Sometimes known as the "Crawling King Snake", Johne Lee Hooker is the king of boogie. He was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1920. He moved to Cincinnati when he was 16 and then to Detriot in 1943. He made his first record in 1948. Hooker has made probably over a hundred records, mainly in the 40's, 50's and 60's, some under different names, many of which have been reissued on CD. He has usually performed and recorded as a solo artist, singing and playing electric guitar in a very rhythmic delta style. He stomps his foot on the floor, sometimes with a microphone on it, to provide a percussive accompaniment. He appears in the movie Blues Brothers, playing in the street in Chicago. My favorite scene from that is when the camera takes a shot at his foot stomping on the ground. In the last decade or so, he has made a number of records featuring various guest musicians. I would recommend the earlier records instead. Rhino has a 2-CD compilation, The Ultimate John Lee Hooker, which is excellent.
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Revised 12/16/99