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 (1871โ1923), a sharecropper and a Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (1875โ?).
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 โ 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.
Maudie
John Lee Hooker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aoh Maudie, baby, I love you
You been gone so long, 'cause I miss you so
Now Maudie, why did you hurt me
Ooh Maudie, why did you hurt me
I love you baby, you been gone so long
Aoh Maudie, baby, I love you
You been gone so long
The lyrics of John Lee Hooker's song Maudie express a deep longing and love for a woman named Maudie who has been absent for some time. The repetitive lines "Maudie, baby, I love you, You been gone so long, 'cause I miss you so" convey the intensity of the singer's emotions towards his beloved. Despite the pain caused by their separation, the singer still expresses love and affection towards Maudie.
In the second verse, the lyrics take a slightly bitter tone as Hooker asks Maudie why she hurt him. This could suggest that their separation was not entirely voluntary, or that Maudie may have caused some kind of emotional pain to the singer. Nevertheless, his love for her remains strong, as evidenced by the repetition of "I love you baby, you been gone so long" in the following lines.
Overall, the lyrics of Maudie by John Lee Hooker depict a powerful and enduring love that has been tested by time and distance, but still remains steadfast.
Line by Line Meaning
Now Maudie, baby, I love you
The singer, addressing a woman named Maudie, expresses his deep affection for her.
Aoh Maudie, baby, I love you
The singer reiterates his love for Maudie, emphasizing the intensity of his feelings with the exclamation 'Aoh'.
You been gone so long, 'cause I miss you so
The singer explains that Maudie has been absent from his life, causing him to experience a deep sense of longing and loss.
Now Maudie, why did you hurt me
The artist questions Maudie about why she has caused him emotional pain and suffering.
Ooh Maudie, why did you hurt me
The artist continues to express his sadness and confusion over Maudie's actions.
I love you baby, you been gone so long
The singer reaffirms his love for Maudie, despite her absence from his life.
Now Maudie, baby, I love you
The singer once again declares his love for Maudie, emphasizing the sincerity of his emotions.
Aoh Maudie, baby, I love you
The artist reiterates his love for Maudie, again emphasizing the strength of his feelings with the exclamation 'Aoh'.
You been gone so long
The artist notes that Maudie's absence from his life has been ongoing and prolonged.
Lyrics ยฉ BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN LEE HOOKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
E N
Death, it's one of the biggest events that will ever take place in your life. We face death everyday, conscious or unconsciously of it; death lurks around every corner of our life. Like a lion waiting to catch its prey, death comes for us all in many shapes and form; seemingly there is no one who can escape from the jaws of death.
But did you know there is a reason why we die? The idea of death you're familiar with is only the tip of the iceberg. See we die because we've sinned against God. Death according to the bible is wages " for the wages of sin is death " (Romans 6:23).
Because man sinned against God, we live in a fallen world, it was once perfect, but now in ruins. Now that sin exists, God is coming to judge the world In righteousness. "It's appointed a man once to die and after this judgement" (Hebrews 9:27) The standard he'll judge you by is the 10 commandments, God's moral law.
He's so serious about sin that he gave anyone who sins the death sentence, the bible says you've earned it through sinning against God and God pays you in death. each time you sin you build up his wrath. โThe soul who sins shall die.โ (Ezekiel 18:4) The punishment is the eternal fires of Hell " Where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:42)
You will have to face God on Judgement Day.
Will you go to Heaven or Hell?
Hereโs a quick test:
1.You shall have no other gods before Me. (Have you always loved God above all else?)
2.You shall not make yourself an idol. (Have you made a god in your mind that you're more comfortable with, a god to suit yourself?)
3.You shall not take God's name in vain. (Have you ever used God's holy Name as a cuss word?)
4.Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.
5.Honor your father and mother.
6. You shall not murder. (God considers hatred to be as murder, 1 John 3:15).
7. You shall not commit adultery. ("Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart" Matthew 5:27-28; this also includes sex before marriage).
8. You shall not steal. (Have you ever stolen anything? the value of the item is irrelevant).
9. You shall not lie. (Have you lied even once? Including answering these questions).
10. You shall not covet. (Have you ever jealously desired what belongs to others?)
James 2:10 says, โthe person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of Godโs laws.โย
The Bible says that God will punish all murderers, rapists, thieves, liars, adulterers, etc. He will even judge our words and thoughts.
If you have done any of those things, God sees you as guilty of breaking His law and the Bible warns that the guilty will end up in Hell. Will YOU be guilty on Judgement Day?ย
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
God sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross. Jesus took the punishment upon Himself and defeated death on the cross; not because your Good but because God is rich in mercy.
โFor God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.โ (John 3:16)
Jesus rose from the dead and defeated death. Repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus and God will grant you everlasting life.
Then, Read the Bible and obey what you read.
Pray something like this:
"Dear God, today I turn away from all of my sins (name them). This day I put my trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. He is the only way for me to be saved. He is 'The way, the truth, and the life.'" Please forgive me, change my heart, and grant me Your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."
When you find time please read this, it's Christian principles for growth:
https://www.livingwaters.com/save-yourself-some-pain/
Frank
Wonderful.....I saw this tour at Birmingham Town Hall....so much blues talent on one bill....๐ค๐ค
Green Giant
Amazing footage and recording, thanks for posting friend ๐... This is so cool...๐๐๐๐๐
pylonman509
My favorite blues man! ๐ธ๐ผ๐ถ๐ถ๐ต๐ต๐ถ๐ค
Todd Flowers
Mine too ! ๐๐ธ๐ผ๐
Nexus I
The best!
Kรฉvin Guรฉnot
Indeed
E Starling
He is one of my favorite artists.
gjp
special. memorable. unmistakable
gjp
1:11
Tommy East
@gjp tomcat