As the unacknowledged granddaddy of hip hop, the blues is one of the most powerful of musical genres. Exploring and exploiting the subject matters of sex, money and drugs, the blues has always had the uncanny ability to make you feel its lyrics at a gut wrenching level. John Lee Hooker, Jr., son of blues icon, John Lee Hooker, knows this subject matter first hand. You can hear it in his voice, feel it in his lyrics and like a down home meal, taste it even in his music. With his third solo release, “All Odds Against Me” on his own Steppin’ Stone Records, and the European label, Jazzhaus Records, the Grammy nominated artist is a living testimony to those odds against him.
John Lee Hooker Jr. As the son of blues legend John Lee Hooker, Hooker, Jr. was exposed to the life of the blues from a young age. At only eight years old he performed on Detroit’s WJBK radio and knew from that moment that he wanted to follow the path of his father and become a world-class musician. Unfortunately, while living the “life of a bluesman” he succumbed to the demons that surround it, derailing his musical career for many, many years. Drugs, alcohol, divorce, incarceration, and death nearly brought his career to a screeching halt. But it was living the blues and his faith in the Almighty that resurrected Hooker Jr. A Comeback Artist of the Year award in 2004, two critically acclaimed albums with another on the way, and a continued emphasis on ingenuity has him back on track and looking towards the future.
Carrying the blues legacy into the 21st century and reaching beyond the border of the blues however, Hooker welcomes and embraces the grandchild audience of hip hop with his animated bonus video, “Blues Ain’t Nothing But a Pimp.” As the blues’ first animated crime-fighter, a musician who sings in the clubs by night and cleans up the streets by day, Hooker magically dispenses a blues serum that becomes palatable for blues lovers and beyond! The blues are indeed universal as his “Bluesman” character breaks down the woes of the everyday man.
The “Blues Ain’t Nothing But A Pimp” animation was conceived by Frenchman Laurent Mercier at the Callicore Animation Studios in Paris. Mercier, the son of a French jazzman contemporary of Hooker Sr., dreamt up the idea as a way for the two sons to pay tribute to their fathers’ legacies and Jr. immediately embraced the vision. The video is the first of three to be released in 2008 and is included free on the enhanced disc. It can also be viewed on the web at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEXbkGcXF-E .
Deliciously blending his traditional blues roots with a modern sound, Hooker, Jr.’s style is expressive of his Detroit roots as he mixes R&B, jazz and hip hop sensibilities to create his own urban blues style. His innovative sound is zealously articulated in “All Odds Against Me” his first CD effort to include only new and original tracks.
Hooker Jr. lyrically serves up 12 wonderful funk filled songs welcoming us with “Dear John” a humorous ode about a break up letter received while in jail. When Hooker, Jr. moans “I feel so bad this evening, I feel like shooting some gasoline,” we know its gonna be a long but smooth ride! Paying homage to his past with “Old School” Hooker Jr. dispenses seasoned logic over a twanging solo guitar. On “The People Want a Change” the band rocks with rhythm as Hooker, Jr. invokes a rousing blues anthem heralding the dawn of a new day.
John Lee Hooker, Jr. will be touring in support of “All Odds Against Me” across the United States, Western Europe, and Turkey throughout 2008. Joined on the road by Mike Rogers (drums), James ‘Gig’ Anderson (keys), George Lacson (bass), and Jeffrey James Horan (guitar), Jr. is committed to bringing the next generation of blues to the world one stop at a time.
Get your dose of the blues with John Lee Hooker, Jr. at www.johnleehookerjr.com and view “Blues Ain’t Nothing But A Pimp” on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEXbkGcXF-E .
All Odds Against Me Tour 2008
August
1 Bejar, Spain Salamanca Blues Festival
10 Duluth, MN Bayfront Blues Festival
16 San Francisco, CA Biscuits and Blues
23 Navarro, CA Navarro Amphitheater
September
1 Marin City, CA Marin City Blues & Soul Party
4 Las Vegas, NV Boulder Station Casino
5 Santa Monica, CA Harvelle’s
6 San Diego, CA Humphrey’s
27 Enghiens, France Blues In V.O.
28 Paris, France One Way
October
2 Verden, Germany Jazztage
7 Koln, Germany Kulturkirche
8 Karlsruhe, Germany Jubez
9 Schaffhausen, Switzerland KIK
11 Wels, Austria Soundtheatre
14 Salzburg, Austria Rockhouse
15 Darmstadt, Germany Centralstation
16 Rankweil, Austria Altes Kino
17 Lorrach, Germany Burghof
18 Biel, Switzerland Blue Note
19 Koblenz, Germany Café Hahn
24 Mersin, Turkey Mer-Yat Armada Center
25 Adana, Turkey HiltonSA
27 Gaziantep, Turkey Kalender Plaza
28 Diyarbarkir, Turkey Demirok Tesisleri
30 Malatya, Turkey Altin Yunis Tesisleri
31 Kayseri, Turkey Hilton
November
2-3 Russia, Moscow Venue TBA
5 TRNC – Girne, Turkey Jasmine Court Hotel – Disco
7 Denizli, Turkey Richmond Pamukkale SPA Hotel
8 Antalya, Turkey Divan Talya
9 Konya, Turkey Rixos Hotel
12 Trabzon, Turkey Zorlu Grand Hotel
14-16 Ankara, Turkey Bilkent Otel
18 Eskisehir, Turkey 222 Park
19 Bursa, Turkey Bursa Suare
21-23 Istanbul, Turkey Venue TBA
25 Balikesir, Turkey Asya Termal Otel
26 Canakkale, Turkey Kolin Hotel
28-30 Izmir, Turkey Hilton
December
2 Kocaeli, Turkey Venus
3 Edirne/Tekirdag, Turkey Venue TBA
10-13 Anchorage, AK Blues Central
31 San Francisco, CA Biscuits and Blues
