All the best to you in this fine endeavor. The man truly deserves this tribute!

I have nothing but great memories of watching Wolf at Big John's, a great blues bar on Wells Street in Chicago--1965-'66 and '67.

He was an amazing singer and presence --- especially when you saw him from 4 feet away after a shot or two of scotch and one or two beers. I was in my twenties. I'd close up the shop where I was the assistant manager at 11:00 PM (The Old Town Folklore Center at North Avenue and Sedgwick) and head over to Big John's, 2 or 3 blocks away.

Tuesday night was Howling Wolf's regular night--with Hubert Sumlin on guitar. Mondays belonged to Muddy Waters with Jimmy Cotton on harp and Otis Spann on piano. Wednesday was Little Walter's when he was in shape to make the gig--not too often. Thursday was either the Mike Bloomfield band with Silver Sid on bass and Charlie Musselwhite blowing harp. Later on, Paul Butterfield's band with Bloomfield on guitar and Silver Sid on bass, Sam Lay on drums. I was there the night Corky Siegel and Jim Scwall's band auditioned. They got the job. (Those two, with the band, are doing a reunion concert in Chicago next month I believe---40 years later.)

I even opened a show for Wolf one night at a small club on Lincoln Avenue that didn't last very long. Can't recall it's name...

But I can see/visualize Wolf playing great inspired harp while laying on Big John's stage in a kind of trance---and sort of dancing while he was laying down !!!! The rest of the band still standing up and wailing away. The audience going crazy for the music. And the smoke-filled, dark bar encasing it all. It was a good time to be a part of that Chicago blues and folk scene --- when the white kids were learning their music from their mentors---the great Afro-American legends who would only be alive until they weren't. Those endings always came way too soon!

No, I'll never forget it!

Art Thieme
(a.k.a. The cuddle bunny of Old Town--as Mike Bloomfield's wife then, Suzy, used to call me---. And Mike would get pissed off.)