Details

ARC-0265

collection

Collection on John Lee Hooker (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Collection)

1955-1965

0.21 (Linear feet)

John Lee Hooker is a giant of the blues and the father of the boogie. Beginning in 1948 with his first single, "Boogie Chillen," he introduced the world to the persistent, chugging rhythm of boogie music, a form of country blues Hooker learned back home in Mississippi. His foot-stomping boogie was adapted and amplified in the 1960s and 1970s by a great number of rock and roll artists, including the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Canned Heat, John Mayall, Ten Years After, Foghat, ZZ Top, and George Thorogood. Beyond his ability to lock into a hypnotic boogie groove, Hooker is renowned for the gruff emotionality of his voice and the stark intensity of his guitar playing. Over the decades, he has proven to be a survivor. When interest in electric blues began cooling off, Hooker found a niche for himself on the coffeehouse circuit during the acoustic folk-music boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s. More recently, his career has enjoyed a sustained resurgence that included a Grammy award for his 1989 album The Healer.

The Collection on John Lee Hooker spans the years 1956 to 1965, and contains various papers related to Hooker's recording career, including contracts, correspondence, invoices, production reports, royalty statements, studio session sheets, tape identification data, and telegrams. The Collection provides rich documentation on Hooker's career, as well as an in-depth look at the recording processes of the era. The Collection is arranged alphabetically by file title.

: The Collection on John Lee Hooker was purchased from Heritage Auction Galleries by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. on April 14, 2007.

: [Identification of Item], Collection on John Lee Hooker, Library and Archives, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

: Processed by Rachel Somerville, Project Archivist. Completed January 5, 2012. Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS and local processing manual.

: Some items are on exhibit. These items are noted at the item level. Consult the Library and Archives staff in advance of your visit for additional information.

Collection is open for research. Patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights statement on the Researcher Registration form before using this collection. Consult the Library and Archives in advance of your visit to ensure access to these materials is available.

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. For more information, please consult the staff of the Library and Archives.

Universal Recording Corporation (Chicago, Ill.), Vee-Jay Records