Smokestack Lightning

Amp settings (as recorded)

The recording

Recorded in January 1956 at Chess Studios in Chicago, this track is a definitive minimalist Chicago Blues masterpiece produced by Leonard and Phil Chess with Willie Dixon. The guitar riff was developed by Hubert Sumlin, who played alongside guitarist Willie Johnson, bassist Willie Dixon, drummer Earl Phillips, and pianist Hosea Lee Kennard. The song is characterized by its propulsive, one-chord E-minor tonality and lack of modern studio effects, relying on the raw interaction between the studio acoustics and the ensemble's natural performance.