| John Lee Hooker was born on August 22, 1917 in | | | | In order to make sure that he could not be sued for |
| Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi. His | | | | breach of contract, he would make up names such as |
| parents were William Hooker, a sharecropper and | | | | "John Lee Booker" during his stint with Chess Records |
| preacher, and Minnie Ramsey. He is considered one of | | | | and Chance Records from 1951 to 1952, "Johnny Lee" |
| the most prominent African-American blues | | | | for De Luxe Records from 1953 to 1954. Other names |
| singer-songwriters and guitarists of his age, and is best | | | | that he used were "Johnny Hooker", John Cooker", |
| known for his trademark style of "talking blues". | | | | "Texas Slim", "Delta John", "Birmingham and his Magic |
| This is the unique style that brought him to prominence | | | | Guitar", "Johnny Williams", and "The Boogie Man". |
| as he rose to popularity with his brand of music | | | | Bernie Besman became his partner in recording his |
| incorporating the boogie-woogie style of piano playing. | | | | early songs. Hooker had a unique style of not playing |
| Two of his well-known songs are "Boogie Chillen" | | | | on a standard beat which at that time only Besman |
| (1948) and "Boom Boom" (1962), two pieces of music | | | | could "understand". It was difficult to use backing |
| separated by a generation, yet unmistakably John Lee | | | | musicians for such a style of music, so Besman had to |
| Hooker. | | | | take on three jobs when recording - playing the guitar, |
| In his childhood, considering the profession or calling of | | | | singing, and stomping along with the music on a |
| his father, Hooker was unremarkably exposed to | | | | wooden pallet. Later, Eddie Taylor was able to handle |
| predominantly religious songs, largely also as a result of | | | | these musical idiosyncrasies with skill and ease. |
| him being home-schooled. The youngest of eleven | | | | When John Lee Hooker appeared in the movie 'The |
| children, all of them knew only spiritual songs during | | | | Blues Brothers" in 1980, his skills at improvisation |
| their childhood. | | | | enabled his entire performance to be filmed and |
| However, when his mother separated from her | | | | sound-recorded live at the scene. The "Jake Blues" |
| husband William, she married a blues singer, one William | | | | character of John Belushi was actually Hooker's |
| Moore who introduced John Lee to a new style of | | | | trademarks - sunglasses and soul patch. |
| music and a new instrument: the 'geetar'. He was | | | | Hooker's collaboration with Carlos Santana in "The |
| greatly influenced by his stepfather's droning one-chord | | | | Healer" won them a Grammy Award in 1989. Aside |
| blues, but when his real father, William Hooker, died in | | | | from Santana, he also worked with Van Morrison |
| 1923 he ran away from home, away from his mother | | | | recording among others, "Never Get Out of These |
| and stepfather forever. | | | | Blues Alive", "The Healing Game", and "I Cover the |
| The 30s were chains of events in Hooker's life in | | | | Waterfront". The live album "A Night in San Francisco" |
| Memphis where he took a number of different jobs. | | | | included some of his appearances on stage with Van |
| He performed at house parties, worked at the New | | | | Morrison. Peter Townshend's "The Iron Man: A |
| Daisy Theater on Beale Street, in factories and | | | | Musical", released in the same year, featured him as |
| eventually at the Ford Motor Company in Detroit in | | | | the title character. |
| 1948. It was here that his skills as guitarist gave him the | | | | All in all, he was able to record over 100 albums. In 1997 |
| opportunity to make his mark in several Detroit clubs. | | | | his nightclub called "John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom |
| John Lee Hooker's first hit single "Boogie Chillen", which | | | | Boom" was opened in the San Francisco's Fillmore |
| he made himself, was released in 1948 and his | | | | District. At that time, he was staying in the San |
| recording career has begun. That was produced by | | | | Francisco Bay Area where he spent the last years of |
| the Bihari Brothers, owners of the Modern Label. | | | | his life. He died on June 21, 2001 at the age of 83. |
| However, the songwriting royalties went to the Biharis | | | | Hooker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of |
| because they generally purchased or claimed | | | | Fame in 1991, has a star in the Hollywood Walk of |
| co-authorship of songs that were recorded on their | | | | Fame, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in |
| labels. | | | | 1980. His Grammy Awards include Best Traditional |
| In spite of a lack of formal education, a major talent | | | | Blues Recording in 1990 and 1998, Best Pop |
| that he developed was that of a lyricist. He had this | | | | Collaboration with Vocals in 1998 and Grammy |
| ability to come up with some great songs from nothing. | | | | Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. All well |
| In order to augment his meager income from recording | | | | deserved by Johnny Lee Hooker who was one of the |
| out of his contract, he would continue writing new | | | | blues greats. |
| songs and visit several studios at night to record them. | | | | |