Hubert Sumlin
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| Hubert Sumlin | |
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| Born | November 16, 1931 |
| Genre(s) | Blues |
| Affiliation(s) | Howlin' Wolf Muddy Waters |
| Notable guitars | Gibson Les Paul Goldtop |
| Years active | 1954 - Present |
| Official site | www.HubertSumlinBlues.com |
Hubert Sumlin (born November 16, 1931) is a blues guitar player known as a both a solo artist and central element in Howlin' Wolf's backup band. Listed in Rolling Stone's The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Sumlin continues to tour and play blues guitar. He is cited as a major influence by many artists, including Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmy Page, and Jimi Hendrix.
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[edit] Influences
Early influences that affected Hubert Sumlin's style of play at a young age have been cited by him as, primarily, Muddy Waters, Charley Patton, Robert Jr Lockwood and Robert Johnson.
[edit] Impact as a Guitarist
It is often stated that Sumlin's playing was a vital catalyst for the British blues boom providing a link from the acoustic blues of the Mississippi delta that was more accessible to electric guitarists such as Clapton, Page, Richards and Beck. Indeed, throughout the careers of these artists, many Howlin' Wolf songs have been covered and Sumlin's guitar lines imitated. Examples are Clapton's covers of "Goin' Down Slow", the Rolling Stones version of "Little Red Rooster", The Yardbirds' version of "Smokestack Lightnin'" and "The Lemon Song" by Led Zeppelin (which is a rework of "Killing Floor")
[edit] Career
Born in Greenwood, Mississippi, Sumlin was raised in Hughes, Arkansas. As a boy, Sumlin met Howlin' Wolf (Chester Burnett) by sneaking into a performance. Burnett invited Sumlin to play guitar in his Chicago-based band. Sumlin also briefly played guitar for Muddy Waters. Playing primarily as the lead guitarist in Burnett's band from the early 1950s until 1980, several years after Burnett's death, Sumlin has also recorded under his own name. His latest effort is About Them Shoes, released in 2005 by Tone Cool Records. He underwent lung removal surgery in 2004 but is still going strong as of 2006.
[edit] Discography
- Hubert's "American" Blues ! (1969)
- Kings of Chicago Blues, Vol. 2 (1971)
- My Guitar & Me (1975)
- Groove (1976)
- Hubert Sumlin's Blues Party (1987)
- Heart & Soul (1989)
- Healing Feeling (1990)
- Blues Anytime! (1994)
- Blues Guitar Boss (1994)
- I Know You (1998)
- Chicago Blues Session, Vol. 22 (1998)
- Wake up Call (1998)
- About Them Shoes (2004)
- Blues Guitar Boss (2005)
