John Lee Hooker, Jr.

Born in Detroit as the offspring of blues legend John Lee Hooker, John Lee Hooker, Jr., absorbed the family musical heritage from a young age. He delivered a live performance on the city’s WJBK radio station at the age of eight and, during his teenage years, joined his father on tour. At eighteen he served as featured vocalist on Hooker, Sr.’s Live at Soledad Prison album, positioning the young singer for a promising future that was nevertheless interrupted for roughly twenty-five years by struggles with drugs and alcohol. With the support of relatives and close associates, Hooker overcame those difficulties and reappeared in better health and with renewed clarity, prepared to pick up his musical path once more. He characterizes his sound as “2 parts R&B, 1 part jazz & down home blues,” and while he can faithfully recreate his father’s rough Delta blues approach, he more often favors a polished, urban sensibility. Issued by Kent Records in 2004, his first album, Blues with a Vengeance, earned widespread praise and secured him a Grammy. Two years later Telarc Records issued the follow-up, Cold as Ice.