RIP Hubert Sumlin, the legendary guitarist and longtime collaborator of blues icon Howlin’ Wolf, has died, according to Houston Press’ Rocks Off. He was 80.
Ranked at number sixty-five in the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, Sumlin’s career spanned six decades, beginning as a guitarist in Howlin Wolf’s backing band and later as a solo musician. A native of Mississippi, Sumlin moved to Chicago in 1953 and joined Wolf’s band a year later. The two musicians recorded and toured together until Wolf’s death in 1976, with Sumlin continuing on with several other band members under the name “The Wolf Pack” until the early 1980s.
Sumlin released a number of solo albums during the following three decades, the most recent being 2004′s About Them Shoes. For his efforts, Sumlin was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1988.
Below, you can find video of a 2007 interview with Sumlin, followed by a clip of him performing with Howlin’ Wolf in 1964.