“The Red Rooster” is track nine on disc one. Listen to it first, because it’s the key to this re-issue. On it, Howlin’ Wolf schools Eric Clapton on how to play the blues. As in, “No man, do it this ...

It is an idea that has captivated musicians since the earliest emergence of blues in the mid 1800s. The structure of the blues is largely simple — often three chords, solos in one scale — but ...