HOWLING WOLF "ORIGINAL FOLK BLUES" KENT 5026 1967 ORIGINAL MONO 'JUG' COVER LOOK

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HOWLING WOLF "ORIGINAL FOLK BLUES" KENT 5026 1967 ORIGINAL MONO 'JUG' COVER
HOWLING WOLF "ORIGINAL FOLK BLUES" 1951/52 'MODERN/RPM' RECORDINGS LABEL:  KENT 5026 MONO RELEASED: 1967 MATRIX: KLP 5026-1/2 RECORDING ENGINEER: BILL LAZERUS
CONDITION:   VINYL: VG+  JACKET: G+
I've been going thru my massive vinyl record collection this winter and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 40 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
This week on EBay I am offering up this old original copy of the classic, timeless "Original Folk Blues" 
This is an original, Mono, 1967 pressing of "Original Folk Blues" on the 'Kent' blues label, out of Los Angeles, with the early grey labels. It has the great, classic and iconic "Whiskey Jug & Harp" cover design.
This great, essential  LP contains a compilation of Howlin’ Wolf sides cut for the 'Modern' label in 1951-1952, including the three singles for RPM (a subsidiary of Modern Records) and a number of other songs. A great collection of his 1951/52 recordings and a terrific example of Wolf's early powerful, hard, raw, electric blues. 
This album contains almost everything Howlin' Wolf cut for the  Modern label in the early '50s, and is thus an essential supplement to his Sun and Chess material.
This album gives an accurate and enjoyable portrait of the man at the beginning of his legendary powers. There really are no words to describe the Wolf's voice and his powerful music. Every track is pure blues at its finest. 
~~~ This album is a re-issue, or more technically, a parallel issue. This album was originally released on the 'Crown' label in 1962 as "Howling Wolf Sings the Blues"
In the late sixties and early 70s it was re-issued on various Crown-related labels such as Kent, Custom, United Superior Records and other labels as "Big City Blues" and "Original Folk Blues"
"Sings" and "Big City" have cheesy, poor, uninspired covers, but this "Original Folk Blues" album has the great Black & White, 'Whiskey Jug & Harp' label which is iconic and a much better representation of the music within. One of the all-time great Blues album covers.
~~~~~~~~~ This material was recorded after his initial 'Sun' sessions in Memphis, but before he went to Chicago to record for Chess.
Recorded in West Memphis at Radio Station KWEM in September 1951 and at a Home Studio in West Memphis October 2, 1951 & February 12, 1952.
Howlin' Wolf's backing band for these sessions included the great Ike Turner on Piano, Willie Johnson on Bass, and Willie Steel on Drums. Of course the Wolf himself is on Guitar, vocals, and Harmonica.
This album contains some of Howling Wolf's groundbreaking early electric blues. The electric guitar is recorded with amazing "Fuzz" power. Forget the 'Garage Bands' of the Sixties; this is where Fuzz originated and where those bands heard it first.
These recordings are from that confusing early 50s time period when his very first Memphis recordings were sort of in limbo. After his early Sam Phillips 'Sun" work, but before he signed with Chess. 
Wolf was a smart businessman and leased these recordings out to several labels, Crown records and their Modern/RPM subsidiary, as well as to Chess. The Kent label was another Crown subsidiary. Thus, these recordings tend to get spread across different labels and albums over the years.
For some unclear reason, Kent decided to add a Joe Hill Louis instrumental to the end of each side of this album. The songs are great and fit right in, but they have nothing to do with Howling Wolf. Probably done to promote thier other artist and just to flesh-out and fill up an LP's worth of material. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~ The 10 Songs on this album include:
"Riding in the Moonlight" "Brown Skin Woman" ('Chocolate Drop') "Twisting and Turning" (Joe Hill Louis) "Morning at Midnight" ('Moanin' at Midnight') "Worried About My Baby" "Crying at Daybreak" (early 'Smokestack Lightning') "House Rockers" ('House Rockin' Boogie') "Dog Me Around" ('How Many More Years') "Backslide Boogie" "Keep What You Got"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE STORY AND LEGACY OF HOWLING WOLF
Howlin' Wolf (Chester Arthur Burnett) was one of the best and most influential blues musicians of the postwar years. 
He was at the forefront of transforming the rural, acoustic, Delta Blues of the South, to the electric, modern, urban blues of Chicago. Then he was largely responsible for introducing that electric blues sound to the young rock generation of the late 60s.
~~~~~ Few individuals in blues had the same force, presence, raw talent, and power like Howling Wolf. He is legendary for all the right reasons. Standing 6’ 3” and weighing in at up to three hundred pounds, he was a man both figuratively and literally larger than life.
His powerful delivery style included singing with his trademark animalistic howl/growl that can't really be described, it just needs to be heard and experienced. Wolf's voice was wise, truthful, intense and authentic. Anyone who hears Wolf’s voice can't escape feeling ‘something’ deeply universal - be it anger, pain, anguish, desire or pure joy.
Wolf’s legendary, distinctive howl/growl was compared to an animal or a lone wolf, howling, or crying, at the moonlight.
B.B. King claimed that Howlng Wolf had "that certain something in his voice that seemed like a sword that’d pierce your soul” 
Howlin' Wolf's legendary, unique sound has been often copied,  but never duplicated. He was one of a kind.
~~~~~ Early in his career, Howlin' Wolf performed Solo for several years, honing his craft. On the road, he was exposed to other Blues greats while working the Juke Joints: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Tampa Red, Blind Blake, and others. He learned everything he could from those artists.
In 1930, Burnett met Charley Patton playing in the Juke Joints. Patton was one of the most popular bluesmen in the Mississippi Delta at the time. The two became friends and Patton taught Wolf some of his licks as well as some of his on-stage tricks and antics, used to keep the audience's attention.
Wolf's harmonica playing was modeled after that of Sonny Boy Williamson, who he met on the road, and who taught him how to improve his playing.
By the late 30s, he was creating his own style, singing, playing harmonica and playing an early style of electric guitar. He played around the Arkansas and Mississippi clubs, but spent most of his adult life (until the age of 38) tending to his family farm. It wasn’t until his father’s death in 1949 that he devoted himself entirely to the blues, moving to Memphis and forming a band.
His late 40s band included Matt "Guitar" Murphy, and harmonica player Little Junior Parker. Howlin' Wolf quickly became known around Memphis.
In 1951, Ike Turner, a local A&R man, heard Howlin' Wolf in West Memphis. Turner introduced him to both Sam Phillips at Memphis Recording Service (later Sun Studio) and the Bihari brothers at Modern Records. 
Phillips recorded Wolf, but in those days, Sun Records wasn't yet formed, so Phillips licensed his recordings out to Chess and others.
Howlin' Wolf's first single, the spectacular, standout tracks "Moanin' at Midnight"/"How Many More Years," was issued by Chess in 1951. Both exemplify the earlier electric Memphis blues sound. 
"Passing By Blues"/"Crying at Daybreak" was also released on Modern's subsidiary RPM Records, a direct competitor with Chess. 
By the end of 1951, Leonard Chess had Burnett under sole contract to his label and Wolf moved to Chicago in 1952. 
In Chicago, Howlin' Wolf assembled a new band including the famous Hubert Sumlin on guitar.
Wolf's band was very fluid over the years, with many musicians coming and going, but Sumlin was the one anchor in his band for many years. Wolf also treated his band well, unlike most blues artists of the time, so musicians were eager to join and tour.
At Chess, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, and Muddy Waters were a blues powerhouse, writing songs with and for each other, and pushing each other to do their best work.
Howlin' Wolf recorded a bunch of classic, timeless sides for Leonard Chess that made him a legend.
By the late 50s, Howlin' Wolf had placed many hits on the R&B charts. His first LP, 'Moanin' in the Moonlight', a collection of his Chess singles, was released in 1959. His second compilation album, 'Howlin' Wolf' ( "the rocking chair album") was released in 1962.
~~~~~ Folk and Blues were very popular on College campuses in the late 50s and early 60s and Howlin' Wolf became popular with white youth.
In 1964 he toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival. He was one of the first wave of American bluesmen to make distinctive impressions in England and the music scene there. Howlin' Wolf became a vital link between Blues and Rock and would help blur the line between contemporary blues and rock and roll.
After his appearance in London, the Rolling Stones did a version of his "Little Red Rooster" that hit #1, leading to an appearance on the  Shindig! TV show.
Wolf’s 1964 visit to England was perfectly timed and coincided with the emerging British blues/rock scene. He inspired many young musicians like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Rory Gallagher, Eric Burdon and countless others.
The Yardbirds, Rolling Stones, Animals, Led Zeppelin, and Cream were all formed and all followed Wolf's roots and influence. Some of his best known tracks like "Back Door Man", "Killing Floor", & "Spoonful" were turned into classic rock songs by these bands.
In 1972 he recorded the great 'The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions', accompanied by British rock musicians Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Ian Stewart, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts and others.
Wolf's last album was 1973's 'The Back Door Wolf'. Wolf died at age 65 in 1976.
Wolf was able to fuse the primitive passion and energy of traditional delta blues artists with the amplified power and explosiveness of the electric blues, bringing the 'Modern' blues to a whole new audience.
When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, it was said, “Howlin’ Wolf ranks among the most electrifying performers in blues history, as well as one of its greatest characters. He was a ferocious, full-bodied singer whose gruff, rasping vocals embodied the blues at its most unbridled.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONDITION I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures.
VINYL: The vinyl is still in quite nice condition. It has a few hairlines and a very small smudge or two. Still, it looks quite nice. No significant scratches, dings or damage. It looks very nice. I tried to show a few close up pictures of the vinyl. I'll call it VG+ to keep everyone happy, but you can see that it looks quite good.
LABELS: This is on the  early grey Kent Mono labels. The labels are clean and bright. No marks or damage. The spindle holes are sharp and clean, suggesting minimal playing.
JACKET: This is the classic 'Whiskey Jug & Harp' Kent jacket. The condition is, unfortunately, a little rough. The front of the Jacket looks quite good. Some minor brown staining over the title. The back of the jacket has water damage and some label loss. You can still read all the liner notes clearly. There is a spine split and a small opening seam split. Pretty beat up to be honest, BUT, when sleeved it looks OK and is an acceptable copy of this rare record. I gave a lot of detailed pictures of the jacket.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** NOTE: I'm selling this rare 'Collector' record "AS IS" and "NO RETURN". It's rare and as described and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Add this fantastic album to your collection today. It would make a great addition to any classic Rock or Blues vinyl record collection. 
~~~~~~~ I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
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THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far.  -- JOHN