Biography




John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917 – June 21, 2001)

He was beloved worldwide as the king of the endless boogie, a genuine blues superstar whose droning, hypnotic one-chord grooves were at once both ultra-primitive and timeless. But John Lee Hooker recorded in a great many more styles than that over a career that stretched across more than half a century.

"The Hook" was a Mississippi native who became the top gent on the Detroit blues circuit in the years following World War II. The seeds for his eerily mournful guitar sound were planted by his stepfather, Will Moore, while Hooker was in his teens. Hooker had been singing spirituals before that, but the blues took hold and simply wouldn't let go. Overnight visitors left their mark on the youth, too: legends like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, and Blind Blake, who all knew Moore.

Hooker heard Memphis calling while he was still in his teens, but he couldn't gain much of a foothold there. So he relocated to Cincinnati for a seven-year stretch before making the big move to the Motor City in 1943. Jobs were plentiful, but Hooker drifted away from day gigs in favor of playing his unique free-form brand of blues. A burgeoning club scene along Hastings Street didn't hurt his chances any.

In 1948, the aspiring bluesman hooked up with entrepreneur Bernie Besman, who helped him hammer out his solo debut sides, "Sally Mae" and its seminal flip, "Boogie Chillen." This was blues as primitive as anything then on the market; Hooker's dark, ruminative vocals were backed only by his own ringing, heavily amplified guitar and insistently pounding foot. Their efforts were quickly rewarded. Los Angeles-based Modern Records issued the sides and "Boogie Chillen" — a colorful, unique travelogue of Detroit's blues scene — made an improbable jaunt to the very peak of the R&B charts.

Modern released several more major hits by "the Boogie Man" after that: "Hobo Blues" and its raw-as-an-open wound flip, "Hoogie Boogie"; "Crawling King Snake Blues" (all three 1949 smashes); and the unusual 1951 chart-topper "I'm in the Mood," where Hooker overdubbed his voice three times in a crude early attempt at multi-tracking.

But Hooker never, ever let something as meaningless as a contract stop him for making recordings for other labels. His early catalog is stretched across a road map of diskeries so complex that it's nearly impossible to fully comprehend (a vast array of recording aliases don't make things any easier).

Along with Modern, Hooker recorded for King (as the geographically challenged Texas Slim), Regent (as Delta John, a far more accurate handle), Savoy (as the wonderfully surreal Birmingham Sam & His Magic Guitar), Danceland (as the downright delicious Little Pork Chops), Staff (as Johnny Williams), Sensation (for whom he scored a national hit in 1950 with "Huckle Up, Baby"), Gotham, Regal, Swing Time, Federal, Gone (as John Lee Booker), Chess, Acorn (as the Boogie Man), Chance, DeLuxe (as Johnny Lee), JVB, Chart, and Specialty; before finally settling down at Vee-Jay in 1955 under his own name. Hooker became the point man for the growing Detroit blues scene during this incredibly prolific period, recruiting guitarist Eddie Kirkland as his frequent duet partner while still recording for Modern.

Once tied in with Vee-Jay, the rough-and-tumble sound of Hooker's solo and duet waxings was adapted to a band format. Hooker had recorded with various combos along the way before, but never with sidemen as versatile and sympathetic as guitarist Eddie Taylor and harpist Jimmy Reed, who backed him at his initial Vee-Jay date that produced "Time Is Marching" and the superfluous sequel "Mambo Chillun."

Taylor stuck around for a 1956 session that elicited two genuine Hooker classics, "Baby Lee" and "Dimples," and he was still deftly anchoring the rhythm section (Hooker's sense of timing was his and his alone, demanding big-eared sidemen) when the Boogie Man finally made it back to the R&B charts in 1958 with "I Love You Honey."

Vee-Jay presented Hooker in quite an array of settings during the early '60s. His grinding, tough blues "No Shoes" proved a surprisingly sizable hit in 1960, while the storming "Boom Boom," his top seller for the firm in 1962 (it even cracked the pop airwaves), was an infectious R&B dance number benefiting from the reported presence of some of Motown's house musicians. But there were also acoustic outings aimed squarely at the blossoming folk-blues crowd, as well as some attempts at up-to-date R&B that featured highly intrusive female background vocals (allegedly by the Vandellas) and utterly unyielding structures that hemmed Hooker in unmercifully.

British blues bands such as the Animals and Yardbirds idolized Hooker during the early '60s; Eric Burdon's boys cut a credible 1964 cover of "Boom Boom" that outsold Hooker's original on the American pop charts. Hooker visited Europe in 1962 under the auspices of the first American Folk Blues Festival, leaving behind the popular waxings "Let's Make It" and "Shake It Baby" for foreign consumption.

Back home, Hooker cranked out gems for Vee-Jay through 1964 ("Big Legs, Tight Skirt," one of his last offerings on the logo, was also one of his best), before undergoing another extended round of label-hopping (except this time, he was waxing whole LPs instead of scattered 78s). Verve-Folkways, Impulse, Chess, and BluesWay all enticed him into recording for them in 1965-1966 alone! His reputation among hip rock cognoscenti in the States and abroad was growing exponentially, especially after he teamed up with blues-rockers Canned Heat for the massively selling album Hooker 'n' Heat in 1970.

Eventually, though, the endless boogie formula grew incredibly stagnant. Much of Hooker's 1970s output found him laying back while plodding rock-rooted rhythm sections assumed much of the work load. A cameo in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers was welcome, if far too short.

But Hooker wasn't through; not by a long shot. With the expert help of slide guitarist extraordinaire/producer Roy Rogers, the Hook waxed The Healer, an album that marked the first of his guest star-loaded albums (Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, and Robert Cray were among the luminaries to cameo on the disc, which picked up a Grammy).

Major labels were just beginning to take notice of the growing demand for blues records, and Pointblank snapped Hooker up, releasing Mr. Lucky (this time teaming Hooker with everyone from Albert Collins and John Hammond to Van Morrison and Keith Richards). Once again, Hooker was resting on his laurels by allowing his guests to wrest much of the spotlight away from him on his own album, but by then, he'd earned it. Another Pointblank set, Boom Boom, soon followed.

Happily, Hooker enjoyed the good life throughout the '90s. He spent much of his time in semi-retirement, splitting his relaxation time between several houses acquired up and down the California coast. When the right offer came along, though, he took it, including an amusing TV commercial for Pepsi. He also kept recording, releasing such star-studded efforts as 1995's Chill Out and 1997's Don't Look Back. All this helped him retain his status as a living legend, and he remained an American musical icon; and his stature wasn't diminished upon his death from natural causes on June 21, 2001.


Discography



Albums:


THE DETROIT YEARS (recordings 1948-1955)

* 1960 - The Blues (Crown) - reissued on United, also as "The Greatest Hits" (Kent, 1971) Modern tracks
* 1960 - House Of The Blues (Chess) 1951-52 tracks
* 1961 - Sings The Blues (Crown) - reissued on United, also as "Driftin' Thru The Blues" (Custom) Modern tracks
* 1961 - Plays And Sings The Blues (Chess) 1950-52 tracks
* 1961 - Sings Blues (King) - reissued as "Moanin' and Stompin'", and "Don't You Remember Me" (Charly) Texas Slim 1948-50 tracks
* 1962 - Folk Blues (Crown) - reissued on United (Modern tracks)
* 1963 - The Great John Lee Hooker (CrownCrown) - reissued as "The Great Blues Sounds of" (United) Modern tracks
* 1963 - Don't Turn Me from Your Door - John Lee Hooker Sings His Blues (Atco) 1953 and 1961
* 1963 - Big Maceo Merriweather / John Lee Hooker (Fortune) 1/2 of an LP
* 1964 - Original Folk Blues (Kent) Modern compilation - reissued on United
* 1967 - John Lee Hooker & his Guitar (Advent) British bootleg; early tracks
* 1969 - No Friend Around (Red Lightnin') early tracks, bootleg compilation
* 1970 - Alone (Specialty) 1949-1951 tracks
* 1971 - Goin' Down Highway 51 (Specialty) 1949-1951 tracks
* 1972 - Coast to Coast Blues Band - Anywhere Anytime Anyplace (United Artists) 1948-1952 tracks
* 1972 - Johnny Lee (Greene Bottle) early Besman alternates (not issued on CD)
* 1973 - Hooker, Hopkins, Hogg (Specialty) half an LP of 1954 recordings
* 1973 - Slim's Stomp (Polydor) King's "Sings Blues" plus bonus tracks
* 1973 - John Lee Hooker's Detroit (United Artists) Besman alternate 1948-1952 tracks
* 1973 - Mad Man Blues (Chess) compilation 1950s and 1966
* 1979 - Southern Blues (Savoy) 1948 tracks on half an LP
* 1981 - Blues For Big Town (Chess) compilation featuring unissed early 1950s
* 1987 - Gotham Golden Classics - Rare Recordings (Collectables) 1951-52 tracks - also issued as "Detroit Blues, 1950-51" (Krazy Kat with bonus tracks)
* 1989 - 40th Anniversary Album (DCC) - also issued on Demon as "The Detroit Lion" (compilation of early tracks)
* 1990 - Boogie Awhile (Krazy Kat) unissued early Elmer Barbee recordings
* 1999 - Savoy Blues Legends, 1948-1949 (SavoyJazz/Atlantic) - reissued on Savoy (Elmer Barbee recordings)
* 2000 - The Unknown John Lee Hooker (Krazy Kat, 1951 tracks) - reissued as "Jack 0'Diamonds" (Eagle, 2004)


THE CHICAGO YEARS (recordings 1955-1964)

* 1959 - I'm John Lee Hooker (Vee Jay 1955-1959)
* 1960 - Travelin (Vee Jay)
* 1961 - The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker (Vee Jay)
* 1962 - Burnin' (Vee Jay)
* 1962 - The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker (Vee Jay)
* 1962 - The Best of John Lee Hooker (Vee Jay) - compilation
* 1963 - John Lee Hooker On Campus (Vee Jay) - reissued as "Big Band Blues" (Buddha)
* 1965 - ... And Seven Nights (Verve-Folkways) British recordings of 1964 (re-issued with brass overdub as "On The Waterfront" on Wand) - and reissued in several versions later
* 1965 - Is He The World's Greatest Blues Singer? (Vee Jay) compilation - reissued on Exodus
* 1974 - Gold (Vee Jay) - compilation comprisising "I'm John Lee Hooker" and "Burnin'"
* 1974 - In Person (VeeJay/Dynasty) late Vee-Jay tracks
* 1993 - John Lee Hooker on Vee-Jay 1955-1958 (VeeJay) compilation


THE FOLK YEARS (recordings 1959-1963)

* 1959 - The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker (Riverside) - reissued as "How Long Blues" (Battle, 1963)
* 1960 - That's My Story - JLH Sings the Blues (Riverside) - reissued as "The Blues Man" (Battle, 1963)
* 1962 - John Lee Hooker (Galaxy) - reissued as "The King of Folk Blues" (America)
* 1963 - Live At Sugar Hill (Galaxy)
* 1964 - Burning Hell (Riverside) recorded 1959
* 1964 - Concert At Newport (Vee Jay) - reissued with bonus tracks as "Live At Newport" (Fantasy)
* 1966 - Teachin' The Blues (Guest Star) half an LP of recordings from 1961
* 1969 - That's Where It's At! (Stax) recordings of 1961
* 1971 - Detroit Special (Atlantic) compilation ("Don't Turn Me From Your Door" plus bonus tracks)
* 1972 - Boogie Chillun (Fantasy) ("Live at Sugar Hill" plus bonus tracks) - reissued on Ace as "Live at Sugar Hill Vol. 1 & 2"
* 1972 - Black Snake (Fantasy 2-set) - reissue of Riverside's "The Country Blues" nd "Tat's My Story"
* 1979 - Sittin' Here Thinkin (Muse) - reissued as "Sad And Lonesome" (Savoy recordings of 1961)
* 2002 - Live At Sugar Hill, Vol. 2 (Fantasy) unissued recordings from 1961 (featuring a "third session")


THE ABC YEARS (recordings 1965-1974)

* 1966 - It Serve You Right To Suffer (Impulse)
* 1966 - The Real Folk Blues (Chess) new Chicago recordings
* 1967 - Live at the Café Au Go-Go (Bluesway)
* 1968 - Urban Blues (Bluesway)
* 1969 - Simply The Truth (Bluesway)
* 1969 - If You Miss 'Im ... I Got 'Im (Bluesway)
* 1969 - On The Waterfront (Wand) (... And Seven Nights" with brass overdub)
* 1970 - I Wanna Dance All Night (America) Europe recordings - reissued with the next as "Black Rhythm 'n' Blues" (Festival)
* 1970 - I Feel Good (Carson) Europe recordings - reissued on Jewel (1972)
* 1971 - Endless Boogie (ABC)
* 1971 - Get Back Home In The USA (Black & Blue) Europe recordings - reissued with bonus tracks as "Get Back Home"
* 1971 - Hooker 'N Heat (Liberty) - reissued as "Infinite Boogie" (Rhino)
* 1972 - Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive (ABC)
* 1972 - Live at Kabuki Wuki (Bluesway)
* 1973 - Live At Soledad Prison (ABC)
* 1973 - Born In Mississippi, Raised Up In Tennessee (ABC)
* 1974 - Free Beer And Chicken (ABC)
* 1991 - More Real Folk Blues - The Missing Album (Chess) - also issued with "The Real Folk Blues" as "The Complete Chess Folk Blues Sessions"


THE ROSEBUD YEARS (recordings 1975-2001)

* 1976 - Alone Vol 1 (Labor) live - reissued on Tomato
* 1976 - Alone - Live in New York Vol 2 (MMG) - reissued on Tomato
* 1978 - Live + Well (Ornament)
* 1978 - The Cream (Tomato) live recordings - reissued with bonus tracks on Charly
* 1979 - Live in 1978 (Lunar)
* 1981 - Hooker 'n' Heat Recorded Live at the Fox Venice Theatre (Rhino, various artists)
* 1986 - Jealous (Pulsa) - reissued on Pointblank 1996 - and on Shout!Factory with bonus tracks
* 1989 - The Healer (Chameleon)
* 1990 - The Hot Spot (Featuring Miles Davis)
* 1991 - Mr. Lucky (Pointblank)
* 1992 - Boom Boom (Pointblank) - reissued on Shout!Factory with bonus tracks
* 1995 - Chill Out (Pointblank) - reissued on Shout!Factory with bonus tracks
* 1997 - Don't Look Back (Pointblank/Virgin) - reissued on Shout!Factory with bonus tracks
* 1998 - The Best of Friends (Pointblank) compilation 1986-1998 incl one new track - reissued on Shout!Factory download with bonus track
* 2003 - Face to Face (Eagle) new recordings



Selected CD Compilations

* 1990 - That's My Story/The Folk Blues of (Ace) - the two original Riverside LPs on one CD
* 1990 - That's Where It's At (Stax) reissue of Florida recordings from 1961
* 1991 - The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990 (Rhino 2CDbox)
* 1991 - Half A Stranger (Mainstream) Modern tracks 1948-1955 incl unedited masters
* 1991 - Free Beer And Chicken (BeatGoesOn/MCA) recorded 1974
* 1991 - Don't Turn Me From Your Door (Atlantic/Atco) 1953 and 1961 (incl the bonus tracks)
* 1992 - Graveyard Blues (Specialty/Ace) 1948-1950 Besman/Sensation tracks
* 1992 - The Best of John Lee Hooker 1965 to 1974 (Universal) Impulse and ABC/Bluesway recordings
* 1993 - Everybody's Blues (Specialty/Ace) Besman tracks of 1950-51 plus two 1954 sessions direct for Specialty
* 1993 - The Legendary Modern Recordings 1948-1954 (Flair/Ace) the original singles
* 1994 - The Boogie Man (Charly DIG 5) anthology box featuring 1948-1966 (excluding Modern)
* 1995 - Alternative Boogie - Early Studio Recordings, 1948-1952 (Capitol 3CD) Besman alternates
* 1995 - The Gold Collection - 40 Classic Performances (Retro) 2 CD set Made in Italy by Phonocomp
* 1996 - Live at the Café Au Go-Go (and Soledad Prison) (Universal) 1966 with Muddy Waters' band and 1972
* 1998 - The Complete 50's Chess Recordings (Chess 2CD) anthology featuring the tracks from "House of the Blues" and "Plays and Sings the Blues" (1951-52) plus several bonus tracks from Fortune 1954 incl "Blues For Big Town"
* 2000 - The Complete 1964 recordings (RPM) last Vee-Jay session 1964 plus British London recordings - the British tracks reissued with brass overdubs as "The London 1965 Sessions" on Sequel
* 2000 - I'm John Lee Hooker (Charly -with bonus tracks) his very first LP, 1955-1959 recordings - reissued on SNAP in 2003 and without bonus tracks on Shout!Factory in 2007
* 2000 - Travelin' (Charly -with bonus tracks) the great LP session of 1960- reissued on SNAP in 2003
* 2000 - The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker (Charly -with bonus tracks) his third VJ LP - reissued on SNAP in 2003
* 2000 - Burnin' (Charly -with bonus tracks) the fourth VJ LP, 1962 - reissued on SNAP in 2003
* 2000 - The Complete - Vol. 1 1948-49 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2000 - The Complete - Vol. 2 1949 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2001 - The Complete - Vol. 3 1949-50 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2001 - House Rent Boogie (Ace) Modern compilation of rare early 1950s recordings
* 2001 - Testament - 3CDbox featuring some of the very best Vee-Jay recordings (Charly/Snapper)
* 2002 - The Complete - Vol. 4 1950-51 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2002 - The Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues (Chess) 1966 recordings; reissue of the 1991 CD "The Complete Chess Folk Blues Sessions"
* 2003 - Boogie Chillen' (Audio Fidelity) 1949 - 1952 Besman and Siracuse (engineer) compilation
* 2003 - Blues Kingpins - Blues Immortal (Virgin) 1948-1955 Modern anthology
* 2004 - Early Years - The Classic Savoy Sessions (Metro Doubles 2CD) recorded 1948 and 1961 - comprising the tracks from "Savoy Blues Legends" (Savoy in 1999 and 2003) and the 1961 Savoy recordings from "Sittin' Here Thinkin'" (32Blues in 2004 with the bonus track)
* 2004 - I'm A Boogie Man (Varése Sarabande) Vintage 1948 - 1953 Texas Slim and John Lee Booker (King/DeLuxe tracks featuring all the King singles)
* 2004 - The Complete - Vol. 5 1951-53 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2005 - The Complete - Vol. 6 1953-54 [Body & Soul 2CD]
* 2006 - Hooker (4 disc chronological anthology covering his entire career) (Shout!Factory)
* 2006 - The Boogie Man 1948 - 1955 (Charly 4 CDBox) - not identical to Charly's rare CD DIG 5 (but this time also featuring Modern recordings)
* 2007 - Gold (Hip-O Select 2CD) 1948-2001 chronological anthology
* 2009 - John Lee Hooker Anthology: 50 Years (Shout!Factory 2CD) 1948-1998 chronological anthology