Hook Herrera - Sick In La Boite

Size: 107,9 MB
Time: 46:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1998
Styles: Harmonica Blues, Texas Blues
Art: Full

01. Bo Diddley ( 5:53)
02. Wolf ( 9:01)
03. E. Shuffle ( 6:13)
04. Barcelona Blues (12:33)
05. Cleo's Mood ( 8:41)
06. Too Close ( 4:10)

Recorded Live in Barcelona, Spain, 1997.
Live In La Boite. (Mas i Mas, 98), is his best record until today, the sound is clean and good.

He was born in Los Angeles in 1960, from indian and mexican parents, he knew to William Clarke, although his style is more basic. He went to Austin, Texas, and with his new band, Hitchhickers, but soon he incorpored to the Allman Brothers Band.
This decade he came to Europe, and in particular this years he's living in Barcelona, often playing in this continent. He always carry the Fender Stratocaster, and some Marine Band, well-know for his live concerts..

Updated: CD Rip with full covers.
Originally posted on 30/04/2015

Sick In La Boite MP3
Sick In La Boite FLAC

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Hook Herrera - Cross My Heart

Size: 103,0 MB
Time: 43:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1997
Styles: Texas Blues
Art: Full

1. Blues From My Soul (5:28)
2. Tonight (5:36)
3. Son Of God (3:25)
4. Learni'n' (3:18)
5. I Always Knew (4:47)
6. One Lamp (5:36)
7. Easy Baby (6:48)
8. Believe (4:05)
9. Country Girl (6:44)
10. It Ain't For You (4:29)
11. Boogie #1 (3:56)
12. Stuck In N.Y. (4:42)

Personnel:
Lead Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica – Hook Herrera
Guitar – Denny Freeman, Mark Korpi
Bass – Johnny Bazz
Drums – Jim Starboard, Stephen Hodges

He was born in Los Angeles in 1960, from indian and mexican parents, he knew to William Clarke, although his style is more basic. He went to Austin, Texas, and with his new band, Hitchhickers, but soon he incorpored to the Allman Brothers Band.
This decade he came to Europe, and in particular this years he's living in Barcelona, often playing in this continent. He always carry the Fender Stratocaster, and some Marine Band, well-know for his live concerts..

Cross My Heart

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Hook Herrera - No Matter What I Do

Size: 111,3 MB
Time: 47:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2011
Styles: Texas Blues
Art: Front

01. No Matter What I Do (3:49)
02. Just How I Feel (4:04)
03. Sweet Memory (5:10)
04. Flamenco Soul (5:12)
05. Learnin' (3:39)
06. Blue Ndn (4:47)
07. Might Be A Fool (3:33)
08. Son Of God (2:45)
09. If You Ever Need Me (3:48)
10. Had My Fun (6:42)
11. La Guanabana (4:14)

Multi-instrumentalist and foremost harmonica virtuoso Hook Herrera is no stranger to our little country. After several years of absence, he has recently performed at include the Kwadendamme Blues Festival. He seems to have been quite ill and was almost even deceased. Luckily he recovered again and let that show through action and over again by releasing a new album "No Matter What I Do".
As a child he learned to play the accordion, but his older brother taught him to play the blues guitar. On his sixth album "No Matter What I Do" is flanked by great musicians. Billy Gibbons, Junior Watson and Kirk Fletcher playing guitar, John Bazz and Greg Boaz handling the bass and Matt Abts and Stephen Hodges on drums, the parties where. Hook himself and is featured on harmonica, slide guitar, claves, cajon and he sings. Of the eleven songs, eight written by himself.
The first song, the title track "No Matter What I Do" is doing in terms of singing and harmonica playing immediately to mind Sonny Boy Williamson. A real old fashioned blues with this beautiful tribute to the old master. That he (his) feelings can perform well demonstrated by the complaining "Just How I Feel". The guitar Kirk Fletcher brings soul-like "Sweet Memory" to a higher plane. Then comes the vital "Flamenco Soul" by ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons on guitar and the Spanish-style rhythms, which are provided by Abts on drums and claves and Herrera on cajon. In addition, he sings and plays the harmonica, the good man must still have been enough hands. Beautifully also typical Gibbons-guitar solo.
Then follows with "Learnin '" is a brilliant blues song. Beautifully accompanied on the harmonica he sings about his battle against drink and drugs. A time already long behind him. In my opinion the best song of this album. In the languid "Blue NDN" he takes the slide guitar. A song that fits a warm summer evening, cold beer and tasty there ahead on the guitar. A small relief. With "Might Be A Fool" has done it again with the rest: it is again just a greasy blues as two numbers back. At last Hook blow his lungs out of him on the harmonica. "Son Of God" raises the tempo and makes a noticeable number of danceable fun.
This is apparently the self-written songs, because the next and last three songs are all covers. It starts with Lightning Slim-known "If You Ever Need Me". Beautifully sung plaintive and understated guitar work of Fletcher adds another dimension. It is a beautiful slow blues with some country influences become. The merger of the song "Had My Fun" and "Going Down Slow" to deliver a song with a smooth rhythm, it is difficult to sit still. The valve is formed by Mexican and sung in Spanish "La Guanabana".

No Matter What I Do

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Hook Herrera - Puro Mestizo

Size: 168,1 MB
Time: 72:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2007
Styles: Texas Blues
Art: Front

01. Dollar Blues (7:20)
02. Blues & Misery (6:27)
03. Mighty Good Man (4:37)
04. Flamenco Soul (5:00)
05. Mr. Taximan (8:47)
06. Heartache (5:16)
07. Marie, Marie (3:34)
08. Hippy Walk (5:11)
09. For What It's Worth (3:29)
10. Son House Tribute (4:41)
11. Bo Diddley's Medley (4:31)
12. Same Old Story (4:07)
13. Prenda Del Alma (4:28)
14. Mighty Good Man (Lowdog Mix) (4:37)

"Like my pal tommy castro, i’m from east san jose, california. that’s just under oakland and san pancho. in the early sixties my older brother dennis became afflicted with the blues fever. bad. i was dragging an accordian, that was bigger than me, to the house up the street for lessons. i had a damm wagon cuz the accordian was huge. after the umteenth polka something happened. my brother started teaching me very simple 1 4 5 jimmy reed rhythms. i was his practice partner. i dug it and began to like the guitar. with the bay area we had many fusions goin’ on. santana, cold blood, tower of power, sons of champlin, funky funky funky. and the ever powerful “war” and slippin’ into darkness. these in the barrios were heavy and everywhere along with the blues. donny hathaway followed by bb king was and is pretty normal back to back. the music is a truth you cannot escape if it has to find you. it found me. basically, i went with dennis, my brother, to many concerts and clubs. using his i.d. when needed i saw a lot of blues in the bay area. charlie musselwhite was in el cerrito, hooker was always around. jr. watson, gary smith, rick estrin, were a few of the locals gettin’ it right. paul durkett, guys like that. the fillmore was full of great blues shows as was the san francisco club scene. the keystone, the stone, winterland. very accesible if you’re lookin’, as usual.

The harmonica came after the guitar. mowing yards to get $2.50 for a marine band ‘c’ harp is how i got the first one. the first bands were garage ‘ccr’ ‘fleetwood mac with peter green’ ‘stones’ ‘santana’ song murdering sessions. brutal and very fun.

I have been very very fortunate and lucky in my blues life. in california i made great friends with many who are gone now. bill, lester, fats, unfortunately the list is long but we carry on in the blues. our blues.

Living in texas in the late 80’s and 90’s gave me a chance to see some real real damm music. the south is just the south and that’s all. i wish i could take you into a saturday nite and walk you all into a smokey, packed club. the sweat runnin’ offa ya and you see albert collins leaning on the bar so you wave. you go over and the sound of lou ann barton’s amazing voice is driving derek o’brien and the band in to a texas frenzy. it’s experiences like that, that make you wanna always be a part of it. being with bill clarke on a saturday nite in watts was another animal altogether. going to smokey wilson’s ‘pioneer 88’ club and gettin’ a set up there from linda and watchin’ smokey call bill up for some serious blues biz. then off to the ‘safari room’ to see cardell aka louisiana red. then off to ‘ricky and laura’s’ or ‘babes and rick’s’, depends who ya are. hang with curtis tillman(freddie king) and big terry and laura. the great sax man ‘bill clarke(another)and the balls of fire’ are playin’ all nite. then off to ‘j.d. nicholson(t-bone) after hours’. then to ‘state st. barbeque’ or ‘popeyes’(when it was really greasy). breaktime. then as the sun comes up it’s off to get in line at the ‘pure pleasure’ lounge to sign up for the sunday jam. phillip ‘neckbones’ walker would come in and sit cross legged and ‘phrase’ the ‘okie dokie stomp’ to my slack jawed amazement.

It’s stories like this that i hope to tell you instead of who’s and where’s i been’s. later i’ll scan some interviews and press stuff. for now, just go look around and feel free to tell me how to improve this thing. remember, i’m just a jimmy reed fan, so take it easy on me. te watcho"

Puro Mestizo

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U.P. WILSON - Wild Texas Guitar / On My Way

Huary Perry Wilson's given name soon mutated into the easier to pronounce U.P. Born in Louisiana, he began playing around Dallas and Fort Worth as a teenager, in company with Zuzu Bollin, Nappy Chin and Robert Ealey. With the latter he formed a guitar-and-drum duo, the Boogie Chillun Boys. In the '80s Wilson's tough music acquired a new audience in Europe. U.P. Wilson's music incorporates many elements of South-western blues, among them the juke-joint rowdiness of Frankie Lee Sims, high-speed note-spinning which recalls Pee Wee Crayton, and the more sophisticated sounds of Lowell Fulson and T-Bone Walker. Nevertheless, Wilson was an original whose music, songwriting and showmanship had been honed by years of competitive gigging in the rougher parts of town, and he made few concessions to the expectations of white audiences.

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Album: Wild Texas Guitar
Styles: Modern Electric Texas Blues
Recorded: 1988/1989
Released: 1989
Bitrate: 320k/s
Size: 137.38 MB
Time: 59:18
Art: Full

1. Country Girl - 6:32
2. Is That Your Woman - 8:16
3. Checkin' On My Baby - 5:20
4. Off The Bo - 9:28
5. Things I Do For You - 6:19
6. Everyday I Have The Blues - 6:23
7. U.P. Express - 3:46
8. Mean Old World - 4:16
9. Bluebird Shuffle - 3:55
10. Cold Cold Feeling - 5:01

Personnel: U.P. WILSON - Lead Guitar, Vocals on tr.2,6,8,10
on track 1-6 live-1989 with:
Paul Orta - Harmonica tr.3,5,6, Vocals tr.3,5
Ted Roddy - Harmonica tr.1,4, Vocals tr.1
Marc Pollock - Rhythm Guitar
Eddie Stout - Bass;
Steve Fulton - Drums
Joe Rios - Saxophone tr.6
on track 7,8-1988 with:
Matt McCabe - Keyboards
Eddie Stout - Bass;
Freddie Walden - Drums
on track 9,10 live-1988 with:
Paul Orta - Harmonica
Eddie Stout - Bass;
Freddie Walden - Drums

                                                                    Wild Texas Guitar

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Album: On My Way
Styles: Modern Electric Texas Blues  
Recorded: 1988
Released: 1999
Bitrate: 320k/s
Size: 123.37 MB
Time: 53:37
Art: Full

1. U.P. Express - 3:41
2. Crosscut Saw - 3:34
3. Reconsider Baby - 5:13
4. Bluebird Boog-A-Loo - 4:22
5. Hold On Baby - 2:36
6. Mean Old World - 5:04
7. Como Station - 4:16
8. I'll Be Coming Home - 4:10
9. 7 Comes 11 - 3:34
10. On My Way - 4:01
11. Cold, Cold Feeling - 6:34
12. Slice 'N' Dice - 6:07

Personnel: U.P. WILSON - Guitar, Vocals
Hook Herrera - Harmonica;
Bill Eden - Saxophone
Matt McCabe - Keyboards;
Eddie James Stout - Bass;
Freddie Walden - Drums
Wilford Sims and 'Worm' - saxophones tr.1,6
on tracks 11,12 recorded live with:
Paul Orta - Harmonica;
Mike Kinred - Keyboards

Notes: Indeed, 'On My Way', originally released for local consumption on the bassist's label Pee Wee Records and this same year (1988) by British label Red Lightnin', has more covers, and of more obvious songs, than do later releases. It's a respectable effort - U.P. even manages to inject passion into 'Mean Old World' - but it's also the first of several CDs to prove that horns and keyboards do Wilson's music no favours. His aggressive playing and singing are best heard fronting a bare-bones rhythm section, not reclining on a bed of harmonies. To the original album, Fedora have added two live tracks recorded with the band of Texas harmonica ace Paul Orta, the churning shuffle and a staple of U.P.'s live act, where he keeps his guitar on the back burner, giving full rein to the power of his vocals.

                                                                         On My Way

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