John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker, known as the Father of the Boogie Blues, created a hypnotic one-chord groove style, and his 1948 single "Boogie Chillen'" became the best-selling race record of 1949. His career spanned seven decades, with dozens of album releases, and he won his first Grammy Award in 1990, for Best Traditional Blues Recording. His song "Boom Boom" found mainstream attention on its 1962 release and became a bigger hit decades later in a 1992 re-recording with Jimmie Vaughan, proving his commercial reach well beyond the blues niche. His longevity and cross-genre collaborations — including work with Carlos Santana, Van Morrison, and Bonnie Raitt — make him a unique bridge between blues and rock.