Howlin’ Wolf :: Sittin’ On Top Of The World (In Concert, 1970)

Bonus footage from a live DVD released by Bear Family entitled Howlin Wolf: In Concert 1970, this performance of “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” is an absolute must see. Appearing in the mid-70s at what is most likely the 1815 Club, an aging Tail Dragger and his Wolf Gang plow triumphantly through an extended take on the blues standard. Wolf roars with voice and harp like an elder lion forced to prove his mettle to the pride. Time and again, saxophonist Eddie Shaw and guitarist Hubert Sumlin nearly steal the show, only to be outdone by their formidable bandleader. It’s hard to believe that this is an individual battling heart disease and kidney failure. (You can see the dialysis bandages showing beyond the left sleeve of his sweater.) On this night, health and age be damned, Howlin’ Wolf proved once again that he’s the baddest motherfucker on the planet. words/ j steele

11 thoughts on “Howlin’ Wolf :: Sittin’ On Top Of The World (In Concert, 1970)

  1. HW represents that time when blues were just a little bit… scary, like the devil was waiting to snatch you up on the next verse. Not just a music genre with certain chords, but soul and darkness and danger. Oh my God, he was a bad ass dude, was he not?

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