Willie Johnson (March 4, 1923 – February 26, 1995) was an American electric blues guitarist. He is best known as the principal guitarist in Howlin’ Wolf‘s band from 1948 to 1953. His raucous, distorted guitar playing is prominent on Howlin’ Wolf’s Memphis recordings during 1951–1953, including the hit song “How Many More Years” (recorded May 1951). In 2017, Johnson was posthumously inducted in to the Blues Hall of Fame. Willie Lee Johnson was born in Senatobia, Mississippi. As the guitarist in the first band led by Howlin’ Wolf, he appeared on most of Wolf’s recordings between 1951 and 1953. He provided the slightly jazzy yet raucous guitar sound that was the signature of all of Wolf’s Memphis recordings. Johnson also performed and recorded with other blues artists in the Memphis area, including pianist Willie Love, Willie Nix, Junior Parker, Roscoe Gordon, Bobby “Blue” Bland and others.