John Lee Hooker (Coahoma County, Mississippi, August 22, 1917 – Los Altos,… Read Full Bio ↴John Lee Hooker (Coahoma County, Mississippi, August 22, 1917 – Los Altos, California, June 21, 2001) was a highly influential American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter.

John Lee Hooker could be said to embody his own unique genre of the blues, often incorporating the boogie-woogie piano style and a driving rhythm into his masterful and idiosyncratic blues guitar and singing. His best known songs include "Boogie Chillen" (1948) and "Boom Boom" (1962).

There is some debate as to the year of John Lee Hooker's birth, 1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have all been cited, 1917 (the date on his grave marker in Oakland, California) is the one most commonly cited although Hooker himself claimed, at times, 1920.

Hooker was the youngest of the eleven children of William Hooker (1871–1923), a sharecropper and a Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (1875–?).
Hooker and his siblings were home-schooled. They were permitted to listen only to religious songs, with his earliest musical exposure being the spirituals sung in church.
In 1921, his parents separated. The next year, his mother married William Moore, a blues singer who provided John's first introduction to the guitar (and whom John would later credit for his distinctive playing style). The year after that (1923), John's natural father died; and at age 15, John ran away from home, never to see his mother and stepfather again.

He was a cousin of Earl Hooker,

Throughout the 1930s, Hooker lived in Memphis where he worked on Beale Street and occasionally performed at house parties. He worked in factories in various cities during World War II, drifting until he found himself in Detroit in 1948 working at Ford Motor Company. He felt right at home near the blues venues and saloons on Hastings Street, the heart of black entertainment on Detroit's east side. In a city noted for its piano players, guitar players were scarce. Performing in Detroit clubs, his popularity grew quickly, and seeking a louder instrument than his crude acoustic guitar, he bought his first electric guitar.

Though he stuttered slightly in his normal speech, 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 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.

Hooker's recording career began in 1948 with the hit single, "Boogie Chillen" cut in a studio near Wayne State University.

Despite being illiterate, he was a prolific lyricist. In addition to adapting the occasionally traditional blues lyric (such as "if I was chief of police, I would run her right out of town"), he freely invented many of his songs from scratch. Recording studios in the 50s rarely paid black musicians more than a pittance, so Hooker would spend the night wandering from studio to studio, coming up with new songs or variations on his songs for each studio. Due to his recording contract, he would record these songs under obvious pseudonyms such as "John Lee Booker," "Johnny Hooker", or "John Cooker".

His early solo songs were recorded under Bernie Besman.
John Lee Hooker rarely played on a standard beat, changing tempo to fit the needs of the song. This made it nearly impossible to add backing tracks. As a result, Besman would record Hooker, in addition to playing guitar and singing, stomping along with the music on a wooden palette.

John Lee Hooker's guitar playing is closely aligned with piano Boogie Woogie. He would play the walking bass pattern with his thumb, stopping to emphasize the end of a line with a series of trills, done by rapid hammer-ons and pull-offs. The songs that most epitomize his early sound are "Boogie Chillen," about being 17 and wanting to go out to dance at the Boogie clubs, "Baby Please Don't Go," a more typical blues song, summed up by its title, and "Tupelo," a stunningly sad song about the flooding of Tupelo, Mississippi.

He maintained a solo career, popular with blues and folk music fans of the early 1960s and crossed over to white audiences, giving an early opportunity to the young Bob Dylan. As he got older, he added more and more people to his band, changing his live show from simply Hooker with his guitar to a large band, with Hooker singing.

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.

He fell ill just before a tour of Europe in 2001 and died soon afterwards at the age of 83.

Hooker recorded over 100 albums and lived the last years of his life in San Francisco, California, 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.

In 1991 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom" were named to the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

John Lee recorded several songs with Van Morrison, including "Never Get Out of These Blues Alive", "The Healing Game" and "I Cover the Waterfront". He also appeared on stage with Van Morrison several times, some of which was released on the live album "A Night in San Francisco".

John Lee also recorded in the sixties with british blues band The Groundhogs. These recordings are still available as a CD "John Lee Hooker with The Groundhogs". More importantly, Hooker recorded with the Blues-rock outfit Canned Heat, delivering the album 'Hooker N' Heat' in 1971. Hooker was influential and topical even in his lifetime, as evidenced in the MC5 cover of "Motor City's Burning" on their first album, recorded almost immediately after the riots which are the song's topic.

I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive
John Lee Hooker Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jimmy McGregor, hey, Jimmy, come here
Jimmy, you son of a gun
What 'cha been doin'? How long has it been?
Hell, seven years if it's been one

How's the preacher? How's Don, did he go back to school?
No kidding, I thought he was gay
Who me? Oh, I'm great, I'm a father you know

Yeah, two of 'em and one on the way

Oh well, she couldn't make it, she gets pretty tired
She started her last month today
I only came up for a couple of minutes
Believe me, I wish I could stay

Oh and yeah, while I think of it, do you remember?
Not for myself, for a friend
A girl that I brought here before I got married
A couple of times at the end

Whatshername? She hardly knew me
Now her name means something to me
I wonder if she ever got over me
Anyway, I should be flattered for yesterday
At least I mattered, where did it go?

Hey Jimmy, I tell you, we're two lucky guys
You've got everything that you've planned
And all things considered, I've done fairly well
I mean, God's honest truth, man
I love Ruth and whatshername?

I thought I knew her, whatshername?

What happened to her? I don't know why
I'll never forget whatshername?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "I'll Never Get Out Of These Blues Alive" depict a conversation between the singer of the song and his old friend Jimmy McGregor. Jimmy and the singer have not seen each other for seven years, and they proceed to catch up on each other's lives. They talk about mutual friends, including a preacher and a gay man named Don, and the singer mentions that he is now a father of two children with another on the way. The main theme of the song is the singer's lament over a woman he once knew, but whose name he cannot remember. He tries to recall her name and wonders if she ever got over him.

The song's narrative style conveys a sense of loneliness and sadness as the singer struggles to remember the name of someone who once mattered to him. He longs for the past when he was carefree and had no responsibilities, when he could spend time with women he liked without worrying about the consequences. The repetition of the line "I'll never forget whatshername" highlights the singer's obsession with the memory of the woman he once knew. The song also deals with themes of time, memory, and regret, as the singer tries to make sense of his life and the choices that he has made.

Overall, the song is an emotive expression of the complexities of human relationships and the power of memory to shape our lives. Through his soulful voice and guitar playing, John Lee Hooker creates a poignant and deeply moving piece of blues music.

Line by Line Meaning

Jimmy McGregor, hey, Jimmy, come here
The singer greets his friend Jimmy with excitement and beckons him over.

Jimmy, you son of a gun
The singer affectionately acknowledges Jimmy as a friend and possibly a troublemaker.

What 'cha been doin'? How long has it been?
The singer inquires about Jimmy's life and how long it has been since they last spoke.

Hell, seven years if it's been one
The artist exaggerates the length of time since he and Jimmy last spoke, expressing the feeling that it has been a long time.

How's the preacher? How's Don, did he go back to school?
The artist asks about mutual acquaintances - a preacher and Don - and whether or not Don returned to school.

No kidding, I thought he was gay
The singer expresses surprise at the news that Don may have gone back to school, as he previously believed Don was homosexual.

Who me? Oh, I'm great, I'm a father you know
The singer responds to Jimmy's question about his own life, stating that he is doing well and recently became a father.

Yeah, two of 'em and one on the way
The artist shares that he has two children and another on the way, emphasizing his role as a family man.

Oh well, she couldn't make it, she gets pretty tired
The artist explains that his wife could not join him, as she is in her last month of pregnancy and feeling fatigued.

She started her last month today
The artist clarifies that his wife has just begun her final month of pregnancy.

I only came up for a couple of minutes
The singer explains that he only stopped by briefly to catch up with Jimmy.

Believe me, I wish I could stay
The artist expresses a desire to stay longer and spend more time with Jimmy.

Oh and yeah, while I think of it, do you remember?
The singer interrupts their conversation to ask if Jimmy remembers a girl he brought here before he got married.

Not for myself, for a friend
The singer clarifies that he is asking about the girl for a friend, not himself.

A girl that I brought here before I got married
The singer explains that he is inquiring about a girl he brought to this location before he was married.

A couple of times at the end
The artist indicates that he saw the girl a few times before he stopped seeing her, possibly hinting at the end of their romantic relationship.

Whatshername? She hardly knew me
The artist struggles to recall the girl's name, and notes that she did not know him well.

Now her name means something to me
The singer reflects that the girl's name is now significant to him, possibly indicating that he regrets having forgotten it.

I wonder if she ever got over me
The singer ponders whether or not the girl he is asking about may still have feelings for him or has moved on.

Anyway, I should be flattered for yesterday
The artist reflects on a past occurrence where he feels he was flattered or given attention, but does not specify what that event was.

At least I mattered, where did it go?
The artist expresses regret that whatever event he is thinking of did not last or left him feeling insignificant, possibly indicating a larger sense of frustration or disillusionment.

Hey Jimmy, I tell you, we're two lucky guys
The artist expresses gratitude and acknowledges he and Jimmy as lucky for having the lives they do.

You've got everything that you've planned
The singer notes that Jimmy has achieved everything he has set out to do in life, possibly indicating admiration or a sense of shared satisfaction.

And all things considered, I've done fairly well
The artist reflects that he is content with his own accomplishments and position in life.

I mean, God's honest truth, man
The singer emphasizes that he is being entirely truthful and sincere with Jimmy.

I love Ruth and whatshername?
The singer expresses his love for his wife Ruth and playfully teases his own forgetfulness about the name of the girl he previously asked Jimmy about.

I thought I knew her, whatshername?
The singer once again expresses his trouble recalling the girl's name and slight embarrassment at having forgotten it.

What happened to her? I don't know why
The artist expresses confusion and uncertainty about the whereabouts or state of the girl he is asking about.

I'll never forget whatshername?
The artist closes the song by repeating his troubled efforts to recall the girl's name, possibly indicating a larger sense of nostalgia or lost opportunities.

Contributed by Skyler A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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