View source for John Lee Hooker

{{short description|American blues musician (1912 or 1917–2001)}}
{{other people|John Hooker}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2011}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = John Lee Hooker
| image             = John Lee Hooker two.jpg
| alt               = Close up image of John Lee Hooker performing with his guitar on stage while smiling, taken in 1978.
| caption           = Hooker at [[Massey Hall]], Toronto, 1978
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1912|08|22|mf=y}}<!-- Do not change his year of birth unless agreed by discussion on the article talk page -->{{sfn|Eagle|LeBlanc|2013|p=190}}<ref name="Census">{{cite web|url=http://www.johnleehooker.com/biography.htm|title=John Lee Hooker biography|website=Johnleehooker.com|access-date=February 19, 2011|archive-date=May 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528001720/http://www.johnleehooker.com/biography.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>In the 1920 federal census, series T625, Roll 895, p. 235, in the city of Tutwiler, Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, Supervisor's District 2, Enumeration District 87, Sheet #29 A, line 25, enumerated February 3, 1920, John Hooker is one of nine children living with William and Minnie Hooker. John is listed as seven years of age at his last birthday. If this is accurate – and if his birthday is August 22, as he claimed – he was born August 22, 1912.</ref> or 1917{{sfn|Dahl|1996|p=115}}<ref name=jlh/>
| birth_place       = [[Tutwiler, Mississippi]], or near [[Clarksdale, Mississippi]], U.S.
| death_date        = June 21, 2001 (aged either 83 or 88)
| death_place       = [[Los Altos, California]], U.S.
| instrument        = {{Flatlist|
*Guitar
*vocals
}}
| genre             = [[Blues]]
| occupation        = {{Flatlist|
*Singer
*songwriter
*musician
}}
| years_active      = 1930s–2001
| label             = {{Flatlist|
*[[Modern Records|Modern]]
*[[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]]
*[[Chess Records|Chess]]
*[[Savoy Records|Savoy]]
*[[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
*[[Verve Records|Verve]]
*[[Bluesway Records|Bluesway]]
*[[Atco Records|Atco]]
*[[King Records (United States)|King]]
*[[Specialty Records|Specialty]]
*[[Impulse! Records|Impulse!]]
*[[Pointblank Records|Pointblank]]
*[[Chameleon (label)|Chameleon]]
*[[Fortune Records|Fortune]]
*[[Brylen Records|Brylen]]
}}
| website           = {{URL|johnleehooker.com}}
}}

'''John Lee Hooker''' (August 22, 1912{{sfn|Eagle|LeBlanc|2013|p=190}}<!-- Do not change his year of birth unless agreed by discussion on the article talk page --> or 1917{{sfn|Dahl|1996|p=115}}<ref name=jlh>{{cite web|url=https://johnleehooker.com/about/|title=John Lee Hooker Biography|publisher=johnleehooker.com}}</ref> – June 21, 2001) was an American [[blues]] singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a [[Sharecropping|sharecropper]], he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of [[Delta blues]] that he developed in [[Detroit]]. Hooker often incorporated other elements, including [[talking blues]] and early North Mississippi [[hill country blues]]. He developed his own driving-rhythm boogie style, distinct from the 1930s–1940s piano-derived [[boogie-woogie]]. Hooker was ranked 35 in ''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}s 2015 list of 100 greatest guitarists,<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-guitarists-153675/john-lee-hooker-4-152301/|title=Rolling Stones 100 greatest guitarists|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=December 18, 2015 }}</ref> and has been cited as one of the greatest male blues vocalists of all time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.classical-music.com/features/artists/best-blues-singers|title=Best blues singers|publisher=Classical-music.com|accessdate=2 May 2024}}</ref>

Some of his best known songs include "[[Boogie Chillen']]" (1948), "[[Crawling King Snake]]" (1949), "[[Dimples (song)|Dimples]]" (1956), "[[Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker song)|Boom Boom]]" (1962), and "[[One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer]]" (1966). Several of his later albums, including ''[[The Healer (John Lee Hooker album)|The Healer]]'' (1989), ''[[Mr. Lucky (John Lee Hooker album)|Mr. Lucky]]'' (1991), ''[[Chill Out (John Lee Hooker album)|Chill Out]]'' (1995), and ''[[Don't Look Back (John Lee Hooker album)|Don't Look Back]]'' (1997), were album chart successes in the U.S. and UK. ''The Healer'' (for the song "I'm in the Mood") and ''Chill Out'' (for the album) both earned him Grammy wins,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/32nd-annual-grammy-awards|title=32nd Annual GRAMMY Awards|date=January 15, 2013|website=Grammy.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/38th-annual-grammy-awards|title=38th Annual GRAMMY Awards|date=January 15, 2013|website=Grammy.com}}</ref> as well as ''Don't Look Back'', which went on to earn him a double-Grammy win for Best Traditional Blues Recording and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (with Van Morrison).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/40th-annual-grammy-awards|title=40th Annual GRAMMY Awards|date=January 15, 2013|website=Grammy.com}}</ref>

==Early life==
Hooker's date of birth is a subject of debate; the years 1912, 1915, 1917, 1920, and 1923 have all been suggested. Most official sources list 1917, though at times Hooker stated he was born in 1920. Information found in the 1920 and 1930 censuses indicates that he was actually born in 1912.{{sfn|Eagle|LeBlanc|2013|p=190}} In 2017, a series of events were held to celebrate the supposed centenary of his birth.<ref>Brian McCollum, [http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/05/01/john-lee-hooker-100th-centennial-tribute-grammy/101027412 "John Lee Hooker to get year-long 100th birthday tribute"], ''Detroit Free Press'', May 1, 2017.</ref> In the 1920 federal census, John Hooker is seven years old and one of nine children living with William and Minnie Hooker in [[Tutwiler, Mississippi]].

It is believed that he was born in Tutwiler, in [[Tallahatchie County]], although some sources say his birthplace was near [[Clarksdale, Mississippi|Clarksdale]], in [[Coahoma County]].{{sfn|Palmer|1981|pp=242–243}} He was the youngest of the 11 children of William Hooker (born 1871, died after 1923),{{sfn|Murray|2002|p=24|ps=: "In 1928, Will Hooker Sr. and Jr. made a profit of twenty-eight dollars" from farming, making his death in 1923 impossible.}} a [[sharecropper]] and Baptist preacher, and Minnie Ramsey (born c. 1880, date of death unknown). In the 1920 federal census,<ref>U.S. Census, Series T625, Roll 895, p. 235, in the city of Tutwiler, Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, Supervisor's District 2, Enumeration District 87, Sheet 29 A, Lines 18–19, enumerated February 3, 1920.</ref> William and Minnie were recorded as being 48 and 39 years old, respectively, which implies that Minnie was born about 1880, not 1875. She was said to have been a "decade or so younger" than her husband,{{sfn|Murray|2002|p=23}} which gives additional credibility to this census record as evidence of Hooker's origins.

The Hooker children were [[Homeschooling|homeschooled]]. They were permitted to listen only to religious songs; the [[spirituals]] sung in church were their earliest exposure to music. In 1921, their parents separated. The next year, their mother married William Moore, a blues singer, who provided John Lee with an introduction to the guitar (and whom he would later credit for his distinctive playing style).{{sfn|Oliver|1968|p=76}}

Moore was his first significant blues influence. He was a local blues guitarist who, in [[Shreveport, Louisiana]], learned to play a droning, one-chord blues that was strikingly different from the [[Delta blues]] of the time.{{sfn|Palmer|1981|pp=242–243}}

Another influence was [[Tony Hollins]], who dated Hooker's sister Alice, helped teach Hooker to play, and gave him his first guitar. For the rest of his life, Hooker regarded Hollins as a formative influence on his style of playing and his career as a musician. Among the songs that Hollins reputedly taught Hooker were versions of "[[Crawlin' King Snake]]" and "[[Robert Petway#Catfish Blues|Catfish Blues]]".{{sfn|Murray|2002|p=}}{{Page needed|date=December 2022}}

At the age of 14, Hooker ran away from home, reportedly never seeing his mother or stepfather again.{{sfn|Murray|2002|p=43}} In the mid-1930s, he lived in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], where he performed on [[Beale Street]], at [[the New Daisy Theatre]] and occasionally at house parties.{{sfn|Palmer|1981|pp=242–243}}

He worked in factories in various cities during [[World War II]], eventually getting a job with the [[Ford Motor Company]] in [[Detroit]] in 1943. He frequented the blues clubs and bars on [[Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects|Hastings Street]], the heart of the black entertainment district, on Detroit's east side. In a city noted for its pianists, guitar players were scarce. Hooker's popularity grew quickly as he performed in Detroit clubs, and, seeking an instrument louder than his acoustic guitar, he bought his first electric guitar.<ref>{{Cite book|first=Terry|last=Wogan|year=1984|title=Shoes Off the Record|publisher=[[Da Capo Press]]|location=New York City|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bluesoffrecordth00oliv/page/116 116–18]|isbn=0-306-80321-6|url=https://archive.org/details/bluesoffrecordth00oliv/page/116}}</ref>

==Earlier career==
Hooker was working as a janitor in a Detroit steel mill when his recording career began in 1948,{{sfn|Palmer|1981|p=242}} when [[Modern Records]], based in Los Angeles, released a demo he had recorded for [[Bernard Besman|Bernie Besman]] in Detroit.{{sfn|Palmer|1981|p=243}} The single, "[[Boogie Chillen']]{{-"}}, became a hit and the best-selling [[race record]] of 1949.{{sfn|Palmer|1981|p=242}} Though illiterate,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hooker, John Lee {{!}} Detroit Historical Society|url=https://detroithistorical.org/learn/encyclopedia-of-detroit/hooker-john-lee|access-date=2020-10-30|website=detroithistorical.org}}</ref> Hooker was a prolific lyricist. In addition to adapting [[traditional blues verses|traditional blues lyrics]], he composed original songs. In the 1950s, like many black musicians, Hooker earned little from record sales, and so he often recorded variations of his songs for different studios for an up-front fee. To evade his recording contract, he used various pseudonyms, including John Lee Booker (for [[Chess Records]] and [[Chance Records]] in 1951–1952), Johnny Lee (for [[De Luxe Records]] in 1953–1954), John Lee, John Lee Cooker,<ref>Liner notes. ''Alternative Boogie: Early Studio Recordings, 1948–1952''.</ref> Texas Slim, Delta John, Birmingham Sam and his Magic Guitar, Johnny Williams, and the Boogie Man.{{sfn|Leadbitter|Slaven|1987|pp=579–95}}

His early solo songs were recorded by Bernie Besman.{{sfn|Palmer|1981|p=244}} Hooker rarely played with a standard beat, opting instead to adjust the tempo to fit the needs of the song. This often made it difficult to use backing musicians, who were not accustomed to Hooker's musical vagaries. As a result, Besman recorded Hooker playing guitar, singing, and stomping on a wooden pallet in time with the music.{{sfn|Murray|2002|p=121}}

For much of this period, he recorded and toured with [[Eddie Kirkland]]. In Hooker's later sessions for [[Vee-Jay Records]] in Chicago, studio musicians accompanied him on most of his recordings, including [[Eddie Taylor]], who could handle his musical idiosyncrasies. "[[Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker song)|Boom Boom]]" (1962){{sfn|Palmer|1981|p=245}} and "[[Dimples (song)|Dimples]]," two popular songs by Hooker, were originally released by Vee-Jay.

==Later career==
[[File:JohnLeeHooker1997.jpg|thumb|Hooker performing at the [[Long Beach Blues Festival]], Long Beach, California, August 31, 1997]]

Beginning in 1962, Hooker gained greater exposure when he toured Europe in the annual [[American Folk Blues Festival]].{{sfn|Dahl|1996|p=116}} His "Dimples" became a successful single on the [[UK Singles Charts]] in 1964, eight years after its first US release.<ref name="OCC">{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/11155/john-lee-hooker/ |title=John Lee Hooker: Singles |publisher=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] |access-date=December 3, 2022}}</ref> Hooker began to perform and record with [[Rock music|rock]] musicians. One of his earliest collaborations was with British [[blues rock]] band [[the Groundhogs]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/groundhogs-mn0000074115/biography |title=Groundhogs: Artist Biography |last=Unterberger |first=Richie |author-link=Richie Unterberger |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 12, 2017}}</ref> In 1970, he recorded the joint album ''[[Hooker 'n Heat]]'', with the American blues and [[boogie rock]] group [[Canned Heat]],<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=[[Uncanned! The Best of Canned Heat]] |others=[[Canned Heat]] |year=1994 |type=CD compilation booklet |first=Greg |last=Russo |publisher=EMI/Liberty |id=7243 8 29165 2 9 |page=14}}</ref> whose repertoire included adaptations of Hooker songs.{{sfn|Palmer|1981|p=244}} It became the first of Hooker's albums to reach the ''Billboard'' charts, peaking at number 78 on the [[Billboard 200]]. Other collaboration albums soon followed, including ''[[Endless Boogie]]'' (1971) and ''[[Never Get Out of These Blues Alive]]'' (1972), which included [[Steve Miller (musician)|Steve Miller]], [[Elvin Bishop]], [[Van Morrison]], and others.

Hooker appeared in the 1980 film ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' as a street musician playing "Boom Boom." In 1989, he recorded the album ''[[The Healer (John Lee Hooker album)|The Healer]]'' with [[Carlos Santana]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], and others. The 1990s saw additional collaboration albums: ''[[Mr. Lucky (John Lee Hooker album)|Mr. Lucky]]'' (1991), ''[[Chill Out (John Lee Hooker album)|Chill Out]]'' (1995), and ''[[Don't Look Back (John Lee Hooker album)|Don't Look Back]]'' (1997) with Morrison, Santana, [[Los Lobos]], and additional guest musicians. His re-recording of "Boom Boom" (the title track for his 1992 album) with guitarist [[Jimmie Vaughan]] became Hooker's highest charting single (number 16) in the UK.<ref name="OCC" /> ''[[Come See About Me (DVD)|Come See About Me]]'', a 2004 [[DVD]], includes performances filmed between 1960 and 1994 and interviews with several of the musicians.<ref name="Viglione">{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/come-and-see-about-me-dvd-mw0001338751 |title=John Lee Hooker: Come and See About Me [DVD] – Review |last=Viglione |first=Joe |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=September 13, 2017}}</ref>

Hooker owned five houses in his later life, including ones in the California cities of [[Los Altos, California|Los Altos]], [[Redwood City, California|Redwood City]], and [[Long Beach, California|Long Beach]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Fire-Damages-Blues-Artist-s-Los-Altos-Home-John-2999636.php|title=Fire Damages Blues Artist's Los Altos Home / John Lee Hooker escapes unharmed with his eight guitars|last=Finz|first=Stacy|date=1998-07-28|website=SFGate|access-date=2019-02-10}}</ref> On June 21, 2001, Hooker died in his sleep at home in Los Altos.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/22/nyregion/john-lee-hooker-bluesman-is-dead-at-83.html|title=John Lee Hooker, Bluesman, Is Dead at 83|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=June 22, 2001|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=February 9, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/06/22/bluesman-john-lee-hooker-83/cdc687c7-49b6-4a2f-a05e-df8344825f3d/|title=Bluesman John Lee Hooker, 83|newspaper=Washington Post|date=June 21, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2001/music/news/bluesman-john-lee-hooker-dies-1117801816/|title=Bluesman John Lee Hooker dies|magazine=Variety|date=June 21, 2001}}</ref>

==Awards and recognition==
Among his many awards, Hooker was inducted into the [[Blues Hall of Fame]] in 1980,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blues.org/awards-search/?cat=hof|author=Blues Foundation|title=1980 Hall of Fame Inductees: John Lee Hooker|publisher=[[Blues Foundation]]|year=1980|access-date=July 13, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218032236/http://www.blues.org/awards-search/?cat=hof|archive-date=December 18, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1991. He was a recipient of a 1983 [[National Heritage Fellowship]] awarded by the [[National Endowment for the Arts]], which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/year/1983|title=NEA National Heritage Fellowships 1983 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=www.arts.gov |publisher=National Endowment for the Arts |access-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920053257/https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/year/1983 |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He was awarded the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] in 2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/lifetime-awards|title=Lifetime Achievement Award|website=Grammy.org|year=2000|access-date=March 7, 2017|archive-date=July 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702064838/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/lifetime-awards|url-status=dead}}</ref> and has a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]. He is also inducted into the [[Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.msmusic.org/mississippi-rhythm-and-blues-musicians.html|title=Inductees: Rhythm and Blues (R & B)|website=Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame|access-date=November 5, 2019|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727012901/http://www.msmusic.org/mississippi-rhythm-and-blues-musicians.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Two of his songs, "Boogie Chillen" and "Boom Boom," are included in the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]'s list of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockhall.com/exhibithighlights/500-songs-gj|title=500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll|publisher=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. Rockhall.com|year=1995|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513034007/http://www.rockhall.com/exhibithighlights/500-songs-gj|archive-date=May 13, 2007|access-date=March 7, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> "Boogie Chillen" is also included in the [[Recording Industry Association of America]]'s list of the "[[Songs of the Century]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2001/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/07/list.top.365.songs|title=Songs of the Century|website=CNN.com|date=March 7, 2001|access-date=May 3, 2016}}</ref>

===Grammy Awards===
* [[Best Traditional Blues Album|Best Traditional Blues Recording]], 1990, for ''I'm in the Mood'', with [[Bonnie Raitt]]
* [[Best Traditional Blues Album]], 1995, for ''Chill Out''
* [[Best Traditional Blues Album|Best Traditional Blues Recording]], 1998, for ''[[Don't Look Back (John Lee Hooker album)|Don't Look Back]]''
* [[Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals]], 1998, "[[Don't Look Back (John Lee Hooker song)|Don't Look Back]]", with [[Van Morrison]]
* [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]], 2000
* [[National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame]], 2021–22

==Discography==
{{Main|John Lee Hooker discography}}
*''[[House of the Blues]]'' (1959)
*''[[Hooker 'n Heat]]'' (1971)
*''[[Endless Boogie]]'' (1971)
*''[[Never Get Out of These Blues Alive]]'' (1972)
*''[[Free Beer and Chicken]]'' (1974)
*''[[The Healer (John Lee Hooker album)|The Healer]]'' (1989)
*''[[Mr. Lucky (John Lee Hooker album)|Mr. Lucky]]'' (1991)
*''Boom Boom'' (1992)
*''[[Chill Out (John Lee Hooker album)|Chill Out]]'' (1995)
*''[[Don't Look Back (John Lee Hooker album)|Don't Look Back]]'' (1997)
*''The Best of Friends'' (1998)

==Film==
* ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' on [[Maxwell Street]] ([[Chicago]]) outside [[Aretha Franklin]]'s restaurant (1980)
* ''John Lee Hooker & [[Furry Lewis]]'' [DVD] (1995)
* ''John Lee Hooker: That's My Story'' [DVD] (2001)
* ''John Lee Hooker Rare Performances 1960–1984'' [DVD] (2002)
* ''[[Come See About Me (DVD)|Come See About Me]]'' [DVD] (2004)
* ''John Lee Hooker: Bits and Pieces About …'' [DVD and CD] (2006)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{Cite encyclopedia
| last = Dahl
| first = Bill
| title = All Music Guide to the Blues: The Experts' Guide to the Best Blues Recordings
| year = 1996
| section = John Lee Hooker
| editor-last = Erlewine
| editor-first = Michael
| editor-link = Michael Erlewine
| editor-last2 = Bogdanov
| editor-first2 = Vladimir
| editor-link2 = Vladimir Bogdanov (editor)
| editor-last3 = Woodstra
| editor-first3 = Chris
| editor-last4 = Koda
| editor-first4 = Cub
| editor-link4 = Cub Koda
| encyclopedia = [[All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues|All Music Guide to the Blues]]
| location = San Francisco
| publisher = [[Miller Freeman, Inc.|Miller Freeman Books]]
| isbn = 0-87930-424-3}}
*{{Cite book
| last1 = Eagle
| first1 = Bob L. 
| last2 = LeBlanc
| first2 = Eric S.
| year = 2013
| title = Blues: A Regional Experience
| location = Santa Barbara, California
| publisher = [[Praeger Publishing|Praeger]]
| isbn = 978-0313344244}}
*{{Cite book
| last1 = Leadbitter
| first1 = Mike
| author-link1 = Mike Leadbitter
| last2 = Slaven
| first2 = Neil
| title = Blues Records, 1943–1970: A Selective Discography
| year = 1987
| publisher = Record Information Services
| isbn = 978-0-907872-07-8}}
*{{Cite book
| last = Murray
| first = Charles Shaar
| author-link = Charles Shaar Murray
| title = Boogie Man: The Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American Twentieth Century
| location = New York City
| publisher = [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]]
| year = 2002
| isbn = 978-0-312-27006-3}}
*{{Cite book
| last = Oliver
| first = Paul
| authorlink = Paul Oliver
| title = Screening the Blues: Aspects of the Blues Tradition
| year = 1968
| location = New York City
| publisher = [[Da Capo Press]]
| isbn = 978-0306803444}}
*{{Cite book
| last = Palmer
| first = Robert
| author-link = Robert Palmer (American writer)
| year = 1981
| title = Deep Blues
| location = New York City
| publisher = [[Penguin Books]]
| isbn = 0-14006-223-8}}
*{{Cite book
| last = Whitburn
| first = Joel
| author-link = Joel Whitburn
| year = 1988
| title = Top R&B Singles 1942–1988
| location = Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
| publisher = [[Record Research]]
| isbn = 0-89820-068-7}}

==External links==
{{commons category|John Lee Hooker}}
*{{Official website|1=http://www.johnleehooker.com}}
*{{IMDb name|393630}}
*[https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/data/gb3080-poaaam/poaaam/3/1/1/38 1960 interview with Paul Oliver]
*[https://www.johnleehooker.se Discography complete with title, musicians, original issue, recording date and more]

{{John Lee Hooker}}
{{1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooker, John Lee}}
[[Category:1910s births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:Age controversies]]
[[Category:African-American guitarists]]
[[Category:African-American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American blues guitarists]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
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[[Category:Blues musicians from Mississippi]]
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[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Tennessee]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Mississippi]]
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[[Category:People from Tutwiler, Mississippi]]
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[[Category:Black & Blue Records artists]]
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