John Lee Hooker Jr's Journey: Music, Addiction, and Redemption [Episode 253]

Our guest is John Lee Hooker Jr. who has a new book out titled From The Shadow Of The Blues: My Story of Music, Addiction, and Redemption. The son of blues legend John Lee Hooker—best known for hit songs like “Boogie Chillun,” “I’m in the Mood,” and “Boom Boom”—John Lee Hooker Jr. was born in Detroit and exposed to the music world from an early age, singing as a featured attraction in his father’s shows as a teenager. In 1972, he and his father performed live and recorded an album in Soledad Prison. Junior seemed to have a golden ticket to a successful music career, but trouble brewed. His father’s marriage was in trouble, and the family was ripped apart.

Drug addiction and a series of related crimes, including as a con player, landed Junior in and out of jails and prisons—including the infamous San Quentin—for three decades. Shot, stabbed, and convicted multiple times, Junior was at his lowest point doing time at a Santa Rita jail. Still, he emerged clean and sober and began a successful career as a blues singer, earning two Grammy nominations and even opening for the Rolling Stones. 

The life of a blues musician had its rewards but also its perils, and in 2019 Junior decided to devote himself fully to his faith. Today, Reverend John Lee Hooker Jr. testifies, preaches, and performs gospel music in churches and prisons across the U.S. and Germany. This is an amazing, inspiring story. 

Purchase a copy of From the Shadow of the Blues: My Story of Music, Addiction, and Redemption

Visit John Lee Hooker Jr's website
 
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