How to play "Rocking Chair" by John Lee Hooker on the guitar

John Lee Hooker was born in Mississippi on 22 August 1917. The son of a humble share cropper, Hooker later became famous as a blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. His style, while similar to Delta Blues, was unique and his particular 'talking blues' style became his trademark. One of his most famous songs is 'Rocking Chair' and here is a guide to recreating it.

Background and style

Hooker's guitar playing is essentially very similar to the boogie-woogie style that would be played on the piano. In addition, his style was characterised by playing the walking bass pattern with his thumb. Every now and then, he would add emphasis to certain lines by pausing at the end to add a series of 'trills' that he created by using rapid 'hammer ons' and 'pull-offs'. The song 'Rocking Chair' (usually the 'g' in rocking is dropped) was actually part of one of his later albums 'The Healer'. Released in 1989, the album featured collaborations with Los Lobos, Bonnie Raitt and Carlos Santana among others.

The lyrics

The lyrics are typical of Hooker and of most other blues artists in that they deal with the relationship struggles of the artist himself. He bemoans his woman's infidelities and claims to be nobody's fool. The chorus follows the following sequence as his sits in his favourite old wicker rocking chair: Rockin' these blues away tryin' so hard
I'm tryin' so hard so hard rock these blues away
in my rockin' chair my old time rockin' chair rockin' chair
Lord have mercy

The music

While a relatively simple blues riff in terms of rhythm, the chords that Hooker uses on the song are fairly unusual. The progression incorporates a A5, G5, and E7 run and these chords may have to be added to your list of 'chords to learn'. The song follows a standard 4/4 time signature and consists of a relatively simple introduction followed by a verse chorus to fade out structure. Rocking Chair tutorials While you may be happy to try and play along to the record or simply follow the sheet music, a great idea is to search for one of the online 'Rocking Chair' videos that contain easy to follow tutorials on how to play the song just like the man himself.