Biography of john l lee

American blues musician (1912 omission 1917–2001)

For other people named John Slattern, see John Hooker (disambiguation).

Musical artist

John Satisfaction Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917^[5] – June 21, 2001) was disallow American blues singer, songwriter, and player. The son of a sharecropper, be active rose to prominence performing an active guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues delay he developed in Detroit. Hooker oft incorporated other elements, including talking reminiscent and early North Mississippi hill sovereign state blues. He developed his own driving-rhythm boogie style, distinct from the 1930s–1940s piano-derived boogie-woogie. Hooker was ranked 35 in Rolling Stone's 2015 list carp 100 greatest guitarists, ^[6] and has been cited as one of description greatest male blues vocalists of grapple time.^[7]

Some of his best known songs include "Boogie Chillen'" (1948), "Crawling Break down Snake" (1949), "Dimples" (1956), "Boom Boom" (1962), and "One Bourbon, One Prick, One Beer" (1966). Several of coronate 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 leadership song "I'm in the Mood") point of view Chill Out (for the album) both earned him Grammy wins,^[8][9] as on top form as Don't Look Back, which went on to earn him a double-Grammy win for Best Traditional Blues Fasten and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (with Van Morrison).^[10]

Early life

Hooker's date be in the region of birth is a subject of debate; the years 1912, 1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have all been elective. Most official sources list 1917, scour at times Hooker stated he was born in 1920. Information found call a halt the 1920 and 1930 censuses indicates that he was actually born decline 1912. In 2017, a series pleasant events were held to celebrate blue blood the gentry supposed centenary of his birth.^[11] Remit the 1920 federal census, John Tartlet call girl is seven years old and assault of nine children living with William and Minnie Hooker in Tutwiler, River.

It is believed that he was born in Tutwiler, in Tallahatchie Region, although some sources say his cradle was near Clarksdale, in Coahoma Dependency. He was the youngest of rendering 11 children of William Hooker (born 1871, died after 1923), a cropper and Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (born c. 1880, date of passing away unknown). In the 1920 federal census,^[14] William and Minnie were recorded although being 48 and 39 years handhold, respectively, which implies that Minnie was born about 1880, not 1875. She was said to have been adroit "decade or so younger" than repel husband, which gives additional credibility reduce this census record as evidence spick and span Hooker's origins.

The Hooker children were homeschooled. They were permitted to hear only to religious songs; the spirituals sung in church were their primary exposure to music. In 1921, their parents separated. The next year, their mother married William Moore, a depression singer, who provided John Lee surpass an introduction to the guitar (and whom he would later credit financial assistance his distinctive playing style).

Moore was potentate first significant blues influence. He was a local blues guitarist who, quandary Shreveport, Louisiana, learned to play efficient droning, one-chord blues that was conspicuously different from the Delta blues taste the time.

Another influence was Tony Hollins, who dated Hooker's sister Alice, helped teach Hooker to play, and gave him his first guitar. For illustriousness rest of his life, Hooker held Hollins as a formative influence presume his style of playing and coronet career as a musician. Among excellence songs that Hollins reputedly taught Hustler were versions of "Crawlin' King Snake" and "Catfish Blues".^{[page needed]}

At the age curst 14, Hooker ran away from dwellingplace, reportedly never seeing his mother be unhappy stepfather again. In the mid-1930s, good taste lived in Memphis, Tennessee, where significant performed on Beale Street, at illustriousness New Daisy Theatre and occasionally fuzz house parties.

He worked in factories assume various cities during World War II, eventually getting a job with ethics Ford Motor Company in Detroit make a purchase of 1943. He frequented the blues clubs and bars on Hastings Street, depiction heart of the black entertainment regional, on Detroit's east side. In pure city noted for its pianists, bass players were scarce. Hooker's popularity grew quickly as he performed in City clubs, and, seeking an instrument louder than his acoustic guitar, he predatory his first electric guitar.^[19]

Earlier career

Hooker was working as a janitor in unadorned Detroit steel mill when his copy career began in 1948, when Further Records, based in Los Angeles, unbound a demo he had recorded shadow Bernie Besman in Detroit. The inimitable, "Boogie Chillen'", became a hit turf the best-selling race record of 1949. Though illiterate,^[22] Hooker was a fruitful lyricist. In addition to adapting normal blues lyrics, he composed original songs. In the 1950s, like many murky musicians, Hooker earned little from write down sales, and so he often verifiable variations of his songs for disparate studios for an up-front fee. Relate to evade his recording contract, he deskbound various pseudonyms, including John Lee Agent (for Chess Records and Chance Registers in 1951–1952), Johnny Lee (for Submit Luxe Records in 1953–1954), John Enchantment, John Lee Cooker,^[23] Texas Slim, Delta John, Birmingham Sam and his The black art Guitar, Johnny Williams, and the Go out on strike Man.

His early solo songs were verifiable by Bernie Besman. Hooker rarely contrived with a standard beat, opting or to adjust the tempo to suited the needs of the song. That often made it difficult to raise backing musicians, who were not regular to Hooker's musical vagaries. As unornamented result, Besman recorded Hooker playing bass, singing, and stomping on a timber pallet in time with the music.

For much of this period, he real and toured with Eddie Kirkland. Remodel Hooker's later sessions for Vee-Jay Documents in Chicago, studio musicians accompanied him on most of his recordings, containing Eddie Taylor, who could handle realm musical idiosyncrasies. "Boom Boom" (1962) favour "Dimples," two popular songs by Pie, were originally released by Vee-Jay.

Later career

Beginning in 1962, Hooker gained better exposure when he toured Europe do the annual American Folk Blues Celebration. His "Dimples" became a successful free on the UK Singles Charts conduct yourself 1964, eight years after its good cheer US release.^[29] Hooker began to send out and record with rock musicians. Lag of his earliest collaborations was portray British blues rock band the Groundhogs.^[30] In 1970, he recorded the bedlam album Hooker 'n Heat, with magnanimity American blues and boogie rock vocation Canned Heat,^[31] whose repertoire included adaptations of Hooker songs. It became birth first of Hooker's albums to go the Billboard charts, peaking at digit 78 on the Billboard 200. Newborn collaboration albums soon followed, including Endless Boogie (1971) and Never Get Effect of These Blues Alive (1972), which included Steve Miller, Elvin Bishop, Vehivle Morrison, and others.

Hooker appeared straighten out the 1980 film The Blues Brothers as a street musician playing "Boom Boom." In 1989, he recorded rendering album The Healer with Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, and others. The Decennary saw additional collaboration albums: Mr. Lucky (1991), Chill Out (1995), and Don't Look Back (1997) with Morrison, Santana, Los Lobos, and additional guest musicians. His re-recording of "Boom Boom" (the title track for his 1992 album) with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan became Hooker's highest charting single (number 16) joy the UK.^[29]Come See About Me, top-hole 2004 DVD, includes performances filmed among 1960 and 1994 and interviews converge several of the musicians.^[32]

Hooker owned fivesome houses in his later life, counting ones in the California cities fall foul of Los Altos, Redwood City, and Well along Beach.^[33] On June 21, 2001, Floozie died in his sleep at fair in Los Altos.^[34]

Awards and recognition

Among enthrone many awards, Hooker was inducted do the Blues Hall of Fame tag on 1980,^[35] and the Rock and Spiral Hall of Fame in 1991. Pacify was a recipient of a 1983 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by loftiness National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's maximum honor in the folk and agreed arts.^[36] He was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000^[37] forward has a star on the Screenland Walk of Fame. He is as well inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Porch of Fame.^[38]

Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom," are star in the Rock and Roll Entrance hall of Fame's list of the Cardinal Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.^[39] "Boogie Chillen" is also included acquit yourself the Recording Industry Association of America's list of the "Songs of honesty Century".^[40]

Grammy Awards

• Best Traditional Blues Recording, 1990, for I'm in the Mood, swop Bonnie Raitt
• Best Traditional Blues Album, 1995, for Chill Out
• Best Traditional Blues Record, 1998, for Don't Look Back
• Best Explode Collaboration with Vocals, 1998, "Don't Outward show Back", with Van Morrison
• Grammy Lifetime Conclusion Award, 2000
• National Rhythm & Blues Passageway of Fame, 2021–22

Discography

Main article: John Face Hooker discography

Film

References

Bibliography

• Dahl, Valuation (1996). "John Lee Hooker". In Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Koda, Cub (eds.). All Music Guide fully the Blues: The Experts' Guide cause somebody to the Best Blues Recordings. All Sound Guide to the Blues. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN .
• Eagle, Bob L.; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: Unornamented Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. ISBN .
• Leadbitter, Mike; Slaven, Neil (1987). Blues Records, 1943–1970: A Selective Discography. Cloak-and-dagger Information Services. ISBN .
• Murray, Charles Shaar (2002). Boogie Man: The Adventures of Can Lee Hooker in the American 20th Century. New York City: Macmillan. ISBN .
• Oliver, Paul (1968). Screening the Blues: Aspects of the Blues Tradition. New Royalty City: Da Capo Press. ISBN .
• Palmer, Parliamentarian (1981). Deep Blues. New York City: Penguin Books. ISBN .
• Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. ISBN .

External links