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A vivid biography of John Lee Hooker, from a critically acclaimed journalist
‘You the funkiest man alive.’ Miles Davis’ accolade was the perfect expression of John Lee Hooker’s apotheosis as blues superstar: recording with the likes of Van Morrison, Keith Richards and Carlos Santana; making TV commercials (Lee Jeans); appearing in films (The Blues Brothers); and even starring in Pete Townshend’s musical adaptation of Ted Hughes’ story The Iron Man.
His was an extraordinary life. Born in the American deep south, he moved to Detroit and then, in a career spanning over fifty years, recorded hypnotic blues classics such as ‘Boogie Chillen’, rhythm-and-blues anthems such as ‘Dimples’ and ‘Boom Boom’ and, in his final, glorious renaissance, the Grammy-winning album The Healer. Charles Shaar Murray’s authoritative biography vividly, and often in John Lee Hooker’s own words, does magnificent justice to the man and his music.
“Murray’s book represents a paradigm of investigative biography: musical nuts and bolts threaded through vividly recounted social history and philosophical muscle, written by a thinking writer who knows exactly how to operate and manipulate language. Sprawling over 500 pages, Murray is word - and comma - perfect.”
Philip Clark
gramophone
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“Charles Shaar Murray combines a serious grasp of what he needs to take from post-modernist notions such as intertextuality or shamanism, and chastened common sense about life and sorrow, with an adult capacity to shut up and, a lot of the time, let John Lee himself do the talking”
Roz Kaveney
“The new foreword drops tantalising hints that the chronology on which the book is based may be out by five or six years…this is a fascinatingly detailed account of an equally fascinating life.”
record Collector
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray (born 1951) is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came in 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz. In particular, he contributed to the notorious Schoolkids OZ issue, and was involved in the consequent obscenity trial. He then wrote for the New Musical Express from 1972 until 1986. His writing has also appeared in Q , Mojo, New Statesman, Prospect, Guardian, Observer, Daily Telegraph and Vogue.