Video: “Smokestack Lightning” by Howlin’ Wolf

This is the only known filmed version of “Smokestack Lightning” by Howlin’ Wolf. It was shot in England in 1964 during the American Folk Blues Festival and features the legendary Hubert Sumlin on guitar. This video was recently released on YouTube by Reelin’ In The Years Productions as a promotion for their archive of film footage.

Chester Arthur Burnett (1910 – 1976), known as Howlin’ Wolf, was a Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player originally from Mississippi. With a booming voice and looming physical presence, he was one of the best-known Chicago blues artists. Producer Sam Phillips famously said, “When I heard Howlin’ Wolf, I said, ‘This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.'”