Craft Recordings releases animated lyric video for John Lee Hooker’s ‘Boom Boom’

60^TH ANNIVERSARY EXPANDED AND REMASTERED REISSUES OF

JOHN LEE HOOKER’S BURNIN’

OUT TODAY (2/24) ON CRAFT RECORDINGS

ANIMATED VIDEO FOR HOOKER’S ICONIC HIT SONG “BOOM BOOM”

ALSO OUT TODAY, PAYING HOMAGE TO THE BLUES ICON’S

DETROIT ROOTS

Expanded editions include previously unreleased alternate take of “Thelma,” plus newly available Mono mixes of the complete album

Click here to order album

Click here to watch animated lyric video for “Boom Boom”

Los Angeles, CA (February 24, 2023)—Craft Recordings’ 60^th anniversary special reissues for Burnin’, the electrifying blues album from John Lee Hooker, are out today. The albums include the original recording of Hooker’s highly influential signature hit “Boom Boom” and feature members of the legendary Funk Brothers (Motown Records’ celebrated house band).

Newly remastered from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, Burnin’ (60^th Anniversary Edition) is available in several formats, including a 180-gram vinyl LP (featuring a stereo mix of the album, as it was first released in 1962) housed in a tip-on jacket, which replicates Vee-Jay Records’ original designs. In addition to a wide release on classic black vinyl, fans can also find the album in a variety of limited-edition color pressings, including Flame Orange vinyl (via Barnes and Noble), Translucent Red vinyl (via Independent Record Stores), and Fuego Blend vinyl (via JohnLeeHooker.com, where you can also find a brand-new official T-shirt featuring the iconic album artwork).

Plus, expanded CD and digital editions offer both mono and stereo mixes of the album, and a previously unreleased alternate take of the song “Thelma,” captured during Hooker’s November 1961 session. The CD also includes new liner notes by GRAMMY^®-nominated journalist and music historian, Bill Dahl. Digital configurations include standard and hi-res, 192/24 and 96/24. Fans can stream/download the new Mono mixes now HERE.

Coinciding with the album’s release, a new animated lyric video for John Lee Hooker’s iconic signature hit song “Boom Boom,” is available now (watch here). Regarding the video, director Sandra Clua shares, “The idea was to create not just a usual lyric video. In this case, we travel into the Apex Bar in Detroit, where John got the idea for the song. The viewer gets immersed into this dark, neon, dirty, smoky bar full of energy and good music ‒ recreating the atmosphere of a blues bar.”

Known fondly as “King of the Boogie,” John Lee Hooker (1917–2001) was one of the most important blues artists of all time, whose work had a significant impact on modern music. Born in Mississippi to a family of sharecroppers, Hooker learned how to play the guitar at a young age, picking up his distinctive technique from his stepfather. In his 20s, he relocated to Detroit, where he spent his days as a janitor in an auto factory and his nights pursuing a career as a musician. He scored his first No.1 R&B hit with one of his earliest recordings, 1948’s “Boogie Chillen,” followed by singles like “Hobo Blues,” “Crawlin’ King Snake,” and “I’m in the Mood,” all of which landed in the R&B Top Ten. But these recordings typically featured a simple set-up: just Hooker alone in the studio, accompanying himself on guitar and keeping the beat with his foot. By the turn of the ’60s, when Hooker signed to Chicago’s Vee-Jay Records, his sessions began to expand—initially with a second guitarist or a harmonica player (as heard in albums like Travelin’ and The Folklore of John Lee Hooker). Burnin’, however, was a stylistic departure that would not only bring the bluesman a new generation of fans but would also change the course of his career.

Sample of praise:

“John Lee Hooker’s Burnin’ is essential listening, and this new Craft Recordings reissue is probably the best way to enjoy it without breaking the bank for a rare mint original copy — if you could even find one.”

– Mark Smotroff, Analog Planet

“Burnin’ is the album that signified a paradigm shift in Hooker’s career…set him on the course that would define the rest of his recorded output and see him become one of – if not the – most influential bluesmen of the modern age. It’s unmissable – history you can dance to.”

– Mark Hagen, Holler

“…impeccable grooves…’Boom Boom’ remains the gold standard for unimpeachable stone-cold cool.”

– James McNair, Mojo

“…Burnin’ is Hooker’s show, and he proves to be an immensely charismatic frontman, enlivened rather than tamed by his band…a beautifully rambunctious collection…”

– Stephen Deusner, Uncut

John Lee Hooker (courtesy of Craft Recordings/Concord)

Tracklist (LP):

Side A:

1. Boom Boom (Stereo)

2. Process (Stereo)

3. Lost A Good Girl (Stereo)

4. A New Leaf (Stereo)

5. Blues Before Sunrise (Stereo)

6. Let’s Make It (Stereo)

Side B:

1. I Got A Letter (Stereo)

2. Thelma (Stereo)

3. Drug Store Woman (Stereo)

4. Keep Your Hands To Yourself (Stereo)

5. What Do You Say (Stereo)

Tracklist (Expanded CD/digital):

1.     Boom Boom (Stereo)

2.     Process (Stereo)

3.     Lost A Good Girl (Stereo)

4.     A New Leaf (Stereo)

5.     Blues Before Sunrise (Stereo)

6.     Let’s Make It (Stereo)

7.     I Got A Letter (Stereo)

8.     Thelma (Stereo)

9.     Drug Store Woman (Stereo)

10.  Keep Your Hands To Yourself (Stereo)

11.  What Do You Say (Stereo)

12.  Thelma (Alternate Take)*

13.  Boom Boom (Mono)

14.  Process (Mono)

15.  Lost A Good Gir (Mono)

16.  A New Leaf (Mono)

17.  Blues Before Sunrise (Mono)

18.  Let’s Make It (Mono)

19.  I Got A Letter (Mono)

20.  Thelma (Mono)

21.  Drug Store Woman (Mono)

22.  Keep Your Hands To Yourself (Mono)

23.  What Do You Say (Mono)

* previously unreleased alternate take

About Craft Recordings

Craft Recordings is home to one of the largest and most essential collections of master recordings and compositions in the world. Its storied repertoire includes landmark releases from icons such as Joan Baez, John Coltrane, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, Little Richard, R.E.M., Joan Sebastian, and Traveling Wilburys. Plus, the catalog recordings of celebrated contemporary acts including A Day to Remember, Evanescence, Alison Krauss, Nine Inch Nails, Taking Back Sunday and Violent Femmes, to name just a few. Renowned imprints with catalogs issued under the Craft banner include Fania, Fantasy, Fearless, Musart, Nitro, Panart, Prestige, Riverside, Rounder, Specialty, Stax, Vanguard, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Victory, among many others. Craft creates thoughtfully curated packages, with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation—ensuring that these recordings endure for new generations to discover. Craft is also home to the Billie Holiday and Tammy Wynette estates which preserve and protect their respective names, likeness and music through day-to-day legacy management of these cultural trailblazers. Craft Recordings is the catalog label team for Concord Recorded Music. For more info, visit CraftRecordings.com and follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.