John Lee Hooker

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

John Lee Hooker
Hooker at Massey Hall, Toronto, 1978
Hooker at Massey Hall, Toronto, 1978
Background information
Born(1912-08-22)August 22, 1912[1][2][3] or 1917[4][5]
Tutwiler, Mississippi or near Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedJune 21, 2001 (aged either 83 or 88)
Los Altos, California, U.S.
GenresBlues
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1930s–2001
Labels
Websitejohnleehooker.com

John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912[1] or 1917[4][5] – 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 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, [6] and has been cited as one of the greatest male blues vocalists of all time.[7]

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,[8][9] 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).[10]

  1. ^ a b Eagle & LeBlanc 2013, p. 190.
  2. ^ "John Lee Hooker biography". Johnleehooker.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  3. ^ In the 1920 federal census, series T625, Roll 895, p. 235, in the city of Tutwiler, Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, Supervisor's District 2, Enumeration District 87, Sheet #29 A, line 25, enumerated February 3, 1920, John Hooker is one of nine children living with William and Minnie Hooker. John is listed as seven years of age at his last birthday. If this is accurate – and if his birthday is August 22, as he claimed – he was born August 22, 1912.
  4. ^ a b Dahl 1996, p. 115.
  5. ^ a b "John Lee Hooker Biography". johnleehooker.com.
  6. ^ "Rolling Stones 100 greatest guitarists". Rolling Stone. December 18, 2015.
  7. ^ "Best blues singers". Classical-music.com. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  8. ^ "32nd Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy.com. January 15, 2013.
  9. ^ "38th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy.com. January 15, 2013.
  10. ^ "40th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy.com. January 15, 2013.