Description
#johnleehooker #vinyl #vinylrecords
#johnleehooker #vinyl #vinylrecords
This tale begins with the creation of “It Serves You Right to Suffer,” a musical oeuvre by the incredibly talented blues artist, John Lee Hooker, in the year 1966. The album’s inaugural tune, “Shake It Baby,” featured an unusual blend of jazz and R&B influences, setting a sophisticated tone that was different from Hooker’s previously recorded works.
The album was indeed a standout creation from Hooker, aided by the support of exceptionally talented jazz and R&B artists. They expertly navigated the dichotomy between providing a structured musical environment and allowing the free-flowing, flexible rhythm that Hooker was renowned for. Tracks like “Country Boy” highlighted the seemingly erratic yet intentional pace of Hooker’s genius. The collaboration also made room for experimentation, resulting in captivating renditions like an intriguing adaptation of “Money (That’s What I Want).”
The origin of “It Serves You Right to Suffer” dates back to early 1966 when it was released under the Impulse! Records label. The collection comprised fresh compositions intertwined with remarkable reinterpretations of Hooker’s earlier records, including the successful cover of “Money (That’s What I Want)” by Barrett Strong. The ensemble of musicians that contributed to the album, consisting of legendary figures like Panama Francis on drums, Milt Hinton handling the bass duties, and Barry Galbraith on the second guitar, took Hooker’s unique brand of blues to new heights. Passionate vinyl enthusiasts can today experience the magic of this album, thanks to Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series, which presents the remastered album on rich 180-gram vinyl.
The man behind the album, John Lee Hooker, was much more than a singer. He was an influential American blues guitarist and songwriter with humble beginnings as a sharecropper’s son, who surged onto the music scene by refining Delta blues into an electric guitar adaptation. Among the vast blues repertoire, Hooker was known for integrating distinctive elements like the Talking Blues and early North Mississippi Hill Country Blues. His characteristic boogie style, a personal interpretation of the piano-based boogie-woogie from the 1930s and 1940s, made him a hit. To further his influence, his music saw success not just in the U.S but also across the pond in the U.K.
Some of his most distinguished songs, apart from his hits during the “It Serves You Right to Suffer” era, include “Boogie Chillen’,” “Crawling King Snake,” “Dimples,” “Boom Boom,” and “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”. His popularity extended well beyond his prime, with albums such as The Healer, Mr. Lucky, and Don’t Look Back seeing commercial success and earning him multiple Grammy awards. Artists like Van Morrison have cited Hooker as one of the greatest male blues vocalists of all time, highlighting his significant impact on the music industry.
