BEATFORTHIRTEEN - The hand of God

The Hand Of God

Ellis Hooks was born in Bayminette, Alabama, between Birmingham and Montgomery. He is the 13th of 16 children born to sharecroppers. According to legend, he didn't own a pair of shoes until he was eight.Hooks began his singing career as a child leading the church choir, but fell under the sway of the soul, blues, and country music his older brothers listened to on the radio. The voices of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Little Milton were sheer enchantment for the youth. At the age of 15, Hooks decided to seek his fortune as a singer and left home. He hitchhiked across the United States, working odd jobs, and playing and singing for anyone who would listen on street corners, and eventually landed in New York. In the city he slept where he could, played the occasional club gig on Bleeker Street, and spent many days singing in Central Park. In the storied way Hooks' life has unfolded, Diana Ross heard him in Central Park and, taken with his unique vocal style which blends the soul croon and blues growl, offered him a recording session at the famed Power Station studio. Hooks balked and never showed up, later claiming that he wasn't ready and his songs weren't developed enough.Hooks wasted no time in making his next career move. He earned enough for a one-way trip to Europe and spent time living in Paris, Amsterdam, and in Milan, where he played tube stops and street corners. It's a time he looks back on fondly: "European audiences receive you; they're open and they treat you like family. In the United States you have to fight for every audience member,"..... Allmusic.com

1. Gonna Take Some Time
2. Forty Days And Forty Nights
3. Uncomplicated
4. She Locked The Door
5. It's A Massle
6. Hand Of God, The
7. Never Give Up On Your Love
8. Idea A You, The
9. Ready This Time
10. Slide Me Gun
11. It's Not Me
12. Thats Not What I Need
13. M'Baby
14. Sweet Justina
15. Let Lane Do It
16. Can't Take This No More - (Bonus Track)
17. I Don't Want To Go Home - (Bonus Track)