Hubert Sumlin Dead: Guitarist for Howlin' Wolf Dies at 80

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Hubert Sumlin, the influential blues guitarist who made his name as a sideman for Howlin' Wolf and recently ranked 43rd on Rolling Stone's list of history's top 100 axmen, died Sunday (Dec. 4) of heart failure. He was 80.

Born in Greenwood, Miss., Sumlin backed singer James Cotton in Memphis before relocating to Chicago in 1953. There, he joined forces with Howlin' Wolf, forging a partnership that would last until the legendary bluesman's death in 1976.

Along the way, Sumlin played on such enduring Wolf tracks as 'Smokestack Lightning,' 'Killing Floor' and 'Spoonful.' The latter two cuts were famously covered by Jimi Hendrix and Cream, respectively, two of the many rock acts to draw inspiration from his fiery fretwork.