Body & Soul has undertaken the huge task of issuing all of
John Lee Hooker's recorded work in chronological order, beginning with this double-disc set, which includes
Hooker's earliest Detroit recordings, kicking off with "Rocks," tracked on June 12, 1948, in a little studio behind Elmer Barbee's record shop on Lafayette Street. Most of the sides here were recorded by Bernie Besman at United Sound Studios in Detroit and were leased to Modern Records in Los Angeles, although Besman did release some of them on his own Sensation Records.
Hooker's first official single, "Sally Mae" b/w "Boogie Chillen," went to the top spot on the R&B charts in 1948 on the strength of its B-side, which became
Hooker's signature tune. Most of the tracks here are archival in interest, drawn from scratchy-sounding 78s, and it is primarily collectors who will be interested in this first installment in Body & Soul's grand undertaking. ~ Steve Leggett