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Stones, Hooker and the Hogs,
Born
near Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1917 to a sharecropper family, John
Lee Hooker was one of the last links to the blues of the deep South.
He move to Detroit in the early 1940's and by 1948 had scored his
first number-one jukebox hit and million-seller, "Boogie Chillun."
Other hits soon followed, "I'm In The Mood," "Crawling Kingsnake,"
and "Boom Boom" among the biggest. During the 1950s and '60s, Vee
Jay Records released a remarkable string of more than 100 of John
Lee's songs. This collection is my choice of some of the best output
from the JLH and what were at one point his backing band who went
on to carve out a place of their own in British blues history; the
Groundhogs
Chickenshack Album reviews by Franktastic
There
are 555 listings for John Lee Hooker on the amazon catalogue,
so as a life long fan Ithought I would offer my top selections.
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Hooker teams up with Canned Heat in their heyday. He considered
the Heat boys as good as any band he plauyed with in the business.
this is cooking! |
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Hooker's
carer spanned an incredible period, but also licensing and copy
right infringements mean much of his suff has been reissued in a
bewildering assortment. This grammy winning classic launched his
latter day career and brought him to a whole new audience. With
Santana, Los Lobos Bonnie Rait - Brilliant! |
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Hooker
at Chess studies in the 50's this is his classic period, where he
really made his name in the blues world as a hardworking bandsman,
innovator and composer |
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Mr
Lucky, Hooker's second release in his latterday career, with some
great collaborations, another great album |
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In
Hooker's Mid 60's tour of UK, and he loved playing Britian, his
pickup band was a young Tony Macphee and the Groundhogs - later
stulwarts of the UK blues scene |
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With
the coast to coast blues band, this live set is the basis of what
became the lie show he toured the world with in his later years.
There are some great blues on here and some fun but slightly lightweight
boogie. |
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This
early 60's offering (1962 I think) was a low key effort, but actually
one of my personal favourites, he sings and swings in that great
soulful voice - oh great stuff! |
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Serve's
you right to suffer, it serves you right to be alone. This is John
Lee in the studio singing from the heart |
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This
book is more than the story of one of the 20th century's most enduring
and prolific artists - JLH's life covers the whole period of black
conciousness in the US, from illiterate Share cropper to superstar.
This is a huge life, well told |
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This
is the first Groundhogs effort, been impossible to get hold of for
years, a collectors special - but now with the digital revolution
its available again - maybe not their best but for any blues historian
this was an important album |
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JLH,
aways was my favourite of the blues greats, he was constantly inventive,
endlessly soulful and he really knew how rock the house when required.
This is the album that relaunched the 70 something Hooker on the
global market. |
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Groundhog,
Cherry red, Split part 2; this is the stuff that etched the Groundhogs
in British blues and rock history for ever. You have gotta hear
this! |
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