Hubert Sumlin

A common tendency among bluesmen today is to gain credibility by claiming that one's father was good friends with Muddy Waters, that one played guitar with Son House for a few months in the Delta, and so on. But why check out the namedroppers when you can see an original?...

By Dan Sweeney

December 20, 2001

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

A common tendency among bluesmen today is to gain credibility by claiming that one's father was good friends with Muddy Waters, that one played guitar with Son House for a few months in the Delta, and so on. But why check out the namedroppers when you can see an original? Hubert Sumlin got his start the way any 70-year-old blues guitarist should, by playing pine-tops in the Mississippi Delta. He eventually made the pilgrimage to Chicago and got a gig as Howlin' Wolf's rhythm guitarist in 1954, taking lead duties by 1958. Those are his impressive chops on "Killing Floor," "Hidden Charms," and a great many of the big man's other tunes. His attacking guitar style, often soloing right through Howlin' Wolf's vocals, was as much a mark of the songs as Wolf's throaty wail. With Howlin' Wolf's death in 1976, Sumlin has had an on-again, off-again solo career. His vocals don't have even a shadow of Howlin' Wolf's presence, but his guitar has never slowed.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.