Blues legend Hubert Sumlin comes to the forefront with the premiere of “No Panties on the Bus,” a previously unreleased track that pairs his incendiary guitar work with an unforgettable story from his days on the road with Howlin’ Wolf. Out now via VizzTone, the single comes in two versions: one featuring Sumlin telling the tale over the solos, and another purely instrumental.
Following a brief tour, Howlin’ Wolf returned home to find his wife searching his van. She discovered women’s underwear, and when he came back from an errand, she was waiting with a shotgun. That incident inspired the refrain, written by Richard Rosenblatt: “If you’ve got a jealous woman, and she likes to make a fuss / Be careful when you travel, don’t leave no panties on the bus!”
Rosenblatt recalls that Sumlin loved the song and “absolutely killed it,” later adding a recording of him telling the story over the solo sections.
Recorded in 2006 at Rosenblatt’s basement studio in Massachusetts, the session featured Sumlin on guitar and vocals, joined by Paul Lenart (guitar), Bill Mather (bass), Rosenblatt (harmonica), Larry Luddecke (piano), and Billy Conway (drums)—mostly members of Rosenblatt’s 11 Guys Quartet. He remembers Hubert as “an AMAZING storyteller, and he told absolutely fascinating and hysterical stories from his days with Howlin’ Wolf.”
Ranked #47 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, Sumlin—idolized by Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and many more—renders the story with full musical and narrative authority. “I have been waiting 20 years to release this song — I hope you love it as much as I do!” Rosenblatt says.
