John Lee Hooker and Hastings Street
This picture was taken on Hastings Street halfway between Joe's Record Store on Mack and St. Josaphat's on
Canfield. You can see the spire of St. Josaphat in the distance.
This is a one of a kind picture for a one of a kind album. It contains
John Lee Hooker's very first recordings and national blues hits for Modern Records.
It's just one man stomping his foot, strumming and singing. Really good soul food cooking is so good that you want
to eat the bone. Well, this album is the bone. And you will want to eat it. A lot of early blues music is so raw
that only a blues fan could love it, but the reverberation of John Lee Hooker's voice, stomping foot, and guitar are so
deep you can hear an entire band in them. In the easy intensity and sometimes distorted tone
you can easily hear the coming Rock & Roll.
The songs are in the same order as he recorded them, progressing from acoustic to electric guitar as a sort of Stairway to Blues Heaven.
But you don't have to believe me, click on the picture and go to Amazon.com and listen to some excerpts from his songs.
I don't know if they are long enough to give the full effect, but give it a try. And if you really like it and buy the album
after clicking, you will help support the Paradise Valley Blues website.
--Rick Beall
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