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. – John Lee Hooker
The way Will Moore taught me, and the way I play it, the blues is just something different. – John Lee Hooker
I don’t play a lot of fancy guitar. I don’t want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks. – John Lee Hooker
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. – John Lee Hooker
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. – John Lee Hooker
They wasn’t gonna give you nothin’. I didn’t care as long as they let me play my music. Cash on the spot… You cheat me and I’m gonna get me some money, too. – John Lee Hooker
Since you knew they was goin’ to cheat you anyway, I recorded under any name with all of ’em. – John Lee Hooker
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. – John Lee Hooker
I like dropping into a small club and playing with some people, trying to help them get a start. – John Lee Hooker
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. – John Lee Hooker
I’ve got enough money to live me two lifetimes so I don’t have to do nothing I don’t want to. – John Lee Hooker
Groups are corporations now. They have pension plans. Musicians have saw the daylight. – John Lee Hooker
You can go to Europe, and there’s no turnin’ back – any parts of Europe. Wherever you are, there is no stop and go for the blues. The blues go but it don’t stop. – John Lee Hooker
I hitchhiked, took trucks ‘n’ trains – anything that would pick me up. I stopped in Memphis for about six months and they found me and come got me. Stayed about a month an’ split again. – John Lee Hooker
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. – John Lee Hooker
I don’t think about time. You’re here when you’re here. I think about today, staying in tune. – John Lee Hooker
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. – John Lee Hooker
I want to play music when I want, write a song if I want or watch a baseball game if I want. – John Lee Hooker
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. – John Lee Hooker
