Smokestack Lightening

Humans are animals. They certainly are not plants. Someone is confused.

The Animals – Smoke Stack Lightning Burdon, organist Alan Price, lead guitarist Hilton Valentine, bass guitarist Bryan “Chas” Chandler, and drummer John Steel—came from working class families in the Newcastle, England area.

Howlin’ Wolf “Smokestack Lightning” Live 1964 This was shot in England during the famed American Folk Blues Festival tours and features the legendary Hubert Sumlin on guitar.

Howlin’ Wolf – Smokestack Lightnin [1956] Wolf had performed “Smokestack Lightning” in one form or another at least by the early 1930s, when he was performing with Charley Patton in small Delta communities. The song, called “a hypnotic one-chord drone piece”, draws on earlier blues, such as Tommy Johnson’s “Big Road Blues” (1928, Victor 21279), the Mississippi Sheiks’ “Stop and Listen Blues” (1930, OKeh 8807), and Charley Patton’s “Moon Going Down” (1930, Paramount 13014). Wolf said the song was inspired by watching trains in the night: “We used to sit out in the country and see the trains go by, watch the sparks come out of the smokestack. That was smokestack lightning.” In 1951, he recorded the song as “Crying at Daybreak”. It contains the line “O-oh smokestack lightnin’, shinin’, just like gold, oh don’t you hear me cryin'”, similar to the Mississippi Sheiks’ lyric “A-ah, smokestack lightnin’, that bell shine just like gold, now don’t you hear me talkin'”.
In Chicago in January 1956, Howlin’ Wolf recorded “Smokestack Lightning”. The song takes the form of “a propulsive, one-chord vamp, nominally in E major but with the flatted blue notes that make it sound like E minor”, and lyrically it is “a pastiche of ancient blues lines and train references, timeless and evocative”. Longtime Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin is credited with the distinctive guitar line. Howlin’ Wolf sang and played harmonica, backed by pianist Hosea Lee Kennard, guitarists Willie Johnson and Hubert Sumlin, bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Earl Phillips.
In 1956, “Smokestack Lightning” reached number 11 in the Billboard R&B chart. When it was released by Pye International Records in the UK in 1964, it peaked at number 42 in the singles chart. It was later included on the albums Moanin’ in the Moonlight and The Howlin’ Wolf Album.

the yardbirds smokestack lightning

Smokestack Lightening: Eric Gales – Guitar & Vocals, Nick Hayes – Drums, LaDonna Gales – Percussion, Nil Jones – Bass, Jonathan Lovett – Keys Filmed & Recorded at Lancaster Roots & Blues in Lancaster, PA on October 16, 2021

The Grateful Dead doing Smokestack Lightning on 2/19/1971 at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on 2/19/1971

Smokestack Lightning · Bobby Rush · Chester Burnett Rawer Than Raw

Manfred Mann – Smokestack Lightning From their debut album, The Five Faces of Manfred Mann, 1964

Watermelon Slim – Smokestack Lightning

Bob Dylan – Smokestack Lightnin’ (feat. Cynthia Gooding) [Live]

Smokestack Lightning // Big Head Todd & the Monsters Todd Park Mohr — vocals, guitar, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica Brian Nevin — drums, percussion, vocals Rob Squires — bass guitar, vocals Jeremy Lawton — keyboards, pedal steel guitar, vocals

Quicksilver Messenger Service – Smokestack Lightning [Live] 1968

Muddy Waters – Smokestack Lightnin’

GEORGE THOROGOOD – SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING

https://youtu.be/dPDLvlbYVuE Hubert Sumlin – Smokestack Lightning Hubert Sumlin (Guitar) David “Buster Poindexter” Johansen (Vocal, Harmonica) Jimmy Vivino (Guitar) Levon Helm (Drums) Michael Merritt (Bass)

https://youtu.be/OAJRozebTew Widespread Panic w/ Luther Dickinson covering “Smokestack Lightning” at Wanee Festival

The Electric Prunes – Smokestack Lightning

Gov’t Mule w/Hook Herrera “Smokestack Lightning” Count Basie Theatre – Red Bank, NJ – 6/4/13

 

---

Some people are so afraid they cannot find the courage to debunk the junk and face facts. And increasing numbers don’t want to know truths which may be too terrible to bear.