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Hubert Sumlin Dead at 80
Blues guitarist collaborated with Howlin' Wolf, influenced Jimi Hendrix and Keith Richards

Hubert Sumlin, the longtime collaborator with Howlin' Wolf whose playing on such songs as Killin' Floor, Wang Dang Doodle, Spoonful and Backdoor Man influenced generations of guitarists died Sunday in New Jersey. He was 80 years old.

Sumlin was ranked number 43 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2008 and was a mainstay of the Chicago blues scene. Sumlin influenced Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa, among others.

Hubert was born in Mississippi, raised in Arkansas and moved to Chicago to play with Howlin' Wolf. After Wolf's death in 1976, Sumlin continued to play with the rest of Wolf's band under the name The Wolf Gang.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002 and had a lung removed. In recent years Sumlin continued to perform when his health permitted.

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Part credit: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hubert-sumlin-dead-at-80-20111204
    Great man. One of the best interviewees (and great playing) at the last Crossroads fest...
      Must be honest, saw him on the Crossroads 2010 DVD and didn't think he looked to have much steam left. Still, 80 is a respectable innings indeed!

      You guys should try find some interviews with him, he had a very distinct Mississippi way of speaking which was lots of fun to listen to. ?
        Warren wrote: You guys should try find some interviews with him, he had a very distinct Mississippi way of speaking which was lots of fun to listen to. ?
        A jolly old gent indeed.

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          • Post #6
          Ah I enjoyed watching him play so much...
          I am trying to plan a trip to the next crossroads, and I always said, I doubt I'll get to see 'ol Hubert next time...
          The last crossroads dvd you kinda saw he was done...

          Very inspiring.. Love the interviews, a legend...

          Would have been amazing to see him live...

          Another time, another place...

          RIP Hubert Sumlin
            Jack Flash Jr wrote: Great man. One of the best interviewees (and great playing) at the last Crossroads fest...
            I found his playing awfully boring.. compared to say Buddy Guy. Still not many of the old blues guys around these days
              The incredibly moving story of how Howlin' Wolf took a 14 year old fatherless boy under his wing:

              http://arisurdoval.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/hubert-sumlin-raised-by-wolf/

              A sample:
              Muddy was sitting over there at the table with his women, drunk. He was going to make the band play for him anyway. We had just drove from Miami and we stopped somewhere and got some homemade whiskey and them guys was all drunk. Wolf was yelling, ‘Where he at? Where he at?’ I said, ‘He’s over there at the table.’ Man, Muddy was so drunk, but he got just as sober as a judge when Wolf pointed his finger at him. Wolf said, ‘You gonna have to get up there and play now. I come to get my son.’”
                nick wrote: I found his playing awfully boring.. compared to say Buddy Guy
                I figured on that last Crossroads Robert Cray made the other okes in the set look like amateurs, Sumlin even more so.
                Having said that, you could tell that despite Sumlin's performance they all respected him immensely. Who are we to talk him down, then?
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