''The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker'' (also known as ''The Folk Blues of John Lee Hooker'') is an album by blues musician
John Lee Hooker recorded in Detroit in 1959 and released by
Riverside Records
Riverside Records was an American jazz record company and label. Founded by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer, Jr, under his firm Bill Grauer Productions in 1953, the label played an important role in the jazz record industry for a decade. Riverside ...
in January 1960.
Reception
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings
''The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings'' is an encyclopedia of blues music albums released on CD.
Content
The book was released on 31 October 2006 and was written by Tony Russell and Chris Smith with contributions by Neil Slaven, Ricky Russe ...
said "Riverside required Hooker to play only acoustic guitar. What motivated this redirection, and in particular the 'classic blues' repertoire on the first album was a view of the blues - you might say a politics of the blues - very much of its time... though, as always with Hooker the result is not exact commemoration so much as highly personalised allusion".
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
reviewer Richie Unterberger stated: "John Lee Hooker was still churning out R&B-influenced electric blues with a rhythm section for Vee Jay when he recorded ''The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker'', his first album packaged for the folk/traditional blues market. He plays nothing but acoustic guitar, and seems to have selected a repertoire with old-school country-blues in mind. It's unimpressive only within the context of Hooker's body of work; in comparison with other solo outings, the guitar sounds thin, and the approach restrained".
Track listing
All compositions credited to John Lee Hooker except where noted
# "Black Snake" (
Blind Lemon Jefferson) – 3:33
# "
How Long Blues" (
Leroy Carr
Leroy Carr (March 27, 1904 or 1905 – April 29, 1935) was an American blues singer, songwriter and pianist who developed a laid-back, crooning technique and whose popularity and style influenced such artists as Nat King Cole and Ray Charles. Mus ...
) – 2:14
# "Wobblin' Baby" – 2:51
# "She's Long, She's Tall, She Weeps Like a Willow" – 2:47
# "Pea Vine Special" (
Charlie Patton
Charley Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), also known as Charlie Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of American musi ...
) – 3:10
# "Tupelo Blues" – 3:23
# "I'm Prison Bound" (Carr) – 3:58
# "I Rowed a Little Boat" – 3:28
# "Water Boy" – 3:00
# "Church Bell Tone" – 3:43
# "Bundle Up and Go" – 2:13
# "
Good Morning Lil' School Girl" (
Sonny Boy Williamson I
John Lee Curtis "Sonny Boy" Williamson (March 30, 1914 – June 1, 1948) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He is often regarded as the pioneer of the blues harp as a solo instrument. He played on hundreds of re ...
) – 3:38
# "Behind the Plow" – 4:22
Personnel
*
John Lee Hooker – guitar, vocals
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Country Blues of John Lee Hooker. The
John Lee Hooker albums
1959 albums
Riverside Records albums