That's My Story: John Lee Hooker Sings the Blues (1960) was recorded on a single day in New York City -- February 9, 1960; members of Cannonball Adderly's jazz band backed him on some tracks (Sam Jones on bass, Louis Hayes on drums). It's pure distilled Hooker and one of my favorite albums. John Lee Hooker was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, August 22, 1917, and died in Los Altos, California, on June 21, 2001. He's survived by his music, family members, a foundation and website.
From "Democrat Man," a timely song nearly fifty years later:
Democrats put us on our feet,
these crazy women they voted them out
I don't think they make the same mistake,
they won't make the same mistake no more
I'm a Democrat man, I'm a Democrat man
Please, please don't be no fool no more
Hmm, hmm I ain't goin' down to that welfare store
It won't be long, whoa yeah
I'm a Democrat , I'm a Democrat man
And I'll be until the day I die
Full track list:
I Need Some Money
Come On And See About Me
I'm Wanderin'
Democrat Man
I Want To Talk About You
Gonna Use My Rod
Wednesday Evenin' Blues
No More Doggin'
One Of These Days
I Believe I'll Go Back Home
You're Leavin' Me, Baby
That's My Story
It's a beautiful, haunting album and covers a wide range of human emotions, situations, longings. "That's My Story" tells how Johnny Lee made it from Mississippi to Detroit and began his successful music career in earnest here starting in the 1940s.
It's true that the blues signature is as much vocal as instrument, and Hooker has both -- vernacular eloquence, direct simplicity, primal force. His voice, his guitar, his beat-thumping shoes reflect a thousand visions of life, hard but good, much improvised, and nothing ever exactly the same. It makes sense that he made things happen while living in Detroit.
Today's Rune: Wholeness.
House Rent Boogie, peoples.
6 comments:
I love the blues. Especially when I'm feeling sad. I'll play the old blues songs and sing along. Somehow, this makes me feel better. Strange how that works.
You gotta love the blues; I'm just hoping I'm not singing them after the elections.
He sounds like he's on drugs and he probably is. I'll take BB King any day, although I'm not really sure about him either.
I like the blues. They aren't my favorite but I still like them.
I love the blues. I really enjoy John Lee Hooker and B.B. King. In fact, I met King on his tour bus two or three years ago after a concert in Albuquerque.
Laura, Jim, Goose, Sheila and Simon, thanks for the comments!Love the blues, for sure. Great music and fascinating artists. Simon, that's very cool you met B.B. King.
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