Moanin' at Midnight
| "Moanin' at Midnight" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Memphis Recording Service (Memphis, Tennessee) | ||||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Chester Burnett a.k.a. Howlin' Wolf (Originally credited to Carl Germany) | |||
| Producer(s) | Sam Phillips | |||
| Howlin' Wolf singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Moanin' at Midnight" is a
Recording and release
Chester Burnett began performing as blues musician Howlin' Wolf in 1948. He formed a band in West Memphis, Arkansas and performed locally. There he was discovered by Clarksdale native Ike Turner.[1] After Turner and his band the Kings of Rhythm recorded "Rocket 88" for Sam Phillips in 1951, he brought Howlin' Wolf to record for Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee.[2][3]
Howlin' Wolf recorded a session for Phillips at his
Turner, who was also a talent scout for the Bihari brothers at Modern Records, took Howlin' Wolf to record another version of "Moanin' at Midnight" at radio station KWEM in West Memphis.[5][2] It was released on the subsidiary RPM Records as "Morning at Midnight" in September 1951, the B-side to "Riding In The Moonlight." This caused a conflict between the Chess brothers and the Bihari brothers.[10] Howlin' Wolf recorded a few more singles for RPM, but by 1952, he was recording exclusively for Chess.[2]
Howlin' Wolf is the credited songwriter on the RPM release, but the Chess single was originally credited to Carl Germany, who was a disc jockey and dance promoter in Chicago.[6] Later reissues of the recordings have been revised to credit to Chester Burnett.[4]
"Moanin' at Midnight" and "How Many More Years" later appeared on Howlin' Wolf's debut album Moanin' in the Moonlight (1959). "Morning at Midnight" and "Riding in the Moonlight" appeared on the compilation Howling Wolf Sings the Blues (1962).
References
- ^ Selvin, Joel (September 14, 1997). "POP QUIZ -- Q & A With Ike Turner". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-58234-005-0.
- ISBN 978-0-307-83101-9.
- ^ a b c "How Many More Years - Howlin' Wolf (Chess, 1951)". Blues Foundation. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ a b "Illustrated Howlin' Wolf discography". www.wirz.de. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-316-21130-7.
- ^ "Most Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues Records" (PDF). Billboard. November 10, 1951. p. 41.
- ^ "Most Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues Records" (PDF). Billboard. March 1, 1952. p. 31.
- ^ "Howlin' Wolf – Sun Record Company". Retrieved 2020-05-27.
- ^ "Chess, Biharis Skirmish; This Time Over Wolf" (PDF). Billboard. December 22, 1951. p. 17.