John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker
12" x 7"
oil on wood, 2011

Another Top 100, another John Lee Hooker painting. I hardly select to listen to any of my old favorite musicians anymore but sometimes they are selected for you. I was watching Basquiat, the Radiant Child when One of These Days by John Lee Hooker, unexpectedly and sudden, was heard in the background of the film. It has a great soundtrack, that movie, One of These Days is a great song. I have quit a few John Lee Hooker records but That's My Story: John Lee Hooker Sings the Blues (on which One of These Days is to be found) is not one of these. No matter how many John Lee Hooker records you collect there always will be some important work missing. You think you have enough of his work collected until you hear another one. John Lee Hooker is full of surprises. When John Lee Hooker entered the Top 100 last year the story that went along with it was a similar one: 

His output is such that to collect all his recordings is a task so epic that it isn't even worth a consideration. I have no ambition towards such an achievement but I will occasionally add to my substantial representation of John Lee Hooker in my record collection.

–Dec 26, 2010: The Stars of My Top 100