“Boogie Chillun” everywhere owe a debt to Mr. John Lee Hooker who influenced many of the rock musicians we listen to and enjoy. If you are unfamiliar with his style of playing, get yourself a copy of Canned Heat’s On The Road Again (or for that matter just about everything Canned Heat ever did) and listen to that chord progression. Sound familiar? That’s John Lee Hooker.
Quasi
I just heard about this on the radio. I’m stunned. I mean, he was old, but mortal?
Here’s his obit from CNN. The last sentence, about his later years, made me smile:
“Mostly, though, he hung out with friends and family at his homes in Los Altos and Long Beach, watching baseball and enjoying a fleet of expensive cars.”
There’s something about an old bluesman in an expensive car that’s symbolic of, y’know, rightness.
It makes me all the more glad that I got to see him play at the Long Beach Blues Festival in 1997. I dragged my teenaged cousin along with me, because I knew The Hook wasn’t going to be around much longer, and he had to hear the genius once in his life.
I was working the Festival, so I had backstage passes. After he was done with his set, we ran backstage to see if we could score an autograph. By the time we got back there, he was being ushered into his Town Car, which was surrounded by a large crowd, comprised of mostly middle-aged African-American women; they were screaming their heads off like teenagers.
Gotta hand it to him. He was the man.
John Lee was a classic…for most of his records in the '50’s he was unaccompanied…and he was still vital till the end…his last show was
(continuing on where I left off) last weekend.
Keith
It’s just been within the last few years that I’ve been introduced to The Blues, through my husband, a bluesman extraordinaire. John Lee Hooker is one of his all-time favorites, and very quickly became one of mine. And the more I learn about the real old-time blues players, the more I think like **Lux Fiat–**I just can’t believe those folks are actually mortal. Lux, I also agree with you about the cars. That really is just right.
Definitely time to hire “The Blues Brothers” again, I think.
Gotta sit down tonight and have one bourbon, one scotch and one beer for the man.
Go easy Hook. I wish you plenty of whiskey and women and night-life.
I was going to start a thread this morning when I got into work. Good to see that others appreciated him enough to do it first.
RIP Hook.
I was fortunate to have seen him live last year at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix. Nice moderately small venue where the farthest seat can still see faces. John plays most of his show seated as is his style but when the master stands everyone stands. I just hope I’m rockin’ half as much as him when I reach that age. If you’ve only seen him in The Blues Brothers you really missed out. Of all current bands I think ZZ Top could pay the best tribute.
[blues]
I didn’t wake up this morning,
An’ I didn’t put on my old brown shoes…
[/blues]
Thanks for all that you left us Hook, enjoy the rest you earned it.
First Archie Bunker and now the Hook!