Procol leader on tribute album

Gary Brooker contributes two tracks [Baby Lee, Little Wheel] to the album From Clarksdale to Heaven, a 14-track tribute to Giant of the Blues, John Lee Hooker.

This concentrates on the overwhelming influence Hooker had on British musicians of the 1960s - as well as Gary it features Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor, and Gary Moore. It was the British musicians of the 60s, after all, who reintroduced the Blues to America via their versions of songs by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson ... and John Lee Hooker.

Below is a picture of Arnie Goodman, whose label has put out this Hooker tribute album, in another Procol connection: his companions are (left to right) Alixandre ("don't ask") / Unsteady Freddie / and of course Procol's Keith Reid.
 

Here's our earlier news about this album before it was available:

Label advisor to Blue Storm Music (and Cream / Jack Bruce lyricist) Pete Brown is currently working on a project From Clarksdale To Heaven - Remembering John Lee Hooker.

Hooker made acclaimed albums studded with guest appearances by famed acolytes like Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Robert Cray, Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Keith Richards and others. He won four Grammys (the Oscars of the music industry) and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

From his birth in the hard lands of Clarksdale, Mississippi, until his death on June 21 of last year, John Lee was both an inspiration and a musical god to scores of musicians in the US and England. As a blues player, music (in the words of Robert Cray) "just came out of his soul. It was true soul music." He was a true stylist, noted for his ominous lyrics, hammer-of-the-gods foot stomping, and percussive guitar playing, leading Pete Townshend to say "Without him there would be no power chord."

Blue Storm Music wanted to pay tribute to this Blues giant and the result, the first of two volumes, is From Clarksdale To Heaven - Remembering John Lee Hooker. The first volume reads like a Who's Who of British legends - Jeff Beck, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, Jack Bruce, Gary Moore, Gary Brooker, Bad Company, all of whom interpret with reverence and respect the songs that made John Lee Hooker an icon.

Of special interest will be a track recorded by John Lee's daughter Zakiya Hooker and who will be sharing some memories of her father in the CD's liner notes. Finally, there will be a very special bonus track - a previously unreleased version of Jimi Hendrix' Red House performed by John Lee Hooker with Booker T (who recorded Green Onions).
 

Order this CD from Amazon USA here, from Amazon UK here, from Amazon Germany here and from Amazon Canada here