Long John Hunter

Biography

John Thurman Hunter Jr. (July 13, 1931 – January 4, 2016), known by the stage name Long John Hunter, was an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He released seven albums in his own name, and in his later years found critical acknowledgement outside of his homeland. Hunter's best known tracks are "El Paso Rock" and "Alligators Around My Door", the latter of which Hunter co-wrote with Bruce Iglauer.

Life and career

Hunter was born in Ringgold, Louisiana. He was raised on a farm in Magnolia, Arkansas, but by his early twenties was working in a box factory in Beaumont, Texas. He bought his first guitar after attending a B. B. King concert. He adopted the stage name Long John Hunter in 1953. His first single, "She Used to Be My Woman" backed with "Crazy Girl" was released by Duke Records in 1953. By 1957, he had relocated to El Paso, Texas, and found employment playing at the Lobby Club in Juárez, Mexico. He remained there for over thirteen years, releasing several singles in the early 1960s on local record labels. These tracks included one of his most notable numbers, "El Paso Rock".
His album Texas Border Town Blues×Texas Border Town Blues1986 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracksA1Border Town Blues2:48A2Grandma2:04A3Shuffle Out2:01A4I Don't Care2:43A5Flippin' Fingers2:05A6Old Red2:43A7So Long2:07A8Scratch2:02B1El Paso Rock2:32B2I Wanna Love You2:33B3Schoolgirl2:04B4Midnight Stroll2:34B5Stop What You're Doing1:51B6Ride With Me Baby1:57B7Come On2:18B8Slash1:57 was released in 1988 and the album Ride with Me×Ride With Me1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ride With Me3:242Irene6:093El Paso Rock2:574Crazy Love5:415Bad Feet4:106I Raise My Hands5:347Dream About The Devil4:318West Texas Homecoming6:579Tell Me4:3110Still Blue7:02 in 1992. These were followed by two more albums for Alligator Records, Border Town Legend×Border Town Legend1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1T-Bone Intentions3:082Ice Cold4:213Ole Red5:254Marfa Lights4:535Nasty Ways3:316Grits Ain't Groceries2:547Arkansas5:208Rooster and the Hen5:429Lone Star Shootout4:0710Everybody Knows3:2311Road Hog4:0012John's Funk4:08 (1996) and Swinging from the Rafters×Swinging From the Rafters1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Time and Time Again4:232I Don't Care3:203Stop What You're Doing3:254Both Ends of the Road5:015Bugs on My Window3:236Take It Home With You3:587Trouble on the Line4:588In the Country4:479V-8 Ford3:381039 Days3:0911I'm Broke5:0012Walking Catfish4:0213Locksmith Man2:5614Love Prevails4:48 (1997). In 1999, Hunter teamed up with Lonnie Brooks and Phillip Walker to release Lone Star Shootout.
Hunter appeared at the Long Beach Blues Festival in 1996 and 2000. His last album was Looking for a Party×Looking For A Party2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Looking for a Party4:042What's Come Over You5:143Beggar Man3:524Looking for My Baby3:485I Know a Man4:026Apple of My Eye2:567You Say You Want a Caddy4:488Greener Pastures4:469You Are My World4:1510It's Hard to Please a Woman3:4511Me and Phil3:17 (2009).
He died on January 4, 2016, at his home in Phoenix, Arizona.