Anthology: 50 Years

Performer: John Lee Hooker
Producer: Jeff Palo; Henry Stone; Jim Gaines; John Lee Hooker; Orrin Keepnews; Ralph Bass; Robert Hite, Jr.; Skip Taylor; Van Morrison; Bob Thiele; Carlos Santana; Robert Kim (Compilation); David McLees (Compilation); Robert Y. Kim (Compilation)
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: John Lee Hooker (vocals, guitar); Van Morrison (vocals, guitar); Bonnie Raitt (vocals, slide guitar); Mike Osborn, Danny Caron, William "Lefty" Bates, Eddie "Guitar" Burns, Eddie Taylor, Henry Vestine, Larry Veeder, Albert Collins, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, Muddy Waters, Robert Cray, Sammy Lawhorn, Tim Kaihatsu, Tony McPhee, Barry Galbraith, Rich Kirch, Carlos Santana (guitar); Henry Cosby (tenor saxophone); Andrew "Mike" Terry (baritone saxophone); Ivory Joe Hunter, Otis Spann (piano); Deacon Jones (organ); Chester Thompson , Jimmy Pugh (keyboards); David "Panama" Francis, Richard G. Johnson, Francis Clay, Dave Boorman, Adolfo de la Parra, Kevin Hayes , Louis Hayes, Leon "Ndugu" Chancler, Tim Richards, Benny Benjamin, Gaylord Birch, Bowen Brown (drums); Raul Rekow, Armando Peraza (congas); Jos� Chepit� Areas, Karl Perazzo (timbales). Audio Remasterer: Pat Kraus. Liner Note Author: Jas Obrecht. Recording information: Cafe Au-Go-Go, NY; Chicago, IL; Detroit, MI; London, England; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; Sausalito, CA; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This collection packs as many John Lee Hooker classics as possible into two discs. Hooker was one of the most prolific bluesmen ever, and his catalog is an intimidating labyrinth of label-hopping amid countless recording dates, but ANTHOLOGY does an excellent job of gathering the crucial tracks from across the wide array of labels Hooker recorded for, to present a definitive portrait of his five decades of music-making. It's all here, from Hooker's early, stoic death-stomps to his genre-defining juke-joint boogies, and his collaborations with everyone from Canned Heat to Bonnie Raitt. If you want a solid Hooker intro but you're not quite ready for a box set yet, dip into the ANTHOLOGY.

John Lee Hooker is the most elemental of the electric blues giants. His spooky musical minimalism--plaintive yet powerful vocals coupled with guitar work alternately haunting and toe-tapping--has inspired countless artists, from contemporaries like Slim Harpo to acolytes the Rolling Stones. Few, however, can summon up the inexplicable erotic charge at the heart of Hooker's best performances. The patented "boogie" rhythm upon which seemingly every blues-rock and hard rock band of the 1970s wrought variations was virtually invented by Hooker. One of the most-recorded post-war bluesmen, Hooker released records on countless labels, working much of the time in Detroit and Chicago. He kept working well into his eighties, his style growing ever more refined and penetrating.

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