Sam Phillips said, ‘When I heard Howlin’ Wolf, I said, ‘this is where the soul of man never dies.” No one, not even Robert Johnson at his haunted best, came close to capturing the feeling of the dark, sinister spirits that Howlin’ Wolf conjures up. The Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society of West Point, Mississippi, officially opened the new Howlin’ Wolf Blues Museum on Thursday, September 1, 2005. The Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society and director Richard Ramsey worked long and hard to collect donations from private citizens, the Burnett family, famous musicians and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to prepare the exhibits and outstanding collection of memorabilia in Wolf’s hometown. Ramsey, who grew up in West Point, worked part-time at his father’s store and wrote hunting licenses for Wolf when the Bluesman came home on his biannual visits from Chicago. Ramsey and the Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society have devoted the past 11 years to keep Wolf’s legacy alive and will continue to do its part to ensure that the soul and the legacy of Chester Arthur Burnett, The Howlin’ Wolf, will never die.
