| Following stints with Modern and Chess, legendary blues man John Lee Hooker joined forces with the esteemed Vee-Jay label out of Chicago in 1955. For the next seven years Hooker cut some of the most explosive and legendary blues sides of his career and solidified his position as one of the greatest performers of the electric blues era. By the 1960s the folk and blues revival would make international stars of many blues performers but at the time of these Vee-Jay recordings this was music made by African-Americans mostly for the African-American market, from Chicago to the South to Los Angeles and New York and points between, and Vee-Jay was one of the first and most successful African-American owned record labels. While many of his earlier sides featured only Hooker on guitar and vocals, his Vee-Jay sides feature a full rocking rhythm section. Essential sides from one of the all-time greatest American performers of the 20th century. This first volume, Mambo Chillun, spans the years 1955-1958, and includes the titular "Mambo Chillun" a play on his classic hit, "Boogie Chillun", as well as 16 more great late '50s blues sides. This second volume, Boom Boom, spans the years 1959-1962 and includes classics like "Boom Boom", "Want Ad Blues", and 16 more great Hooker blues joints. |
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