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By BILL BENTLEY
 or starters, there was always the visual image, the very essence of the Boogie Man of the blues, with a sound that could scare you with his voice into thinking you were listening to someone with supernatural powers and otherworldly presence. From John Lee Hooker’s first songs, played with only ferocious guitar and stomping feet, there was never any doubt he was destined to be one of the prime pillars of modern blues. He slashed his way onto the charts with songs like “Boogie Children” and “Crawlin’ King Snake,” meaning exactly what he sang. Over the course of more than 50 years, Hooker offered a virtual roadmap of everywhere the blues would go, and never delivered less than his absolute best, no matter what name he was using. In many ways, he may be the greatest of them all, and this collection finally gives credit where it’s due, spanning the Hook’s entire career, right up until his last days recording with some of the biggest musical stars in the world. And, of course, no matter who it was, there was never any doubt it’s John Lee Hooker’s session. Years ago in 1984, he called Club Lingerie one afternoon and said he’d “be arriving that evening with two underage white girls in a limbo,” asking if he could be “acclimated” at the front door. All night long, John Lee Hooker, all night long. It was in him, and it had to come out.
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