After military service, Chester Burnett performed as a blues singer and formed his own band in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1948, billing himself as "The Howlin' Wolf".

[2][3] He recorded "How Many More Years" at the Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, in or about July 1951, singing and playing harmonica with a band consisting of Ike Turner (piano), Willie Johnson (guitar), and Willie Steele (drums).

[9][10] The songwriting for both sides of the record was originally credited to Carl Germany, who was a disc jockey and dance promoter in Chicago.

Writer Robert Palmer has cited Willie Johnson's electric guitar work on the track as the first use of the power chord.

[12] T-Bone Burnett said of the recording: The first major breakthrough Sam [Phillips] made was with Howlin' Wolf.