Hooker, John Lee

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'''John Lee Hooker''' ([[August 22]], [[1917]] &ndash; [[June 21]], [[2001]]) was an influential [[United States|American]] [[post-war]] [[blues]] singer, [[guitar]]ist, and [[songwriter]] born in [[Coahoma County]] near [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]]. Musically, Hooker was influenced by the guitar style of his stepfather, a local blues guitarist, who learned to play in [[Shreveport, Louisiana]] and played a droning, one-chord type of blues very different from the [[delta blues]] of the time.<ref name="palmer">{{cite book
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{{epname|Hooker, John Lee}}
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[[Image:JohnLeeHooker1997.jpg|thumb|250px|'''John Lee Hooker''']]
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'''John Lee Hooker''' (August 22, 1917<ref>There is some debate as to Hooker's year of birth; 1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have all been given (Murray 2002, 22). 1917 is the one most commonly cited, although Hooker himself claimed, at times, 1920, which would have made him "the same age as the recorded blues" (Murray 2002, 59).</ref> – June 21, 2001) was an influential [[United States|American]] post-[[World War II|war]] [[blues]] singer, [[guitar]]ist, and songwriter. [[Music]]ally, Hooker was influenced by the guitar style of his stepfather, a local blues guitarist, who played a droning, one-chord type of blues distinct from the typical [[Delta blues]] of the time.<ref>Robert Palmer, ''Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta'' (Penguin, 1982, ISBN 978-0140062236), 242&ndash;243.</ref>
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| title=Deep Blues  
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Hooker performed in a half-spoken style that, together with his deep voice and plaintiff singing, became his trademark. Rhythmically, his music was primitive and relatively free-form, making it difficult for other musicians to play with him. Thus, during most of his career, he remained a solo act. His recording career began in [[Detroit]], where he made his home for much of his adult life. His best known songs include "Boogie Chillen," "In the Mood," and "Boom Boom."
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| publisher=Penguin Books
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More than any other well known urban bluesman, Hooker's music maintained its rural roots. It also strongly influenced the rock scene of the 1960s and 1970s and left a lasting imprint on both blues an rock musicians.  
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| location=United States
 
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| pages = p. 242-243  
 
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| id= ISBN 0-14-006223-8}}</ref> From a musical family, he is a cousin of [[Earl Hooker]].  He performed in a half-spoken style that became his trademark. Rhythmically, his music was free, a property common with early acoustic [[Delta blues]] musicians. His best known songs include "[[Boogie Chillen]]" and "[[Boom Boom (song)|Boom Boom]]".
 
  
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
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John Lee Hooker was born on [[22 August]], [[1917]]<ref>There is some debate as to Hooker's year of birth.  1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have all been given.(Boogie Man, p. 22)  1917 is the one most commonly cited, although Hooker himself claimed, at times, 1920, which would have made him "the same age as the recorded blues" (p. 59)</ref> in [[Coahoma County]] near [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]], <ref name="palmer" /> the youngest of the eleven children of William Hooker (1871&ndash;1923), a sharecropper and a Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (1875-?). He and his numerous siblings were only permitted to listen to religious songs, and so young John's earliest musical exposure was to the spirituals sung in church. In 1921 John's parents separated and the next year his mother married William Moore, a blues singer who provided his first introduction to the guitar (and whom he would later credit for his distinctive playing style).<ref>''Conversation with the Blues CD Included''
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[[Image:Hooker-guitar.jpg|thumb|John Lee Hooker's early electric [[guitar]] with amplifier and other accessories]]
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By Paul Oliver, p. 188<br>See also: ''Guitar Facts''
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Hooker was born in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, [[Mississippi]], the youngest of the 11 children of William Hooker, a sharecropper and [[Baptist]] preacher, and Minnie Ramsey. He and his numerous siblings were only permitted to listen to religious songs, and thus young Hooker's earliest musical exposure was limited to the spirituals sung in church and at home. In 1921 Hooker's parents separated and the next year his mother married William Moore, a blues singer who provided his first introduction to the guitar (and whom he would later credit for his distinctive playing style).
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By Bennett Joe, Trevor Curwen, Cliff Douse, Joe Bennett, p. 76</ref> The next year John's father died and at age 15 he ran away from home; he would never see his mother and step-father again.<ref>''Boogie Man'' p.43</ref> Throughout the 1930s, Hooker lived in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] where he worked on [[Beale Street]] and occasionally performed at house parties.<ref name="palmer"/>  He worked in factories in various cities during [[World War II]] as he drifted around until he found himself in [[Detroit]] in 1948 working at [[Ford Motor Company]]. He felt right at home near the blues venues and saloons on Hastings Street, the heart of black entertainment on Detroit's east side. Here guitar players were scarce in a city noted for its piano players. His quickly growing popularily as a performer in Detroit's clubs made necessary a louder instrument than his crude guitar, so  he bought his first [[electric guitar]].<ref name="oliver">{{cite book
 
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| year= 1984
 
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| title= Blues Off the Record
 
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| publisher=Da Capo Press
 
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| location= New York, N.Y.
 
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| pages= p. 116-118
 
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| id= ISBN 0-306-80321-6}}</ref>
 
  
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Hooker's recording career began in 1948 when a demo tape made by Hooker was placed by his agent with the [[Bihari brothers]] on their [[Modern Records]] label. The company put out an up-tempo number, "[[Boogie Chillen]]", as the first release, resulting in Hooker's first hit single.<ref name="palmer"/>  
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At age 15 Hooker ran away from home; he would never see his mother and stepfather again.<ref>Murray, 43.</ref> Throughout the 1930s, Hooker lived in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], where he worked on Beale Street and occasionally performed at house parties. He worked in factories in various cities during [[World War II]] as he drifted around until he found himself in [[Detroit]] in 1948 working in a car factory. In Detroit, he frequented the blues venues and saloons on Hastings Street, the heart of black entertainment on Detroit's east side. Here guitar players were scarce in a city noted for its piano players. His quickly growing popularity as a performer in Detroit's clubs made necessary a louder instrument than his crude guitar, so he bought his first electric [[guitar]].<ref>Paul Oliver, ''Blues Off the Record'' (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1984, ISBN 0306803216), 116-118.</ref>  
  
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Though they were not songwriters, the Biharis often purchased or claimed co-authorship of songs that appeared on their own labels, thus securing songwriting [[royalties]] for themselves, in addition to their other income streams.  
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In Detroit, Hook was "discovered" by Elmer Barbee, a record store owner who introduced him to producer Bernard Besman of Sensation Records. Besman in turn leased some of Hooker's recordings to the Bihari brothers' Modern Records, which would later become Chess Records. Hooker's first hit was an uptempo foot stomper, "Boogie Chillen," which would become a number one jukebox hit and a million seller. The slower, more sensuous "I'm In The Mood" sold even better. Other early hits included "Crawling Kingsnake" and "Hobo Blues."
  
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Sometimes these songs were older tunes renamed ([[B.B.King]]'s "Rock Me Baby"), anonymous jams ("B.B.'s Boogie") or songs by employees (bandleader [[Vince Weaver]]). The Biharis used a number of [[pseudonym]]s for songwriting credits: Jules was credited as ''Jules Taub''; Joe as ''Joe Josea''; and Sam as ''Sam Ling''. One song by John Lee Hooker, "Down Child" is solely credited to "Taub", with Hooker recieving no credit for the song whatsoever. Another, "Turn Over a New Leaf" is credited to Hooker and "Ling".  
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Despite being [[literacy|illiterate]], Hooker was a prolific lyricist. In addition to adapting the occasionally traditional blues lyric, he freely invented many of his songs from scratch. Recording studios in the 1950s rarely paid black musicians more than a pittance, so Hooker would record with various studios, coming up with new songs or variations on his songs for each one. These songs were recorded under obvious [[pseudonym]]s such as "John Lee Booker," "Johnny Hooker," or "John Cooker."<ref>Liner notes to ''Alternative Boogie: Early Studio Recordings, 1948-1952''.</ref>
  
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B.B.King has said: "The company I was with knew a lot of things they didn’t tell me, that I didn’t learn about until later,"..."Some of the songs I wrote, they added a name when I copyrighted it,"..."Like ‘King and Ling’ or ‘King and Josea.’ There was no such thing as Ling, or Josea. No such thing. That way, the company could claim half of your song.<ref>{{cite web
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Although he was an overnight sensation in the [[rhythm and blues]] market, Hooker did not reap the full rewards of his success. The Biharis often purchased or claimed co-authorship of songs that appeared on their labels, thus securing songwriting [[royalties]] for themselves. Thus some of the substantial residual income from Hooker's songs did not belong to him.
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|url=http://www.bluesaccess.com/No_37/bb_talk.html
 
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|title=Talking to the Boss: His Majesty Mr. King
 
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|publisher=Blues Access
 
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|accessdate=2006-11-03
 
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}}</ref>
 
  
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Despite being [[illiterate]], he was a prolific [[lyricist]]. In addition to adapting the occasionally traditional blues lyric (such as "if I was chief of police, I would run her right out of town"), he freely invented many of his songs from scratch. Recording studios in the 1950s rarely paid black musicians more than a pittance, so Hooker would spend the night wandering from studio to studio, coming up with new songs or variations on his songs for each studio. Due to his recording contract, he would record these songs under obvious [[pseudonym]]s such as "John Lee Booker", "Johnny Hooker", or "John Cooker."<ref>Liner notes to ''Alternative Boogie: Early Studio Recordings, 1948-1952''</ref>
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Hooker would later release more than one hundred songs on Vee Jay Records during the 1950s and 1960s, giving his career another surge.
  
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His early solo songs were recorded under [[Bernard Besman|Bernie Besman]]. John Lee Hooker rarely played on a standard beat, changing [[tempo]] to fit the needs of the song. This made it nearly impossible to add backing tracks. As a result, Besman would record Hooker, in addition to playing guitar and singing, stomping along with the music on a wooden palette.<ref>''Boogie Man'' p. 121</ref>
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==Wider audience and influence==
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Hooker developed a wider following during the folk and [[blues]] revival of the 1960s. He began playing in folk venues, and also had a major impact on the culture of 1960s and 1970s rock. The rock-blues band [[Canned Heat]] deeply admired Hooker and used his trademark "Boogie Chillum" rhythm and chord progression to good effect in some of its songs, as did several later bands, especially ZZ Top. The smash hit "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum, which sold nearly three million records in 1970, also used Hooker's "Boogie Chillum" riff in its introduction and instrumental interlude. [[Van Morrison]], recording with the group "Them," covered a Hooker hit, "Baby Please Don't Go," which was originally recorded by [[Big Bill Broonzy]]. The rock hit "Money, That's What I Want," originally by Barry Strong and later covered by [[The Beatles]], appears to be based on Hooker's earlier "I need some money" which begins with almost identical lyrics: "The best things in life are free/But you can give it to the birds an' bees/I need some money." White blues bands often covered his songs and copied his more memorable riffs, both vocal and guitar.
  
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He appeared and sang in the 1980 movie ''[[The Blues Brothers]]''. Due to Hooker's improvisatory style, his performance was filmed and sound-recorded live at Chicago's Maxwell Street Market, in contrast to the usual "playback" technique used in most film musicals.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080455/trivia</ref>  Hooker was also a direct influence in the look of [[John Belushi]]'s character Jake Blues, borrowing his trademark sunglasses and soul patch.
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Hooker also appeared and sang in the 1980 movie ''The Blues Brothers''. He was a direct influence in the look of Jake and Elwood Blues, who adopted Hooker's trademark sunglasses, dark suit, and fedora hat.
  
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In 1989 he joined with a number of musicians, including [[Keith Richards]] and [[Carlos Santana]] to record ''[[The Healer (album)|The Healer]]'', which won a [[Grammy award]] &mdash; one of many awards. Hooker recorded several songs with [[Van Morrison]], including "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive", "The Healing Game" and "I Cover the Waterfront". He also appeared on stage with Van Morrison several times, some of which was released on the live album ''A Night in San Francisco''.
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In 1989 Hooker joined with a number of musicians, including [[Keith Richards]] and [[Carlos Santana]] to record "The Healer," which won a [[Grammy award]]. Hooker recorded several songs with [[Van Morrison]], including "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive," "The Healing Game," and "I Cover the Waterfront." He also appeared on stage with Van Morrison several times, some of which was released on the live album ''A Night in San Francisco''. He was much admired and honored by the many younger blues players who were influenced by his music.
  
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Hooker recorded over 100 albums. He lived the last years of his life in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]], where, in 1997, he opened a nightclub called "John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room", after one of his hits.<ref name=DummiesArticle>[http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1131.html "Discovering the Blues of John Lee Hooker"] Adapted from: ''Blues [[For Dummies]]'', by Lonnie Brooks, Cub Koda, Wayne Baker Brooks, Dan Aykroyd, ISBN 0-7645-5080-2, August 1998</ref>
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Hooker recorded over one hundred albums. He lived the last years of his life in the [[San Francisco]] Bay Area, where, in 1997, he opened a nightclub called "John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room." He fell ill just before a tour of Europe in 2001 and died soon afterwards at the age of 83. He was survived by eight children, 19 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, and a nephew.
  
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He fell ill just before a tour of Europe in 2001 and died soon afterwards at the age of 83. He was survived by eight children, nineteen grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren and a nephew.
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==Music and Legacy==
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Hooker's guitar playing is closely aligned with piano [[Boogie-woogie (music)|boogie-woogie]]. He would often play the walking bass pattern with his thumb, stopping to emphasize the end of a line with a series of [[Trill (music)|trills]], done by rapid [[hammer-on]]s and [[pull-off]]s. He sometimes used open tunings, as did his [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] Delta predecessors, but more often used a traditional guitar tuning. He was a master in bending the strings of his electric [[guitar]] just far enough to produce the blue notes he needed for emotional effect. "I don't play a lot of fancy guitar," he told the ''Atlanta Daily News'' in 1992. "I don't want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks."
  
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Among his many awards, John Lee Hooker has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] and in 1991 he was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom" were named to the list of [[The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll]]. "Boogie Chillen" was included as one of the [[Songs of the Century]].  He was also inducted in 1980 into the [[Blues Hall of Fame]].
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Hooker rarely played on a standard beat, but changed [[tempo]] and omitted bars to fit the needs of the song. Also, his sense of [[chord]]ing was more modal than traditional. This made it nearly impossible to add backing tracks, and even live musicians often found it difficult to follow Hooker's lead. As a result, Hooker's early producer, Bernie Besman, often recorded him alone with his guitar, stomping along with the music on a wooden palette.<ref>Murray, 121.</ref> This effect become one of Hooker's trademarks, giving a sense of primitive loneliness to his recordings that matches perfectly with many of his songs.
  
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==Music==
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Hooker's deep, plaintiff voice was unmatched in its dark tonalities. His vocal phrasing was less closely tied to specific bars than most blues singers. This casual, rambling style had been gradually diminishing with the onset of electric blues bands from [[Chicago]], but even when not playing solo, Hooker retained it. Although he lived in Detroit during most his career, he is not associated with the Chicago-style blues prevalent in large northern cities, as much as he is with the southern blues styles, known as "delta blues," although his driving beat and powerfully recorded toe-tapping gave him a definite urban feel. His use of an electric guitar tied together the delta blues with the emerging post-war electric blues.
  
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John Lee Hooker's guitar playing is closely aligned with piano [[Boogie-woogie (music)|Boogie Woogie]]. He would play the walking bass pattern with his thumb, stopping to emphasize the end of a line with a series of [[Trill (music)|trills]], done by rapid [[hammer-on]]s and [[pull-off]]s. The songs that most epitomize his early sound are "Boogie Chillen", about being 17 and wanting to go out to dance at the Boogie clubs, "Baby Please Don't Go", a more typical blues song, summed up by its title, and "Tupelo", a stunningly sad song about the flooding of [[Tupelo, Mississippi]].
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Songs that most epitomize his early sound are "Boogie Chillen," about a young man coming to town and finding the Detroit boogie clubs; "Baby Please Don't Go," a more typical blues song, summed up by its title; "Boom Boom!" a similar tune portraying the beginning of a love affair rather than its end; and "Tupelo," a stunningly sad song about the flooding of Tupelo, [[Mississippi]]. Hooker was a master of the slow blues typified by "Tupelo," "I'm in the Mood," and many others.
  
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He maintained a solo career, popular with [[blues]] and [[folk music]] fans of the early 1960s and crossed over to white audiences, giving an early opportunity to the young [[Bob Dylan]]. As he got older, he added more and more people to his band, changing his live show from simply Hooker with his guitar to a large band, with Hooker singing.
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Hooker maintained a solo career for many years, popular with [[blues]] and [[folk music]] fans of the early 1960s and thus crossed over to white audiences. As he got older, he added more people to his band, changing his live show from simply himself with his guitar to a large band, with Hooker singing.
  
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His vocal phrasing was less closely tied to specific bars than most blues singers'. This casual, rambling style had been gradually diminishing with the onset of [[electric blues]] bands from [[Chicago]] but, even when not playing solo, Hooker retained it in his sound.
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Among his many awards, Hooker has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] and in 1991 he was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. He was inducted into the [[Blues Hall of Fame]] in 1980. Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom" were named to the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped [[Rock and Roll]]. "Boogie Chillen" was included as one of the best songs of the century.
  
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Though Hooker lived in Detroit during most his career, he is not associated with the Chicago-style blues prevalent in large northern cities, as much as he is with the southern rural blues styles, known as [[delta blues]], [[country blues]], [[folk blues]], or "front porch blues".  His use of an electric guitar tied together the Delta blues with the emerging post-war electric blues.<ref>http://www.rhino.com/RZine/StoryKeeper.lasso?StoryID=203</ref>
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His songs have been covered by [[The Doors]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[The Yardbirds]], [[The Animals]], [[R.L. Burnside]], [[The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion]] and many others. Contemporary blues greats who have paid tribute to him include [[Eric Clapton]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Robert Cray]], [[Ry Cooder]] and [[Carlos Santana]]. Indeed, there is hardly an exponent of the blues alive today that does not acknowledge a debt to  Hooker.
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His songs have been covered by [[The Doors]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[The Yardbirds]], [[The Animals]], [[R.L. Burnside]], and [[The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion]]. One of his later songs, "Harry's Philosophy", was heavily sampled by [[acid jazz]] DJ [[Saint Germain (musician)|St. Germain]] for use on the song "Sure Thing", off St. Germain's album ''[[Tourist (Saint Germain album)|Tourist]]''.
 
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==Quotes==
 
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*"It don't take me no three days to record no album." (during the recording of the double album ''Hooker 'N Heat'' with [[Canned Heat]].)
 
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*"I don't play a lot of fancy guitar. I don't want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks." (when describing his own music in an article from ''The Daily News'', Atlanta, Ga. 1992)
 
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==Discography==
 
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{{expand list}}
 
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===Albums===
 
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*1948-1954 - ''[[Original Folk Blues]]'' (released on United)
 
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*1959 - ''How Long Blues'' (released on United)
 
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*1959 - ''I'm John Lee Hooker'' ([[Vee Jay Records]])
 
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*1959 - ''The Folk Blues of John Lee Hooker'' (Riverside)
 
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*1959 - ''Burning Hell'' (Riverside)
 
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*1960 - ''Travelin''' (Vee Jay Records)
 
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*1960 - ''[[That's My Story]]'' (Riverside)
 
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*1960 - ''House Of The Blues''
 
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*1960 - ''Blues Man''     
 
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*1960 - ''I'm John Lee Hooker''
 
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*1961 - ''John Lee Hooker Sings The Blues''     
 
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*1961 - ''Plays And Sings The Blues ''
 
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*1961 - ''The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker''
 
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*1962 - ''Burnin' ''
 
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*1962 - ''Drifting the Blues''   
 
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*1962 - ''The Blues ''     
 
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*1962 - ''Tupelo Blues ''     
 
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*1963 - ''Don't Turn Me from Your Door: John Lee Hooker Sings His Blues''
 
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*1964 - ''Burning Hell''
 
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*1964 - ''Great Blues Sounds''       
 
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*1964 - ''I Want to Shout the Blues  ''  poop   
 
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*1964 - ''The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker ''     
 
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*1964 - ''The Great John Lee Hooker'' (Japan only) 
 
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*1965 - ''Hooker & The Hogs''
 
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*1966 - ''[[It Serves You Right to Suffer]]''
 
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*1966 - ''The Real Folk Blues''
 
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*1967 - ''Live at Cafè Au Go-Go''
 
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*1968 - ''Hooked on Blues''
 
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*1969 - ''Get Back Home''
 
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*1969 - ''If You Miss'Im I Got'Im''
 
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*1969 - ''Simply The Truth''       
 
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*1969 - ''That's Where It's At!''       
 
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*1969 - ''Get Back Home (First Issue)''       
 
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*1970 - ''If You Miss 'Im...I Got 'Im''       
 
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*1970 - ''John Lee Hooker on the Waterfront''       
 
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*1970 - ''Moanin' and Stompin' Blues''       
 
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*1971 - ''Endless Boogie''
 
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*1971 - ''Goin' Down Highway 51''       
 
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*1971 - ''Half A Stranger''       
 
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*1971 - ''[[Hooker 'N' Heat]]/Infinite boogie''
 
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*1971 - ''I Feel Good''
 
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*1971 - ''Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive''
 
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*1972 - ''Detroit Special''
 
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*1972 - ''Live At Soledad Prison''
 
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*1973 - ''Born In Mississippi, Raised Up In Tennessee''
 
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*1974 - ''Free Beer And Chicken''
 
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*1974 - ''Mad Man Blues''
 
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*1976 - ''Alone''       
 
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*1976 - ''In Person''       
 
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*1977 - ''Black Snake''       
 
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*1977 - ''Dusty Road''       
 
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*1978 - ''The Cream''       
 
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*1979 - ''Sad And Lonesome''       
 
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*1980 - ''Everybody Rockin' ''       
 
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*1980 - ''Sittin' Here Thinkin' ''       
 
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*1981 - ''Hooker 'n' Heat (Recorded Live at the Fox Venice Theatre)''       
 
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*1986 - ''Jealous''       
 
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*1988 - ''Trouble Blues''
 
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*1989 - ''Highway Of Blues''       
 
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*1989 - ''John Lee Hooker's 40th Anniversary Album''
 
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*1989 - ''The Detroit Lion''
 
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*1989 - ''[[The Healer (album)|The Healer]]''
 
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*1990 - ''The Hot Spot'' (Featuring Miles Davis)
 
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*1990 - ''Don't You Remember Me''       
 
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*1991 - ''More Real Folk Blues: The Missing Album''
 
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*1991 - ''Mr. Lucky''
 
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*1992 - ''Boom Boom''
 
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*1992 - ''This Is Hip''
 
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*1992 - ''Urban Blues''
 
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*1993 - ''Nothing But The Blues''       
 
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*1994 - ''King of the Boogie''       
 
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*1994 - ''Original Folk Blues...Plus''       
 
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*1994 - ''Dimples'' (Classic Blues)
 
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*1995 - ''Alternative Boogie: Early Studio Recordings, 1948-1952''
 
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*1995 - ''Chill Out''
 
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*1995 - ''Whiskey & Wimmen''
 
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*1995 - ''Blues for Big Town''
 
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*1996 - ''Moanin' the Blues'' (Eclipse)
 
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*1996 - ''Alone: The First Concert''         
 
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*1997 - ''Don't Look Back''
 
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*1997 - ''Alone: The Second Concert''     
 
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*1998 - ''Black Man Blues''     
 
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*2000 - ''On Campus''   
 
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*2001 - ''Concert at Newport''
 
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*2001 - ''The Cream'' (Re-issue)
 
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*2001 - ''The Real Blues: Live in Houston 1979'' 
 
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*2002 - ''Live At Newport''
 
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*2003 - ''Face to Face''
 
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*2003 - ''Burning Hell'' (Our World)
 
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*2003 - ''Rock With Me''
 
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*2004 - ''Jack O' Diamonds: The 1949 Recordings''
 
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===Compilations===
 
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*1974 - Mad Man Blues (Chess 1951-1966)
 
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*1987 - Don't Look Back
 
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*1989 - The Hook: 20 Years of Hits  
 
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*1989 - The Boogie Chillen Man
 
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*1991 - Hobo Blues
 
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*1991 - The Chess Masters 
 
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*1991 - The Complete Chess Folk Blues Sessions (''The Real Folk Blues''/''More Real Folk Blues'')
 
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*1991 - [[The Ultimate Collection (Hooker)|The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990]] 
 
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*1992 - Best Of: 1965-1974 
 
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*1992 - The Ultimate Collection (Universal)
 
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*1992 - The Vee-Jay Years, 1955 - 1964 
 
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*1993 - Boom Boom (UK only)
 
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*1993 - Boogie Man 
 
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*1993 - The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954 
 
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*1994 - Blues Collection (Boogie Man)
 
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*1994 - John Lee Hooker (LaserLight)
 
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*1994 - The Early Years
 
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*1994 - Wandering Blues
 
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*1995 - Red Blooded Blues
 
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*1995 - The Very Best Of 
 
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*1996 - Blues Legend
 
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*1996 - Live at Cafe au Go-Go (and Soledad Prison) 
 
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*1997 - His Best Chess Sides
 
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*1997 - Live In Concert
 
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*1997 - The Essential Collection
 
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*1998 - The Best of Friends
 
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*1998 - The Complete 50's Chess Recordings       
 
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*1999 - Best of John Lee Hooker: 20th Century Masters
 
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*1999 - This Is Hip [The Best Of]
 
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*2000 - The Definitive Collection
 
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*2001 - Born With The Blues
 
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*2001 - Gold Collection
 
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*2001 - Legendary Blues Recordings: John Lee Hooker
 
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*2002 - Blues Before Sunrise 
 
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*2002 - The Complete - Vol. 1 [Body & Soul] 
 
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*2002 - The Complete - Vol. 2 [Body & Soul] 
 
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*2002 - The Complete - Vol. 3 [Body & Soul] 
 
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*2002 - The Complete - Vol. 4 [Body & Soul]
 
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*2002 - The Classic Early Years 1948-51 (UK, London's JSP Records,4CD's) 
 
−
*2002 - The Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues 
 
−
*2002 - Timeless Collection 
 
−
*2003 - Blues Kingpins       
 
−
*2003 - Final Recordings, Vol. 1: Face to Face
 
−
*2003 - The Collection 1948-52       
 
−
*2004 - Don't Look Back: Complete Blues       
 
−
*2004 - The Complete - Vol. 5 [Body & Soul] 
 
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*2005 - The Complete - Vol. 6 [Body & Soul]
 
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*2005 - The Early Years - Vol. 1
 
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==See also==
 
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*[[Money (That's What I Want)]]
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
Line 224: Line 50:
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
−
*''Boogie Man: Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American 20th Century'', by [[Charles Shaar Murray]], ISBN 0-14-016890-7.
+
*Ferris, William. ''State of the Blues: The Living Legacy of the Delta''. Aperture, 2005. ISBN 978-0893817992
 +
*Hooker, John Lee. ''John Lee Hooker - A Blues Legend''. Hal Leonard Corporation, 1991. ISBN 978-0793503100
 +
*Kennedy, Timothy. Midnight Son: A Tribute to John Lee Hooker. University of Tampa Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1879852372
 +
*Murray, Charles Shaar. ''Boogie Man: Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American 20th Century''. St. Martin's Griffin, 2002. ISBN 978-0312270063
 +
*Oliver, Paul. ''Blues Off the Record''. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1984. ISBN 0306803216
 +
*Palmer, Robert. ''Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta''. New York: Penguin. Reprint edition, 1982. ISBN 978-0140062236
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
−
*[http://rateyourmusic.com/view_albums?artist_id=729 Discography and album ratings]
+
All links retrieved August 3, 2022.
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*[http://www.johnleehooker.com/ Official John Lee Hooker Site]
+
 
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*[http://web.telia.com/~u19104970/johnnielee.html John Lee Hooker Resource Page]
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*[http://www.johnleehooker.com/ John Lee Hooker] &ndash; Official website
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*[http://www.blues.org/halloffame/inductees.php4?YearId=25 John Lee Hooker 1980 Blues Foundation Induction into Hall of Fame]
 
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*[http://www.boomboomblues.com/ The Boom Boom Room] San Francisco nightclub founded by Hooker
 
  
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[[Category:Music]]
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[[Category:Musicians]]
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[[Category:Art, music, literature, sports & leisure]]
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{{Credits|98848242}}

Latest revision as of 06:12, 3 August 2022

John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917[1] – June 21, 2001) was an influential American post-war blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Musically, Hooker was influenced by the guitar style of his stepfather, a local blues guitarist, who played a droning, one-chord type of blues distinct from the typical Delta blues of the time.[2]

Hooker performed in a half-spoken style that, together with his deep voice and plaintiff singing, became his trademark. Rhythmically, his music was primitive and relatively free-form, making it difficult for other musicians to play with him. Thus, during most of his career, he remained a solo act. His recording career began in Detroit, where he made his home for much of his adult life. His best known songs include "Boogie Chillen," "In the Mood," and "Boom Boom."

More than any other well known urban bluesman, Hooker's music maintained its rural roots. It also strongly influenced the rock scene of the 1960s and 1970s and left a lasting imprint on both blues an rock musicians.

Biography

John Lee Hooker's early electric guitar with amplifier and other accessories

Hooker was born in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi, the youngest of the 11 children of William Hooker, a sharecropper and Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey. He and his numerous siblings were only permitted to listen to religious songs, and thus young Hooker's earliest musical exposure was limited to the spirituals sung in church and at home. In 1921 Hooker's parents separated and the next year his mother married William Moore, a blues singer who provided his first introduction to the guitar (and whom he would later credit for his distinctive playing style).

At age 15 Hooker ran away from home; he would never see his mother and stepfather again.[3] Throughout the 1930s, Hooker lived in Memphis, where he worked on Beale Street and occasionally performed at house parties. He worked in factories in various cities during World War II as he drifted around until he found himself in Detroit in 1948 working in a car factory. In Detroit, he frequented the blues venues and saloons on Hastings Street, the heart of black entertainment on Detroit's east side. Here guitar players were scarce in a city noted for its piano players. His quickly growing popularity as a performer in Detroit's clubs made necessary a louder instrument than his crude guitar, so he bought his first electric guitar.[4]

In Detroit, Hook was "discovered" by Elmer Barbee, a record store owner who introduced him to producer Bernard Besman of Sensation Records. Besman in turn leased some of Hooker's recordings to the Bihari brothers' Modern Records, which would later become Chess Records. Hooker's first hit was an uptempo foot stomper, "Boogie Chillen," which would become a number one jukebox hit and a million seller. The slower, more sensuous "I'm In The Mood" sold even better. Other early hits included "Crawling Kingsnake" and "Hobo Blues."

Despite being illiterate, Hooker was a prolific lyricist. In addition to adapting the occasionally traditional blues lyric, he freely invented many of his songs from scratch. Recording studios in the 1950s rarely paid black musicians more than a pittance, so Hooker would record with various studios, coming up with new songs or variations on his songs for each one. These songs were recorded under obvious pseudonyms such as "John Lee Booker," "Johnny Hooker," or "John Cooker."[5]

Although he was an overnight sensation in the rhythm and blues market, Hooker did not reap the full rewards of his success. The Biharis often purchased or claimed co-authorship of songs that appeared on their labels, thus securing songwriting royalties for themselves. Thus some of the substantial residual income from Hooker's songs did not belong to him.

Hooker would later release more than one hundred songs on Vee Jay Records during the 1950s and 1960s, giving his career another surge.

Wider audience and influence

Hooker developed a wider following during the folk and blues revival of the 1960s. He began playing in folk venues, and also had a major impact on the culture of 1960s and 1970s rock. The rock-blues band Canned Heat deeply admired Hooker and used his trademark "Boogie Chillum" rhythm and chord progression to good effect in some of its songs, as did several later bands, especially ZZ Top. The smash hit "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum, which sold nearly three million records in 1970, also used Hooker's "Boogie Chillum" riff in its introduction and instrumental interlude. Van Morrison, recording with the group "Them," covered a Hooker hit, "Baby Please Don't Go," which was originally recorded by Big Bill Broonzy. The rock hit "Money, That's What I Want," originally by Barry Strong and later covered by The Beatles, appears to be based on Hooker's earlier "I need some money" which begins with almost identical lyrics: "The best things in life are free/But you can give it to the birds an' bees/I need some money." White blues bands often covered his songs and copied his more memorable riffs, both vocal and guitar.

Hooker also appeared and sang in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers. He was a direct influence in the look of Jake and Elwood Blues, who adopted Hooker's trademark sunglasses, dark suit, and fedora hat.

In 1989 Hooker joined with a number of musicians, including Keith Richards and Carlos Santana to record "The Healer," which won a Grammy award. Hooker recorded several songs with Van Morrison, including "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive," "The Healing Game," and "I Cover the Waterfront." He also appeared on stage with Van Morrison several times, some of which was released on the live album A Night in San Francisco. He was much admired and honored by the many younger blues players who were influenced by his music.

Hooker recorded over one hundred albums. He lived the last years of his life in the San Francisco Bay Area, where, in 1997, he opened a nightclub called "John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom Room." He fell ill just before a tour of Europe in 2001 and died soon afterwards at the age of 83. He was survived by eight children, 19 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, and a nephew.

Music and Legacy

Hooker's guitar playing is closely aligned with piano boogie-woogie. He would often play the walking bass pattern with his thumb, stopping to emphasize the end of a line with a series of trills, done by rapid hammer-ons and pull-offs. He sometimes used open tunings, as did his Mississippi Delta predecessors, but more often used a traditional guitar tuning. He was a master in bending the strings of his electric guitar just far enough to produce the blue notes he needed for emotional effect. "I don't play a lot of fancy guitar," he told the Atlanta Daily News in 1992. "I don't want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks."

Hooker rarely played on a standard beat, but changed tempo and omitted bars to fit the needs of the song. Also, his sense of chording was more modal than traditional. This made it nearly impossible to add backing tracks, and even live musicians often found it difficult to follow Hooker's lead. As a result, Hooker's early producer, Bernie Besman, often recorded him alone with his guitar, stomping along with the music on a wooden palette.[6] This effect become one of Hooker's trademarks, giving a sense of primitive loneliness to his recordings that matches perfectly with many of his songs.

Hooker's deep, plaintiff voice was unmatched in its dark tonalities. His vocal phrasing was less closely tied to specific bars than most blues singers. This casual, rambling style had been gradually diminishing with the onset of electric blues bands from Chicago, but even when not playing solo, Hooker retained it. Although he lived in Detroit during most his career, he is not associated with the Chicago-style blues prevalent in large northern cities, as much as he is with the southern blues styles, known as "delta blues," although his driving beat and powerfully recorded toe-tapping gave him a definite urban feel. His use of an electric guitar tied together the delta blues with the emerging post-war electric blues.

Songs that most epitomize his early sound are "Boogie Chillen," about a young man coming to town and finding the Detroit boogie clubs; "Baby Please Don't Go," a more typical blues song, summed up by its title; "Boom Boom!" a similar tune portraying the beginning of a love affair rather than its end; and "Tupelo," a stunningly sad song about the flooding of Tupelo, Mississippi. Hooker was a master of the slow blues typified by "Tupelo," "I'm in the Mood," and many others.

Hooker maintained a solo career for many years, popular with blues and folk music fans of the early 1960s and thus crossed over to white audiences. As he got older, he added more people to his band, changing his live show from simply himself with his guitar to a large band, with Hooker singing.

Among his many awards, Hooker has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 1991 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980. Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom" were named to the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. "Boogie Chillen" was included as one of the best songs of the century.

His songs have been covered by The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, The Animals, R.L. Burnside, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and many others. Contemporary blues greats who have paid tribute to him include Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Ry Cooder and Carlos Santana. Indeed, there is hardly an exponent of the blues alive today that does not acknowledge a debt to Hooker.

Notes

  1. ↑ There is some debate as to Hooker's year of birth; 1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have all been given (Murray 2002, 22). 1917 is the one most commonly cited, although Hooker himself claimed, at times, 1920, which would have made him "the same age as the recorded blues" (Murray 2002, 59).
  2. ↑ Robert Palmer, Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta (Penguin, 1982, ISBN 978-0140062236), 242–243.
  3. ↑ Murray, 43.
  4. ↑ Paul Oliver, Blues Off the Record (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1984, ISBN 0306803216), 116-118.
  5. ↑ Liner notes to Alternative Boogie: Early Studio Recordings, 1948-1952.
  6. ↑ Murray, 121.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Ferris, William. State of the Blues: The Living Legacy of the Delta. Aperture, 2005. ISBN 978-0893817992
  • Hooker, John Lee. John Lee Hooker - A Blues Legend. Hal Leonard Corporation, 1991. ISBN 978-0793503100
  • Kennedy, Timothy. Midnight Son: A Tribute to John Lee Hooker. University of Tampa Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1879852372
  • Murray, Charles Shaar. Boogie Man: Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American 20th Century. St. Martin's Griffin, 2002. ISBN 978-0312270063
  • Oliver, Paul. Blues Off the Record. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1984. ISBN 0306803216
  • Palmer, Robert. Deep Blues: A Musical and Cultural History of the Mississippi Delta. New York: Penguin. Reprint edition, 1982. ISBN 978-0140062236

External links

All links retrieved August 3, 2022.

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