Democrat Man

This is a piece I wrote on Patreon some weeks ago that I’m sharing now. I hope you’ll consider becoming a patron.

Patron Scott Thill wrote me the other day. “Found a song you should write about,” he said. “A bit too perfect for our times.” You better believe I’m gonna write about it.

The song is “Democrat Man” from John Lee Hooker’s 1960 album That’s My Story. Have a listen.

It’s never a bad time to hear John Lee Hooker, for reasons eloquently expressed by The New York Times’ reviewer Robert Shelton in 1961: “Mr. Hooker’s voice is immediately arresting, a deep, dark-leather-timbred instrument that turns sullen, nostalgic, brooding or sensuous. He has a rhythmic sense that sets a firm, heart-beat pulse against which he embellishes a smoldering vocal line. He projects his voice in an urgent and intimate fashion that almost makes the listener feel Mr. Hooker’s hand is on his shoulder and the song is for him alone.”

The story of “Democrat Man” (and the album it appears on) is damned interesting. It includes a mid-century tussle over musical authenticity, the evolution of the blues form…