John Lee Hooker was an influential American blues musician known for his electric guitar style and unique rhythm.
He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000, recognizing his significant contributions to music.
Hooker was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997 for his impact on the music industry.
Biography
Early Life
John Lee Hooker was born on August 22, 1917, in Tutwiler, Mississippi, into a family of sharecroppers. He was the youngest of eleven children, raised in a religious household where music was a significant part of life. His mother, Minnie, married blues singer William Moore, who introduced Hooker to the guitar, shaping his future in music. Despite facing challenges, including a stutter, Hooker developed a passion for music early on, influenced by spirituals and the blues he heard around him.
Career
Hooker's career took off in 1948 when he recorded "Boogie Chillen'" for Modern Records, which became a massive hit and the best-selling race record of 1949. Known for his unique electric guitar style and driving rhythm, he often recorded under various pseudonyms to navigate the music industry. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Hooker gained international fame, touring Europe and collaborating with rock musicians, including Canned Heat and Carlos Santana. His music blended Delta blues with elements of rhythm and blues, making him a pivotal figure in the genre.
Legacy
John Lee Hooker left an indelible mark on the music world, earning numerous accolades, including induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His songs "Boogie Chillen'" and "Boom Boom" are recognized as foundational tracks in rock and roll history. Hooker's influence continues to resonate, celebrated for his contributions to blues and his ability to bridge genres, making him one of the greatest blues musicians of all time.
Collected from open sources (4) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Discography
I Wanna Dance All Night1970
- 1.Hey, Baby You Look Good To Me4:00
- 2.I Wanna Dance All Night3:40
- 3.Mean Woman3:40
- 4.Why Put Me Down3:10
- 5.My Name Is Ringing5:30
- 6.What The Matter Baby4:30
- 7.Baby Don't You Wanna Go3:05
- 8.Talk To Your Daughter4:20
- 9.You Move Me4:40
- 10.The Things I Tell You To Do4:00
On the Waterfront1970
- 1.Don't Want Nobody Else2:25
- 2.Storming on the Deep Blue Sea3:16
- 3.Losing You3:54
- 4.Go Back to School Little Girl3:39
- 5.Don't Be Messin' With My Bread3:22
- 6.Mai Lee3:24
- 7.I Cover the Waterfront4:03
- 8.Crazy Mixed Up World4:22
- 9.Seven Days3:50
- 10.Little Dreamer4:20
- 11.Lost Everything3:55
If You Miss ’Im… I Got ’Im1969
- 1.The Hookers (If You Miss ’Im… I Got ’Im)4:44
- 2.Baby, I Love You4:12
- 3.Lonesome Mood5:15
- 4.Bang Bang Bang Bang4:47
- 5.If You Take Care of Me, I’ll Take Care of You3:38
- 6.Baby, Be Strong5:07
- 7.I Wanna Be Your Puppy, Baby8:14
- 8.I Don’t Care When You Go2:40
- 9.Have Mercy on My Soul!7:55
Simply the Truth1969
- 1.I Don’t Wanna Go to Vietnam5:36
- 2.Mini Skirts3:28
- 3.Mean Mean Woman5:45
- 4.I Wanna Bugaloo4:15
- 5.Tantalizing With the Blues5:05
- 6.(Twist Ain’t Nothin’) But the Old Time Shimmy3:19
- 7.One Room Country Shack4:27
- 8.I’m Just a Drifter6:04
That's Where It's At!1969
- 1.Teachin' the Blues
- 2.Goin' to Louisiana
- 3.I Need You
- 4.My Love Comes Down For You
- 5.Please Don't Go
- 6.I Just Don't Know
- 7.Slow and Easy
- 8.Two White Horses
- 9.Feel so Bad
- 10.Grinder Man
Urban Blues1967
- 1.Cry Before I Go2:42
- 2.Boom Boom Boom2:44
- 3.Back Biters and Syndicaters2:53
- 4.Mr. Lucky2:55
- 5.My Own Blues2:36
- 6.I Can’t Stand to Leave You2:34
- 7.Think Twice Before You Go2:06
- 8.I’m Standing in Line2:25
- 9.Hot Spring Water, Part 12:34
- 10.Hot Spring Water, Part 22:02
- 11.The Motor City Is Burning2:54
It Serve You Right to Suffer1966
- 1.Shake It Baby4:23
- 2.Country Boy5:40
- 3.Bottle Up and Go2:28
- 4.You’re Wrong4:22
- 5.Sugar Mama3:16
- 6.Decoration Day5:09
- 7.Money (That’s What I Want)2:26
- 8.It Serve You Right to Suffer5:08
The Real Folk Blues1966
- 1.Let’s Go Out Tonight7:05
- 2.Peace Lovin’ Man3:48
- 3.Stella Mae2:59
- 4.I Put My Trust in You5:15
- 5.In the Mood2:41
- 6.You Know, I Know3:46
- 7.I’ll Never Trust Your Love Again3:20
- 8.One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer2:58
- 9.The Waterfront5:25
…and Seven Nights1966
- 1.Mai Lee3:30
- 2.I’m Losing You3:53
- 3.Little Girl Go Back to School3:52
- 4.Little Dreamer4:20
- 5.Don’t Be Messin’ With My Bread3:20
- 6.Bad Luck and Trouble4:03
- 7.Waterfront4:13
- 8.No One Pleases Me But You2:24
- 9.It’s Rainin’ Here3:23
- 10.It’s a Crazy Mixed Up World4:16
- 11.Seven Days and Seven Nights3:40
Burning Hell1964
- 1.Burning Hell3:16
- 2.Graveyard Blues3:38
- 3.Baby, Please Don’t Go4:50
- 4.Jackson, Tennessee3:20
- 5.You Live Your Life and I’ll Live Mine3:22
- 6.Smokestack Lightnin’3:23
- 7.How Can You Do It?2:58
- 8.I Don’t Want No Woman If Her Hair Ain’t No Longer Than Mine3:17
- 9.I Rolled and Turned and Cried the Whole Night Long3:48
- 10.Blues for My Baby3:37
- 11.Key to the Highway3:15
- 12.Natchez Fire3:01
The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker1963
Tracklist not collected yet.
The Great John Lee Hooker1963
Tracklist not collected yet.
On Campus1963
- 1.I’m Leavin’
- 2.Love Is a Burning Thing
- 3.Birmingham Blues
- 4.I Want to Shout
- 5.Don’t Look Back
- 6.I Want to Hug You
- 7.Poor Me
- 8.I Want to Ramble
- 9.Half a Stranger
- 10.My Grinding Mill
- 11.Bottle Up and Go
- 12.One Way Ticket
Don’t Turn Me From Your Door1963
- 1.Stuttering Blues2:13
- 2.Wobbling Baby2:32
- 3.You Lost a Good Man2:50
- 4.Love My Baby2:35
- 5.Misbelieving Baby2:30
- 6.Drifting Blues3:33
- 7.Don't Turn Me From Your Door2:40
- 8.My Baby Don't Love Me2:58
- 9.I Ain't Got Nobody2:28
- 10.Real Real Gone2:22
- 11.Guitar' Lovin Man2:38
- 12.Talk About Your Baby2:33
Burnin’1962
Tracklist not collected yet.
John Lee Hooker1962
Tracklist not collected yet.
Plays and Sings the Blues1961
Tracklist not collected yet.
The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker1961
Tracklist not collected yet.
That’s My Story: John Lee Hooker Sings the Blues1960
Tracklist not collected yet.
Travelin’1960
Tracklist not collected yet.
John Lee Hooker Sings Blues1960
Tracklist not collected yet.
Highway of Blues1959
Tracklist not collected yet.
House of the Blues1959
Tracklist not collected yet.
I’m John Lee Hooker1959
Tracklist not collected yet.
The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker1959
Tracklist not collected yet.
Gallery
Label
- Record label
- Charly Records
- Record label
- Chess Records
- Record label
- Flair Records
- Record label
- Modern Records
Achievements
- Award
- Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- Award
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Award
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Influenced by
Similar artists
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Also known as: Birmingham Sam and his Magic Guitar, Delta John, Hooker, John Lee Booker, John Lee Hooker (as Johnny Williams), Johnny Lee
John Lee Hooker 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 that he developed in Detroit. 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 Stone's 2015 list of 100 greatest guitarists, and has been cited as one of the greatest male blues vocalists of all time.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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