John Lee Hooker & The Groundhogs - Boom Boom (The Beat Room, Oct 05, 1964)

John Lee Hooker was a guest on the BBC2 music show The Beat Room in 1964. His band at the time, the Groundhogs, had only recently started playing the blues at the suggestion of their new guitarist, Tony McPhee, who had also renamed the group after one of Hooker´s songs.
Tony and the band played all of the gigs on the blossoming blues circuit and then backed Hooker on the final week of his first British tour. John liked the band so much that he always asked for them to back him on British tours and preferred to travel with them in their Commer van. In an interview of the time he called them the ‘number one British blues band’.
Hooker and the Hogs’ studio recordings from this period have been issued under many different titles, but they first appeared in the US on the 1966 Verve Folkways album ...And Seven Nights (link). The song they are tearing up below, “I’m Leaving,” was not one of these, but a terrifying single (link) Hooker cut for Vee-Jay in ‘63.
Footage licensed from BBC Studios Distribution. All rights reserved.
#JohnLeeHooker

[@geoffreypiltz271]

RIP Tony McPhee, one of Britain's greatest guitarists.

[@robertcapewell2788]

John Lee, is the KING OF THE BLUES.

[@robertcapewell2788]

lONG LIVE THE MUSIC OF THE KING, JOHN LEE HOOKER.

[@davestratton460]

Always got my attention.

[@michaelc9842]

In his later years JLH lived next door to my sister in the Bay Area. She would see him sitting in the back seat of his Caddy as his son drove him up to SF to play various venues. It was great!

[@Ramblin-Man]

He sure loved his Cadillac. And that would be John Lee Hooker Jr. (b. 1952) driving...

[@marinz999]

I'm waiting for my legend John Lee Hooker ..fan from Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦

[@sellabdel3679]

Yeah saaudia Big fan if boom boom😂😅

[@Mike583]

I'm sorry but,the only chance you're going to get to meet him,is in the afterlife. ❤😎👍😯😔😥

[@nexusi6867]

@@Mike583 maybe that's what he meant.

[@Woodsm.Woodstock..]

@@nexusi6867 You got that right

[@pbsocal1]

Who gave him a thumbs down, shame on you

[@Billy_Dino]

I gotta thank the Blues Brothers who introduced me to the blues... That john scene busking in the street is still on my mind

[@ryanblount6216]

It's a mission from GOD 😎

[@dougwright3365]

Canned Heat introduced me to JLH

[@Gurci28]

'first you read john singing... then you hear the introductory text to the video... and it's okay (maybe the algorithm understands)'

[@Gurci28]

1:11

[@mrstambourinegirl397]

Yes I'm the same. Apparently the blues brothers film was the only thing that would settle me and keep me occupied as a toddler, and I uses to dance around with my grandad cane to Minnie the moocher 😂

[@FortunateJuice]

If I had a time machine, I would definitely like to see him live. Maybe dance to a few tunes.

[@DavidMFChapman]

I casually walked into a Montreal bar in 1976 when the band was on break. There was a black dude sitting on a stool at the end of the car. The band started to play a few instrumental numbers then introduced…John Lee Hooker!

[@Woodsm.Woodstock..]

@@DavidMFChapman How cool

[@stacyblue1980]

Me too. Grew up listening to this man. Still hits home.

[@davidlynch433]

Tony TS Mcphee played guitar on this backing John Lee Hooker, Sadly he passed away June 6th 2023 RIP Tony.

[@55lildaddy]

Thank God for Europe so these blues greats could make some real money for the 1st time in their lives

[@bgaineshunter]

Oh, this isn't rock and roll? Sort of reminds me of the difference between a Cajun and a Creole.

[@larry1824]

Never tire of his simple but ferocious sound

[@maxbeale8186]

One of John’s best performances

[@adonaiyah2196]

It was my first time seeing the blues

[@alonenjersey]

No argument from me.

[@trefwoordpunk2225]

Tony McPhee absolutely shredding it up!!!

[@damageincorporatedmetal43v73]

You've got to experience them live, it's like trying to Discount Buddy guy. I was @ a local Casino, & he sang the song skin deep. It brought me to tears. And when he came off that stage & went through the crowd, you knew the man was for real.

[@hdew77]

Would love to have seen the 'Hogs in 1964, in addition to the drummer.

[@GRILLBUOY101]

so great and i was born in 67 but i like alotta older classics.love these ladies shakin it!

[@jjmalaprop9968]

Absolutely amazing. This should be in a time capsule.

[@Regenbogen457]

one of the very best ever..🌈

[@小室雄一]

その夜とリズムをありがとうございました。ジョン・リー・ホッカー様

[@rogerneville4040]

Not a boy, one of the major blues artist of all time.

[@markjordan8919]

Couldn't agree more! What an awful introduction!

[@TheVatonaught]

You imitate JLH but he touches the strings and makes a sound that just cannot be duplicated. He was around most of my life and I miss the cats presence.

[@Ian-bq7gp]

The love and respect for Johnny and these old american blues greats by people like Tony Mc Phee, Rory, Steve Marriott and Clapton says it all and the Stones and the Animals were very blues based and british blues pioneers thanks to these great american players like Johnny Lee Hooker, Howling Wolf and so many others.

[@johnkuhn7835]

Absolutely fantastic!!! Good awesome 😎 blues

[@Ramblin-Man]

Non-Swedish cooks for sure at 1:53. Anyway, it's great to see the Hooker standing up once in a while (like that 1987 'Boogie Chillun' LIVE video w/ Eric Clapton & The Strolling Ones...). 🤔 /J, Sweden (who just cooked some broccoli with my fried sausages at 4AM...)😪

[@thomasziemann8107]

John is the best.

[@johnnorris1128]

Always nice to see the great Tony Mcfee playing his beloved Gibson SG 🎶🎶🎶

[@phoebebeacham9816]

Serious Boogie . Man !

[@AaronSpielman]

One of the very best *ever*

[@brittdavid8591]

Yeah just like that

[@julianasbatarginas3930]

Really great 👍

[@darkgamer555al]

He aint no "boy" Mr Hooker was a full grown Man !!! 💪🙌

[@stephenilieff7531]

great song

[@pena.3302]

He looks So 'RIGHTEOUS..Rockin..go bro''(&So thank you/s For posting this..its Sustaining me..in Level.4 lockdown Again here in N.Zealand.South Is..No Cases..Anyway will b checking Here everytime Thanks..One of the Best.A Real King/God of Blues..re:Blues Brothers Did Such a Great Job of Giving The GREATEST exposure..Cheers..stay happy..:-)

[@bradmossman7201]

How many babies got started that night?

[@ДмитрийСубботин-в6б]

Super 🕺💃💥

[@ccfliege]

please whoever is in charge here, pls post the version of Boom Boom at Ronnie Scotts, it was the absoloute best of the best

[@burniemaurins2382]

I saw them at the Pit cellar club in Leicester on this tour, great memories.

[@edgarsurrow8387]

Крутой был мужик! Обожаю играть блюз

[@keirakennelly-reynolds4166]

The announcer calls him 'the original boom boom boy'. He would have been about 47 at the time. Perhaps the word 'boy' might not have had quite the same connotations in Britain as it did in the US at the time. It still seems at best a bit tactless, though.

[@2009framat]

Strange introduction indeed. But Laurel & Hardy pushing almost their 60s were called "the boys" for whatever reason.

[@jamesbuckingham.2935]

Oh shut up.

[@bholaoates1542]

@@2009framat False equivalency, though. Laurel & Hardy didn't have an ancestry of chattel slavery, so being called "boy" wouldn't have had the same meaning to them.

[@2009framat]

@@bholaoates1542 What about the Sonnyboy Williamsons (both)? What about Billy Boy Arnold? They were bluesmusicians who called themselves "boys"? And their record buying audience/customers were all afro-americans in the 1930-50s. Especially the second Sonnyboy called himself Sonnyboy when he was already in his late 30s. I am not so sure about this expression like you. And it was said in the UK not the USA.

[@bholaoates1542]

@@2009framat It's sort of like the N word in the sense that it is considered by many to be okay to call each other that, but if someone of another race calls you that it's considered an insult. As for this clip being in England, it might have been a voiceover that Hooker didn't hear during the actual performance. But even if it was heard, Hooker was an easygoing sort who probably wouldn't have been offended. What was he gonnd do, stop the performance and say "Don't call me boy"?

[@lisaadrienne9852]

Imagine those people who had this opportunity… wonder if they appreciated it then?

[@darylcumming7119]

Many thanks.

[@saacmatchinAnahuac]

This starts playing in every bar i walk into

[@josefreitasoliveira4547]

Incrível sucesso 👏🥰

[@mayegs49]

El Maestro del Blues♥️

[@joshmuwanga]

2.2k views 460 likes ..0 dislikes then u know the u shit good music never dies 💯

[@cosmicsprings8690]

They jealous baby that’s why they hate ✨🌼🌿🌞🌿🌼✨

[@noratarragona9398]

Master

[@rockindaddy6535]

🎸 Fantastic !!

[@18-zero-4]

mais ce morceau, énorme

[@managate2432]

Du grand art du blues et du R&B

[@crazypainter56]

John Lee-------Big influence on Eric Burdon & the Animals

[@johnlied6161]

Пять баллов, очень крутая музыка!

[@dontgoout1434]

The best awesome

[@marcelomunoz568]

Impresionante amo el Blues

[@blues8785]

🎸 🎶 🎸 🎶 🎸 👏👏👏👏👏👏 !!!!

[@lizfernandeshoft9104]

WOW! Que voz tenia!

[@zodiacbluesbaby]

The Groundhogs look like schoolboys but the sound is unreal

[@dontgoout1434]

Yep

[@fatihersem]

Legend!!!

[@relic69]

Amazing history

[@SilverLoggerhead]

❤❤❤

[@alonenjersey]

In Webster's Dictionary under Bluesman" it should say: "See John Lee Hooker."

[@fredrikhallstrom8639]

Maaan they're thrashing the place up

[@wiratwainwright7717]

John Lee, wow, this song will live forever. I would have loved to have had a bourbon or scotch with him.

[@danielpoursac6931]

Si tu vois par hasard ce message Faat contacte moi impossible de te joindre pour ce titre une légende vient de sortir son morceau qui le fera connaître du monde entier Love love j'adore ce titre de John Lee Hooker

[@mzdtmp2]

THIS IS THE VERSION I KNOW AND LOVE! NO I'M NOT SHOUTING, THIS IS HOW I ALWAYS SOUND! AIN'T YOU NEVER SEEN NONE OF MY MOVIES!?

[@trevorstanding6462]

The dancers trying to figure out how their going to dance to the music!

[@zagozago9893]

The Chef!

[@eivindgjengstjohansen9625]

Swag

[@yelassinacoulibaly]

🌈😍😍😍💐👌👌👌🌈🎻❤️

[@ludwigsmodilla9524]

This devil guitar !

[@christopherross9133]

Funny they call it the beat room when the dance crowd have no rhythm at all! Love this video with King Boogie John though!

[@sylvia810]

OMG 😳

[@peteprutzos1536]

MR. COOL CAT HIMSELF JOHNNY LEE HOOKER BABY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@oneman1812]

Best Phillie chees E? Steakprices, going UPS SUN DAY.

[@jean-jacquesdeclercq516]

Mooi

[@Tonyconner74]

Boom Boom Boom Haw Haw Haw……

[@игорьлитвинов-п2н]

Сказочное БАЛИ.

[@sheyhcatmemer]

This song made mafia 2 trailer famous

[@bholaoates1542]

@Susan Reed "I Cover The Waterfront" is a masterpiece. For me, *all* of his work w/ Van Morrison is stellar ("Never Get Out of These Blues Alive", "The Healing Game", "Don't Look Back", "Travellin' Blues"...)

[@bholaoates1542]

@Susan Reed All true. Cheers!

[@bholaoates1542]

@Susan Reed Yeah! His duet with Van Morrison on "I Cover the Waterfront" can bring tears to your eyes. I've loved it for many years. EDIT: lol... I didn't realize I'd already replied to you a few months ago. Doesn't matter, though.

[@thomascroft5076]

Okay AI . . . now let's see you follow that.

[@oneman1812]

AhHa HA HA HA , HO HO HO!!! HO.

[@timmydawes5492]

The groundhogs in my opinion inspired more bands in England than the Beatles and the rolling stones and zeppelin. Ozzie of course was a different story 😆

[@larry1824]

Only good thing in Blues Brothers beside Aretha

[@dontgoout1434]

Yeah daft film bored me

[@Norman-bone13]

What’s the difference between a moose 🫎 and the Lawrence Welk orchestra? A moose has the hours up front and the asshole in back. 🥴

[@austinmeredith1944]

The only black people in attendance are the cook and the talent

[@gratefuldead3750]

Carrebeans in England were in the mod and ska scene

[@AllenGarvin]

Watching white folks my parents age trying to dance is like the funniest thing in the world.

[@reverandleroy]

We need one dark-skinned guy, put him in a chef's hat or some shit idc

[@jamesbuckingham.2935]

You don't want to comment on things you know nothing about. The guy in the chef's hat used to turn up on a lot of programmes shot in the club where this was filmed. Nobody put him in a chef's hat. Black people were free to go where they wanted, whichever bars or cafes or clubs unlike invthe USA where when this was filmed there was still segregation. Black blues artists, the Tamla ones and Stax ones could not believe the respect they were shown in England.

[@gratefuldead3750]

@@jamesbuckingham.2935 The United states had a very very special situation comparable to nowhere else. The racial laws mirrored those of the nazis and south africa, But nowhere else in the world

[@nexusi6867]

It's cool, but I'm a bit tired of Boom Boom to be honest.

[@bholaoates1542]

Possibly the easiest of his songs to dance to, so it gets more attention than his other great tunes.

[@JohnOhkumaThiel]

Like John Lee Hooker, but shit, culture, the whole WASP audience. You can go on about how that audience wouldn’t exist otherwise, but in the absence of greatness you would have nothing to shout about.

[@gratefuldead3750]

in Uk there are mostly Protestants of anglo and norman ancestry. So not all all were wasp. Some were from their aristocratic norman overlords hahaha.

[@snowman374th]

6 BLM members hate this song.. lmao

[@laurencegoldman4639]

Boy the Groundhogs really suck-can't find a groove, cluttered messy sound, too heavy-too hopeless for JLH to mold and shape. Can't listen any more.

[@bholaoates1542]

Hooker really liked them according to the video description. I felt they were groovin' here.

[@nurkenrustem6044]

Well, this is how blues bands sounded live at clubs in Chicago back then, heavy, hard and loud.

[@thebannanaslugs2300]

Youre a straight W I M P @Lawrencegoldman

[@dontgoout1434]

I'm a bluesman 36 years half hooker bit of jimmy reed a million pounds to quit . Nah keep the cash simple honest fun

[@eivindgjengstjohansen9625]

Look up tony Mcphee groundhog blues 1985 and see how a wizard plays guitar

[@FuckYouWhosNext]

I just heard Dusty Hill died but nobody said ahow-how-how-how

[@TWX1138]

Boo! Boo! Take your upvote. Boo!

[@larryn2682]

ZZ Top stole it.

[@miroslavloncar8857]

@@larryn2682 They make a deal aside(with JLH)