© Sandy Guy Schoenfeld ~ <a href="http://www.howlingwolfphotos.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.howlingwolfphotos.com</a> (all rights reserved) (2020 my site is closed for the time being)

Here (July 1968) I'm making up lyrics extemporaneously, while clapping rhythm. The lyrics fill in for a missing final stanza of a song I was writing then.
Wolf played the actual entire song on harp (thus his comment about hard to play it all by yourself) and this portion on tape here is just the unfinished part I spontaneously added extemporaneous lyrics on the spot to fill in for the part not yet written. 

 The setting is Wolf's road room in the Fillmore district's Eddy Street Hotel & Motel, San Francisco, California. This song is part of the harmonica lessons Wolf offered me. He encouraged me to tape them.  

My song (minus this clip's lyrics and without Wolf on harp) was recorded in 1985 at Hyde Street Studios and published on vinyl (and four times later on various CD's) featuring Mike Wilhelm's singing/guitar, me on harp, and other notable S.F. Rock Scene pioneers. (The Youtube URL is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMu4g3W6YJI

The ACTUAL title is "Can't Bank On You (Float A Loan Blues)"

Wolf and I made other original songs during the times he taught me harp, now 2 hours of taped lessons, I've only put up here the 45 seconds of my heart-felt soul-connected paean to The Mighty Wolf. The sweet, validating, healing, at-ease, mutual comradeship we shared from the get-go is a matter of the numinous.  It's heard here speaking and singing for itself, as within the unique multi-depth depictions of Wolf from our photo sessions, especially the iconic portraits  Wolf's business cards we created, and tapes of Wolf's revelations about his childhood, band leading techniques (and much more, some pending release)  Wolf and I were not only friends but confidants.

Good thing my song was unfinished then, to allow this chance to sing about Wolf as I sing with him! Later, I visited him in Chicago, and Wolf asked me to write a song for him -- the story's on my website, when I can get it back online someday hopefully by 2021. 

Wolf liked my songwriting and also my drumming. I'd banged out drums on the nightstand during some songs we did. I had a feel for the music and of course was inspired being with Wolf. (I was also "child prodigy" percussionist, accepted at age 13 for private lessons by Joe Morello) after winning a Best High School Musician contest sponsored by Sherman & Clay, despite being up against melodic instruments and where a drummer was docked 30 points for not having "melody" aspects to judge. I played African "talking drum" styles later)    

I did not stay with music (with a few brief times of exception) due to my more than full-time involvement as a community activist and organizer, starting out as a street-worker in the Tenderloin and assistant filmmaker for The National Civil Rights Act Training Workshop in 1966. Still, in the late 60's, I was fortunate to meet with and play drums for Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Mance Lipscomb, Arthur Crudup, and some others, while yet going to S.F. State University and working 1/2-time to support myself.  

I have over 35 songs from back then and a number of songs (both with melodies and lyrics) in 9 genres that I am getting close to having at least some of them produced before too long hopefully. I've been busy rescuing trafficked women for some time since 2004 however, though not in the last year.

Sandy Guy Schoenfeld
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No part of this may be used in any way whatsoever without specific permission from me. Contact me at the email addresses on my website or howlingsandy@hotmail.com. Thanks.

Howlin' Sandy

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