Story Behind The Song: The Earl of Hooker
Earl Hooker was one of the unsung heros of American music. Undoubtedly, one of the most technical players to come along in the blues during the 1950’s & 60’s, Earl Hooker was also a pioneer. Often seen playing a double neck Gibson, Earl Hooker was the first recording artist to not only make a recording with a crazy new gadget called a “wah-wah” pedal, but he combined it with slide guitar for a sound most people at the time never imagined was possible.
Besides being a phenomenal blues player, Earl spent much of his career as a session player in the country music industry. Despite his talent, his career was largely overshadowed by his cousin’s success. John Lee Hooker was the hot ticket, especially amongst the young Bristish rockers who were invading America at the time. Somehow they just seemed to miss Earl.
Tragically, Earl Hooker died in 1970 at the young age of 41 from a lifelong struggle with tuberculosis.
“The Earl of Hooker” is my tribute to this talented man. I did my best to recapture Earl’s sound from the mid 1960’s. Next time you are downloading some music, check out Earl Hooker; especially his song Two Bugs and a Roach.
To record this track, I used a Guild Nightbird, run through a Multivox Fullrotor and a Morley NSW Wah. The amp is an Egnater Tweaker.
Links:
Reverbnation
iTunes
Spotify
Amazon
Official Video
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