John Lee Hooker 'Jack O Diamonds: 1949 Recordings' album

The Best of Friends celebrates the collaborations and friendships between John Lee Hooker and the musicians he has worked with over the past decade.

Together they created the landmark and award-winning albums The Healer (1989), Mr. Lucky (1991), Boom Boom (1993), Chill Out (1995) and Don't Look Back (1997). In addition to highlighted tracks from these five albums, The Best Of Friends features three new tracks recorded especially for this release with Ry Cooder, Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite and some other very special friends. Not only is every collaboration the result of friendship and mutual admiration, but every song has a story, as does the album itself and the period it celebrates.

Fifteen years ago, Van Morrison, already a long-time friend, suggested producing a record for Hooker. Several years later, George Thorogood and Carlos Santana asked to be part of whatever project John Lee might next embark upon. The fruits of these seeds of inspiration resulted in 1989's The Healer. John Lee was captured performing duets with his friends and performing in solo and small ensemble formats. The concept, and the great response it received, appealed to even more friends and in the ensuing years a variety of artists who shared a deep mutual admiration for John Lee lined up to join the fun.

Carlos Santana is featured on two songs co-written with Hooker, "The Healer" and "Chill Out (Things Gonna Change)," each title tracks of Grammy winning albums. Carlos' association started with his showing up at Hooker's Bay Area shows, first as a fan and then regularly as an onstage guest. Carlos was eager to bring Hooker's music to a wider audience and he saw that dream realized in songs that surprised many with the combination of the two artists' dissimilar styles. Hooker sees nothing unusual about the pairing, though, as he loves Carlos' playing, loves the passion he brings to the music and is always proud to call Carlos one of his best friends.

"I'm In The Mood," Hooker's duet with long-time friend Bonnie Raitt, earned first-time Grammy Awards for both friends in 1989 in the Best Traditional Blues Recording category. Hooker's only other vocal duet partner in his past decade of hits was Van Morrison. Their duet on the title track to Don't Look Back, most of which was produced by Morrison, brought them a shared Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. That track also features the legendary Charles Brown on keyboards. The album itself won Hooker his fourth Grammy, for Best Traditional Blues Recording. Morrison is also captured here on Hooker's classic "I Cover The Waterfront," backed on Hammond B3 by the master of the instrument, Booker T. Jones.

In the early 1980's Hooker fell in love with a tape of Robert Cray's Bad Influence while touring Europe. Months later, Cray was added as the unknown opening act on a US tour headlined by Hooker. They have since become warm friends and Bay Area neighbors and Cray and/or members of his band appear on four of the five albums released since The Healer. Their first recorded collaboration, "Baby Lee," is an upbeat, almost calypso style number that led to one of Hooker's most entertaining videos ever.

Jimmie Vaughan joins Hooker on "Boom Boom," one of Hooker's biggest hits when it was first released on Vee Jay in 1961, and subsequently covered by The Yardbirds and The Animals. Hooker loved jamming onstage in Austin or anywhere else on the road with Jimmie or little brother Stevie Ray. Jimmie and John Lee nailed this track, which became the theme for a major ad campaign across Europe and helped the album of the same name to debut at #16 on the UK pop charts.

Los Lobos were well versed in Hooker's style and, in fact, backed him on "The Boogie" when he joined them for their Greek Theatre 20th anniversary celebration in 1993. They showed that drive again with "Dimples," one of Hooker's all time biggest hits when it was originally released in 1956. Hooker re-recorded the song in 1996 with Los Lobos producing and playing, and the result was the driving lead track on Don't Look Back.

Ry Cooder, who had performed a number of live duets with Hooker earlier this decade, as well as excelling as producer/guitarist on "This Is Hip" from Mr. Lucky, reprises those roles on a new version of the Hooker gem, "Big Legs, Tight Skirt," a track that also features keyboard work from the legendary Ike Turner.

A relatively recent friendship with rising star Ben Harper began with a shared show at Marin County's legendary Sweetwater, just around the release of Ben's Virgin debut, Welcome To The Cruel World. Now friends, Ben brings an element to "Burnin' Hell" reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix, who credited Hooker as an influence, in turn had a significant influence on Harper. Also featured on the session is legendary harp player Charlie Musselwhite, one of Hooker's oldest and dearest friends (in fact, John Lee was best man at Charlie's wedding), matching Harper's licks as all three make the track truly burn.

Capping the new tracks in grand style is a driving version of Hooker's first hit, "Boogie Chillen," featuring an all star lineup of players. "Boogie Chillen" was Hooker's first recording and it took off like a rocket exactly 50 years ago. This golden anniversary version features stellar sidepersons Jim Keltner on drums, Reggie McBride on bass, Little Feat's Bill Payne on keyboards and Johnny Lee Schell and John Lee's long-time sideman and best friend, Rich Kirch, on guitars. This great new version of "Boogie Chillen" caps a decade of collaborations and marks a half-century since Hooker's first big break.

The one exception to the "Best Friends" theme is a solo track too good to leave behind. "Tupelo" captures Hooker at his finest, telling the story of a disastrous flood in Tupelo, Mississippi in the haunting, stark way that is Hooker's trademark and also showcases his delta roots. The actual recording of this track was captured for the prestigious South Bank Show's documentary on Hooker's life, just one of the many tributes paid to Hooker in the past decade.

John Lee Hooker was 72 years old when The Healer was released in 1989. At an age when most artists are well past their retirement, Hooker's accomplishments in the past decade have numbered more on an annual basis than many achieve in a lifetime.

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John Lee Hooker - Jack O Diamonds: 1949 Recordings