Johnny Williams, Texas Slim, Birmingham Sam, even John Lee Booker ... Whatever you want to call him, he had the boogie disease, and it’s in him, and it’s got to get out, and from 1949 to his death in 2001 John lee Hooker did indeed boogie like no one else could. There’s something about the relationship between his foot and his right hand that creates an irresistible urge to dance – and mostly without the aid of bass, drums or even bongos. I remember Rita Ray one night dropping the needle on a Hooker boogie in the middle of a bunch of high energy African rhythms and the dancers didn’t miss a step.
So for those DJs who still prefer to move the groove from a slab of wax, this 14-track long-player is essential. Having friends around for a sherry? Well, just pop this album on and they’ll be boogieing like a night on the Jack Daniels. And if the following morning you can still focus, check the notes from Herb Fenstein drawn from an unpublished early ’60s recorded interview in which Hooker talks frankly about his life and times and his secular approach to the blues. Good, even for a Sunday morning.
Roger Armstrong
