Boogie Man: The Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the Am… (2024)

I'm a blues fan, but it took me a while to get into John Lee Hooker. I was raised on "traditional" guys like Muddy, Howlin', and B.B.; compared to them, Hooker is downright avant-garde. His one-chord vamps and unpredictable changes were difficult to stomach for years (in the words of my dad, a die-hard blues fan, John Lee is "all over the place"). However, after recently getting into hill country blues (of which Hooker is clearly a spiritual cousin), I've slowly embraced hisaesthetic and now rank him as one of my favorite bluesmen. I think Hooker's stuff is awesomely primal and one-of-a-kind. So, whenever I get really into an artist, I search for a biography on them. This tome seemed to be the best choice.

And wow, does Murray knockit out of the park. Boogie Man has got to be the most comprehensivemusician biography I've ever read. It's a seamless blend of reporting and historical perspective,interweaving present-day conversations and happenings (present-day being the 1990s) with chronological biography. I loved reading about Hooker's early years in Mississippi and his move to Detroit especially, while the final chapter on his triumphant return is invigorating. Hooker crossed paths with countless people, some of which had lasting influences on his life and vice versa. His laid-back but ultimately hard-working mindset led to thousands of recordings and a 50+ year career. Murray leaves no stone unturned.

It's also a very readable book. Boogie Man was first publishedshortly before Hooker died in 2001 (the new edition contains a postscript), and Murray spent a decade with the man on tour, at his house, and around town, securing endless quotes and racking up experiences. Hooker comes off as proud but ultimately big-hearted and cool (if you know what his voice sounds like, you can't help but read his quotes in that deep baritone). Murray supplements all the quotes with wonderful prose, replete with endearing Britishness, funny asides, and endless knowledge. Whenever he writes excitedly about a song, I could hear exactly what he was talking about. The "Dark Room" chapter is one of the best examples of this. The book is overall a joy to read, doubly so if you're a blues fan.

No book is perfect, and there are some flaws here. While I was never bored reading Boogie Man, Murray does have a tendency to include more information than is probably necessary, particularlyregarding tangential subjects. Sometimes he'll introduce someone, then spend two pages writing about them. There's also a chapter early on about "folk blues" that, while well-written and interesting, didn't needto be 25 pages. In the final chapters, too, I noticed some repetition of points and repeated quotes. But these are minor gripes in what is otherwise a fantastic book.

I already came to this book a Hooker fan, albeit a recent convert. If someone never heard John Lee Hooker and read this book, they would become an instant fan. Thanks to Murray for confirming to all of us why Hooker is awesome.

A almost spiritual perspective on JLH with plenty of first hand interviews and anecdotes. Charles has infused his biography with.his own enthusiasm and has also set his narrative in the times and places JLH inhabited.
This touches on many other artists and collaborations. Of course, JLH was in detroit when Taa Motown started up there. A excellent and absorbing read.

A beautiful and thorough biography that captures the spirit of the blues legend— not just through punchy, personal prose, but also through lengthy interviews with Hooker himself. If anything, those interviews can be a bit repetitive, but this book certainly made me feel like I’d gotten as close as possible to its subject matter. Helpful discography at the end, too!

Much like Hooker's early recording history, there is an awful lot here to wade through to get to the good stuff. Glad I read it but I'll be skipping large sections if or when I reread it down the road.

I love John Lee Hooker and I loved this book. At times the hyperbole was a little thick, but I enjoyed how the author contextualized John Lee within the time period that he lived.

Like spending quality time with John Lee Hooker. Also great footnotes

The fascinating story of a great American artist. Very helpful in negotiating a vast discography.

Comprehensive account of the great bluesman’s recording sessions, discography, career, and life.

Finally done...it is a good book, though probably needed more editing than it got. He iterates and reiterates his point a bit more than is necessary - he is pretty clear the first time. I most enjoyed his writing about music - descriptions of songs he heard live, or comparisons of recordings. I often want to hear them after reading his descriptions. Just as often, I don't like them particularly, but I enjoy the new perspective for listening. Just now, I want to hear the Van Morrison/Hooker collaborations - "Belfast echoes Clarksdale" is an intriguing idea - and I'm pretty sure I'm not a big Van Morrison person.

Boogie Man is a rather meaty book. Murray writes about his subjects and music very lyrically, but provides (what feels like) ALL the backstory - history, sociology, personality, politics, and anything else that may have been part of the creation of a musician, a musical genre or a song.

There are interesting parallels between the 'bluesman' of the early 20th century and the pro-basketball star of the late 20th. Playing blues was a way out of poverty, off the share-croppers farm, a path to at least moderate wealth - entry to the club wasn't horribly expensive (there is one guitar that cost 1.98) and so it was available to a larger group, even if only a few really 'made it'. Basketball isn't so different - low cost entry to playing, the potential for terrific payoff if you 'make it'. Blues weren't just some pure outpouring of the emotional state of a people or even a single person - it was also a way out, and to make it you had to please your audience.

Murray is very readable, though he does have his pet theories and sometimes it feels as though he has to corral the material to fit them - not that he is wrong, but there are moments where he goes on a bit more than necessary. The only thing missing is a soundtrack. There are so many songs referenced - the titles of chapters are from songs, if not titles - and so many comparisons, it would be a great addition to have some examples to listen to for each chapter.

So far, I have enjoyed getting to know John Lee Hooker. He is a gentleman, a gentle soul and he likes fancy socks. Unlike so many bluesmen, he was also a business man - he was not rediscovered living in a weekly-rate motel.

Page 159...slow going - as I said, a meaty book. And I find the section on the evils of the record companies to be tedious, even if they are true - and as a friend tells me, standard. Hooker would get maybe $100 for a recording; the next in line would get $500 and the label would get $1000. Modern Records was fairly creative in listing songwriting credits, so is is amazing Hooker wasn't rediscovered in later years, as many others were, in a trailer park, on welfare. Hooker may have survived because he was rather unfaithful to his label. If someone would pay for a recording, he'd record. As Besman said, Hooker couldn't play the same thing twice so all the recordings were different. (Howlin' Wolf seemed to have the business figured out best - he actually paid social security for members of his band.)

As interesting a life as JLH led Murray manages to choke a great deal of enjoyment out of it. The book is more or less a discography detailing every last scrap of what song was recorded where under what name with which other musicians produced by whom. Dear god it was bad.

Just as well JLH has some interesting aspects to his life to act as a saving grace for the book.

This book was a slow read mainly because I wanted to get every detail. The blues is a time-honored music form and John Lee Hooker was one of the pioneers (although second generation) of that form. The book takes his music from beginning to the time the book was printed when he was recording with the likes of Santana, Canned Heat and other pop and rock icons of the day. I savored and enjoyed this book and have expanded my musical knowledge thereby.

I very much enjoyed this book although a little less discography would have made it better (in my opinion). If you enjoy the music of JLH, the genre or how the record industry operates then this book is worth reading. The author shares his views and insights as to why blues in general, and the music of JLH in particular, speak to so many people. I've seldom seen these thought, views, insights or feelings...whatever you want to call them...articulated so clearly. Good book.

Murray does a good job in telling the story of John Lee's life from his move from the South to Detroit, his relationships, his being swindled out of royalties to his eventual well deserved financial security after the success of his album 'The Healer' in the 1980's. John Lee Hooker is one of the most influential blues men of all time. If you are a fan of John Lee Hooker this is a must read.

Lots and lots of really good stuff about Hooker and his career, along with detailed, song-by-song descriptions of some fifty years worth of significant recordings. So at 480 pages, this is obviously for real blues fans more than for people who enjoy reading biographies. It also helps to be a fan of Murray's extrovert voice, as he rather seems to be.

An absolutely incredible book about The King of the Boogie! I would recommend this to anyone who has an interest in the true Blues. The author skillfully takes the reader on a journey into the world of John Lee Hooker, a man who has guarded his privacy very well.

Such an interesting man but such a poorly written book. Realistically this book should have captured the reader from the first page, I got about a third of the way through but just couldn't continue. Very disappointed

While I enjoyed learning more about John Lee Hooker, the book was written in a style to textbook like for my tastes.

I was the Bassman in 1973 !!! AB

An amazing and vibrant account of the life of one of the most incredible and truly original musicians... a must read for music lovers.

This must be the best book I've read on the blues.