earl hooker w jody williams

Biography

Earl Hooker (1929-1970) and Jody Williams (1935-2018) were two influential Chicago blues guitarists whose careers intertwined in the late 1950s and early 1960s, notably through joint recordings like the 1977 LP 'The Leading Brand,' featuring tracks from that era. Earl Hooker, born near Clarksdale in the Mississippi Delta and cousin to John Lee Hooker, moved to Chicago early in life and became renowned for his exceptional slide guitar technique in both standard and open tunings. He toured extensively across the South, Memphis, and Chicago, backing artists and recording instrumentals such as 'Blue Guitar,' 'Blues in D Natural,' and 'Calling All Blues' for Chief/Profile/Age labels, while battling tuberculosis that ultimately claimed his life at age 41[2][4]. Jody Williams, born Joseph Leon Williams in Mobile, Alabama, relocated to Chicago at age five, learned guitar from Bo Diddley after starting on harmonica, and honed his flamboyant style—marked by string-bending, raised fifths, minor sixths, and open E tuning—gigging with Memphis Minnie, Elmore James, and Otis Spann before becoming a top session player at Chess Records[1].

Hooker's career peaked in the late 1950s/early 1960s as Chief Records' house guitarist, collaborating with Junior Wells on classics like 'Messin' with the Kid' and 'It Hurts Me Too,' and later with Muddy Waters on 'You Shook Me,' plus sessions for Blue Thumb Records with John Lee Hooker, Charles Brown, and others before his health declined after a grueling 1969 European tour[2][3][4]. Williams shone as a session ace, providing blistering leads on Bo Diddley's 'Who Do You Love?' and Howlin' Wolf tracks like 'Evil Is Going On,' while his solo releases like 'Lookin' for My Baby' and 'Lucky Lou' influenced peers; his innovative riffs were directly copied by Otis Rush on 'All Your Love (I Miss Loving)' and Buddy Guy's 'Sit and Cry (The Blues)'[1]. Their shared blues style emphasized virtuosic guitar work in the Chicago electric blues scene.

Hooker's legacy endures as an underrated slide master whose fluid playing shaped electric blues, while Williams, inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013, retired from music in the late 1960s to work as an electronics engineer for Xerox for over 25 years, leaving a profound impact through session contributions despite limited solo recognition[1][2][4].

Fun Facts

• Earl Hooker unknowingly recorded his best-known instrumental 'Blue Guitar' while noodling around in the studio during a Chief Records session[2].
• Jody Williams retired from music in the late 1960s to study electronics and worked as a technical engineer for Xerox for over 25 years[1].
• Hooker once had a better jazz group than Muddy Waters on the same show, but the audience preferred Muddy's blues, so Waters stole the show[3].
• Williams' blistering guitar on Bo Diddley's 'Who Do You Love?' (1956) became a rock 'n' roll staple, though uncredited[1].

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Bo Diddley - Taught Williams rudiments of guitar and open E tuning after talent show meeting (Street performances together by 1951) [Late 1940s-early 1950s]
• Robert Nighthawk - Played with Hooker in Helena, Arkansas (Live performances) [Late 1940s]

Key Collaborators

• Junior Wells - Longtime friend; Hooker backed Wells on key recordings ('Little By Little,' 'Messin’ with the Kid,' 'It Hurts Me Too') [Late 1950s-early 1960s]
• Jody Williams - Joint recordings as session guitarists ('The Leading Brand' LP (tracks from late 1950s-early 1960s)) [Late 1950s-early 1960s]
• Muddy Waters - Hooker provided slide guitar on select tracks ('You Shook Me') [1960s]
• Howlin' Wolf - Williams as first guitarist in Wolf's Chicago band with Hubert Sumlin ('Evil Is Going On,' 'Forty Four,' 'Who Will Be Next,' 'Come to Me Baby') [1954-1955]

Artists Influenced

• Otis Rush - Copied Williams' riff from 'Lucky Lou' for major hit; played sessions together ('All Your Love (I Miss Loving)' (1958); solo on Buddy Guy's 'Sit and Cry (The Blues)') [1950s]
• Buddy Guy - Rush's solo on Guy's debut copied from Williams' 'You May' ('Sit and Cry (The Blues)' (1958)) [1958]

External Links

• Spotify