June 22, 2001 (Associated Press) – Legendary blues pioneer, John Lee Hooker, who had recorded an estimated 100 albums, died of natural causes at his Los Altos home, June 21st. He was 83.

Carlos Santana: "There are no superlatives to describe the profound impact John Lee left in our hearts. For musicians and common people – all of us feel enormous gratitude, respect, admiration and love for his spirit. When I was a child he was the first circus I wanted to run away with. He, Jimmy Reed and Lightning Hopkins were the foundation for all of my music. Working with him on The Healer, Chill Out and also playing live on the Blues Festivals is something that I will deeply treasure. On behalf of CT (Chester Thompson), everyone in my band and myself we say to you John – 'Boogie in the Light.'"

Bonnie Raitt: "John Lee's power and influence in the world of rock, R&B, jazz and blues are a legacy that will never die. Getting to know and work with him these last 30 years has truly been one of the great joys of my life."

For six decades, John Lee Hooker's rich sonorous voice coupled with a brooding rhythmic guitar inspired countless musicians and electrified audiences with songs like "Boom Boom" and "Boogie Chillen."

Even in the '90s, when Hooker's fame was sealed and he was widely recognized as one of the grandfathers of pop music, he remained a little in awe of his own success, telling the Times of London, "People say I'm a genius, but I don't know about that."

Among those whose music drew heavily on Hooker's style are Raitt, Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen and ZZ Top. In 1961, the then-unknown Rolling Stones opened for him on a European tour; he also shared a bill that year with Bob Dylan at a club in New York City.

Like many postwar bluesmen, Hooker got cheated by one fly-by-night record producer after another, who demanded exclusivity or didn't pay. Hooker fought back by recording with rival producers under a slew of different names: Texas Slim, John Lee Booker, John Lee Cocker, Delta John, Birmingham Sam and the Boogie Man, among others.

Hooker's popularity grew steadily as he rode the wave of rock in the '50s into the folk boom of the '60s. He hit it big again in 1990 with his album The Healer, featuring duets with Santana, Raitt and Robert Cray. It sold 1.5 million copies and won him his first Grammy Award, for a duet with Raitt on "I'm in the Mood."

In 1991, Hooker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Last year at the Grammys, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award. In his later years, Hooker laid back and enjoyed his success. He recorded only occasionally; he posed for blue jeans and hard liquor ads. He played benefits occasionally, but mostly performed in small clubs, dropping in unannounced.

At the John Lee Hooker's Boom Boom club in San Francisco, about a dozen people sipped drinks to dim candlelight as Hooker's signature blues sound growled through the speakers Thursday night.

Boom Boom Room manager Alex Andreas said when Hooker took the stage at the club, a hush would fall over the audience.

"All you need to hear from John Lee Hooker is a growl. One 'Hey! Hey!' One raspy, gritty growl from John Lee Hooker, and it's enough to turn a crowd inside out," Andreas said.

Born in Clarksdale, Miss., in 1917, Hooker was one of 11 children born to a Baptist minister and sharecropper who discouraged his son's musical bent.

His stepfather taught him to play guitar. By the time Hooker was a teenager, he was performing at local fish fries, dances and other occasions. Hooker hit the road to perform by the age of 14. He worked odd jobs by day and played small bars at night in Memphis, then Cincinnati and finally Detroit, where he was discovered and recorded his first hit, "Boogie Chillen," in 1948.

Hooker is survived by eight children, 19 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.