Song:Boom Boom
Album:The Definitive Collection
John Lee Hooker was one of the most enduring bluesmen. Boom Boom was his signature song and his only pop chart hit in 1962. He was very popular in the 60s but faded in the 70s and had a good run later in life. I find him very similar to Bo Diddley in the sense that Hooker's best music is great but a lot of his lesser songs sound the same. Though I think Boom Boom is a classic, some of his other songs don't hold up as well. He was born Aug. 22, 1917 in Coahoma County, MS the youngest of eleven children. They were all home schooled and only allowed to listen to spirituals and sing them in church. When his parents divorced in 1921, his mom married blues singer William Moore and he taught Hooker to play the guitar and introduced him to the blues. He left home at age 15 and moved to Memphis. He worked day jobs and performed on the side through the 30s and moved to Detroit after WWII. He first recorded in 1948 for Modern Records. He recorded for them for several years and also recorded for other labels as Texas Slim for King, Delta John for Regent, Birmingham Sam & His Magic Guitar for Savoy, Little Pork Chops for Danceland and various other names. He signed with VeeJay records in 1955 and settled there for the next decade. Hooker made his best records for VeeJay and became a pillar of the Detroit blues scene. In 1962, Boom Boom reached #16 on the R & B Singles chart and reached #60 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's his only pop hit. It helped that the legendary Funk Brothers Motown studio band backed him up. Joe Hunter is on piano, James Jamerson is on bass and Benny Benjamin is on drums along with future Motown producer Hank Cosby on sax. Boom Boom is Hooker's signature song and has been covered many times most significantly by The Animals in 1964. Hooker left VeeJay and recorded for various labels. The 1970 album Hooker 'n' Heat with Canned Heat was a big seller. He faded in the 70s. He just got stale and his sound needed to be updated. After a cameo in The Blues Brothers, guitarist Roy Rogers produced the 1989 album The Healer and this led to a John Lee Hooker revival. He was more active in the 90s than the previous two decades. He recorded several albums and did guest shots with everyone from Carlos Santana to Bonnie Raitt to Van Morrison. John Lee Hooker died on June 21, 2001 at age 83. This Hip-O comp has the original version of Boom Boom and is a good intro to his music. Here's John Lee Hooker performing Boom Boom on what appears to be a British teen dance show from the 60s. Check out the dancing chef.
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