Saturday, August 29, 2015

John Lee Hooker w/ Earl Hooker - If You Miss 'Im...I Got Him

I wanna say that I recall seeing at least one other record of these cousins playing together, but I'll be damned if I can remember what title and I don't think that I've ever had a copy of whatever it is that I'm thinking of. Anyone?

"This album is marked by the interaction between John Lee Hooker and his guitar-playing cousin Earl. Earl, who succumbed to illness in 1970, was a fine bluesman in his own right, possessing a formidable slide technique. Many are unaware that the two often performed together, and the band that accompanies John Lee here also backed Earl frequently. The opening cut, then, a slow 12-bar number called "The Hookers" is not about ladies of the evening, but rather about the gentlemen in question.

Heard here less than a year before his death, Earl still sounds frisky and versatile, often utilizing a funky wah-wah style without ever descending into the psychedelic excesses that plagued so many late-'60s electric blues albums. One of the most effective cuts is "Lonesome Mood," a low-key, one-chord stomper in the classic John Lee mold, where Earl's wah-wah guitar meshes with Johnny Walker's organ and Jefferey Carp's harmonica to create a subtly shifting, sensuously undulating web of sound over which John Lee works his hoodoo. On IF YOU MISS 'IM, John Lee definitely benefits from keeping it in the family."

12 comments:

KingCake said...

http://www.embedupload.com/?d=9SMTMFEVUM

pmac said...

Nice - never knew he had a musician cousin. Def will give this one a listen.

christophe said...

A very big thanks, this one is unknown to me (and it's quiet surprising !). Not a great fan of Earl Hooker, but waiting to hear them together.

KingCake said...

Most blues guitarists consider Earl the greatest slide guitarist ever! He was never much of a vocalist, but he was unmatched with that double necked guitar in his hands.

Steve626 said...

KingCake

There are three bonus tracks with Earl Hooker on John Lee's Urban Blues. Except for a couple of real early tracks (1952), there don't seem to be any other times they recorded together that I can find.

KingCake said...

I've done a bit more research and there is an album called 'Family Matters' that appears to have them together and at a glance it appears different than this one.

Xyros said...

Many thanks KingCake for this one. I can't recollect ever hearing it and look foreward to listening to it this week.

KingCake said...

I'm tickled to supply something you didn't have Xyros - sometimes it feels like your well is endless so it is special to do you a good turn after you have done so many for me - you may be interested in those 2 Spirit Feel albums too.

KingCake said...

Now all we have to do is find 'Family Matters'! The album would most likely be under JLH although both names appear on the cover.

Feilimid O'Broin said...

Many thanks for this. John Lee Hooker just may be my favorite blues singer and, as you note, Earl could really play. Sadly he lost his battle with tuberculosis at a young age, only forty one. Being a faithful married man, I'm hesitant to write this but I have to admit a real weakness for these Hookers and thank you for providing me with their entertainment for free. I just hope my wife doesn't catch me.

Anonymous said...

Once more my thanks...

Wayne

kristophermc28 said...

Thanks for this one KC. I haven't heard since I pulled the vinyl out my dad's stash 25(?) years ago.

I've got that Urban Blues CD that is mentioned above. Let me know if you need it, and I can FLAC it up. :)

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