A warm Sunday morning kicking back on the front porch reading Boogie Man, The Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the American Twentieth Century by Charles Shaar Murray, provides a wonderful start to the week. Its not an easy read - I’m having to re-read several paragraphs to make sense of of it but as I read it I feel like I’m getting to know John Lee Hooker. I’m going to report more on this fine book later so check back but for now I must post the one quote that inspired me to write this now:
“The story of John Lee Hooker’s life is, essentially, the resistance to any and all attempts to change him, to dilute an intrinsic sense of self which has successfully withstood all pressures, including those of institutionalized racism, family, church and the music business.” Charles Shaar Murray
I think that sums up something significant I’ve got from this book so far. You see John Lee Hooker apparently knew who he was very early in life and never changed that view of himself even when his career was in a 15 year slump. When his career was revitalized one of the songs was “Crawlin’ King Snake” which was actually one of the first songs he performed, taught to him by his earliest blues mentor Tony Hollins. Here is an audio youtube of Crawling King Snake with the picture from the front of this book as the video:
Here is another tidbit from the book. For royalties from the Blues Brothers recordings John Lee Hooker got $13 in March 1991. John Lee Hookers songs were not on the CDs. I guess they really didn’t fit the stand up act that the Blues Brothers portrayed. Don’t get me wrong. I like the Blues Brothers, quite a bit actually. Anyway there is a great quote in the book.
Apparently as part of the cast research for the Blues Brothers Movie John Belushi asked to meet John Lee after one of his night club performances. John Lee did not know him and when introduced asked him if him “You one of those Muppets?”. Good one. Just goes to show you want a different world the two were in. John Lee playing blues in clubs and festivals at the time and John Belushi at the peak of his career doing Saturday Night Live.
John Lee’s comment was sincere I’m sure, not mean, not malicious. The light this book paints him in he was always considerate, sincere and rarely the one to be part of controversy. Even clear wrong doings like not getting early royalties were dismissed by John Lee with a comment “its settled and that’s that” .
Check back for more details later, I’m off to fix an old car right now. If you’re looking for more now then here is my previous post on John Lee Hooker and my post on John Lee Hooker Jr. Thanks for coming by.
I’ve just finished reading “Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music“. This book is an incredibly read that any delta blues fan will enjoy. I love the way it’s written and the first section documents an unusual period of blues performances which was not discussed in “Deep Blues” by Robert Palmer. This is significant, because up to this point I had considered Deep Blues to be the best written and most comprehensive view of early blues development.
So this “Delta Blues” by Ted Gioia mentioned not only banjo blues as acknowledged in “Deep Blues” but also violin as an early blues instrument. My exploration of banjo blues was very enjoyable and I’m hoping violin blues is as much fun.
“Delta Blues” also discuses the effects on traveling minstrel shows and medicine shows on the development of commercial blues and the irony of early commercial blues artists having to imitate the imitators to gain commercial acceptance. Minstrel shows and medicine shows apparently imitated the musical activities of slaves and black culture in general and not always in a flattering fashion. Later black performers imitated these acts, which had gained early commercial success, as a means to launch their own music careers.
Ted Gioia then takes the book in the direction of dissecting and inspecting every known fact about the early life and career development of several key delta blues artists. Specifically he provides insight into the early life and career development of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King. Unlike other books that may focus on one musician or so many that you simply have a paragraph or two on each, Delta Blues provides a rich long chapter on each of these five musicians providing enough complete information that each chapter in itself could have been a short book.
In conclusion I give this book 5 stars - great writing, excellent research, concise information, personal insights and 5 autobiographies in one. Pick it up, you won’t regret it. One last note - I’m not alone in loving this book. It’s become so popular that Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music is now available to be pre-ordered in paperback for only $11.53.
If you’re headed to Chicago any time soon I recommend you pick up the book “Today’s Chicago Blues“. There are lots of books about the history of the blues in Chicago but this book is all about the current blues scene and sure to enhance your visit.
Karen Hanson, the author of the Today’s Chicago Blues book is a journalist, author, dedicated blues fan and blogger who also keeps us current with lots of blues news at the Today’s Chicago Blues Website. Thanks Karen for authoring this wonderful book and the great website.
Lets get one thing straight; Blues for Dummies is actually a very good book for a light read. Now that I think about it thats what you’d expect from a “for Dummies” book I guess.
I got this book from the library (since then I’ve ordered my own copy) and I’m a little ashamed to say I expected the worse. But this book turned into a real page turner for me. Ok, I was stuck on an airplane but none the less, I read it cover to cover in one sitting. My one criticism of this book is it has not been updated since its 1998 publishing date which puts its contemporary blues section over 10 years out of date.
Lonnie Brooks, Cub Koda (of Smokin’ in the Boys Room fame) and Wayne Brooks really did a great job writing this book. The book is divided into multiple sections as follows:
What Are the Blues
A brief overview of blues styles and relationships to other music. Who’s Who in the Blues
This section is most of the book and has impressive coverage of early blues legends (1900 to 1945), artist from the blues heyday (1946 to 1969?) and the contemporary blues artists (1970 to 1998). Remember this book was published in 1998 so this contemporary blues section is over 10 years out of date. Listening to the Blues
This section lists essential records that blues lovers should consider adding to their collections Playing the Blues
This section was not what I expected. I thought it may contain a little music theory and perhaps a tip or two for the key instruments. Instead its about putting together a blues band and given the experience of the authors I don’t doubt its accuracy and value for that purpose. The Blues Community
A short and dated list of blues communities, blues events and finding blues online. Parts of Ten
A short section containing miscellaneous sentries of blues awards, programs, publications and rare collectible blues recordings.
So what can I say, I enjoyed the stories and I enjoyed the lists of recommendations and comments sprinkled throughout the book. I’d have to say its a valuable resource - not an encyclopedia but a nice read all in all. you can have a look inside Blues for Dummies on Amazon.com
. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that this book also contains a CD of essential blues listening that alone is worth the cover price.
Jas Obrecht’s Rollin’ and Tumblin’ : The Postwar Blues Guitarists is a highly recommended book about the most influential post war blues guitarist. Here are some reviews from the Amazon.com editorial page:
“Documents the most important time, places, and faces in music history.” — Ben Harper
“More than the greatest bluesmen telling their stories, it’s a way to fall in love with the blues all over…” — Dave Marsh
“Rollin’ and Tumblin’ is a great tribute to the guitarists of the past 50-some years who defined the blues — not just by the notes theyve played, but by the lives theyve lived. This book has the most in-depth biographies and interviews ever published on certain artists. Jas Obrecht has done his usual excellent job, with his passion for the true stories of the blues.” — Jim O’Neal, founding editor, Living Blues
“This is the book that tells the story of the first music that was here.” — John Lee Hooker
“This is the story of the blues before Pepsi!” — Ry Cooder
I’ve just finished reading “
is now available to be pre-ordered in paperback for only $11.53.
If you’re headed to Chicago any time soon I recommend you pick up the book “
Lets get one thing straight; Blues for Dummies is actually a very good book for a light read. Now that I think about it thats what you’d expect from a “for Dummies” book I guess.
Jas Obrecht’s 
