John Lee Hooker – Burning Hell

Frequently known as “The King of the Boogie,” GRAMMY AWARD® winner John Lee Hooker was one of American music’s most important artists. As a young man, the Mississippi-born singer, songwriter and guitarist relocated to Detroit, where he established himself in the industry, making his debut recordings and scoring his earliest hits (including 1948’s R&B No.1, “Boogie Chillen’”). Over a decade later, back in Motor City, Hooker laid down one of his first full-length LPs, Burning Hell, for Riverside Records.

Recorded in Detroit in April 1959 (during a session that also produced 1960’s The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker), Burning Hell was a stylistic outlier for the artist, who was better known at the time for his electric, R&B-influenced sound. Instead, Riverside sought to highlight Hooker’s Delta roots, capturing him in an intimate setting where he was accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. The resulting album showcased Hooker’s commanding presence as an artist, as he delivered a soulful blend of original songs (“Graveyard Blues,”  “You Live Your Life and I’ll Live Mine” and the title track, among them) as well as a selection of blues standards, including Big Joe Williams’ “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightnin’,” and the Charlie Segar/Big Bill Broonzy-penned “Key to the Highway.”

As powerful as the recording was, Burning Hell wasn’t released until 1964—not long after Hooker had become a sensation in the UK, amid the Blues revival. Originally only available in Europe, the album quickly became a sought-after rarity, coveted by Blues and Folk aficionados across the globe. Today, it remains a standout title in Hooker’s prolific catalog of work. In a retrospective review, AllMusic hailed Burning Hell  “among John Lee Hooker’s most edgy and focused performances,” while UKVibe wrote that “There is a freshness to the interpretations that transcends time and place.”

This long-awaited reissue of Burning Hell marks the first worldwide reissue on a single vinyl LP as well as its debut in hi-res audio.

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