Earl Hooker
If there was a more immaculate slide guitarist residing in Chicago during the 1950s and '60s than Earl Hooker, his name has yet to surface. Boasting a fretboard touch so smooth and clean that every note rang as clear and precise as a bell, Hooker was an endlessly inventive axeman who would likely have been a star had his modest vocal abilities matched his instrumental prowess and had he not been dogged by tuberculosis (it killed him at age 41).
Born in the Mississippi Delta, Hooker arrived in Chicago as a child. There he was influenced by another slide wizard, veteran Robert Nighthawk. But Hooker never remained still for long. He ran away from home at age 13, journeying to Mississippi. After another stint in Chicago, he rambled back to the Delta again, playing with Ike Turner and Sonny Boy Williamson. Hooker made his first recordings in 1952 and 1953 for Rockin', King, and Sun. At the latter, he recorded some terrific sides with pianist Pinetop Perkins (Sam Phillips inexplicably sat on Hooker's blazing rendition of "The Hucklebuck").
Back in Chicago again, Hooker's dazzling dexterity was intermittently showcased on singles for Argo, C.J., and Bea & Baby during the mid- to late '50s before he joined forces with producer Mel London (owner of the Chief and Age logos) in 1959. For the next four years, he recorded both as sideman and leader for the producer, backing Junior Wells, Lillian Offitt, Ricky Allen, and A.C. Reed and cutting his own sizzling instrumentals ("Blue Guitar," "Blues in D-Natural"). He also contributed pungent slide work to Muddy Waters' Chess waxing "You Shook Me." Opportunities to record grew sparse after Age folded; Hooker made some tantalizing sides for Sauk City, WI's Cuca Records from 1964 to 1968 (several featuring steel guitar virtuoso Freddie Roulette).
Hooker's amazing prowess (he even managed to make the dreaded wah-wah pedal a viable blues tool) finally drew increased attention during the late '60s. He cut LPs for Arhoolie, ABC-BluesWay, and Blue Thumb that didn't equal what he'd done at Age, but they did serve to introduce Hooker to an audience outside Chicago and wherever his frequent travels deposited him. But tuberculosis halted his wandering ways permanently in 1970.
© Bill Dahl /TiVo
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Discografía
19 álbum(es) • Ordenado por Mejores ventas
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Two Bugs and a Roach
Blues - Editado por Arhoolie Records el 1 ene. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sun Records Originals: Blue Guitar
Blues - Editado por Sun Label Group, LLC el 2 jun. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Genius of Earl Hooker
Blues - Editado por Numero Group el 1 ene. 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Moon is Rising
Blues - Editado por Arhoolie Records el 1 ene. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Theresa Fungus Amung Us
Blues - Editado por Red Lightnin Records el 1 ene. 1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential Earl Hooker
Blues - Editado por Jewel Records el 30 jul. 1977
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Leading Brand
Blues - Editado por Red Lightnin Records el 8 abr. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wild Moments - Essential Blues
Blues - Editado por Master Classics Records el 1 oct. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Presenting Jody Williams
Blues - Editado por Universal Digital Enterprises el 15 abr. 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rockin' Wild / Rockin' with the Kid
Blues - Editado por Chief Records el 29 oct. 1961
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
This Little Voice / Apache War Dance
Blues - Editado por Age Records el 23 jun. 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Galloping Horses a Lazy Mule / Blues in D Natural
Blues - Editado por Chief Records el 28 oct. 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Swear To Tell The Truth / Blue Guitar
Blues - Editado por Age Records el 5 dic. 1961
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
These Cotton Pickin' Blues / How Long Can This Go On
Funk - Editado por Age Records el 5 dic. 1962
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Blue Hooker
Blues - Editado por Milestones Records el 17 jun. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Earl Hooker, Vol. 1
Blues - Editado por Milestones Records el 8 oct. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Earl Hooker, Vol. 2
Blues - Editado por Milestones Records el 8 oct. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo