James Watkins

John Lee Hooker: John Lee Hooker: Documenting the Sensation Recordings 1949-1952

by Jakob Baekgaard
June 15, 2020

Sam Phillips of Sun Records fame had an ear for musicians who stood out. He liked artists who were different, and he recognized the earth-shaking potential of John Lee Hooker's “Boogie Chillen,'" an early blueprint, it could be argued, for the rock 'n' roll sound pioneered by Sun. Phillips didn't get the chance to bring Hooker to Sun, but instead he found another unique blues personality to record, Howlin' Wolf, and the rest is history. Blues history ...