Died On This Date (June 21, 2001) John Lee Hooker / Blues Icon
themusicsover John Lee Hooker
August 22, 1917 – June 21, 2001
He’s been called the “Worlds Greatest Blues Singer,” but John Lee Hooker was much more than that. With over 100 albums to his credit, he was one of the most influential singers, guitarists and songwriters the world has ever known, blues or otherwise. A son of a sharecropper, Hooker was born near Clarksdale, MS where he developed his unique style of picking and “talk singing” that is often associated with Delta blues. His cousin, Earl Hooker was also a respected blues musician. By the late ’40s, Hooker found himself living in Detroit where he worked he assembly line at Ford by day and jammed at the local blues clubs by night. In 1948, his first single was released. It was called “Boogie Chillen” and it became a hit, but as was the case with many blues artists of the day, his record label heads made most of the money from its success. Another of his signature songs, “Boom Boom” was released in 1962 during the folk and blues revival of the early ’60s. In the ’80s, Hooker was back in vogue after appearing in the films, The Blues Brothers and the Last Waltz. In 1989, a stellar cast of admirers joined him on his The Healer album for which he won a Grammy. John Lee Hooker passed away of natural causes at 83.
What You Should Own
Larry Jon Wilson was a country music singer, songwriter and guitarist who found some success during the ’70s when he released four albums. After teaching himself to play the guitar, Wilson didn’t get serious as a songwriter until the age of 30. Throughout his early career, he built himself a following throughout the clubs of Nashville. Wilson all but retired from the music industry during the ’80s, only to return for occasional shows during the latter years of the decade. In 2008, Wilson made a comeback with the release of Larry Jon Wilson, on hipster label, Drag City Records. Larry Jon Wilson died from a stroke on June 21, 2010. He was 69 years old.
Lawrence Payton had the tenor voice of the great soul group, the Four Tops. He also worked at times, as their producer. With the Tops, Payton was one of the Motown’s signature groups, recording hit after hit for the label beginning in 1964. Such hits included, “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” “Standing In The Shadows Of Love,” and “I Can’t Help Myself.” The group and Motown parted ways in 1972, with the Tops signing to ABC Dunhill Records where they had a brief resurgence with “Keeper Of the Castle,” and “Aint No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got).” They continued to record moderately successful records through the ’70s and reunited with Motown in time to celebrate the label’s 25th anniversary in 1983 after which they recorded a few more albums and toured with the Temptations. The Four Tops continued touring and recording until the passing of Lawrence Payton in 1997. He died of cancer on June 20, 1997, but not before be elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Charles Smith was co-founder of and guitarist for the great disco/funk group, Kool & The Gang. Along with the other members of the group, Smith’s background was in jazz, but married it with funk, dance, R&B and pop to become one of the biggest acts of the ’70s thanks to such hits as “Jungle Boogie,” “Hollywood Swinging,” “Ladies Night,” and “Celebration.” Smith is credited for writing or co-writing some of the group’s biggest hits. He died after a long undisclosed illness on June 20, 2006.