EARL HOOKER "Sweet Black Angel" LP NM/VG+ w HP 1969 (Ike Turner)

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Earl Hooker Biography by Bill Dahl

If there was a more immaculate slide guitarist residing in Chicago during the 1950s and '60s than Earl Hooker, his name has yet to surface. Boasting a fretboard touch so smooth and clean that every note rang as clear and precise as a bell, Hooker was an endlessly inventive axeman who would likely have been a star had his modest vocal abilities matched his instrumental prowess and had he not been dogged by tuberculosis (it killed him at age 41).

Born in the Mississippi Delta, Hooker arrived in Chicago as a child. There he was influenced by another slide wizard, veteran Robert Nighthawk. But Hooker never remained still for long. He ran away from home at age 13, journeying to Mississippi. After another stint in Chicago, he rambled back to the Delta again, playing with Ike Turner and Sonny Boy Williamson. Hooker made his first recordings in 1952 and 1953 for Rockin', King, and Sun. At the latter, he recorded some terrific sides with pianist Pinetop Perkins (Sam Phillips inexplicably sat on Hooker's blazing rendition of "The Hucklebuck").

Back in Chicago again, Hooker's dazzling dexterity was intermittently showcased on singles for Argo, C.J., and Bea & Baby during the mid- to late '50s before he joined forces with producer Mel London (owner of the Chief and Age logos) in 1959. For the next four years, he recorded both as sideman and leader for the producer, backing Junior Wells, Lillian Offitt, Ricky Allen, and A.C. Reed and cutting his own sizzling instrumentals ("Blue Guitar," "Blues in D-Natural"). He also contributed pungent slide work to Muddy Waters' Chess waxing "You Shook Me." Opportunities to record grew sparse after Age folded; Hooker made some tantalizing sides for Sauk City, WI's Cuca Records from 1964 to 1968 (several featuring steel guitar virtuoso Freddie Roulette).

Hooker's amazing prowess (he even managed to make the dreaded wah-wah pedal a viable blues tool) finally drew increased attention during the late '60s. He cut LPs for Arhoolie, ABC-BluesWay, and Blue Thumb that didn't equal what he'd done at Age, but they did serve to introduce Hooker to an audience outside Chicago and wherever his frequent travels deposited him. But tuberculosis halted his wandering ways permanently in 1970.

Earl Hooker – Sweet Black Angel

Earl Hooker - Sweet Black Angel album cover

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Label: Blue Thumb Records – BTS 12

Format:

Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Santa Maria Pressing

Country: US

Released: 1969

Genre: Funk / Soul, Blues

Style: Electric Blues, Chicago Blues

A1 I Feel Good

Written-By – James Brown

A2 Drivin' Wheel

Written-By – Roosevelt Sykes

A3 Shuffle

Written-By – Krasnow*, Hooker*, Turner*

A4 Country And Western

Written-By – Hooker*

A5 Sweet Home Chicago

Adapted By – Earl Hooker

B1 Sweet Black Angel

Written-By – Robert Nighthawk

B2 Boogie, Don't Blot!

Written-By – Krasnow*, Turner*

B3 Cross Cut Saw

Written-By – R.G. Ford

B4 Catfish Blues

Written-By – Krasnow*, Hooker*, Turner*

B5 The Mood

Written-By – Hooker*, Turner*

B6 Funky Blues

Written-By – Turner*

Record Company – Blue Thumb Records, Inc.

Published By – Rococco Music

Published By – Placid Music

Published By – Taccoa Music

Published By – Testament Music

Published By – East/Side Music

Mastered At – Customatrix

Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Santa Maria

Arranged By – Ike Turner

Art Direction – Michangelo Linguini

Photography By – John Hayes (5)

Producer – Bob Krasnow, Ike Turner

Original pressing with BTS 12 catalog number (later changed to 8812).

All selections Rococco Music/Placid Music, BMI, except A1: Taccoa Music, BMI; B1: Testament Music, BMI; B3: East/Side Music, BMI;

Runouts are etched. The 'S' indicating Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Santa Maria is etched backwards in the runout.

Rights Society: BMI

Matrix / Runout (Side A label): 5023

Matrix / Runout (Side B label): 5024

Matrix / Runout (Side A runout): S 1 BTS 5023 -1B. o A

Matrix / Runout (Side B runout): S 1 BTS 5024 -1B. o

 ANEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.

VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.

VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.

GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.

POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.