Having performed variations of it since the early 1930s, in 1956 Howlin Wolf finally, put Smokestack Lightning onto vinyl and gave the world one of its most important blues tracks. Coming at such a crucial time in the evolution of rock n' roll, and with Elvis ensuring country music held its place in the conversation, Smokestack Lightnin' made sure the blues of the Mississippi Delta, by way of its electrification in Chicago, would remain at the core of that evolution.