Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist John Lee Hooker was born in Clarkdale, Mississippi. Hooker began his 50 years as a musician at age 14, when he sang with religious groups and studied guitar with Will Moore. By age 73, Hooker had received the 1968-69 Best Blues Album award from "Jazz and Pop" magazine, the 1975 Blues Hall of Fame Award from "Ebony" magazine and the 1983 Folk Heritage award from the Smithsonian Institution.