Bob Dylan doesn’t tend to offer praise unless it’s deserved. The songwriter is a profound music fan, something that is evident everywhere from his memoir Chronicles through to the always-exceptional radio series Theme Time Hour. But he reserved particular praise for Chicago blues great Howlin’ Wolf, calling him “the greatest live act”.
The American artist has long sought inspiration in the blues, and his current live set up acknowledges that. Primarily focussed on Dylan’s album ‘Rough and Rowdy Ways’, the sets have been littered with surprises, and these are always revealing.
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Take his choice to introduce ‘Killin’ Floor’ into last year’s performances. Caught live at Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre, the band are exceptional, managing to capture the electricity of that original Chess Records session.
Howlin’ Wolf is of course a singular artist, a profound figure within Chicago blues who influenced The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Jack White. Speaking to Rolling Stone once, Bob Dylan said of the bluesman: “Howlin’ Wolf, to me, was the greatest live act. Because he did not have to move a finger when he performed — if that’s what you’d call it, ‘performing.’”
He later added: “It’s still hipper and cooler to be Ray Charles, sittin’ at the piano, not movin’ shit. And still getting across, you know? Pushing rhythm and soul across. It’s got nothin’ to do with jumping around. I mean, what could it possibly have to do with jumping around?”
Check out Bob Dylan’s version of ‘Killin’ Floor’ below.
