John Lee Hooker is undoubtedly the most significant blues figure of the 20th century. It was primarily the power and originality of his voice and guitar playing that established his reputation in the 1940s and 1950s. Alone on stage, accompanied by his guitar, he captivated audiences in Detroit, Michigan, and then across all the surrounding venues. Between 1948 and 1954, he recorded Sally Mae, Boogie Chillun, Hobo Blues, Crawling King Snake, I'm In The Mood… for numerous labels: Modern, King, Regent, Acorn, Chance, etc. This period is chronicled on the album John Lee Hooker from the BDBlues collection (BDBL182). He began his career on the VeeJay label in 1955. The VeeJay recordings cemented his status as one of the essential voices of the blues. His later collaborations with John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers, with Canned Heat (Hooker’n Heat), and with many European and American artists allowed him to broaden his audience and become an international star appealing to a wide public: jazz, blues, and rock. In the 1960s and 1970s, he became the indispensable blues artist, regularly appearing in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The 27 VeeJay tracks gathered on this album are at the heart of Hooker's style and constitute a gem in the history of blues.
Amazon
eBay
Rare Vinyl
