Some legacies you can see. Some you can hear. John Lee Hooker’s legacy lives not just through his sounds, but through the taste of the true American spirit poured from every bottle of Boogie Chillen Bourbon.
His Sacramento-based grandson Glenn Thomas, 58, has created unique blends of bourbon honoring Hooker’s name and legacy.
The brand is named after Hooker’s debut record “Boogie Chillen,” which became the first “down-home” electric blues song to reach number one on the R&B records chart. The brand is housed under the company John Lee Hooker Legacy Spirits, founded in 2023.
Thomas’ decision to have Hooker’s legacy live on through bourbon was simple. Though he hadn’t been in the spirits industry prior, bourbon was one of Hooker’s favorite drinks, and he shared many moments with Thomas accompanied by the drink.
“When I turned 21 I had my first drink of bourbon with him, so when I think of bourbon, I think of times I settled with and talked to him,” Thomas says. “I got to really know him over bourbon.”
Hooker was a prolific American blues singer, four-time Grammy winner, and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer. He made his classic blues recording about not being able to pay the rent, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” in 1966.
Hailing from Tutwiler, Mississippi, and born into a sharecropper family, Hooker got his start in Detroit in the 1940s. With no formal or musical education, he quickly opened his own lane in blues music and his influence stretched across generations, inspiring artists such as the Rolling Stones. His songs became a cultural standard that helped shape the genre as we know it today. Songs like “Boom Boom”, “I’m in the Mood” and “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” were instant hits.
At his career peak, he became known around the world as the “King of Boogie” for his soulful vocals and use of electric guitar to create uniquely simple rhythmic melodies, his adaptation of the delta blues.
“He played this around the house for us,” Thomas remembers, pointing to one of his grandfather’s acoustic guitars. “When we would act up, he would sit us down in the middle of the floor and just play.”
Thomas has many such profound memories of his grandfather: weekend visits as a child, authentic sounds of blues music, and bonding over bourbon in adulthood.
Though memories have stayed with Thomas, Hooker’s music has not. His catalog was obtained by Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) in 2021. Its loss was painful not just because of its financial implications, but because Hooker had purchased his catalog prior to his death in 2001. That gave him something most Black musicians of his era lacked: control over his work. For decades, Black artists were exploited by the music industry, often signing contracts that stripped them of royalties and rights. Hooker fought for ownership. To see that work undone after his death struck Thomas deeply.
“When they sold the publishing, it was like a punch to the gut because I know how hard he worked to get it back,” Thomas says.
He believes the Boogie Chillen Bourbon brand can be a vehicle to get it back.
To make the company and brand a reality, Thomas sold his home, saying he didn’t want to start off reliant on investors who might want to dictate the brand’s image in its early stage. He says he wanted the product to remain authentic and reflect the grit, resilience, and soul that defined Hooker’s life.
“He had a dream, and he followed it, and that made him one of the most unique musicians that was out there” says Hooker’s daughter, Zakiya Hooker.
Every bottle of Boogie Chillen Bourbon is embossed with Hooker’s guitar with six strings and a doting tribute from Thomas to his grandfather. The bourbon itself tastes remarkably smooth and warm on the way down.
Zakiya has followed her father’s footsteps into music. She is making her mark in the blues at age 77, not letting anything hold her back. Her involvement further grounds the brand in family, in lineage, and in the continuation of Hooker’s artistic spirit.
As for the spirit brand, Zakiya and Thomas hope Hooker is once again introduced to a new generation every time someone buys from John Lee Hooker Legacy Spirits.Boogie Chillen Bourbon is available in Sacramento at Roco Wine & Spirits and Good Bottle, and in Elk Grove at Sheldon Wine and Spirits. Patrons can also purchase it directly from Thomas online: John Lee Hooker Legacy Spirits.