Howlin Wolf was a musical giant in every way. He stood six foot three, weighed almost three hundred pounds, wore size sixteen shoes, and poured out his darkest sorrows onstage in a voice like a raging chainsaw. Half a century after his first hits, his sound still terrifies and inspires.Born Chester Burnett in 1910, the Wolf survived a grim childhood and hardscrabble youth as a sharecropper in Mississippi. He began his career playing and singing with the first Delta blues stars for two decades in perilous juke joints. He was present at the birth of rock n roll in Memphis, where Sam Phillipswho also discovered Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewiscalled Wolf his greatest discovery. He helped develop the sound of electric blues and vied with rival Muddy Waters for the title of king of Chicago blues. He ended his career performing and recording with the worlds most famous rock stars. His passion for music kept him performingdespite devastating physical problemsright up to his death in 1976.Theres never been a comprehensive biography of the Wolf until now. Moanin at Midnight is full of startling information about his mysterious early years, surprising and entertaining stories about his decades at the top, and never-before-seen photographs. It strips away all the myths to revealat long lastthe real-life triumphs and tragedies of this blues titan.