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 didn't like the blues and even called it "the devil's music." He began experimenting with music in church and built his first instrument from a piece of string and an inner tube. Interestingly, his first musical influence was his father-in-law, William Moore, who mentored him. William was a blues musician and he inspired John to start playing 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 Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Soon after William taught John to play guitar, they were playing together at parties and dances near their hometown. Surprisingly, when John was just 14 years old, he ran away from home because he was unhappy living in Mississippi, even though he loved playing with his stepfather. By the early 1940s, John had already moved to Detroit. His day job was being a janitor at an automobile factory, but during his nights he discovered his passion and entertained his friends by performing at house parties. It was there that he gathered and increased his fan base when he played at 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, a 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 a million copies and became a No. 1 jukebox hit. Shortly after this success, he released "I'm in the Mood", "Crawling Kingsnake" and "Hobo Blues". Over the next 15 years, he signed with Vee-Jay Records and maintained a good recording schedule and released over 100 songs under the label. When the 1960s arrived, he saw an opportunity to take another direction in his career with the folk movement and returned to his solo work. career as an artist. Certain artists like "The Rolling Stones", "The Animals and the Yardbirds" introduced John to a new audience which made him the superstar that he was. At 72 years old, John released his best and biggest album called “The Healer” which sold over 72 years. 1 million copies. John was definitely talented and popular and won many 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". Finally, he won the Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award in 1999. Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper now written by our expert writers.Get a custom essayUnfortunately, John passed away from natural causes on June 21, 2001 at age 81 at his home in Los Altos, California..