John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an influential American blues singer and guitarist, born in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

From a musical family, he is a cousin of Earl Hooker.

Hooker's recording career began in 1948 with the hit single, "Boogie Chillen ."

Though he stuttered in his normal speech, he performed in a half-spoken style that became his trademark. Rhythmically, his music was free, a property which common with early acoustic Delta blues musicians. His vocal phrasing was less closely tied to specific bars than most blues singers'. This casual, rambling style had been gradually diminishing with the onset of electric blues bands from Chicago but, even when not playing solo, Hooker retained it in his sound.

He maintained a solo career, popular with blues aficionados and folk music fans of the early 1960s and crossed over to white audiences, giving an early opportunity to the young Bob Dylan.

He appeared and sang in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers.

In 1989 he joined with a number of musicians, including Keith Richards and Carlos Santana to record The Healer , which won a Grammy award — one of many awards.

Hooker recorded over 100 albums and lived the last years of his life in San Francisco, where he licensed a nightclub to use the name Boom Boom Room , after one of his hits.

Among his many awards, John Lee Hooker has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 1991 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillun " and "Boom Boom " were named to the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

Discography

• I'm John Lee Hooker 1959
• Burning Hell 1959
• Travelin 1960
• That's My Story 1960
• House of Blues 1960
• The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker 1961
• Burnin 1962
• Solid Sender 1963
• On Campus 1963
• The Big Soul of John Lee Hooker 1963
• Concert at Newport 1964
• The Real Folk Blues 1966
• More Real Folk Blues 1966 (released 1997)
• Chill Out 1995
• Don't Look Back 1997
• The Best Of Friends 1998

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External links

• Official John Lee Hooker Site
• John Lee Hooker Resource Page