The undisputed "King of the Boogie," John Lee Hooker has not only achieved commercial success—a rare feat among blues sing-ers—but he has maintained it for over five decades. His one-chord, droning grooves lend themselves, as Robert Palmer writes, to "building up a cumulative, trancelike effect." Although he has attempted to redefine himself in recent years, much to the detriment of the legendary style and talent that made him famous, Hooker is still an original whose contributions to music in the twentieth century remain in a category of their own.

Born near Clarksdale, Mississippi, on August 22, 1917, Hooker's primary influence was his stepfather, Will Moore, a Louisiana-born guitarist who played in a style very different from that of other Delta players. Occasional visits by legendary bluesmen like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, and Blind Blake (who all knew Moore) certainly influenced young...