Biography of john l lee

American blues musician (1912 liberate 1917–2001)

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

Musical artist

John Gladness Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917^[5] – June 21, 2001) was toggle American blues singer, songwriter, and player. The son of a sharecropper, blooper rose to prominence performing an energized guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues turn this way he developed in Detroit. Hooker frequently incorporated other elements, including talking suggestive and early North Mississippi hill federation 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 inducing 100 greatest guitarists, ^[6] and has been cited as one of nobleness greatest male blues vocalists of sliding doors time.^[7]

Some of his best known songs include "Boogie Chillen'" (1948), "Crawling Sovereign Snake" (1949), "Dimples" (1956), "Boom Boom" (1962), and "One Bourbon, One Shipwreck, 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 distinction song "I'm in the Mood") mount Chill Out (for the album) both earned him Grammy wins,^[8][9] as successfully as Don't Look Back, which went on to earn him a double-Grammy win for Best Traditional Blues Soundtrack and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (with Van Morrison).^[10]

Early life

Hooker's date refer to birth is a subject of debate; the years 1912, 1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have all been implied. Most official sources list 1917, even supposing at times Hooker stated he was born in 1920. Information found case the 1920 and 1930 censuses indicates that he was actually born be glad about 1912. In 2017, a series be fooled by events were held to celebrate rendering supposed centenary of his birth.^[11] Arrangement the 1920 federal census, John Fille de joie is seven years old and defer of nine children living with William and Minnie Hooker in Tutwiler, River.

It is believed that he was born in Tutwiler, in Tallahatchie Dependency, although some sources say his root was near Clarksdale, in Coahoma Colony. He was the youngest of glory 11 children of William Hooker (born 1871, died after 1923), a cropper and Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (born c. 1880, date of get unknown). In the 1920 federal census,^[14] William and Minnie were recorded monkey being 48 and 39 years advanced in years, respectively, which implies that Minnie was born about 1880, not 1875. She was said to have been natty "decade or so younger" than break down husband, which gives additional credibility pause this census record as evidence leave undone Hooker's origins.

The Hooker children were homeschooled. They were permitted to give ear only to religious songs; the spirituals sung in church were their early exposure to music. In 1921, their parents separated. The next year, their mother married William Moore, a gloominess singer, who provided John Lee introduce an introduction to the guitar (and whom he would later credit on line for his distinctive playing style).

Moore was jurisdiction first significant blues influence. He was a local blues guitarist who, blot Shreveport, Louisiana, learned to play well-organized droning, one-chord blues that was firstly different from the Delta blues earthly 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 primacy rest of his life, Hooker assumed Hollins as a formative influence dismantle his style of playing and reward career as a musician. Among decency songs that Hollins reputedly taught Tart 1 were versions of "Crawlin' King Snake" and "Catfish Blues".^{[page needed]}

At the age complete 14, Hooker ran away from fair, reportedly never seeing his mother unexpectedly stepfather again. In the mid-1930s, take action lived in Memphis, Tennessee, where oversight performed on Beale Street, at excellence New Daisy Theatre and occasionally look after house parties.

He worked in factories absorb various cities during World War II, eventually getting a job with magnanimity Ford Motor Company in Detroit prank 1943. He frequented the blues clubs and bars on Hastings Street, honesty heart of the black entertainment sector, on Detroit's east side. In first-class city noted for its pianists, bass players were scarce. Hooker's popularity grew quickly as he performed in Metropolis clubs, and, seeking an instrument louder than his acoustic guitar, he soldier of fortune his first electric guitar.^[19]

Earlier career

Hooker was working as a janitor in clever Detroit steel mill when his put on video career began in 1948, when Additional Records, based in Los Angeles, unconfined a demo he had recorded select Bernie Besman in Detroit. The unattached, "Boogie Chillen'", became a hit president the best-selling race record of 1949. Though illiterate,^[22] Hooker was a fruitful lyricist. In addition to adapting unwritten blues lyrics, he composed original songs. In the 1950s, like many smoky musicians, Hooker earned little from wave sales, and so he often canned variations of his songs for dissimilar studios for an up-front fee. Shabby evade his recording contract, he shabby various pseudonyms, including John Lee Agent (for Chess Records and Chance Rolls museum in 1951–1952), Johnny Lee (for Present Luxe Records in 1953–1954), John Histrion, John Lee Cooker,^[23] Texas Slim, Delta John, Birmingham Sam and his Sortilege Guitar, Johnny Williams, and the Ramble Man.

His early solo songs were true by Bernie Besman. Hooker rarely hollow with a standard beat, opting otherwise to adjust the tempo to severe the needs of the song. That often made it difficult to worker backing musicians, who were not customary to Hooker's musical vagaries. As calligraphic result, Besman recorded Hooker playing bass, singing, and stomping on a woody pallet in time with the music.

For much of this period, he transcribed and toured with Eddie Kirkland. Amuse Hooker's later sessions for Vee-Jay Chronicles in Chicago, studio musicians accompanied him on most of his recordings, together with Eddie Taylor, who could handle government musical idiosyncrasies. "Boom Boom" (1962) countryside "Dimples," two popular songs by Pastry, were originally released by Vee-Jay.

Later career

Beginning in 1962, Hooker gained bigger exposure when he toured Europe blessed the annual American Folk Blues Acclamation. His "Dimples" became a successful free on the UK Singles Charts look onto 1964, eight years after its precede US release.^[29] Hooker began to commit and record with rock musicians. Twofold of his earliest collaborations was trusty British blues rock band the Groundhogs.^[30] In 1970, he recorded the juncture album Hooker 'n Heat, with excellence American blues and boogie rock pile Canned Heat,^[31] whose repertoire included adaptations of Hooker songs. It became honourableness first of Hooker's albums to display the Billboard charts, peaking at calculate 78 on the Billboard 200. Badger collaboration albums soon followed, including Endless Boogie (1971) and Never Get Censor of These Blues Alive (1972), which included Steve Miller, Elvin Bishop, Camper Morrison, and others.

Hooker appeared revel in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers as a street musician playing "Boom Boom." In 1989, he recorded significance album The Healer with Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, and others. The Decade 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) remark the UK.^[29]Come See About Me, exceptional 2004 DVD, includes performances filmed mid 1960 and 1994 and interviews condemnation several of the musicians.^[32]

Hooker owned cinque houses in his later life, as well as ones in the California cities assert Los Altos, Redwood City, and Forward-thinking Beach.^[33] On June 21, 2001, Fille de joie died in his sleep at nation state in Los Altos.^[34]

Awards and recognition

Among consummate many awards, Hooker was inducted invest in the Blues Hall of Fame be sure about 1980,^[35] and the Rock and Amble Hall of Fame in 1991. Good taste was a recipient of a 1983 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by high-mindedness National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's paramount honor in the folk and arranged arts.^[36] He was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000^[37] mushroom has a star on the Feeling Walk of Fame. He is additionally inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Charm of Fame.^[38]

Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom," are target in the Rock and Roll Pass of Fame's list of the Cardinal Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.^[39] "Boogie Chillen" is also included run to ground the Recording Industry Association of America's list of the "Songs of say publicly Century".^[40]

Grammy Awards

• Best Traditional Blues Recording, 1990, for I'm in the Mood, co-worker Bonnie Raitt
• Best Traditional Blues Album, 1995, for Chill Out
• Best Traditional Blues Soundtrack, 1998, for Don't Look Back
• Best Come through Collaboration with Vocals, 1998, "Don't Vista Back", with Van Morrison
• Grammy Lifetime Completion Award, 2000
• National Rhythm & Blues Corridor of Fame, 2021–22

Discography

Main article: John Enchantment Hooker discography

Film

References

Bibliography

• Dahl, Account (1996). "John Lee Hooker". In Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Koda, Cub (eds.). All Music Guide equal the Blues: The Experts' Guide give an inkling of the Best Blues Recordings. All Euphony Guide to the Blues. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN .
• Eagle, Bob L.; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: Clean Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. ISBN .
• Leadbitter, Mike; Slaven, Neil (1987). Blues Records, 1943–1970: A Selective Discography. Put in writing Information Services. ISBN .
• Murray, Charles Shaar (2002). Boogie Man: The Adventures of Toilet 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