Long John Hunter

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title: "Long John Hunter" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1931-births", "2016-deaths", "american-blues-guitarists", "american-male-guitarists", "american-blues-singers", "american-male-singers", "songwriters-from-louisiana", "electric-blues-musicians", "singers-from-louisiana", "texas-blues-musicians", "people-from-ringgold,-louisiana", "songwriters-from-texas", "guitarists-from-louisiana", "guitarists-from-texas", "20th-century-american-guitarists", "20th-century-american-male-musicians", "american-male-songwriters"] description: "American blues guitarist and singer" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_John_Hunter" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American blues guitarist and singer ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

Field	Value
name	Long John Hunter
birth_name	John Thurman Hunter Jr.{{cite book
first	Alan B.
last	Govenar
year	2008
title	Texas Blues: The Rise of a Contemporary Sound
publisher	Texas A&M University Press
location	College Station
isbn	978-1-58544-605-6
pages	380–5}}
birth_date
birth_place	Ringgold, Louisiana, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
instrument	Guitar, vocals
genre	Texas blues, electric blues
occupation	Guitarist, singer, songwriter
years_active	1953–2011
label	Alligator, various
::

| name = Long John Hunter | image = | caption = | image_size = | birth_name = John Thurman Hunter Jr.{{cite book | first= Alan B. | last= Govenar | year= 2008 | title= Texas Blues: The Rise of a Contemporary Sound | edition= | publisher= Texas A&M University Press | location= College Station | isbn= 978-1-58544-605-6 | pages= 380–5}} | alias = | birth_date = | birth_place = Ringgold, Louisiana, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | instrument = Guitar, vocals | genre = Texas blues, electric blues | occupation = Guitarist, singer, songwriter | years_active = 1953–2011 | label = Alligator, various

John Thurman Hunter Jr. (July 13, 1931 – January 4, 2016), known by the stage name Long John Hunter, was an American Texas blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He released seven albums in his own name, and in his later years found critical acknowledgement outside of his homeland. Hunter's best known tracks are "El Paso Rock" and "Alligators Around My Door", the latter of which Hunter co-wrote with Bruce Iglauer.

Life and career

Hunter was born in Ringgold, Louisiana. He was raised on a farm in Magnolia, Arkansas, but by his early twenties was working in a box factory in Beaumont, Texas. He bought his first guitar after attending a B. B. King concert. He adopted the stage name Long John Hunter in 1953. His first single, "She Used to Be My Woman" backed with "Crazy Girl" was released by Duke Records in 1953. By 1957, he had relocated to El Paso, Texas, and found employment playing at the Lobby Club in Juárez, Mexico. He remained there for over thirteen years, releasing several singles in the early 1960s on local record labels. These tracks included one of his most notable numbers, "El Paso Rock".

His album Texas Border Town Blues was released in 1988 and the album Ride with Me in 1992. These were followed by two more albums for Alligator Records, Border Town Legend (1996) and Swinging from the Rafters (1997). In 1999, Hunter teamed up with Lonnie Brooks and Phillip Walker to release Lone Star Shootout.

Hunter appeared at the Long Beach Blues Festival in 1996 and 2000. His last album was Looking for a Party (2009).

He died on January 4, 2016, at his home in Phoenix, Arizona.

Discography

::data[format=table] | Year || Title || Record label | |---| | 1988 | | 1992 | | 1994 | | 1996 | | 1997 | | 1999 | | 1999 | | 2003 | | 2009 | ::

References

References

1. Dahl, Bill. "Long John Hunter; Biography". AllMusic.com.
2. "Long John Hunter". Centrohd.com.
3. (1999-05-25). "Lonnie Brooks, ''Lone Star Shootout'': Credits". AllMusic.com.
4. [http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/el-paso/2016/01/05/el-paso-music-legend-long-john-hunter-dies/78310304/ "El Paso Music Legend Long John Hunter Dies"]. ''El Paso Times'', January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
5. "Long John Hunter: Discography". AllMusic.com.

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