ZAKIYA HOOKER

ZAKIYA HOOKER

Zakiya Hooker is quite familiar with the blues. You could even say she had a front-row seat to view the best the genre had to offer, right in her own living room. Her dad was the renowned blues giant John Lee Hooker. To be the daughter of a Living Legend is a major obstacle. To choose to follow in his footsteps is a major undertaking. But rather than relying on her father, Zakiya has pursued life -- and music -- on her own terms, overcoming personal tragedy and skepticism along the way. But you know what they say, “the fruit never falls too far from the tree”. This certainly rings true with Zakiya


A strong and versatile vocalist, Zakiya has carved out a market for herself. The Jazzy Blues sound takes you in and out of songs like Hey Lady, Baby you Busted, Receipt To Sing The Blues and Protect me from the Blues. The songs are from her debut European CD Another Generation of the Blues and her second International release on Pointblank/Virgin, Flavors of the Blues. In 2003 Zakiya released a live CD in Buenos Aires, Argentina “Colors Of The Blues”. Zakiya’s fourth CD “Keeping It Real” was released June 16, 2009 on their company label, Boogie With The Hook Records. Zakiya Hooker is a regal combination of sass and soul. “Keeping It Real” is a defining contribution to her legacy as a woman singing the blues.


Zakiya made her debut performance in 1991 with her dad, John Lee Hooker, at the Kaiser Center Theatre in Oakland, CA. Since that time Zakiya has gone on to perform on shows with the likes of Etta James, Charles Brown, John Hammond, Taj Mahal and many more.


Zakiya has performed internationally in Paris, Amsterdam, London and Switzerland. Zakiya has performed at the world famous Filmore Auditorium, The San Francisco Blues Festival and The Monterey Jazz & Blues Festival. She has been on the cover of several well known trade magazines including Billboard Magazine. Zakiya’s voice can be heard on advertisements for Lexus and AIWA, also on the soundtrack of the movie Chalk, which won both the Camera d’Or at Cannes and Grand Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in San Francisco.


Zakiya’s music has carried her all over the world and given her the opportunity to perform for fans the world over. Zakiya Hooker is John Lee Hooker’s living legacy. She is the singer-songwriter daughter of this American Icon and she is carrying her father’s seminal blues torch confidently into the new millennium.


Zakiya Hooker has a beautiful voice. The kind of voice that grabs your attention if her music was on "in the background." A conversation starter, if you will. She has a silky, milky, rich voice that feels like honey to your ears. She is a versatile vocalist and a fine performer. To see Zakiya’s show is a sheer treat. She puts on a witty, funny, emotional and most of all entertaining show. Zakiya has “IT”. When she steps on the stage she becomes one with her audience and the love affair begins.


The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.