Abbott Sengstacke)