By Patrick Luce May 14, 2007, 23:35 GMT
Shout! Factory and the John Lee Hooker Foundation continue their reissue campaign of a decade’s worth of music from John Lee Hooker with two new entries in the Hooker Remastered series ‘Don’t Look Back’ and ‘Jealous,’ both in stores July 17th. Each album includes previously unreleased studio outtakes, and new liner notes by Rolling Stone journalist Jas Obrecht. Hooker’s daughter Zakiya has overseen each of these reissues.
‘Don’t Look Back,’ originally released in 1997, includes a track by Van Morrison, who also appears on four duets and co-produced the album. The two worked together once before, when Morrison contributed guitar and vocals on Hooker’s 1972 release ‘Never Get Out of These Blues Alive.’
‘Don’t Look Back’ also contains newly recorded versions of old songs by Hooker, as well as some new cuts and two bonus tracks. Los Lobos appear on a lively version of “Dimples,” and Hooker takes on Hendrix with a cover of “Red House.” At the 1998 Grammy Awards, John Lee Hooker won Best Traditional Blues Album for ‘Don’t Look Back’ and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for the title track with Van Morrison.
Hooker’s 1987 ‘Jealous’ was a return to the music business after a self-imposed hiatus, and he chose to produce the album himself. Unlike the star-studded projects that followed, ‘Jealous’ captures Hooker working with his regular touring group, the Coast to Coast Blues Band.
On most tracks, the lineup features guitarist Mike Osborn, bassist Larry Hamilton, drummer Tim Richards, and Deacon Jones, whose gospel-inspired Hammond organ provides much of the album’s low-key ambience. Bonus tracks on the Grammy-nominated ‘Jealous’ are “Lonely Man” and “Decoration Day.”
Four-time Grammy winner John Lee Hooker was born in Clarksdale, MS in 1917. He first gained national attention in 1948, when he recorded “Boogie Chillen’,” which stormed its way to #1 on the R&B charts. Hooker’s career continued with many more successful albums and singles including “I Love You Honey,” “No Shoes” and “Boom Boom,” the latter of which spent time on the Billboard pop chart as well as the R&B chart.
Hooker was a true blues superstar, and enjoyed a career renaissance before his death in 2001, recording Grammy winning albums and earning induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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