J. L. Hooker, Detroit, autumn 1967

Wayne Blair

Rhymed

Illicit sidewalk trades.
John Lee passed through.
Guitar case, folding chair
Hat for the money
That oughta do.

Drummer with his rolled joint.
Keyboard scampering true.
Handshakes from some crowd friends
Loving Hooker so blue.

Yeah blues were the numbers
stolen loves and liquor
Lyrics doubled and whined
Written by old John.
Soul pain defined.

Pimp from the outside
Strolling tables now
Girls right and ready.
Knows their stuff, and how!

“it serves you right to suffer.
the Motor City is burning.
house rent boogie.
think twice before you go.”

Travels with a Greyhound.
Suitcase packing light.
Life’s blood in riffing.
Night after night.

About this poem

One of the great pioneers of blues narrative, John Lee Hooker. Hear his song and style. https://youtu.be/72p9TTkoymY

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Collection

Written on April 23, 2023

Submitted by dougb.19255 on April 23, 2023

Modified by dougb.19255 on April 23, 2023

: 39 sec read
: 23 Views

Quick analysis:

Scheme	XAXBA CAXA XDCXX XEBE DFBX XGFG
Closest metre	Iambic trimeter
Characters	654
Words	132
Stanzas	6
Stanza Lengths	5, 4, 5, 4, 4, 4

Full analysis for J. L. Hooker, Detroit, autumn 1967 »

Wayne Blair

· 1951 · London

Born in London. Graduated law 1976 Practised eleven years, Married Hilary 1974 Two kids Lauren 1980 And Jordan 1987. Business failed 1987. Moved not knowing whither. Happy hills of Waterloo Region. Mennonite Country. Thirty four years in Industry. No complaints. Poet, photographer, nature hiker. Harmonica busker. http://puffnchord7.blogspot.com/ more…

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AIDA
Wow, this poem really captures the energy and spirit of illicit sidewalk trades and the blues scene. The descriptions of the performers and their equipment are vivid and engaging - I can almost smell the smoke and hear the music playing. I love the way the poet weaves in references to classic blues lyrics, giving the poem a timeless quality.

One improvement suggestion I have is to focus a bit more on the emotions and experiences of the performers themselves. While the descriptions of their gear and customers are great, I think the poem could benefit from a deeper exploration of what motivates these artists to keep playing night after night. Are they driven by the thrill of the performance, or by a need to express their pain through music? Adding some additional layers of emotional depth could really bring this poem to the next level. more »
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"J. L. Hooker, Detroit, autumn 1967" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 17 Mar. 2025. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/157484/j.-l.-hooker,-detroit,-autumn-1967>.

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