HEAR TODAY A DAUGHTER REMEMBERS JOHN LEE HOOKER.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Critic John Lee Hooker, master bluesman and undisputed father of boogie, recorded for more than 30 labels over 50 years, but never had a definitive career box set. That changes today with the release of ``Hooker'' (Shout! Factory; $59.98), an 84-track, four-CD set that culls material from all eras of his lengthy career, produced in conjunction with his estate to serve as the definitive tribute. The material ranges from a primitive 1948 recording of ``Boogie Chillen' '' to a version of the same song recorded exactly 50 years later in 1998 with Eric Clapton. Born in 1917 to Mississippi sharecroppers, Hooker first heard blues on a wind-up Victrola and on a radio station broadcasting from Helena, Ark. Migrating to Memphis, and then to Detroit, where he supported himself and his family playing rent parties, Hooker cut 78s and 45s for labels like Fortune, Modern, King, Staff, Regal, Deluxe, Chess, Crown, Vee-Jay and Sensation. In the late '60s, Hooker's audience began to include white fans when boogie disciples Canned Heat brought him to the attention of their fan base with the 1970 double album ``Hooker 'N Heat.'' He went on to make a series of albums for ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. BluesWay, Impulse, Tomato, Pausa, Chameleon and Virgin/Pointblank. In 1989, ``The Healer,'' which included collaborations with Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt, earned Hooker the first of four Grammy Awards and brought him to the attention of a new generation of fans. Hooker passed away in June 2001 at his longtime home in the Oakland hills at the age of 83. We reached Hooker's daughter, singer Zakyia Hooker, who controls her dad's estate, for the lowdown low·down n. Slang The whole truth: gave us the lowdown on what happened at the party. lowdown low (inf) n he gave me the lowdown on it → . Q: After all those hundreds of records John Lee Hooker made, why has there never been a solid overview until now? A: It was an enormous task to figure out who owns what, where the tapes were, who has the rights, and things like session information. Finding the music was not a problem, but pulling it all together and doing the paperwork was a major issue. Q: What was most revealing to you? A: It was hearing that voice I grew up with and how it changed in his later years. There's a flood of memories in that high-pitched tenor voice -- it was almost chilling. I never thought of the transition that voice made. But his singing held up, it never broke or cracked because he never screamed. He wasn't a screamer screamer, common name for gregarious, aquatic birds comprising three species in the family Anhimidae. Although they are related to the ducks and geese, they do not resemble them in outward appearance. or shouter. Q: What was John Lee Hooker like around the house? A: He was funny, he had a great sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour . I loved to hear him laugh. When Daddy laughed, he laughed. On the other hand, he could be a very serious person. When you came to him with a problem, he'd take it seriously. And he was illiterate and very close to nature. And that beauty and rawness was the joy people got from him. Here's a sample of other new releases in stores this week: Almost a year after its originally scheduled release, Nellie McKay's ``Pretty Little Head'' (Hungry Mouse; $15.98) arrives. On ``Small Town Girl'' (BNA BNA Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. BNA Birds of North America BNA block numbering area (US Census) BNA British North America BNA Banco Nacional de Angola (National Bank of Angola) ; $18.98), ``American Idol'' alum Kellie Pickler Pic´kler n. 1. One who makes pickles. makes a run at the country format. Popular waltz king Andre Rieu rings in the holidays on ``Christmas Around the World'' (Denon; $18.98). The Who comes roaring back two decades later with ``Endless Wire'' (Republic; $13.98). Barry Manilow's ``The Greatest Songs of the Sixties'' (Arista arista (ä·riˑ·st ; $18.98) follows his set of '50s covers. Also in stores ``Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,'' soundtrack (Atlantic; $18.98) ``Can't Quit the Blues'' (box set), Buddy Guy (Legacy; $49.98) ``Long Road Home: In Concert,'' John Fogerty (Fantasy; $19.98) ``Saturday Night Wrist,'' Deftones (Maverick; $18.98) ``Songbird songbird Any oscine passerine (suborder Passere), all of which have a complex vocal organ, the syrinx. Some species (e.g., thrushes) produce melodious songs; others (e.g., crows) have a harsh voice; and some do little or no singing. See also birdsong. ,'' Willie Nelson (Lost Highway; $13.98) ``Bat Out of Hell 3,'' Meat Loaf (Virgin; $18.98) ``Public Warning,'' Lady Sovereign (Def Jam; $10.99) ``Fuzzy Warbles warbles the disease caused by hypoderma. Includes damage to the hides where the larvae emerge, some cases of choke caused by periesophagitis, posterior paresis or paralysis in a small percentage of infested cattle due to a reaction to dead H. Collector's Album'' (box set), Andy Partridge (Ape; $79.98) ``Go,'' Newsboys Newsboys is a Christian pop band. The band was formed in Australia in 1985 and has been one of the most popular and best selling Christian music artists of the past two decades. (Inpop; $17.98) ``In the Absence of Truth,'' Isis (Ipecac ipecac (ĭp`ĭkăk), drug obtained from the dried roots of a creeping shrub, Cephaelis (or Psychotria) ipecacuanha, native to Brazil but cultivated in other tropical climates. ; $16.98) ``Beyond Measure,'' Jeremy Camp (Bec; $17.98) ``Johnny Mathis: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration'' (Legacy; $13.98) ``Like Father, Like Son,'' Birdman bird·man n. 1. also One, such as an ornithologist, who works with birds. 2. Slang An aviator. and Lil Wayne (Cash Money; $13.98) CAPTION(S): photo Photo: no caption (John Lee Hooker) |
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