A Proper Introduction to John Lee Hooker: I'm in the Mood

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Performer: John Lee Hooker
Distributor: City Hall

Notes: Most of the sides presented here were recorded by Bernie Besman at United Sound Studios in Detroit between 1948 and 1952 and were leased to Modern Records in Los Angeles, although Besman did release some of them on his own Sensation Records imprint. Hooker's first official single, "Sally Mae" b/w "Boogie Chillen," went to the top spot on the R&B charts in 1948 on the strength of its B-side, which became Hooker's signature tune. The loose-limbed blues boogies collected here were done solo with Hooker on electric guitar, and the stretched meters and ever-present foot stomping mark them as vintage early Hooker. Included are "Boogie Chillen'," "Hobo Blues," "Crawling King Snake," "Huckle Up Baby," "House Rent Boogie," and "I'm in the Mood," which in Hooker's world could almost pass for pop. Since Hooker never significantly altered his style during his long career, these first recordings set the stage for all that came after, and he arguably never sounded fresher or better. ~ Steve Leggett

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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