Ace Records
Catalogue No: CH 259
By the time of this 1960 recording, John Lee Hooker's blues had become part of the 'folk boom,' and hooker was one of the many blues and folk artists rediscovered by white urban kids caught up in the late-'50s / early-'60s folk revival. Naturally, Hooker was happy to oblige a movement that allowed him access to a wider audience, so he entered a New York studio with famed jazz producer Orrin Keepnews and the rhythm section from Cannonball Adderly's group for a dozen bracing tracks of unadorned blues. Though the most effective cuts are (as usual) solo tunes like the subtly insinuating 'Come On And See About Me,' bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes do an admirable job of keeping it appropriately simple while providing a framework for Hooker's ominous acoustic riffs and warm, craggy voice.
