Razor totin’ Bill

I can’t hear the name Razorbill without hearing Howlin’ Wolf sing Wang Dang Doodle.

Tell automatic slim
Tell razor totin’ jim
Tell butcher knife totin’ annie
Tell fast talkin’ fanny
Tonite we’re gonna pitch a ball
Down to that union hall
Gonna romp and tromp ’till midnite
We’re gonna fuss and fight ’till daylight
We’re gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long

Naturally I always change the lyrics from ‘Razor totin’ Jim’ to ‘Razor totin’ Bill’. Howlin’ Wolf was an extraordinary man. He was functionally illiterate into he 40s yet managed to get his General Educational Development diploma and go on to study accounting and business to help him manage his career. It’s a long way from being whipped by his great uncle from a mule as a thirteen year old after killing a pig for spoiling his dress clothes and having to walk 85 miles barefoot to seek refuge with his father. It’s the stuff blues legends are made of.

Here’s Bill, totin’ his razor:

And tonight? I’m gonna pitch a wang dang doodle all night long.