Epiphone Presents Ltd. Ed. John Lee Hooker 100th Anniversary Zephyr Outfit
By HC News |
Epiphone Presents
Ltd. Ed. John Lee Hooker 100th Anniversary Zephyr Outfit
Honoring Legendary Bluesman John Lee Hooker
First Epiphone Zephyr in over 50 years!
(October 1, 2018, Nashville, TN) Epiphone proudly presents the new Ltd. Ed. John Lee Hooker 100th Anniversary Zephyr Outfit honoring the “King of the Boogie,” one of the most influential artists in American music. Featuring the classic Zephyr archtop powered by new Epiphone ProBucker™ Mini-Humbucker humbuckers, Wilkinson® Deluxe machine heads, a Premium Vintage Styled Hard Case, and a leather strap.
The new Epiphone Ltd. Ed. John Lee Hooker 100th Anniversary Zephyr Outfit was made with the cooperation of the John Lee Hooker Estate to celebrate Hooker’s 100th birthday and is a faithful replica of his rare 1961 Epiphone Zephyr that served as his main instrument on tour and in the studio throughout the 1960s and early 70s. Hooker’s original Natural finish Zephyr was one of only 13 made in 1961 and only 45 Zephyrs were produced between 1959 and 1963. Now, 55 years later, there is no better way to reintroduce the Zephyr than to honor John Lee Hooker! Hooker was a fan of Epiphone instruments throughout his 50-year recording career and was known for his Epiphone Zephyr as well his elegant Epiphone Sheraton, which appeared on several album covers.
“My dad loved his Epiphone Zephyr because he loved beautiful things,” said recording artist Zakiya Hooker, John Lee Hooker’s daughter. “He loved the Zephyr for its beauty, grace, style and most of all, for the beautiful rich sound it that he could depend on whenever he picked it up to play. I know that he would have been proud to play this sexy guitar.”
John Lee Hooker was one of the most influential and distinctive musicians of the 20th century. Born August 22, 1917 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Hooker moved to Detroit in the late 1940s where he further developed his deceptively sophisticated and dynamic style that mixed boogie, swing, and Piedmont blues guitar. Hooker was also a gifted songwriter and many of his singles--"Boom, Boom", "Dimples," "I'm In the Mood," "Serves You Right To Suffer," and his trademark "Boogie Chillen,'" have become American standards. Hooker’s influence can be heard in the catalogs of Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Jones, Van Morrison, The Black Keys, George Thorogood, and many others.
Throughout October 2018, be sure to register to win a Ltd. Ed. John Lee Hooker 100th Anniversary Zephyr Outfit plus a copy of the new cd box set, King of the Boogie (Craft), which collects the best of Hooker’s career from his earliest 78s in Detroit to his all-star collaborations. And make plans today to visit the GRAMMY Museum®'s John Lee Hooker: King Of The Boogie exhibit featuring a rare 1961 Epiphone Zephyr (the same as Hooker’s original) and the Ltd. Ed. John Lee Hooker 100th Anniversary Zephyr Outfit. The exhibit is scheduled to travel to the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, OK in Spring 2019.
Visit Epiphone.com to see exclusive demonstration videos by legend Charlie Musselwhite and Hooker’s producer and band musical director, Roy Rogers. And visit your Authorized Epiphone Dealer today and discover the Ltd. Ed. John Lee Hooker 100th Anniversary Zephyr Outfit.
For more info, visit these sites:
Ltd. Ed. John Lee Hooker 100th Anniversary Zephyr Outfit Street Price $799
Listener’s Guide to John Lee Hooker
Epiphone October Giveaway-Ltd. Ed. John Lee Hooker 100th Anniversary Zephyr Outfit and
King of the Boogie cd box set
About Epiphone:
For over 140 years, Epiphone has been a leading innovator in instrument design with models like the Casino, the Texan, and the new Masterbilt Century Archtop Collection. Epiphone is also home to the PRO-1 Collection and is the official instrument of Rocksmith® Remastered, the acclaimed video experience that’s teaching millions around the world how to play guitar and bass. Epiphone began as the “House of Stathopoulo” family business in Sparta in the 1870s and rose to fame during Manhattan’s jazz age before joining Gibson brands in 1957. Today, Epiphone continues to make history from its headquarters in Nashville, TN. Epiphones have powered classic recordings by Les Paul, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones along with today’s top artists like Gary Clark Jr., Fantastic Negrito, Vampire Weekend, Paul McCartney, Tommy Thayer of KISS, and James Bay. Epiphone offers innovation, history, and a lifetime guarantee. At Epiphone, we're designers, we're players, and we're mavericks. And, we're passionate about everything we do.
John Lee Hooker Biography
Known to music fans around the world as the “King of the Boogie,” John Lee Hooker endures as one of the true superstars of the blues genre: the ultimate beholder of cool. His work is widely recognized for its impact on modern music – his simple, yet deeply effective songs transcend borders and languages around the globe. Each decade of Hooker’s long career brought a new generation of fans and fresh opportunities for the ever-evolving artist. He never slowed down either: As John Lee Hooker entered his 70s, he suddenly found himself in the most successful era of his career – reinvented yet again, and energized as ever, touring and recording up until his passing in 2001.
Born near Clarksdale, Mississippi on August 22, 1917 to a sharecropping family, John Lee Hooker‘s earliest musical influence came from his stepfather, William Moore ̶— a blues musician who taught his young stepson to play the guitar, and whom John Lee later credited for his unique style on the instrument.
By the early 1940s, Hooker had moved north to Detroit by way of Memphis and Cincinnati. By day, he was a janitor in the auto factories, but by night, like many other transplants from the rural Delta, he entertained friends and neighbors by playing at house parties. “The Hook” gained fans around town from these shows, including local record store owner Elmer Barbee. Barbee was so impressed by the young musician that he introduced him to Bernard Besman ̶ a producer, record distributor and owner of Sensation Records. By 1948, Hooker ̶ now honing his style on an electric guitar ̶ had recorded several songs for Besman, who, in turn, leased the tracks to Modern Records. Among these first recordings was “Boogie Chillun,” (soon after appearing as “Boogie Chillen”) which became a number one jukebox hit, selling over a million copies. This success was soon followed by a string of hits, including “I’m in the Mood,” “Crawling Kingsnake” and “Hobo Blues.” Over the next 15 years, John Lee signed to a new label, Vee-Jay Records, and maintained a prolific recording schedule, releasing over 100 songs on the imprint.
When the young bohemian artists of the 1960s “discovered” Hooker, among other notable blues originators, he found his career taking on a new direction. With the folk movement in high gear, Hooker returned to his solo, acoustic roots, and was in strong demand to perform at colleges and folk festivals around the country. Across the Atlantic, emerging British bands were idolizing Hooker’s work. Artists like the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Yardbirds introduced Hooker’s sound to new and eager audiences, whose admiration and influence helped build Hooker up to superstar status. By 1970, Hooker had relocated to California and was busy collaborating on several projects with rock acts. One such collaboration was with Canned Heat, which resulted in 1971’s hit record Hooker ’n’ Heat. The double LP became John Lee Hooker’s first charting album.
Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, John Lee toured the U.S. and Europe steadily. His appearance in the legendary Blues Brothers movie resulted in a heightened profile once again. Then, at the age of 72, John Lee Hooker released the biggest album of his career, The Healer. The GRAMMY® Award-winning 1989 LP paired contemporary artists (Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Los Lobos and George Thorogood, among others) with Hooker on some of his most famous tracks. The Healer was released to critical acclaim and sold over one million copies. The Hook rounded out the decade as a guest performer with the Rolling Stones, during the national broadcast of their 1989 Steel Wheels tour.
With his recent successes, John Lee entered the 1990s with a sense of renewed inspiration. Not only was the decade a time of celebration and recognition for the legendary artist, but it was also a highly productive era. He released five studio albums over the next few years, including Mr. Lucky, which once again teamed up Hooker with an array of artists; Boom Boom, which aimed to introduce new fans to his classic material; the GRAMMY® Award-winning Chill Out; and a collaboration with Van Morrison, Don’t Look Back, which also garnered two awards at the 1997 GRAMMYs®. Throughout the decade, Hooker’s great body of work and contributions to modern music were being recognized not only by his peers, but also by a younger generation. He became a familiar face in popular culture, with appearances on The Tonight Show and Late Night with David Letterman. In 1990, a massive tribute concert took place at New York’s Madison Square Garden, featuring Hooker and an all-star lineup of guest artists. One year later, John Lee was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, while in 1997, he was presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2000, shortly before his death, John Lee Hooker was recognized with a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award, and just one week before his passing, ever true to form, the bluesman spent his final Saturday night playing a now-legendary show to a packed house at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, CA.
The Hook continues to live on: His music can regularly be heard in TV shows, commercials and films, and many of his tracks have also found a second life sampled in new songs – by the likes of R&B star Brandi, hip-hop legend Chuck D and French electronic musician St Germain, among many others. Most recently, his iconic recording, the 1962 Vee-Jay Records single “Boom Boom,” was inducted into the 2016 GRAMMY® Hall of Fame.
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