John Lee Hooker
Back to the Biographies
John Lee Hooker
(August 17, 1920 - June 21, 2001)
John Lee Hooker was born at what is known as "ground zero for the blues": Clarksdale, Mississippi. He learned the guitar as a child and sang spirituals. For a time he played street corners and parties around the famous Beale Street in Memphis. Like so many other southern blacks, Hooker moved North in search of a better life. He ended up in Detroit, Michigan, playing his guitar and singing with his trademark richly distinctive, gravelly, deep voice at clubs, streets, and parties. In Detroit he picked up his first electric guitar, which would later help give him an unforgettable sound that would play a part in changing the face of music in the 1960s. In 1948, he recorded his first single "Boogie Chillen", (Chillen being slang for "Children"; See The Blues Dictionary) which shot to number one on the R&B charts. His hit single solidified his recording career, and he began recording extensively. Interestingly, though, many of his recordings are under various pseudonyms, making a complete documentation of his works hard to follow. He did it because he reportedly entered into one or more "exclusive" contracts forbidding him to record anywhere else. John knew he could make extra money recording singles at various studios, and there are reports of him moving from studio to studio at nights recording sides under different, sometimes comical names such as John Lee Booker, Delta John, John Cooker, Johnny Lee, etc.
In 1952, John began recording for the legendary Chicago Blues record label Chess Records and touring with Muddy Waters and others from the Chess repitoire. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Hooker recorded what would be two musical staples: "Dimples" and "Boom Boom". The 1960s folk revival gave Hooker an even larger audience. In the 1960s he began touring Europe, a feat which would have a lasting effect on both Blues and Rock that resonates to this day. Hooker enjoyed a massive popularity, playing in clubs and venues across the country. His methodic, repetitive beat, boogie style, and unique voice has been likened to early Rock, and he's been cited as an influence to Rock musicians in both Europe and the United States.
In 1980 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, and had a cameo singing his staple "Boom Boom" in the movie The Blues Brothers. In 1989, John released the Grammy Award winning album The Healer, with cameos from Carlos Santana, George Thorogood and Bonnie Raitt. He was inducted into the Rockand Roll Hall of Fame in 1991, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He won a number of Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement award, and opened a club in San Francisco, where he lived towards the end of his life. In 2001, after falling ill, John Lee Hooker passed away on June 21st. He left a massive Blues legacy rivaling that of his counterparts Muddy Waters and B.B. King, and his musical influence has stretched far and wide.
Notable songs by John Lee Hooker
Boom Boom
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
Notable albums by John Lee Hooker
The Healer
(buy album)
(download album)
Notable Movies with John Lee Hooker
The Blues Brothers
