Big Picture
Renée Zellweger: Fashion Fun Plus, Nicole Kidman hangs out with her family and Bradley Cooper is a grizzly guy. The latest pics!
MORE PHOTOS +Most Commented
- TV's Top Couples Tournament: Vote in the Final Round! (2036)
- TV's Top Couples Tournament: This Round Is Closed, Please Stand By (972)
- TV's Top Couples Tournament: This Round Is Closed, Please Stand By (682)
- Afternoon Mail! Are Gleeks Having More Sex Than Vamps? (586)
- Whitney Houston Dead at 48 (394)
- Beyoncé and Jay-Z Share First Photos of Baby Blue Ivy! (389)
- Morning Mail! Is Lea Michele Ready to Walk Like an Egyptian? (286)
- TV's Top Couple Tournament: And the Winner Is... (268)
- Twilight Director Talks Kristen Stewart and Ex Michael Angarano: "They Were Such a Great Couple" (261)
- Life After Breaking Dawn?! Maybe, Says Studio Head! (226)
Top 10 Stories
- Whitney Houston Tribute: Watch LeAnn Rimes' Emotional Performance of "I Will Always Love You"
- Oprah Twitter Scandal! Winfrey Apologizes After Soliciting Nielsen Viewers to Watch OWN
- Glee Scoop: There's a New Love Triangle Going Down!
- The Voice vs. American Idol: This Is War
- Chris Brown's Grammy Lovefest Slammed by Miranda Lambert, Jack Osbourne, Eric Stonestreet, More
- Janet Jackson Remembers Whitney Houston's "Sweet Soul," Gives Advice to Bobbi Kristina on Coping With Death
- Triplets? Twins? Jennifer Aniston Addresses Pregnancy Rumors, Gets Serenaded by Steven Tyler
- Whitney Houston's Body Arrives at Funeral Home as Burial Plans Formally Announced
- Bruce Jenner Talks Kim Kardashian's Marriage: "The Next Guy's Got to Go Through Me"
- Monica and Brandy Talk Whitney Houston Memories, Her Death and That Secret Note
Fashion Police
Angelina: Going Grey! Plus, Christina Hendricks, Vanessa Hudgens, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Michelle Williams and Kristen Wiig. Rate the highs and lows!
MORE PHOTOS +
Our Partners
Bluesman John Lee Hooker Dies
According to a statement from his management, Hooker passed in his sleep at his San Francisco home, surrounded by family and friends. Natural causes were blamed. There was some question to the singer-guitarist's exact age: Although several biographies list his birthdate as either August 17 or August 20, 1920, making him 80, the official statement released by his family and management said he was 83.
The son of a sharecropping minister, Hooker grew up in the Mississippi Delta, honing his blues chops under the tutelage of Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Blind Blake--and later, singing with gospel groups. A move to Detroit urbanized his sound, and crossover hits, beginning with 1948's hugely popular "Boogie Chillen," made his brand of boogie-woogie blues famous worldwide.
Blues-tinged British invasion bands like the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Yardbirds and Ten Years After worshipped at the altar of Hooker. His licks were shamelessly ripped off by ZZ Top, George Thorogood and Foghat. Even Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan cite Hooker as an influence.
In a recording career that spanned more than 60 years and 100 albums, he cut tracks with Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, Los Lobos, Pete Townshend, Keith Richards and Bonnie Raitt. He won Grammy Awards and was feted by the Blues Foundation, winning a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996. He's enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He appeared in movies (The Blues Brothers) and on soundtracks (The Color Purple).
"There are no superlatives to describe the profound impact John Lee left in our hearts," says frequent collaborator Santana. "All of us feel enormous gratitude, respect, admiration and love for his spirit. When I was a child, he was the first circus I wanted to run away with."
As Time magazine said in a profile, "John Lee Hooker doesn't just sing the blues, and he doesn't just play the blues...he is the blues."
Aside from "Boogie Chillen," Hooker's signature classics include "Boom Boom;" "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer;" and "In the Mood."
"I am proud to have spent my life playing and singing the blues all over the world," he said when he picked up the Blues Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Although he scaled back his live gigs in recent years, Hooker continued recording, releasing his last studio album, Don't Look Back, in 1997, as well as appearing in the occasional Pepsi commercial or Gap ad. He spent his final years in California, splitting time between his homes in Long Beach and the Bay Area and pulling for his beloved Dodgers.
He is survived by eight children, 19 grand-children and several great-grandchildren.
(updated at 6 p.m. PT)
0 Comments
Now loading...