features in: Album Chart of 1959 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1950s |
Ever the journeyman, John Lee stepped aside from his commitment to VeeJay with this set for Riverside Records, recorded 20th April 1959 in Detroit. Spiritually, the Mississippi boy was back home for this one. It’s a rootsy affair and straddles many traditional forms – from the hill country blues of Fred McDowell to the deep Delta blues of Charley Patton. It’s not always dynamic, but there are some great moments. His tender moanin’ on “Tupelo” is supreme. He’s chronicling the flood of 20 years earlier: “People never forgot it. So when I grew up and got famous, I wrote about it and it brought back memories to a lot of people” He’s always intimate, but it was surely never more apparent than right here. John Lee is the real deal. As Downbeat said in their review at the time: “it is delightful to be able to hear a full-voiced blues singer, backing himself on country-style guitar….There's heartache, sadness, joy, and hope in these songs…”
The Jukebox Rebel
15–Jun–2012
Tracklist |
A1 | [03:32] John Lee Hooker - Black Snake (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
A2 | [02:15] John Lee Hooker - How Long Blues (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
A3 | [02:50] John Lee Hooker - Wobblin’ Baby (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
A4 | [02:46] John Lee Hooker - She’s Long, She’s Tall (She Weeps Like A Willow Tree) [1959 version] (Bernard Besman, John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
A5 | [03:10] John Lee Hooker - Pea Vine Special (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
A6 | [03:22] John Lee Hooker - Tupelo Blues (John Lee Hooker, James Bracken) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
A7 | [03:58] John Lee Hooker - I’m Prison Bound (?) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
B1 | [03:27] John Lee Hooker - I Rowed A Little Boat (?) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
B2 | [03:00] John Lee Hooker - Water Boy (Traditional) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
B3 | [03:44] John Lee Hooker - Church Bell Tone (?) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
B4 | [02:13] John Lee Hooker - Bundle Up And Go [1959 version] (John Lee Hooker) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
B5 | [03:38] John Lee Hooker - Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (John Lee Williamson) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
B6 | [04:21] John Lee Hooker - Behind The Plow (?) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |