Long John Hunter

Long John Hunter
Birth name John Thurman Hunter Jr.[1]
Born (1931-07-13)July 13, 1931
Ringgold, Louisiana, U.S.
Died January 4, 2016(2016-01-04) (aged 84)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Genres Texas blues, electric blues[2]
Occupation(s) Guitarist, singer, songwriter
Instruments Guitar, vocals
Years active 1953–2011[3]
Labels Alligator, various

John Thurman Hunter Jr. (July 13, 1931 – January 4, 2016), known by the stage name Long John Hunter, was an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter.[2] He released seven albums in his own name, and in his later years found critical acknowledgement outside of his homeland.[1] Hunter's best known tracks are "El Paso Rock" and "Alligators Around My Door", the latter of which Hunter co-wrote with Bruce Iglauer.[4]

Life and career

Hunter was born in Ringgold, Louisiana.[5][1] He was raised on a farm in Magnolia, Arkansas, but by his early twenties was working in a box factory in Beaumont, Texas. He bought his first guitar after attending a B. B. King concert, and then adopted the stage name of Long John Hunter in 1953.[1] Hunter saw his first single, "She Used to Be My Woman" b/w "Crazy Girl", released by Duke Records in 1953. By 1957, he had relocated to El Paso, Texas, and found employment playing at the Lobby Club in Juárez, Mexico. He remained there for over thirteen years, seeing the release of several singles in the early 1960s on local record labels. These tracks included one of his most notable numbers, "El Paso Rock".[1][2][5]

In 1988, his album, Texas Border Town Blues was released. In 1992, Ride with Me preceded a couple more albums for Alligator Records, Border Town Legend (1996) and Swinging from the Rafters (1997). In 1999, Hunter teamed up with Lonnie Brooks and Phillip Walker to release Lone Star Shootout.[4]

Hunter appeared at the Long Beach Blues Festival in both 1996 and 2000. His last album release was Looking for a Party (2009).[2][5]

He died on January 4, 2016, at his home in Phoenix, Arizona.[3]

Discography

Year Title Record label
1988 Texas Border Town Blues Double Trouble
1992 Ride with Me Alligator
1994 Smooth Magic Double Trouble
1996 Border Town Legend Alligator
1997 Swinging from the Rafters Alligator
1999 Ooh Wee Pretty Baby! Norton
1999 Lone Star Shootout Alligator
2003 One Foot in Texas Doc Blues
2009 Looking for a Party Blues Express

[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Govenar, Alan B. (2008). Texas blues: the rise of a contemporary sound (1st ed.). Texas: Texas A&M University Press. pp. 380–5. ISBN 978-1-58544-605-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bill Dahl. "Long John Hunter | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  3. 1 2 "El Paso music legend Long John Hunter dies", El Paso Times, January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016
  4. 1 2 "Lone Star Shootout - Lonnie Brooks | Credits". AllMusic. 1999-05-25. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
  5. 1 2 3 "Long John Hunter". Centrohd.com. Retrieved September 13, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Long John Hunter | Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
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