The Kinks

The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, in 1963 by brothers Dave and Ray Davies. They are regarded as one of the most important and influential rock groups of the era. The band emerged in 1964 during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the US until their touring ban in 1965. Their third single, the Ray Davies penned "You Really Got Me", became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the Top 10 in the United States. Between the mid-1960s and early 1970s, the group released a string of hit singles; studio albums drew good reviews but sold less than compilations of their singles. They gained a reputation for reflecting English culture and lifestyle, fuelled by Ray Davies' observational writing style. Albums such as Face to Face, Something Else, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, Arthur, Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround and Muswell Hillbillies, along with their accompanying singles, are considered among the most influential recordings of the period.

Kinks (album)

Kinks is the self-titled debut album by English rock band The Kinks, released in 1964. It was released with three tracks omitted as You Really Got Me in the US.

The album was re-released in 1998 in the UK on Castle Records with twelve bonus tracks. This reissue was itself reissued in 2004 on the Sanctuary label. A deluxe edition was released on 28 March 2011.

Reception

Allmusic assessed the album as lacking in consistency, commenting that "As R&B cover artists, the Kinks weren't nearly as adept as the Stones and Yardbirds; Ray Davies' original tunes were, "You Really Got Me" aside, perfunctory Mersey Beat-ish pastiches; and [the] tunes that producer Shel Talmy penned for the group... were simply abominable."

Track listing

All songs by Ray Davies, except where noted.

UK release (Pye NPL 18096 mono: NSPL 83021 stereo)

US Release You Really Got Me (Reprise R-6143 (mono) RS-6143 (stereo)) track listing

Howlin' Wolf

Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), known as Howlin' Wolf, was an African-American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, originally from Mississippi. With a booming voice and looming physical presence, he is one of the best-known Chicago blues artists. Musician and critic Cub Koda noted, "no one could match Howlin' Wolf for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits." Producer Sam Phillips recalled, "When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies'". Several of his songs, such as "Smokestack Lightnin'", "Back Door Man", "Killing Floor" and "Spoonful" have become blues and blues rock standards. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 51 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".

Early life

Howlin' Wolf was born on June 10, 1910, in White Station, Mississippi, near West Point. He was named Chester Arthur Burnett, after Chester A. Arthur, the 21st president of the United States. His physique garnered him the nicknames Big Foot Chester and Bull Cow as a young man: he was 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) tall and often weighed close to 275 pounds (125 kg). He explained the origin of the name Howlin' Wolf: "I got that from my grandfather", who would often tell him stories about the wolves in that part of the country and warn him that if he misbehaved then the "howling wolves would get him". Paul Oliver wrote that Burnett once claimed to have been given his nickname by his idol Jimmie Rodgers.

Howlin' Wolf (album)

Howlin' Wolf is the third studio album from Chicago blues singer/guitarist/harmonicist Howlin' Wolf. It is a collection of six singles previously released by the Chess label from 1960 through 1962. Because of the illustration on its sleeve (by Don Bronstein), the album is often called The Rockin' Chair Album, a nickname even added to the cover on some reissue pressings of the LP.

Legacy and awards

In 1966, fellow Chess artist Koko Taylor recorded a cover version of "Wang Dang Doodle" which reached #4 on the Billboard's R&B Charts and became a minor crossover hit by making #58 on the Billboard Hot 100. Earlier in 1963 Sam Cooke released a single of "Little Red Rooster" making #7 on the R&B Singles chart and #11 on the Hot 100. In 1969 the songs "Shake for Me" and "Back Door Man" were used in the lyrics to the Led Zeppelin song "Whole Lotta Love".

In 1985 the album won a Blues Music Award by The Blues Foundation for 'Classics of Blues Recordings—Album'. In 2003, the album was ranked #223 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and described as "an outrageous set of sex songs written by Willie Dixon." It was named the third greatest guitar album of all time by Mojo magazine in 2004.

The Howlin' Wolf Story – The Secret History of Rock & Roll

The Howlin' Wolf Story – The Secret History of Rock & Roll is a 2003 documentary about the life of blues legend Howlin' Wolf. It features much new and rare material, including Howlin' Wolf performing How Many More Years? on the TV musical show Shindig!, introduced by the Rolling Stones, drummer Sam Lay's home movies of stars of the Chicago Blues from the early 1960s, interviews with Howlin' Wolf's family, Hubert Sumlin, Billy Boy Arnold, Marshall Chess and many others, photographs of Howlin' Wolf and his band through their careers, and much else. The film was directed by video biographer Don McGlynn, and produced by Joe Lauro, whose company, Historic Films Inc., supplied much of the footage for Martin Scorsese's PBS documentary series on the blues.

References

External links