Biography

John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an influential American post-war blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter born in Coahoma County near Clarksdale, Mississippi. Musically, Hooker was influenced by the guitar style of his stepfather, a local blues guitarist, who learned to play in Shreveport, Louisiana and played a droning, one-chord type of blues very different from the delta blues of the time. From a musical family, he is a cousin of Earl Hooker. He performed in a half-spoken style that became his trademark. Rhythmically, his music was free, a property common with early acoustic Delta blues musicians. His best known songs include “Boogie Chillen” and “Boom Boom”.

Top 10 Blues Albums

• 1. It Serves You Right to Suffer