| The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | January 1960 |
| Recorded | April 20, 1959 |
| Studio | United Sound Systems, Detroit, Michigan |
| Genre | Blues |
| Length | 43:00 |
| Label | Riverside |
| Producer | Bill Grauer |
The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker (also known as The Folk Blues of John Lee Hooker) is an album by blues musician John Lee Hooker recorded in Detroit in 1959 [1] and released by Riverside Records in January 1960. [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| DownBeat | [4] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of The Blues | [5] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |  [6] |
 | This section contains too many or overly lengthy quotations .(December 2019) |
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings said "Riverside required Hooker to play only acoustic guitar. What motivated this redirection, and in particular the 'classic blues' repertoire on the first album was a view of the blues - you might say a politics of the blues - very much of its time ... though, as always with Hooker the result is not exact commemoration so much as highly personalised allusion". [6]
AllMusic reviewer Richie Unterberger stated: "John Lee Hooker was still churning out R&B-influenced electric blues with a rhythm section for Vee Jay when he recorded The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker, his first album packaged for the folk/traditional blues market. He plays nothing but acoustic guitar, and seems to have selected a repertoire with old-school country-blues in mind. It's unimpressive only within the context of Hooker's body of work; in comparison with other solo outings, the guitar sounds thin, and the approach restrained". [3]
All compositions credited to John Lee Hooker except where noted
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 that he developed in Detroit. Hooker often incorporated other elements, including talking blues and early North Mississippi hill country blues. He developed his own driving-rhythm boogie style, distinct from the 1930s–1940s piano-derived boogie-woogie. Hooker was ranked 35 in Rolling Stone's 2015 list of 100 greatest guitarists.
Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that reflect characteristics of the human singing voice. It typically involves playing the guitar in the traditional position with the use of a slide fitted on one of the guitarist's fingers. The slide may be a metal or glass tube, such as the neck of a bottle. The term bottleneck was historically used to describe this type of playing. The strings are typically plucked while the slide is moved over the strings to change the pitch. The guitar may also be placed on the player's lap and played with a hand-held bar.
Folk rock is a genre of rock music with heavy influences from English folk and American folk music. Combining the elements of folk and rock music, it arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers such as Bob Dylan and the Byrds—several of whose members had earlier played in folk ensembles—attempted to blend the sounds of rock with their pre-existing folk repertoire, adopting the use of electric instrumentation and drums in a way previously discouraged in the U.S. folk community. The term "folk rock" was initially used in the U.S. music press in June 1965 to describe the Byrds' music.
"Love in Vain" is a blues song written by American musician Robert Johnson. Johnson's performance – vocal accompanied by his finger-style acoustic guitar playing – has been described as "devastatingly bleak". He recorded the song in 1937 during his last recording session and in 1939 it was issued as the last of his original 78 rpm records.
That's My Story is a studio album by American blues musician John Lee Hooker, released in April or May 1960 on Riverside Records. The album was recorded in one session on February 9, 1960 at Reeves Sound Studio in New York City. It was produced by Orrin Keepnews and features the rhythm section from saxophonist Cannonball Adderley's group, which included bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes.
It Serve You Right to Suffer is an album by blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Lee Hooker, released on the Impulse Records label in early 1966. It was part of the short-lived Impulse folk music division, with the slogan adapted from their jazz promotion, "the new wave of folk is on Impulse!"
"Dimples" is a song written and recorded by blues singer-songwriter John Lee Hooker in 1956. It is an ensemble piece, with Hooker accompanied by Jimmy Reed's backup band. Eight years after its first release, it became Hooker's first record to appear in the British record charts. Called a "genuine Hooker classic" by music critic Bill Dahl, it is one of his best-known songs, with interpretations by several artists.
No Dirty Names is a 1966 album by artist Dave Van Ronk. It features the first recorded version of Bob Dylan's song "The Old Man".
Restoration Ruin is an album by Keith Jarrett on which he performs multiple instruments, and sings his own lyrics. Recorded and released on the Atlantic Records subsidiary Vortex in 1968, the album remains unique in Jarrett's catalogue, displaying a sound largely influenced by folk and progressive rock. It can be seen as the first part of an experimental period which explored neither traditional jazz nor classical music. Here Jarrett overdubs himself on various instruments, similar to the tribal Spirits (1985) or especially the free funk No End. "Sioux City Sue New" was released as a 45 rpm single, backed with "You're Fortunate." In 1999, Collectables Records reissued the album paired with the Art Ensemble of Chicago's Bap-Tizum.
"Cod'ine" is a contemporary folk song by singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. Considered one of the earliest anti-drug songs, Sainte-Marie wrote the piece after becoming addicted to codeine which she had been given for a bronchial infection. She recorded it for her debut album, It's My Way! (1964).
Trouble in Mind is an album by American blues musician Big Bill Broonzy. It was released on February 22, 2000 by Smithsonian Folkways. The album consists of traditional folk, blues, and spiritual songs featuring Broonzy accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and a guest appearance by Pete Seeger. Suffering from cancer, Broonzy realized his time was limited and hence recorded extensively between 1956 and 1957. While most of the work draws from the album Big Bill Broonzy Sings Country Blues (1957), arranged by Moses Asch and Charles Edward Smith, Trouble in Mind is also sourced from concert broadcasts and interviews recorded late in Broonzy's career.
The Guitar & Banjo of Reverend Gary Davis is an album by blues musician Reverend Gary Davis recorded in 1964 and released on the Prestige Folklore label.
The Folk Lore of John Lee Hooker is an album by blues musician John Lee Hooker, released by Vee-Jay Records in August or September 1961. Hooker recorded most of the songs on January 4, 1961, in Chicago, with two recorded live at the Newport Folk Festival June 25, 1960.
Burning Hell is an album by blues musician John Lee Hooker that was recorded in Detroit in 1959 at the same sessions that produced The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker, but not released by the Riverside label until 1964 in Europe.
Concert at Newport is a live album by the blues musician John Lee Hooker, recorded at the Newport Folk Festival and released by the Vee-Jay label in 1963.
The Real Folk Blues is an album by blues musician John Lee Hooker that was recorded in Chicago in 1966 and released by the Chess label. Additional tracks from the sessions were released as More Real Folk Blues: The Missing Album in 1991.
Live at Cafe Au Go Go is a live album by blues musician John Lee Hooker with members of Muddy Waters Blues Band. It was recorded at the Cafe Au Go Go in New York City and released by BluesWay Records in 1967.
Simply the Truth is an album by blues musician John Lee Hooker released by the BluesWay label in 1969.
Live at Sugar Hill is a live album by blues musician John Lee Hooker recorded in California in 1962 and released by the Galaxy label. The album was reissued in 1974 by Fantasy as the first disc of the double LP Boogie Chillun which added ten additional previously unreleased recordings from the same concerts.
That's Where It's At! is an album by blues musician John Lee Hooker recorded in 1961 collecting five tracks originally released on a split album by Guest Star Records in 1966 along with five unreleased tracks, that was issued by the Stax label in 1969.
