How Many More Years formed his own band in West Memphis, Arkansas, in 1948, billing himself as "The Howlin' Wolf". He began broadcasting on radio station KWEM in West Memphis, and was heard by Sam Phillips who signed him for Memphis Recording Service. He recorded "How Many More Years" at the MRS studio at 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, in or about July 1951, singing and playing harmonica with a band comprising (probably) Ike Turner (piano), Willie Johnson (guitar), and Willie Steele (drums). The repetitious bass-string boogie line resembles the one played in the traditional blues standard "Forty-Four". The record's original A-side, "Moanin' at
How Old Are You? (album) while the songs on his 1984 album "Secret Agent" were sung in low range. Related session outtake, "Love is Just a Calling Card" was credited to Robin and Maurice but was not released. "How Old Are You?" and the lead single "Juliet" was released in North America also in Polydor Records, but the LPs are manufactured in Germany. Polydor did not have a big presence in the United States, and Gibb thought that his album was not released in the US. The other singles "How Old Are You?" and "Another Lonely Night in New York" with "I Believe in Miracles"