John Lee Hooker
| Birth Name | John Lee Hooker |
|---|---|
| Born | August 22, 1912 |
| Died | June 21, 2001 |
| Genres | Blues |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Associated acts | Not Found |
John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912, or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often incorporated other elements, including talking blues and early North Mississippi Hill country blues. He developed his own driving-rhythm boogie style, distinct from the 1930s–1940s piano-derived boogie-woogie. Hooker was ranked 35 in Rolling Stones 2015 list of 100 greatest guitarists.
Video Playlist
1/3 videos
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The Best of John Lee Hooker
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Boom Boom
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Serves Me Right to Suffer
Some of his best-known songs include “Boogie Chillen'” (1948), “Crawling King Snake” (1949), “Dimples” (1956), “Boom Boom” (1962), and “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” (1966). Several of his later albums, including The Healer (1989), Mr. Lucky (1991), Chill Out (1995), and Don’t Look Back (1997), were album chart successes in the U.S. and UK. The Healer (for the song “I’m In The Mood”) and Chill Out (for the album) both earned him Grammy wins as well as Don’t Look Back, which went on to earn him a double-Grammy win for Best Traditional Blues Recording and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (with Van Morrison).
Hooker’s date of birth is a subject of debate; the years 1912, 1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have been suggested. Most sources give 1917, though at times Hooker stated he was born in 1920. Information in the 1920 and 1930 censuses indicates that he was born in 1912.[1] In 2017, a series of events took place to celebrate the purported centenary of his birth. In the 1920 federal census, John Hooker is seven years old and one of nine children living with William and Minnie Hooker in Tutwiler Mississippi.
Guitarists Through The Decades
Top 3 John Lee Hooker Recordings
How To Play Guitar Like John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
A Step-by-Step Breakdown of His Guitar Styles and Techniques (Signature Licks Guitar). Explore the earthy blues of inimitable guitar legend John Lee Hooker with this book/online audio pack! Dave Rubin explores licks from: Blues Before Sunrise * Boogie Chillen No. 2 * Boom Boom * Bottle Up and Go * Catfish Blues * Dimples and more.
