I always thought "La Grange" had one of the most infectious riffs I'd ever heard . .

[derf]

Not quite. The lawsuit was mounted by Bernard Besman, Hooker's original manager/producer/label boss who, as was common practice at the time, assigned himself 50% of the publishing rights of Hooker's early songs, including Boogie Chillen. He initiated the case, not John Lee, on behalf of his own share of the song. As a matter of fact, JLH himself -- who was on good'n friendly terms with the Rev Willy G -- was embarrassed by the case, which was ongoing while I was at work on John Lee's biography, Boogie Man *unashamed plug* His exact words were, 'I don't want none'a Billy's money. I got plenty money'a my own.' An early report of the case (c 1995) can be found at: http://technoculture.mira.net.au/hypermail/0026.html

 

If you are going to confuse this thread with the facts a lot of us are going to be unable to use our best stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you shed any light on this story?

 

I seem to remember reading, that as a very old man JLH risked his life by running into his burning home several times to rescue his favorite guitars from the flames.

 

What a nut. :poke:

[Kap'n]

 

Not quite. The lawsuit was mounted by Bernard Besman, Hooker's original manager/producer/label boss who, as was common practice at the time, assigned himself 50% of the publishing rights of Hooker's early songs, including Boogie Chillen. He initiated the case, not John Lee, on behalf of his own share of the song. As a matter of fact, JLH himself -- who was on good'n friendly terms with the Rev Willy G -- was embarrassed by the case, which was ongoing while I was at work on John Lee's biography, Boogie Man *unashamed plug* His exact words were, 'I don't want none'a Billy's money. I got plenty money'a my own.' An early report of the case (c 1995) can be found at: http://technoculture.mira.net.au/hypermail/0026.html

 

 

John Lee was a big man for that. His whole career could almost be defined by that riff, and some punk ass kids from Texas steal it and make millions. Sure, Billy and Co. take it into the stratosphere, but with no JLH, there would be no La Grange.

 

I'd like to think that tune sold a few John Lee records, too.

[csm]

 

Can you shed any light on this story? I seem to remember reading, that as a very old man JLH risked his life by running into his burning home several times to rescue his favorite guitars from the flames. What a nut. :poke:

 

 

You're right apart from a few minor details:

1) It wasn't John Lee ... it was BB King.

2) It wasn't as a very old man, but as a very young man right at the start of his career.

3) It wasn't BB's home which was burning, but a jook joint where he was playing.

4) It wasn't 'his favorite guitars' which were inside, and which he ran back inside to save, but his one and only guitar.

 

Bonus fact: the shack caught fire as a result of a fight over a woman named Lucille. BB subsequently named all his guitars 'Lucille' -- to remind himself never to do a damnfool thing like that ever again.

[BydoEmpire]

 

Bonus fact: the shack caught fire as a result of a fight over a woman named Lucille. BB subsequently named all his guitars 'Lucille' -- to remind himself never to do a damnfool thing like that ever again.

B.B. expains it all quiet well in his song "Lucille."

 

XBknJjw-5y8

 

One of my favorites, by the way. I always looked at it as a kind of a textbook of his style in one neat 10 minute package.

[derf]

 

You're right apart from a few minor details: 1) It wasn't John Lee ... it was BB King. 2) It wasn't as a very old man, but as a very young man right at the start of his career. 3) It wasn't BB's home which was burning, but a jook joint where he was playing. 4) It wasn't 'his favorite guitars' which were inside, and which he ran back inside to save, but his one and only guitar. Bonus fact: the shack caught fire as a result of a fight over a woman named Lucille. BB subsequently named all his guitars 'Lucille' -- to remind himself never to do a damnfool thing like that ever again.

 

 

That's a cool story an all but I was talking about this, same thing only different; Doesn't cover all the details of the guitar rescue but documents the event.

 

 

07-28) 04:00 PST LOS ALTOS -- John Lee Hooker may be singing the blues again.

 

The legendary musician's $1.5 million Los Altos home burst into flames Sunday night, causing $400,000 in damage, firefighters said.

More News

 

The Grammy award-winning bluesman escaped unharmed with his eight guitars. But one of Hooker's housemates, a 43-year-old man, received a cut on his hand when he smashed a window to save several cats, said Teresa Meisenbach, senior deputy fire marshal for the Santa Clara County Fire Department.

 

A firefighter suffered minor wrist burns and was recuperating at home yesterday, she said. The flames were snuffed out in less than an hour by 35 firefighters.

 

Yesterday, investigators began looking into the cause of the blaze, which started at about 8:15 p.m. in the ceiling of one of the home's eight bedrooms, according to Meisenbach.

 

Yesterday, Hooker's friends sifted through the cinders of the ranch-style home to see what valuables had been lost.

 

``At least he got his guitars,'' said one man, who declined to identify himself. ``We've just got a lot of work to do.''

 

He said that Hooker had relocated to his house in Redwood City. The 77-year-old musician owns five houses, including one in Long Beach.

 

Originally from Clarksdale, Miss., Hooker settled in the Bay Area. He owns The Boom Boom Room, a popular jazz-and-blues club in San Francisco.

 

Hooker's album ``The Healer,'' released in 1989, sold more than 1.5 million copies. He and singer Bonnie Raitt, who teamed up with Hooker for the duet ``I'm in the Mood,'' won a Grammy award.

 

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/07/28/MN1924.DTL#ixzz0csoscs9B

[Heartstring]

Not quite. The lawsuit was mounted by Bernard Besman, Hooker's original manager/producer/label boss who, as was common practice at the time, assigned himself 50% of the publishing rights of Hooker's early songs, including Boogie Chillen. He initiated the case, not John Lee, on behalf of his own share of the song. As a matter of fact, JLH himself -- who was on good'n friendly terms with the Rev Willy G -- was embarrassed by the case, which was ongoing while I was at work on John Lee's biography, Boogie Man *unashamed plug* His exact words were, 'I don't want none'a Billy's money. I got plenty money'a my own.' An early report of the case (c 1995) can be found at: http://technoculture.mira.net.au/hypermail/0026.html

 

Thanks, csm. This is what makes a great forum!

 

BTW, had I been the judge, it would have been case dismissed. Boogie Chillen isn't that close to LaGrange, IMO.

[Heartstring]

I'm convinced that Billy Gibbons needs to ditch ZZ Top for a while and just be a gun for hire. He's at his best when playing with other musicians.

 

Not IMO.

 

Can we agree to disagree?

 

BTW, Great thread!

[csm]

 

That's a cool story an all but I was talking about this, same thing only different; Doesn't cover all the details of the guitar rescue but documents the event. 07-28) 04:00 PST LOS ALTOS -- John Lee Hooker may be singing the blues again. The legendary musician's $1.5 million Los Altos home burst into flames Sunday night, causing $400,000 in damage, firefighters said. More News The Grammy award-winning bluesman escaped unharmed with his eight guitars. But one of Hooker's housemates, a 43-year-old man, received a cut on his hand when he smashed a window to save several cats, said Teresa Meisenbach, senior deputy fire marshal for the Santa Clara County Fire Department. A firefighter suffered minor wrist burns and was recuperating at home yesterday, she said. The flames were snuffed out in less than an hour by 35 firefighters. Yesterday, investigators began looking into the cause of the blaze, which started at about 8:15 p.m. in the ceiling of one of the home's eight bedrooms, according to Meisenbach. Yesterday, Hooker's friends sifted through the cinders of the ranch-style home to see what valuables had been lost. ``At least he got his guitars,'' said one man, who declined to identify himself. ``We've just got a lot of work to do.'' He said that Hooker had relocated to his house in Redwood City. The 77-year-old musician owns five houses, including one in Long Beach. Originally from Clarksdale, Miss., Hooker settled in the Bay Area. He owns The Boom Boom Room, a popular jazz-and-blues club in San Francisco. Hooker's album ``The Healer,'' released in 1989, sold more than 1.5 million copies. He and singer Bonnie Raitt, who teamed up with Hooker for the duet ``I'm in the Mood,'' won a Grammy award. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/07/28/MN1924.DTL#ixzz0csoscs9B

 

 

Well, ain't THAT a beeyatch ...

 

If JLH was 77 at the time, that would have put the fire in 1995, which was while I was writing Boogie Man (the Hooker bio), but neither Hooker nor anybody in his circle ever mentioned this event to me.

 

And during the period of working on the book, JLH's primary residence was the Redwood City house, which was where those of our meetings which didn't take place 'on the road' occurred. Certainly, all his instruments were in Redwood City. I did most of the writing at home in the UK, with periodic visits of a week or two at a time to the Bay Area.

[csm]

 

That's a cool story an all but I was talking about this, same thing only different; Doesn't cover all the details of the guitar rescue but documents the event. 07-28) 04:00 PST LOS ALTOS -- John Lee Hooker may be singing the blues again. The legendary musician's $1.5 million Los Altos home burst into flames Sunday night, causing $400,000 in damage, firefighters said. More News The Grammy award-winning bluesman escaped unharmed with his eight guitars. But one of Hooker's housemates, a 43-year-old man, received a cut on his hand when he smashed a window to save several cats, said Teresa Meisenbach, senior deputy fire marshal for the Santa Clara County Fire Department. A firefighter suffered minor wrist burns and was recuperating at home yesterday, she said. The flames were snuffed out in less than an hour by 35 firefighters. Yesterday, investigators began looking into the cause of the blaze, which started at about 8:15 p.m. in the ceiling of one of the home's eight bedrooms, according to Meisenbach. Yesterday, Hooker's friends sifted through the cinders of the ranch-style home to see what valuables had been lost. ``At least he got his guitars,'' said one man, who declined to identify himself. ``We've just got a lot of work to do.'' He said that Hooker had relocated to his house in Redwood City. The 77-year-old musician owns five houses, including one in Long Beach. Originally from Clarksdale, Miss., Hooker settled in the Bay Area. He owns The Boom Boom Room, a popular jazz-and-blues club in San Francisco. Hooker's album ``The Healer,'' released in 1989, sold more than 1.5 million copies. He and singer Bonnie Raitt, who teamed up with Hooker for the duet ``I'm in the Mood,'' won a Grammy award. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1998/07/28/MN1924.DTL#ixzz0csoscs9B

 

 

Well, ain't THAT a beeyatch ...

 

If JLH was 77 at the time, that would have put the fire in 1994 or '95, which was while I was writing Boogie Man (the Hooker bio), but neither Hooker nor anybody in his circle ever mentioned this event to me.

 

And during the period of working on the book, JLH's primary residence was the Redwood City house, which was where those of our meetings which didn't take place 'on the road' occurred. Certainly, all his instruments were in Redwood City. I did most of the writing at home in the UK, with periodic visits of a week or two at a time to the US to conduct interviews with John, his friends, family and associates.

[derf]

 

Well, ain't THAT a beeyatch ... If JLH was 77 at the time, that would have put the fire in 1994 or '95, which was while I was writing Boogie Man (the Hooker bio), but neither Hooker nor anybody in his circle ever mentioned this event to me.

 

 

My Search showed the fire to be in 1998 that's probably the reason he didn't mention it. I remember reading about it at the time it happened though, that's how I knew about it.

[csm]

 

My Search showed the fire to be in 1998 that's probably the reason he didn't mention it. I remember reading about it at the time it happened though, that's how I knew about it.

 

 

AHA!

 

In 1998, John was actually 81 -- and the book was pretty much at final proof stage by then.

 

Wheew ... for a moment there I thought I'd been inexcusably remiss in my duties as a biographer.

 

*wipes brow*