Remembering Earl Zebedee Hooker (1930–1970)

[Don D.]

This playlist is dedicated to the music of the great Earl Hooker (born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, January 15, 1930 [or 1929]; he died in Chicago, just over 41 years old, on April 21, 1970). This playlist also features related artists, and at the very end, some worthy tributes.

The first four videos are the only confirmed* footage of Earl Hooker, “the greatest unheralded Chicago blues-maker,” that exists (the fourth one is a repeat of the second and third combined), and are from the 1969 American Folk Blues Festival. The first song, called “Earl’s Boogie,” is a version of “Crosscut Saw” in A. The second one takes off from “Wipeout” in Ab. The drummer was Clifton Chenier’s drummer, Robert St. Julien, and the bass player was Mac Thompson.

These are followed by 3 songs strongly associated with Earl Hooker, his own “Blue Guitar” (instrumental in D), Louis Bogan’s (by way of Tampa Red’s) “Sweet [Black] Angel” and “Anna Lee” (a song Robert Nighthawk played, that’s where Earl Hooker picked it up; Robert Nighthawk was a mentor to Earl Hooker, particularly on slide). Then there are 3 of my favorites (I’m going to rotate these 3 over time, right now they are), “Stranger Blues” with Junior Wells, “This Little Voice” (Earl Hooker’s adaptation of a gospel tune, Hooker’s version was covered a lot), and the quirky “Boogie Don’t Blot” (a piano-centric ditty).

The 10th and 11th videos, the Johnny O’Neal 78s, were Earl Hooker’s first recordings in 1952, closely followed by recordings in Florida, at Sun Studios, Chicago… (numbers 10 through 102 are chronological [number 102 is an interpretation of James Brown’s “I Feel Good” from Earl Hooker’s Ike Turner-produced Blue Thumb LP, Sweet Black Angel]; there are more songs to be added to this section, including Earl Hooker’s sideman work with Ricky Allen, Arbee Stidham, and the records that Muddy Waters recorded vocals over—at present these can be found starting at number 185, Muddy Waters’ “You Shook Me,” recorded over Earl Hooker’s “Blue Guitar” [a confession, I have too many of Muddy Waters records here, a couple need to be deleted when I figure out which ones, Matt Murphy is the guitarist on those]).

*There’s silent footage of the King Biscuit Flour Hour where it’s been suggested that the guitarist bobbing his head might be Earl Hooker–he was there during those years.

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Stefan Wirz’s Illustrated American Music Discography:
https://www.wirz.de/music/hookearl.htm

An interview Chris Strachwitz did with him:

Earl Hooker Interview

…and Sun Records playlist.

Link to Earl Hooker: Blues Master by Sebastian Danchin on Google books (to read excerpts).
https://books.google.com/books?id=-G76U3ikkFAC&pg=PA108#v=onepage&q&f=false

Link to Earl Hooker: Blues Master by Sebastian Danchin at University of Mississippi Press (to purchase a copy).
https://www.upress.state.ms.us/Books/E/Earl-Hooker-Blues-Master

…B…l…u…e…s…W…a…y……..r…e…c…o…r…d…i…n…g…s…

Complete Earl Hooker’s BluesWay recordings on Blues Unlimited (Steve Franz’s show)
https://beta.prx.org/stories/157957

Earl Hooker’s BluesWay recordings on Blues Unlimited (hour 1)
https://bluesunlimited.bandcamp.com/track/blues-unlimited-286-play-your-guitar-mr-hooker-the-1969-and-66-bluesway-recordings-hour-1

Earl Hooker’s BluesWay recordings on Blues Unlimited (hour 2)
https://bluesunlimited.bandcamp.com/track/blues-unlimited-286-play-your-guitar-mr-hooker-the-1969-and-66-bluesway-recordings-hour-2

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Calling All Blues, The Chief Sessions, Earl Hooker and Junior Wells (there are other guitarists on here too, I can go in detail if you’re interested)

The Legendary Henry Stone Presents: Blues from the 50s—includes 1953 recordings
on Little Sammy Davis’ two records, and six of his earliest solo efforts.

The Essential Earl Hooker

The Leading Brand (with Jody Williams)

Wild Moments

Play Your Guitar Mr. Hooker! (recorded between 1964 and 1968;
title comes from the second song)

The Genius of Earl Hooker (same as There’s a Fungus Amungus)

There’s a Fungus Amungus (same as The Genius of Earl Hooker)

Two Bugs and a Roach

John Lee Hooker–The Hookers (If You Miss ‘Im…I Got ‘Im)

The Moon Is Rising (1968); this is Hooker ‘n’ Steve plus 3 songs
from Theresa’s (with Eddie Taylor)

Don’t Have To Worry (1969)

More albums on the Earl Hooker YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWlHvOqgdR-BmDWAk5aIMKA

YouTube Music
https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCWlHvOqgdR-BmDWAk5aIMKA

This post goes out to Bryce Hamels, whose birthday meets Earl Hooker’s for a moment at midnight on the 14th. Hope you had a great one Bryce. Don’t forget your vitamin G.

Don D.

[Bryce-AKguitar]

Thanks for the birthday playlist and history lesson Don!

-Bryce
Anchorage, Alaska

[Don D.]

Hope you had a great day, Bryce! It was when I was thinking about who all shared Earl Hooker’s birthday that I remembered your connection. By the way, I have the same kind of relationship to B.B. King.

These 2 songs were recorded by the same crew on Earl Hooker’s 30th birthday in 1960 and originally released back to back on a Bea and Baby 45.

Earl Hooker leads and plays guitar on Side 1. Bobby Saxton leads and does the vocal on Side 2. Ernest Cotton and Oett “Sax” Mallard play the saxes, Paul Hankins (piano), Margo Gibson (bass), Harold Tidwell (drums).

Another “by the way” leads us to the fact that Earl Hooker played guitar on these two songs, “Sweet Suzie” and “Señorita Juanita,” led, sung and drummed by Harold Tidwell (also the same pianist on this set as the one above, Paul Hankins) on May 23, 1959.

Around and around we go, just like the earth around the sun…

Don D.

[JFL]

Man this is good stuff here folks!

Thanks Don for sharing this. Whenever I think of Earl Hooker I can’t help but thing of Magic Sam playing his guitar

JFL

[Don D.]

I’m glad you found this.

Magic Sam is great, no question, that boogie!!! But for me, I heard Earl Hooker when I was down in the dumps on a record with Big Voice Odom that was the first music I heard that I really liked in a long time. I still get that extra special thrill from hearing Earl Hooker.

This came online a while ago. It’s also from 1969. Someone said that Magic Sam was also filmed playing a Strat at the AFBF, but I don’t think that was ever released anywhere—yet, but I hope it still could be.

Here are a whole bunch more of Magic Sam too. There are albums and other related info in the description.

Don D.

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