John Lee Hooker was born on August 22, 1917 in Tutwiler Mississippi, into a family of sharecroppers, being the fourth of eleven children. His father did not like blues music and even called it "the devil's music". He began experimenting with music in church and built his first instrument with a piece of string and an inner tube. Interestingly, his first musical influence was his stepfather called William Moore who mentored him. William was a blues musician and inspired John to start playing the guitar, and he later credited him for his unique style of playing the instrument. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Soon after William taught John to play the guitar, they played together at house parties and dances near their hometown. Surprisingly, when John was only 14 years old he ran away from home because he was unhappy living in Mississippi, even though he enjoyed playing with his stepfather. By the early 1940s, John had already moved to Detroit. His day job was as a janitor at an automobile factory, but at night he found his passion and entertained his friends by playing at house parties. That's where he gathered and grew his fan base by playing house parties, including local record store owner Elmer Barbee. Elmer was so impressed with John's musical talent that he introduced him to Bernard Besman, record distributor and owner of Sensation Records. In 1948 he had already recorded some songs for Besman. One of those recordings was "Boogie Chilun", which sold over 1 million copies and became a #1 jukebox hit. Soon after this success he released "I'm in the Mood", "Crawling Kingsnake" and "Hobo Blues" . For the next 15 years he signed with Vee-Jay Records and maintained a good recording schedule and released over 100 songs on the label. When the 1960s arrived he saw the opportunity to pursue his career in another way with the folk movement and returned to his solo. artistic career. Some artists such as "The Rolling Stones", "The Animals and Yardbirds" introduced John to a new audience which made him the superstar he was. When he was 72 years old John released his best and greatest album called "The Healer" which sold over 1 million copies. John was definitely talented and popular and won numerous awards such as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 and the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1990, 1996 and 1998. He also won the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 for the "Boogie Chilling,” and another Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 1998 for “Don’t Look Back.” Last but not least, he won the Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award in 1999. Remember: this is just one example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom EssayUnfortunately John died of natural causes on June 21, 2001 at the age of 81 at his home in Los Altos California.