John Lee Hooker

Known for Acting

8/22/1912

Tutwiler, Mississippi, USA

Biography

John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often incorporated other elements, including talking blues and early North Mississippi Hill country blues.

Known For (24 credits)

8.2

Movie

The Rolling Stones - Steel Wheels Live

2020

Having not hit the road for most of the 80s, The Steel Wheels Tour was an astounding return for the Rolling Stones, not least as it was the longest tour they had by that point undertaken. It was also to be their last with Bill Wyman. Steel Wheels Live was recorded towards the end of the band’s 60-date run through the stadiums of North America, in the second half of 1989. The stage and lighting design of The Steel Wheels Tour set the pace for superstar tours as we know them today. Special guest appearances from Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Eric Clapton and John Lee Hooker on this Atlantic City date make this an even more extraordinary document of the band’s return to touring.

Movie

John Lee Hooker: The Boogie Man

2019

John Lee Hooker was one of the greatest bluesmen of the 20th century. Born into poverty and racial segregation, he lived through a monumental time in American history. This is the story of a cultural icon, and his far-reaching impact on popular music, told in his own words and those of his family and closest collaborators. Interviews with Keith Richards, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt and Robert Cray tell how an illiterate man from the rural and impoverished backwaters of the Mississippi Delta influenced their own musical journey. We reveal his part in bringing the Blues to a new generation of young British musicians and how, in turn, those musicians introduced young, mainstream Americans to their own cultural heritage.

6.5

Movie

Play It Loud: The Story of Marshall

2014

A history and tribute to British Jim Marshall's amplifiers, which since then became the standard of rock'n'roll amplifiers ever since.

The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concerts

8.1

Movie

The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concerts

2009

On October 29th and 30th, 2009, rock 'n' roll royalty held court at Madison Square Garden for what have been called 'the best concerts ever,' and 'where rock 'n' roll history was made.' The concerts featured a who's who of rock 'n' roll from the '50s to the '90s and included artists performing together in unprecedented combinations that will most likely never be witnessed again. 'The 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Anniversary Concerts' included sets by Crosby, Stills & Nash; Stevie Wonder; Paul Simon; Simon & Garfunkel; Aretha Franklin; Metallica; U2; Jeff Beck and Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band. Joining this iconic line up on stage were special guests including: Jerry Lee Lewis, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Smokey Robinson, B.B. King, Annie Lennox, Lou Reed, John Fogerty, Mick Jagger, Fergie and others. A 4-hour special of the concerts aired on HBO to high ratings, and was seen by tens of millions. Now this historic event is available on DVD.

5.0

Movie

Blues at the BBC

2009

Collection of performances by British and American blues artists on BBC programmes such as The Beat Room, A Whole Scene Going, The Old Grey Whistle Test and The Late Show. Includes the seminal slide guitar of Son House, the British R&B of The Kinks, the unmistakable electric sound of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and John Lee Hooker, as well as less-familiar material from the likes of Delaney and Bonnie, Freddie King and Long John Baldry.

Movie

Motor City's Burning: Detroit from Motown to the Stooges

2008

Documentary looking at how Detroit became home to a musical revolution that captured the sound of a nation in upheaval. In the early 60s, Motown transcended Detroit's inner city to take black music to a white audience, whilst in the late 60s suburban kids like the MC5 and the Stooges descended into the black inner city to create revolutionary rock expressing the rage of young white America.

Movie

Bits and Pieces About... John Lee Hooker

2006

The blues legend John Lee Hooker was the last great King of the Mississippi Delta Blues, and his unmistakeable musical style made him known the world over. He spent more than half a century in the music business, received numerous awards and influenced various generations and world-renowned artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Pete Townshend with his music. This film shows an interesting American television interview in which he reviews his musical life, speaking, for example, of his album "The Healer". It is interspersed with excerpts from performances and music videos such as "Dimples", "I'm in the Mood" with Bonnie Raitt and "Chill Out" with Carlos Santana.

5.7

Movie

John Lee Hooker: Come and See About Me

2004

Come And See About Me illustrates the career of John Lee Hooker through complete archival performances of his most popular songs, many featuring special guests.

8.7

Movie

Feel Like Going Home

2003

Director Martin Scorsese winds his way from the banks of the Niger River in Mali to the cotton fields and juke joints of the Mississippi Delta to trace the origins of the blues in a lyrical combination of original performances (including Willie King, Corey Harris, Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', Otha Turner, Habib Koité, Salif Keita and Ali Farka Toure) and rare archival footage (featuring Son House, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker).

7.3

The Blues

2003

The Blues is a 2003 documentary film series produced by Martin Scorsese, dedicated to the history of blues music. In each of the seven episodes, a different director explores a stage in the development of the blues. The series originally aired on PBS in the United States.

Movie

The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966, Vol. 1

2003

Taken from the European tours organised for American blues musicians between 1962 and 1969, this release features performances by several popular blues artists, including: T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, etc.

Movie

John Lee Hooker - Rare Performances 1960-1984

2002

This hour long collection of clips presents John Lee Hooker in a variety of settings, playing both with a band and as a solo artist. The 1964 full-band clips from the BBC are the best, particularly a percolating "Boom Boom." Also good are a couple of songs (again with a full band) from the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival; a few tunes filmed in Seattle in 1970 just have Hooker alone with his guitar (as do a couple of performances from 1960). Particularly after having seen so much concert footage in which blues musicians really ham it up onstage, the viewer is really impressed with how little Hooker needs to move to get his presence across. He's able to hold listeners spellbound while remaining stationary with his guitar, aware that his intensity, growling vocals, and pure musicianship are enough to do the job.