Earl Hooker, Blues Master

416 Pages·2001·20.23 MB·English

by  Sebastian Danchin

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Sebastian Danchin
University Press of Mississippi
Jackson
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American Made Music Series
Advisory Board
David Evans, General Editor
Barry Jean Ancelet
Edward A. Berlin
Joyce J. Bolden
Rob Bowman
Susan C. Cook
Curtis Ellison
William Ferris
Michael Harris
John Edward Hasse
Kip Lomell
Frank McArthur
W. K. McNeil
Bill Malone
Eddie S. Meadows
Manuel H. Peña
Wayne D. Shirley
Robert Walser
Charles Wolfe
www.upress.state.ms.us
Copyright © 2001 by Sebastian Danchin
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 4 3 21
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Library of Congress Cataloging- hvPublication Data
Danchin, Sebastian.
Earl Hooker, blues master / Sebastian Danchin.
p. cm.—(American made music series)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ), discography (p. ), and index.
ISBN 1-57806-306-X (cloth : alk. paper)—
ISBN 1-57806*307-8 (paper : alk. paper)
1. Hooker, Earl, 1929-1970. 2. Blues musicians—United States-
Bibliography. I. Title. II. Series.
ML419.H65D36 2001
787.87' 1643'092-^dc21
[B] 00-044913
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
in memory of my mentor, Sim Copara;
my friend, Bernard Nicod;
and my brother, Hilaire
This page intentionally left blank
Côhtetâï
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
Chapter!
The Early Years (1929-1946) 3
Chapter 2
On the Road (1946-1953) 24
Chapter3
The Memphis Scene (1953) 57
Chapter 4
The Chicago Complex (1953-1956) 69
Chapter5
Zeb Hooker (1956-1960) 93
Chapter 6
The London Years (1960-1963) 119
Chapter?
Guitars, Cars, and Women 147
Chapters
A Man of Many Styles 161
Chapter 9
Club Gigs and Road Trips 180
Chapter 10
Hooker and Cuca (1964-1967) 211
Chapter 11
Two Bugs and a Roach (1967-1968) 237
Chapter 12
Nineteen Sixty-Nine 263
Chapter 13
Coin' Down Slow (1969-1970) 301
Epilogue 323
Notes 327
Bibliography 335
Discography 345
Index 369
&cfenô(tiledûJnetâi
F
or their continuing help throughout this project, I would like
to express my sincere gratitude to the late Georges Adins;
Murray Allen, Universal Recording Corporation; Jean-Pierre Ar-
niac; Paul Asbell; Ben H. Ashley; Gary Baker; Alan Balfour;
Ralph Bass; Bruce Bastin; the Blues Archive at Oxford, Missis-
sippi; Fritz Svacina and the late Franziska Svacina at Blues Life;
Howard Colson and Neil Gillis at BMI; Bruce Bromberg; Alfred
E. Buscher, Warden, Vandalia Correctional Center; Sid Graves
and Margaret Littlepage, Carnegie Public Library and Delta Blues
Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi; Emmanuel Choisnel; Made-
laine Cooke; Bill Daniels; Jimmy Dawkins; Jim DeKoster; Jacques
Demêtre; Burrell Dentón; the late Jean-Paul Dethorey; Willie
Dixon; Les Fancourt; Suzanne Flandreau-Steele; Arvel A. and
Johnny D. Furr, Tribune Show Print; Galen Gart, Big Nickel Pub-
lications; Steve Gronda; D. T. Margraves Jr. and his wife, Roseann;
Gérard Herzhaft; Norbert Hess; Cilla Huggins; Michel Huth; Judy
Fennel and Michael Baker, Jackson/Madison County Library,
Jackson, Tennessee; the late Carl Jones; Keri Leigh; Willy Leiser;
IX