Podcasts Culture Desert Island Discs: Archive 1991-1996 John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker

Published: June 11, 1995, 10:15 a.m.

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The castaway in Desert Island Discs this week is one of the oldest and deepest voices in rock music - the legendary bluesman John Lee Hooker. The son of a preacher man, he was brought up in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and his first guitar was made from an old inner tube tied to the barn door. By the age of 14, he had his own guitar and ran away to Memphis with two dollars in his pocket for a life touring small blues clubs.

With hits like Boom Boom, Dimples and Boogie Chillun, he has been one of the major influences on rock stars like Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Goin Down Slow by B.B. King & Bobby Bland\\nBook: A book with pictures (of pretty women)\\nLuxury: His guitar

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