The Blues in Alaska.

Here's a couple of cool (but fuzzy) photos of John Lee Hooker playing at a fairgrounds facility in Fairbanks, AK in 1973. I discovered these photos on the wall of Jet City Blues contributor John Lee's secret headquarters in North Seattle.

Left to right: John Lee Hooker, Lindy Raines, and Gary Sloan

Left to right: Lindy Raines, John Lee Hooker, and John Lee

The backup band here was the Anchorage band Proof, which consisted of guitarist Lindy Raines, bassist John Lee, harp player Gary Sloan, and drummer Gordy Burlingham. Proof toured all of the hotspots in Alaska with the Hook in 1973 and again in 1975. This band also toured Alaska with blues harpist Charlie Musselwhite in the fall of 1973.

I met John Lee in Seattle around 1976-77, I guess. By 1979, we had organized a new version of my band Nitelife and soon we were headed for (where else?) Ketchikan, AK. Check out the ancient promo photo for that band below.

Nitelife in 1979. Left to right: John Lee, Mike Lynch, Lindy Raines, and Jim Becker

Note: The photos of John Lee Hooker and Proof were created by Al Monsma.