Photograph of John Lee Hooker with diagram of the evolution of the blues: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of John Lee Hooker at the “Folk and Jazz Roundtable” at the Music Inn, in Stockbridge, MA. Hooker is shown seated with both elbows on the table and his right hand on his forehead. He leans over a mug, and there are papers on the table next to his left elbow. Behind him, hanging on the wall, is a blackboard diagram of the roots of mainstream Blues. The chart lists "MARCH," HYMN," "RING-SHOUT CRIES / WORKSONG," AND "REEL-JIG" as the oldest influences, with Ragtime, Spirituals, Jug Bands, Dance-games, New Orleans Brass Bands, Gospel, Early Blues, Vaudeville, Coon Shout, Minstrel, New Orleans Jazz, and 12-bar Blues branching out and cross-pollinating into [MAIN STREAM (1920)] Blues. On back at top left is [John Lee / Hooker] and at top right is [M23812-32]. On back at bottom center is [Clemens Kalischer].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1951
• Photograph by: Clemens Kalischer, German American, 1921 - 2018
• Subject of: John Lee Hooker, American, 1912 - 2001
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
• Place captured: Stockbridge, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Blues (Music)
• Topic: Gospel (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Ragtime (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Spirituals (Music)
• Topic: Vaudeville
• Object number: 2013.46.21
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Clemens Kalischer Photos Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.