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Copyright © 2002-2004
by James P. Hauser except where otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.

The Rock 'n' Roll Connections Of

JOHN LEE HOOKER

"The guy who really influenced the sound I did was John Lee Hooker..."
--Pete Townsend (Before I Get Old by Dave Marsh)

John Lee Hooker first started recording in the late 40s and never looked back.  By the time he was finished, he had brought into the world some 500+ tracks. His album releases in the 90s sold a ton, thereby allowing him to comfortably enjoy the well-deserved fruits of his labors before he died in 2001.  Known as the "father of the boogie", he could get more mileage out of one chord than Bob Dylan can get out of an unabridged dictionary. His voice and music were often dark and brooding, and listening to his records can create a doom mood that'll give ya double chills on a hot August night.

Hooker recorded a long string of classic blues including songs such as "Dimples", "Boogie Chillen", and "Boom Boom" which have been recorded by many rock bands.  Some of rock's biggest names have played in concert or recorded with John Lee including The Rolling Stones, Steve Winwood, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, and Carlos Santana. For more details on Mr. Hooker's important influence on the world of rock, see the connections below. And one last thing--I will use the immortal words of the man himself to urge you on down the path to blues nirvana--"BOOGIE CHILLEN!"

More of John Lee Hooker's Rock Connections...

Allman Brothers/Duane Allman: Renditions of Hooker's "Dimples" appear on the Allman Brothers albums Live at Ludlow Garage and Dreams, and also on a collection of Duane Allman's session work entitled Anthology, Volume 2.

The Animals: John Lee Hooker was a huge influence on The Animals. They recorded the following Hooker songs: "Boom Boom", "Dimples", "I'm Mad Again", and "Maudie". The Animals' versions of the first three songs are available on various anthologies and greatest hits albums. Their recording of "Maudie" can be found on the excellent album Animalism. Of these songs, Blueskat's favorite is "Boom Boom", and if you've never heard it let me give ya a little warning. Before you listen for the first time to either John Lee's or the Animals' version of "Boom Boom", you best gird your loins in preparation, because this song has got a groove that'll give ya 'lectric hips and just might rupture your undercarriage.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters: The blues-influenced alternative rock band Big Head Todd & the Monsters recorded a version of Hooker's "Boom Boom" for their Beautiful World album. Mr. John Lee makes a guest appearance on the album contributing some downright scary vocals to "Boom Boom".

Canned Heat: The blues-rock band Canned Heat backed up John Lee Hooker on his Hooker 'n' Heat album. This sixties group had a large hippie following but never became as popular as The Grateful Dead. One of the first and best "boogie" bands, Canned Heat was the forerunner of groups like ZZ Top and Foghat.

Joe Cocker: Joe Cocker appears on John Lee's Free Beer and Chicken album singing "Sittin' On Top Of the World", a song most identified with Mr. Chester Arthur "Howlin' Wolf" Burnett.

John Fred & the Playboys: A terrific version of "Boogie Chillen" (also known as "Boogie Chillun"), one of Mr. Hooker's best songs, was recorded by the sixties group John Fred & the Playboys. This band had only one real hit, a satire of the Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", entitled "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)". It was a fun novelty song, so a lot of you folks out there who have heard it on oldies stations might find it hard to believe that John Fred was actually one of the sixties' better white R&B singers. If you want proof, you can find it by getting your hands on the album History of John Fred & the Playboys which contains not only "Boogie Chillen", but also some great blue-eyed soul in a cover of the Box Tops' "She Shot a Hole in My Soul".

Led Zeppelin: In his pre-Zep days, Robert Plant was in a band called The Crawling Kingsnakes which was named after the John Lee Hooker song "Crawlin' Kingsnake".

Van Morrison: Morrison did a lot of recording with Hooker over the years. He made guest appearances on at least four of John Lee's albums: Never Get Out of These Blues Alive, Mr. Lucky, Chill Out, and Don't Look Back. Don't Look Back was produced by Morrison and it includes Hooker's cover of Morrison's song "Healing Game".  Hooker and Morrison do an awesome duet on a reworking of Morrison's "Gloria" which is contained on the Irishman's Too Long in Exile album.

Pianosaurus: Hooker's "Dimples" was recorded by the group Pianosaurus for their Groovy Neighborhood album (released in 1987). The kool thing about their version of the song is that it was played on toy store instruments. In fact, the band played all of its music on el cheapo children's instruments: plastic guitars, squeaky toy horns, and pint-sized pianos and organs. And, believe it or not, the gimmick works. Kool indeed!!!

Johnny Rivers: Johnny Rivers's live album Last Boogie In Paris includes a song he wrote about the king of boogie himself entitled "John Lee Hooker".

Rolling Stones: The Stones played backup for Hooker during several guest appearances that he made on their 1989 concert tour.

Spencer Davis Group: The Spencer Davis Group, one of England's best R&B-influenced bands recorded a version of Hooker's great song "Dimples". You can find it on the group's Every Little Bit Hurts album.

Them: John Lee Hooker's "Don't Look Back" was covered by the Irish rockers Them (a.k.a. The Angry Young Them) on their very first album. The great R&B-influenced musician Van Morrison was a member of Them before going solo; see the entry above on Morrison for more info on his connections with John Lee Hooker.

George Thorogood & the Destroyers: Thorogood does a rendition of John Lee's "Mad Man Blues" on his Boogie People album.

Yardbirds: The Yardbirds covered Hooker's "Boom Boom" the very first time that they were in a recording studio.

Some Blue Notes for ya:

Hooker 'n' Hollywood

John Lee Hooker and his blues have made a few Hollywood connections over the years. He can be seen in the movie The Blues Brothers doing a nice rendition of "Boom Boom" with bluesharp master Big Walter accompanying him. "Boom Boom" can also be heard in the Woody Harrelson/Antonio Banderas boxing flick Play It To The Bone. The soundtrack to the Demi Moore movie G.I. Jane includes another John Lee song "Dimples". And you can hear him singing "Annie Mae" in Stealing Beauty, a movie starring the daughter of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Liv Tyler. Finally, Hooker's music appears in the film The Color Purple.

Roseanne and Home Improvement: Da Blues Hit Prime Time

John Lee Hooker's album Don't Look Back includes some nice bluesharp work by John "Juke" Logan in a remake of Hooker's classic "Dimples". You've probably never heard of Logan, but Old Blueskat guarantees that you've heard the man's music. He played all those great harp licks on the Roseanne TV show. He also contributed his musical talents to Tim Allen's Home Improvement show. He's a great harmonica player with a ton of originality going for him. Too many harp players sound like they're doin' Little Walter impressions, but Logan's harp work has got a fresh, original sound. Check out his 1995 album The Chill.

La Riff On La Grange

ZZ Top took John Lee Hooker's classic guitar riff from the song "Boogie Chillun", beefed it up, and used it to create their own little classic tune, "La Grange". John Lee just might have noticed--he delivered his own beefed-up version of the riff in the song "Spellbound" on his long-player Don't Look Back.

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