Howlin' Wolf, born Chester Arthur Burnett, was widely regarded as one of the most influential American blues musicians of the 20th century. Burnett was an acclaimed blues and rock singer, guitarist and harmonica player and became known as Howlin' Wolf due to his unique singing style. Burnett was an indispensable part of the transformation of acoustic Delta blues into electric Chicago blues. He was a contemporary of Muddy Waters and the two shared a mock rivalry that they invented for artistic and commercial purposes.