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Hubert Sumlin Obituary

Hubert Sumlin, a blues guitarist whose soulful licks and crackling solos were featured on scores of hits for singer Howlin' Wolf during the 1950s and 1960s and who influenced later work by Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, died Sunday in Wayne.at a hospital. in Wayne, N.J. He was 80.

His agent, Hugh Southard, said Mr. Sumlin had congestive heart failure.

Born in Greenwood, Miss.issippi, Mr. Sumlin lived in Milwaukee for most of his life before moving to Totowa 10 years ago.

Mr. Sumlin was among the last of a generation of musicians who helped modernize the blues with the electric guitar.

Although his was not a well-known name, Mr. Sumlin was considered a blues legend whose virtuosic playing inspired the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 43rd on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. (Mr. Sumlin placed above Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and rock-and-roll pioneer Buddy Holly.)

Born to a sharecropping family, Mr. Sumlin played his first tunes on a length of hay-baling wire tied tautly between two protruding nails on the side of his home.

It was on that "diddley bow" that Mr. Sumlin began to develop the warped and quivering style that became his signature.

"Other guitarists are inspired by him," Muddy Waters band member Bob Margolin once said, "but nobody sounds like him."

Mr. Sumlin's mother later bought her son a real guitar with a week's salary from her job at a funeral parlor.

Mr. Sumlin was about 10 when he sneaked off to a local juke joint to listen to one of his idols, Chester "Howlin' Wolf" Burnett.

Denied entry to the bar, Mr. Sumlin piled several wooden Coca-Cola crates up to an exhaust-fan window so that he could climb up and peek inside. Teetering at the top, he crashed through the opening and landed on the stage in front of Howlin' Wolf, a gargantuan man with a booming voice.

The singer was impressed with Mr. Sumlin's dedication to music. He ordered that a chair be brought onstage for the youngster.

Afterward, the singer drove Mr. Sumlin home. In an interview with Worcester (Mass.) magazine, Mr. Sumlin once recalled Howlin' Wolf's conversation with his mother:

"He says, 'Looka here. Don't whup 'im. One day, Mrs. Sumlin, I sure would like him to play with me. He's something else. He's gonna be a musician and he's gonna be a good one. Yes, m'am.'x"

Mr. Sumlin, who did not escape his mother's punishment, kept in touch with Howlin' Wolf and joined his band in Chicago in the early 1950s. He established himself as a standout guitarist and creative partner.

Mr. Sumlin's licks on "Killing Floor," "The Red Rooster" and "Smokestack Lightning" are considered blues classics.

Despite his successful work with the singer, Sumlin said, he was fired by Howlin' Wolf more than 100 times.

Howlin' Wolf once dismissed Sumlin in front of an audience of 700, saying later that Sumlin had been playing too loudly and was interfering with his vocals.

Sumlin went home and began playing without a pick, flicking his guitar's strings with his fingers.

"I could feel the soul and the pain," he told Guitar Player magazine in 2005. "I could feel everything. And that made me better."

He soon returned to Howlin' Wolf's band and played with the group until the singer died in 1976.

After decades in the shadow of Howlin' Wolf's spotlight, Mr. Sumlin struggled to forge a career on his own. He released a number of solo albums and received several Grammy award nominations in the 1990s.

In the mid-2000s, Mr. Sumlin released the album "About Them Shoes," which was produced by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.

In an interview with Guitar Player, Sumlin explained the album's title. His father subsidized his family's meager income with a whiskey still hidden in a swamp. One day, Sumlin stumbled onto his father's underground distilling operation.

When he asked about the equipment's purpose, his father told him:

"How do you think you got them socks on? How do you think you got them shoes?"

Hubert Charles Sumlin was born Nov. 16, 1931, in Greenwood, Miss., and grew up in Hughes, Ark. He was one of 13 children.

When he was a teenager, his guitar skills landed him performances in nearby juke joints. He eventually formed a group with blues harmonica player James Cotton.

Mr. Sumlin was married multiple times. A complete list of his survivors could not be determined.

Sumlin had a close but rocky relationship with Howlin' Wolf, who stood more than 6-foot-6 and weighed as much as 300 pounds.

"We had just two fights in all those years," Sumlin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He knocked my teeth out and I knocked his out. . . . The day after the fight, he went and had the teeth fixed with gold. He looked better than before I hit him."

Published by The Record/Herald News on Dec. 7, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for Hubert Sumlin

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29 Entries

ron bik

October 1, 2016

Valenda Newell

September 30, 2016

Hubert Sumlin is right at the top of the list of blues legends. Such an amazing guitarist, but still a humble and unassuming man. R.I.P. Hubert, and thanx for all the great music you left us with.

Michael Palmer

December 4, 2014

Thank you Hubert. Thanks for all of it. I was pleased and privileged to meet and spend a couple of hours with you back in the mid '80's. We enjoyed each others company and to this day I remain impressed with what a down to earth,unassuming man you were. You made an indelible mark in American music without a doubt. When Wolf saw and heard you way back when, he knew you were something special and who can question that? Rest in Peace

Dan

December 4, 2013

What a talent! Never had the honor to meet the man but I was inspired by his art. May he RIP.

Charles Parker

December 20, 2011

had the pleasure of meeting mr sumlin at bb kings new york.watched this classy talented true gentleman from backstage.after the show he thanked me for being there.beyond cool.you will be missed sir.godbless and godspeed.jerry dteroit

jerry galasso

December 20, 2011

a bluesman,right in the song,for a lifetime..... at antones in 1988 i was introduced to mr. sumlin by guitarist bill campbell,what an thrill. carlos guitarlos los angeles,ca.

carlos guitarlos

December 14, 2011

Hubert, your legacy will live forever....I am proud to have been able to call you my friend. Your shining, humble, heart has touched so many. Godspeed my brother.

Richard Ramsey

December 14, 2011

Rest In Heaven Great uncle Hubert! Love the entire Sumlin and Mosley family!

Sharonda Mosley

December 12, 2011

Thanks for the beautiful memories Brother Hubert. Heaven is smiling. Peace..

Jay K. Wilm

December 12, 2011

Thanks for your passionate blues over the years bro. You were one of the greats and we'll miss you. RIP.

December 12, 2011

The world has lost an amazing man. May his music play on for generations to come and may it bring the same joy it brought to me. RIP Mr Sumlin.

Deb Grasso

December 10, 2011

Ed and I will never forget the weekend you spent at our house in St. Paul and how you put the whole can of Draino down the bathtub. You were so concerned how slow the water was running. You will always be in our thoughts and prayers. Thanks for being so kind to Grama. She loved you just like we do. Rest in peace my friend. I know how much you meant to Curt and how you took him under your wing when he first came to Chicago. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Godspeed Barb Obeda

December 9, 2011

Rest in peace Hubert.

Sharon Messier

December 8, 2011

See you on the other side Hubert. Thanks for all the memories and hangin out by my store. Will never forget ya bro. love ya. Godspeed Mr. Sumlin.
eddie the lock

December 8, 2011

Hubert was the first person I met when arriving in Chicago in 1976, and he was the most gracious and inspiring man I have known. For someone so gifted, he was truly humble. Hubert was a unique artist and a unique human being, and he will be missed by everyone who ever came in contact with him.

Steve Freund

December 8, 2011

Sweet Hubert. Words cannot express all we feel in our hearts. Will cherish moments spent with you.

Alex and Sharon Messier

December 8, 2011

Hubert, I know our parents Chester & Lillie Burnett aka Mr. & Mrs, Howlin' Wolf, greeted you with love and happiness when you arrived in Heaven Sunday morning. We love and miss you. You have been a part of our family (brother) for as long as we can remember. We know you are at peace now. Love you always!!!

"Our candle for you will glow forever,,,"
HOWLIN' WOLF FAMILY (Bettye, Barbra & Family)

Bettye, Barbra & Family

December 8, 2011

Such a sweet, sweet man! Your contagious smile will forever be etched in my mind and heart. Sweet Dreams Mrs. Sumlin. RIP. xo

Rochelle Rivera

December 8, 2011

I have spent a little time with Hubert Sumlin, He was a wonderful gentle man. R.I.P Mr. Sumlin.
Daniel Honan

Daniel Honan

December 8, 2011

Hubert you're "Sittin' On Top Of The World"

Pete Ragusa

December 8, 2011

One of the greatest Blues guitarists of all time.He will be missed.Michael Brady,N.J.

December 8, 2011

My Prayers goes out to your Family! You will be missed. I'm glad we met.

Shor'ty Billups

December 8, 2011

Heaven done called another Blues-stringer back Home! We love you Hubert!!

Niels

December 8, 2011

I had the pleasure of meeting Hubert and sitting in with him a few times. He was a sweet guy AND a bit of a rascal. When God made him, that mold must have been so hot that he dropped it and it broke. Ain't been another like him since. R.I.P. Hubert!

Ms Marci Chevian-Hooper

December 7, 2011

Rest in Peace, Mr. Hubert. You were a wicked picker and a hoot to boot.

Gai Bennett

December 7, 2011

Sad to see you go so soon, your music speaks for itself, I hope your in a better place, God Bless Ya. Keep on Rockin'.

Joe Radosti

December 7, 2011

You will be missed. I will always remember the respect you always gave to me on many shows during the 90;s. Especdially when you appeareed at the MT Wachussetts blues festival. Yes we will miss you.
Shirley lewis, Regal Queen of the Blues.

Shirley Lewis

December 7, 2011

You will always live in our hearts and prayers.

John Ruffo

December 7, 2011

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