Words matter. These are the best John Lee Hooker Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
The one thing the blues don’t get is the backing and pushing of TV and radio like a lot of this garbage you hears. They choke stuff down people’s throat so they got no choice but to listen to it.
All my life I been doin’ what people tell me to do. Now, I’m telling them.
I don’t do nothing I don’t want to do.
But I don’t want to do no big tours or go out on the road.
Oh, I still like to play and I still play when I want to.
I just get an idea and then all of a sudden I’ve got a song.
I do benefits. I do them all the time. There’s so many people out there that needs help that I can’t say I won’t help them.
It don’t take me no three days to record no album.
I like dropping into a small club and playing with some people, trying to help them get a start.
I don’t think about time. You’re here when you’re here. I think about today, staying in tune.
I have heartaches, I have blues. No matter what you got, the blues is there. ‘Cause that’s all I know – the blues. And I can sing the blues so deep until you can have this room full of money and I can give you the blues.
If they played more blues, people would just get it – they try to hold it back but just about can’t hold it back now because the blues is really going.
The way Will Moore taught me, and the way I play it, the blues is just something different.
I remember back in Detroit, I used to go to the Apex Bar every night after I got off work. The bartender there used to call me Boom Boom. I don’t know why, but he did.
In my career, people in the record business have been rockin’ in the same ol’ boat. They all crooks – I’ll say it clear and loud – especially the big ones.
Like you and your woman ain’t gettin’ along and you’re in love. You can’t sleep at nights. Your mind is on her – on whatever. You know, that’s the blues. You can’t hug that money at night. You can’t kiss it.
I went on to Cincinnati. I had got a taste of the big cities and them bright lights. I stayed there until I was about 18 or 19 and then I went on to Detroit.
