Personnel includes: John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison (vocals, guitar); Bonnie Raitt (vocals, slide guitar); Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, Carlos Santana, Jimmie Vaughan, Roy Rogers, Ben Harper, Robert Cray, David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas, Danny Caron (guitar); Charlie Musselwhite, John "Juke" Logan (harmonica); Gil Bernal (tenor saxophone, background vocals); Steve Berlin (baritone saxophone); Eric Barber (bass saxophone); Johnnie Johnson, Ike Turner (piano); Booker T. Jones (organ); Chester Thompson (keyboards, synthesizer); Bill Payne, Jim Pugh, Charles Brown (keyboards); Reggie McBride, Nick Lowe, Maurice Cridlin, Richard Cousins, Juan Nelson, Conrad Lozano, Benny Rietveld, Samuel Taylor (bass); Jim Keltner, Scott Mathews, Kevin Hayes (drums).

Producers include: John Porter, Roy Rogers, Ry Cooder, Carlos Santana, Van Morrison.

Engineers include: Samuel Lehmer, Alan Sides, Jim Gaines.

When John Lee Hooker recorded 1989's THE HEALER, it marked the beginning of the most successful period of his career. In the ensuing years, the Hook made a number of commercially and critically acclaimed records that found him playing alongside a host of legendary friends and admirers. THE BEST OF FRIENDS gathers together the cream of these collaborations in one place.

Being one of the greatest blues musicians of all time means that John Lee Hooker's made some pretty famous acquaintances along the way. This means Los Lobos and Juke Logan back him on a swinging reading of "Dimples" and Carlos Santana helps create a kind of samba blues vibe for "The Healer" and "Chill Out (Things Gonna Change)." Also included on FRIENDS are "I'm in the Mood," Hooker's Grammy Award-winning duet with Bonnie Raitt and two tracks with acolyte Van Morrison: the ominous "I Cover The Waterfront" and the wistful "Don't Look Back." The inclusion of new tracks with Ben Harper ("Burnin' Hell") and Eric Clapton ("Boogie Chillen") sweetens this package, but it is Hooker's solo reading of "Tupelo" that induces goosebumps.

What the critics say...

Rolling Stone (12/10/99, pp.124-125) - 3 1/2 Stars (out of 5) - "...Rock and rollers cotton to Hooker because,...he has a hook; the boogie beat, a vamping-drone that's propulsuive at any speed....the guests, all instrumental, except Raitt and his old fan Van Morrison, open it up..."
Entertainment Weekly (10/23/98, p.80) - "...Older tracks range from the too slick...to the gutsy....some of the choicest cuts are new...[and] show Hooker's lessons have been well learned." - Rating: B
Vibe (12/98, 1/99, p.192) - "...Three tracks are new, including a tension-filled rendition of Hooker's classic 'Boogie Chillen'....More than 50 years after the inventor of boogie blues first got his mojo workin', it still hasn't quit..."
Living Blues (1-2/99, p.78) - "...[does] a good job of supplementing the master. If you don't have Hooker's releases from the past ten years and wanta taste of them. [FRIENDS] offers just that."
Mojo (Publisher) (10/01, p.168) - "...Picks up where ULTIMATE COLLECTION leaves off, rounding up high spots from his triumphant HEALER-and-after final decade, along with 3 toothsome nuggets not included on any previous releases..."