John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker was the most elemental of the electric blues giants. His spooky musical minimalism--plaintive yet powerful vocals coupled with guitar work alternately haunting and toe-tapping-- inspired countless artists, from contemporaries like Slim Harpo to acolytes the Rolling Stones. Few, however, can summon up the inexplicable erotic charge at the heart of Hooker's best performances. The patented "boogie" rhythm upon which seemingly every blues-rock and hard rock band of the 1970s wrought variations was virtually invented by Hooker. One of the most-recorded post-war bluesmen, Hooker released records over 100 albums on countless labels, working much of the time in Detroit and Chicago. He kept working well into his eighties, opening his own blues club in San Francisco and in 2000 was awarded with the Grammy for Lifetime Achievement. He passed away, at the age of 83, the following year.

• pop
• blues
• delta
• united states
• 1990s
• 1960s
• 1980s
• 2000s