I give the Rolling Stones a lot of credit for showing up at Chess Records, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, in Chicago in 1965 and I give Jagger and Richards a lot of credit for paying for Hubert Sumlin‘s funeral in 2011.
This is how it’s reported in Rolling Stone magazine:
“The funeral for Chicago blues great Hubert Sumlin, the longtime guitar player for Howlin’ Wolf who died Sunday at age 80, will be paid for by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. Sumlin’s partner, Toni Ann, posted the news online. “God bless the Rolling Stones,” she wrote.
The Stones have long acknowledged their debt to Sumlin, who was ranked at number 43 on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists list.
Richards played on Sumlin’s 2006 album, About Them Shoes. “Hubert was an incisive yet delicate blues player,” Jagger said today, “a wonderful foil for Howlin’ Wolf’s growling vocal style . . . He was an inspiration to us all.””
Full story is here.
Reactions are mixed to the two Stones’ offer. “The fact that Jagger and Richards could wipe their asses with fistfuls of $100 bills while Hubert Sumlin needed his funeral paid for is painful to swallow,” says Seattle music writer Steve Stav, “But, better them than nobody”
Davin Michael Stedman, of Seattle band Staxx Brothers, adds, “That’s how they [Jagger and Richards] roll. They made a lot of money off the blues, but besides some publishing gaffes, which they paid heavily for, they’ve been R&Bs BFFs. BB King, The Meters, Ike & Tina, Stevie Wonder all gained a lot touring with them in their heyday. Imagine when they were touring with James Brown. Damn. Their gang cut some great sides with Howlin’ Wolf. They paid costs to be boss. But it sure pays a lot better being white. They cleaned up even with the court costs. Keef I ain’t mad at ya. He still gets love in Trenchtown cuzz he’s quick with a blade.”
“RIP Sumlin,” Stedman continues, “I always regret spending 32 years on earth, never to shake his hand. He was a special cat. This young kid cutting his teeth & serving with grown ass men who learned their craft from Son House, Robert Johnson, and Charlie Patton. And he seemed like such a nice guy. His life should be celebrated, even in death. Turn up the stereo & crack open a bottle. Say Hello to the man because he lives on in the classics. Plus he played with no pick. He’s with the Wolf now.”
