Mr. Lucky (John Lee Hooker album)

In 1989, John Lee Hooker achieved commercial and critical success with The Healer, an album which paired him with musicians including Carlos Santana and Bonnie Raitt, with whom Hooker shared a Grammy Award for "Best Traditional Blues Recording" for the track "In the Mood". With Mr. Lucky, producers Cooder, Rogers and Santana follow the same successful formula, to mixed critical reviews; Rolling Stone praised the album as a refinement over its predecessor with an "all around...sharper fit", its notable guests serving as "superb sidemen for a great bluesman". Entertainment Weekly, by contrast, described the album as essentially "a tribute album" where "most of the tunes...don't sound like Hooker at all". In spite of mixed reception, the album charted well, reaching #101 on the "Billboard 200" chart in 1991 and also enjoying international sales success. It was nominated for, but did not win, a Grammy. ==Track listing==

All songs composed by John Lee Hooker (except where noted). • "I Want to Hug You" (Hooker, Al Smith) – 2:52 • "Mr. Lucky" (Hooker, Smith) – 4:38 • "Backstabbers" (Hooker, Smith) – 5:01 • "This Is Hip" – 3:23 • "I Cover the Waterfront" – 6:39 (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman) • "Highway 13" – 6:32 • "Stripped Me Naked" (Hooker, Benny Rietveld, Carlos Santana, Chester D. Thompson) – 4:18 • "Susie" – 4:23 • "Crawlin' King Snake" (Traditional) – 3:20 • "Father Was a Jockey" – 4:58 ==Personnel==

Performance • John Lee Hooker – guitar, vocals • Van Morrison – guitar, vocals (5) • Robert Cray – guitar, vocals (2) • Carlos Santana – guitar (7) • Johnny Winter – guitar (8) • Keith Richards – guitar (9) • Ry Cooder – guitar (4) • Albert Collins – guitar (3) • Tim Kaihatsu – guitar (2) • Michael Osborn – guitar (1) • John P. Hammond – slide guitar, harmonica (6, 10) • Richard Cousins – double bass (2) • Maurice Cridlin – bass guitar (5) • Steve Ehrmann – bass (1, 6, 10) • Jeff Ganz – bass (8) • Jim Guyett – bass (3) • Nick Lowe – bass (4) • Benny Rietveld – bass (7) • Larry Taylor – bass (9) • Chester D. Thompson – keyboards (7) • Johnnie Johnson – piano (1, 4) • Booker T. Jones – organ (5) • Deacon Jones – organ (3) • Jimmy Pugh – organ (2) • Terry Evans – vocals (4) • William "Bill" Greene – vocals (4) • Bobby King – vocals (4) • Kenny Baker – saxophone (3) • Gaylord Birch – drums (7) • Jim Keltner – drums (4) • Scott Mathews – drums (1, 5, 6, 9, 10) • Bowen Brown – drums (3) • Tom Compton – drums (8) • Kevin Hayes – drums (2) • Karl Perazzo – timbales (7) • Raul Rekow – conga † (7) Production • Roy Rogers – main producer • Carlos Santana – producer • Ry Cooder – producer • Mike Kappus – executive producer, concept, talent coordinator • Arne Frager – engineer, mixing • Samuel Lehmer – engineer, mixing • Allen Sides – engineer • Carol Bobolts – design • Steve Samiof – art direction ==Charts==