John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter born in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi.

 Biography 
 Early life 
Hooker was born on August 22, 1917There is some debate as to the year of Hooker's 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) in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was born to William Hooker and Minnie Ramsey and was the youngest of eleven children. He and his siblings were home-schooled and they were only allowed to listen to religious songs. His parents separated in 1921 and his mother married William Moore, a blues singer the next year. Moore introduced Hooker to the guitar. John would later credit Moore for his distinctive playing style.

 Later life 
All through the 1930s, Hooker lived in Memphis where he worked on Beale Street and sometimes performed at house parties. In 1948, he started working at Ford Motor Company.

 Career 
Hooker's early solo songs were recorded by Bernie Besman. John Lee Hooker rarely played on a standard beat, changing tempos to fit the songs. This made it nearly impossible to add backing tracks. 

 Pop culture 
Hooker appeared and sang in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers. He recorded over 100 albums.

In 1989, he played with Keith Richards, Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt to record The Healer and won a Grammy Award. Hooker recorded lots of songs with Van Morrison, including "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive", "The Healing Game" and "I Cover the Waterfront".

Death
He fell ill just before a tour of Europe in 2001 and died soon afterwards at the age of 83. The last song Hooker recorded before his death, is "Ali D'Oro".

 Quotes 
"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.)

"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)

"Women are like wet bars of soap.  Hold on to em too hard and they pop outta your hands." (as spoken to Randy Wilkinson in New Orleans 1983, friend and road manager)

 Albums 
1950sYearAlbumLabel / Notes1959How Long Bluesreleased on UnitedI'm John Lee Hooker Vee Jay RecordsThe Country Blues of John Lee HookerRiverside RecordsBurning HellRiverside1960s1960TravelinVee Jay RecordsThat's My StoryRiversideHouse Of The BluesChess RecordsBlues Man The Blues Crown Records    John Lee Hooker Sings The BluesKing Records1961I'm John Lee HookerGalaxy RecordsPlays And Sings The BluesChessThe Folk Lore of John Lee HookerVee Jay1962John Lee Hooker Sings The BluesCrownBurnin' Vee JayLive At Sugar HillGalaxyFolk BluesCrownThe Best of John Lee HookerVee JayDrifting the Blues   Tupelo Blues         1963Don't Turn Me from Your Door: John Lee Hooker Sings His BluesAtco RecordsThe Big Soul of John Lee Hooker Vee JayJohn Lee Hooker On CampusVee JayThe Great John Lee HookerCrown1964John Lee Hooker At NewportVee JayBurning Hell Great Blues Sounds         I Want to Shout the Blues              The Great John Lee HookerJapan only1965Hooker & The Hogs 1966It Serves You Right to Suffer The Real Folk BluesChess1967Live at Cafè Au Go-Go 1968Hooked on Blues  1969Get Back Home  If You Miss Ìm ... I Got Ìm  Simply The Truth         That's Where It's At!         Get Back Home(First Issue)If You Miss 'Im...I Got 'Im         1970sYearAlbumLabel / Notes1970John Lee Hooker on the Waterfront         Moanin' and Stompin' Blues         1971Endless Boogie Goin' Down Highway 51         Half A Stranger         Hooker 'N' Heat/Infinite boogie I Feel Good Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive  1972Live At Soledad Prison 1973Born In Mississippi, Raised Up In Tennessee 1974Free Beer And Chicken Mad Man Blues 1976Alone         In Person         1977Black Snake         Dusty Road         1978The Cream         1979Sad And Lonesome         1980sYearAlbumLabel / Notes1980Everybody Rockin'          Sittin' Here Thinkin'          1981Hooker 'n' HeatRecorded Live at the Fox Venice Theatre        1986Jealous         1988Trouble Blues 1989Highway Of Blues         John Lee Hooker's 40th Anniversary Album The Detroit Lion The Healer 1990sYearAlbumLabel / Notes1990The Hot SpotFeaturing Miles DavisDon't You Remember Me         1991More Real Folk Blues: The Missing Album Mr. Lucky 1992Boom Boom  This Is Hip Urban Blues Graveyard Blues 1993Nothing But The Blues Everybody's Blues 1994King of the Boogie         Original Folk Blues...Plus         DimplesClassic Blues1995Alternative Boogie: Early Studio Recordings, 1948-1952 Chill Out Whiskey & Wimmen Blues for Big Town 1996Moanin' the BluesEclipseAlone: The First Concert           1997Don't Look Back Alone: The Second Concert        1998Black Man Blues       2000sYearAlbumLabel / Notes2000On Campus     2001Concert at Newport The CreamRe-issueThe Real Blues: Live in Houston 1979 House Rent Boogie    2002Live at Newport 2003Face to Face Burning HellOur WorldRock With Me 2004Jack O' Diamonds: The 1949 Recordings 

 References 

 Other websites 
Official John Lee Hooker Site
John Lee Hooker 1980 Blues Foundation Induction into Hall of Fame 
The Boom Boom Room San Francisco nightclub founded by Hooker

Category:1917 births
Category:2001 deaths
Category:American blues musicians
Category:American blues singers
Category:American guitarists
Category:Blues guitarists
Category:Musicians from Mississippi
Category:Singers from Mississippi