The phenomenal guitarist and heartfelt vocalist Hubert Sumlin recently passed away.
Known best as Howlin’ Wolf’s lead guitar man for many years, Hubert, who lived to be 80, was a dapper gentleman and an extremely influential player whose unique style endeared him to most every blues and rock musician who became aware of his accomplishments and talents (which were still in great evidence even in his old age).
Apparently, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones (two close friends of Hubert’s for decades) insisted on paying for the entireity of his funeral expenses.
The video above shows Hubert sitting in not too long ago with guitar prodigy Kenny Wayne Sheperd and his band of sports-bar “bluesmen.”
It’s surprisingly restrained and well-handled, right up until Shepherd starts trying to cut heads with a guy who was through with it before li’l Kenny knew what to do with it, and who has no desire to get fast and flashy for the sake of… Well, who knows what?
But the money shot in this whole shot in this whole segment starts at about 5 minutes in, when the band kicks into a medley of sorts, incorporating a rocked-up arrangement of Big Joe Williams’ early hit “Highway 49,” (which was also later made famous by Howlin’ Wolf - a smash record that Hubert cut the original solo on back in the day).
Everything’s truckin’ along fine with Hubert even throwing in some decent lead vocals along with his understated soloing. Until 6:30 into the video, when Shephard’s lunkheaded, Nashvegas-lookin’ acoustic guitar jock doofus strolls up to the center stage mic and proceeds to turn the whole thing into a big bunch of Blues Hammer.
Hubert’s gone, but that guy’s still butchering the classics night after night?
Sweet Jeebus.
