Some Blues You Just have to Hear Series – John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker, although a blues man, gave blues a different style, he brought the boogie into blues. Who loved him; everyone loved him. He was the inspiration for many rockers such as the Rolling Stones and White Stripes. Born in 1917 in Clarksdale Mississippi, Hooker began singing in his church.

Hooker’s early beginnings started like many of the other Mississippi Delta blues artist, being a son of a Baptist preacher/sharecropper, with 10 siblings of meager belongings. Hooker did not go to a public school, rather was taught in his home by mother. He grew up illiterate. His first introduction to music was the spiritual music that was played religiously. His father (William Hooker) and mother (Minnie Ramsey) divorced when hooker was 4 years old. His mother got married a year later to a blues singer, William Moore. Moore was the one that taught Hooker how to play the guitar as well as Moore’s friends Charlie Patton, and Blind Lemon Jefferson.

In the early 30’s at the age of 15, Hooker ran away from home, never to look back again. His first destination was Memphis Tennessee, however his luck as a blues artists didn’t pan out as well as he would have liked and he moved on to Cincinnati where he played for a while with a group called the Fairfield Four. Still not making the money he wanted, Hooker found himself drawn to Detroit in the late 40’s due to the work availability in the auto industry for Ford Motors. It was in Detroit where Hooker finally felt at home with his blues style and began to make a name for himself. “Boogie Chillen” was Hookers first hit single. Back in the 50’s, when Hooker started making a name for himself in the Blues Industry, blacks were still paid pennies compared to white artist. Contracts made it impossible for artist to pick up extra recordings so due to the meager earnings hooker was receiving; he would record songs under various aliases like “John Lee Booker”, “Johnny Hooker”, and “Johnny Cooker”.

Hooker went on to record over 100 albums, open the nightclub “John Lee Hooker’s Boom Boom Room”, located in the Fillmore District of San Francisco, and received many awards from having his own star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame to the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. John Lee Hooker left us at the age of 83. He passed away after taking ill in 2001 however he left behind eight children, 19 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren, one nephew and an amazing blues music legacy.