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wonderful ‘Blue Guitar’. This particular track was leased by Leonard Chess, who had
Muddy Waters dub Willie Dixon’s lyrics on top, to produce ‘You Shook Me’. The success

of this resulted on further dubbing over his instrumentals, one of which was Muddy’s
‘You Need Love’.

Chief folded in 1964, and Hooker recorded for the Cuca label until 1967, including

with pedal steel player Fred Roulette, with whom he would later tour extensively. The
label also released his landmark instrumental album “The Genius of Earl Hooker”.

Between 1967 and 1968 a further bout of tuberculosis kept him out of the studios
until 1969, by which time he had formed a band with Roulette, pianist Pinetop Perkins,
Carey Bell on harmonica and singer Andrew ‘Big Voice’ Odom, with whom he cut the
brilliant album “Two Bugs and a Roach”. That same year he also toured again with

Junior Wells, cut an album in LA with Ike Turner, played with Albert Collins and Jimi
Hendrix, and then gigged in California with cousin John Lee (with whom he recorded
the Bluesway album “If You Miss ‘im, I Got ‘im”).

He also found the time to record a solo Bluesway album (”You Don’t Have To Worry”)
and was featured guitar player on a number of others, including Charles Brown and

Jimmy Witherspoon.

In August he returned to Chicago for the Chicago Blues Festival, before heading to

Europe for 20 gigs in 23 days as part of the Lippmann and Rau folk/blues tour
(including an appearance at The Albert Hall and on Ready Steady Go). The tour was

Earl Hooker: Earls Boogie