Mention 'The Blues' to even the most casual music lover, and chances are they will know the name John Lee Hooker. Like B.B. King and Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker is from the old school of blues, the Delta blues. When someone says, "They just don't play the blues like they used to", they mean it. Bluesmen such as John Lee Hooker literally come from a different time.

Born in Mississippi back in 1917 (or 1920 - even the man himself isn't sure), John Lee Hooker has a life story not unlike a lot of his fellow black musicians of that era. It was a time when racial segregation was the norm, and racism was almost accepted. Coloured and non-coloured restaurants, hotels, buses, hospitals and the like were common place. Black folk were by and large poor, illiterate, and unemployed - but boy, could they make music? Blues, like jazz and gospel, originated from this poverty and oppression. The blues is not something you learn, nor is it something you get from a book. It comes from within because it is something you feel, and a reaction to the things that you see, and the things that make up a life. When your life is as bleak as that of these people, you find an outlet, and blues music seems to be the outlet of choice for the likes of John Lee Hooker.

John Lee Hooker: That's My Story is an insight into the man that is John Lee Hooker. It is not an in-depth or potted history of the man, although it does cover his early life as well as his later successes. It takes us somewhat into his private world via his family, his fellow muso friends, and the man himself. It is obvious that his private life is something he treasured, and therefore there are no shocking revelations or sordid affairs a la Robert Johnson, and even major life changing events such as his divorce are merely mentioned in passing.

What we get is a short history of his career, from its beginnings, to his later resurgence in popularity in the late '80s. With guest appearances from Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Peter Wolf (J. Geils Band), and a handful of others, it is probably of more interest to blues fans as opposed to those that merely know the man's name. There are several live performances recorded at various venues, but little in the way of historical footage, probably because such visual records were not really common at the time.

Sadly, at the end of this, I didn't feel I knew any more than I did before I started. Sure, I already knew the basics because I love the blues, and am familiar with the man's work, but it would have been nice to learn something about what drove the man to create such enduring music. Whilst it is a very respectful documentary, it would have worked better had it been a little more in chronological order, dug some dirt, and had a narrator, rather than a series of interviews and 'fly-on-the-wall' moments. A few more musical performances would have been nice too, but I guess I can always throw on a CD.

Oh yeah, I'd hate to spoil the ending for you, but John Lee Hooker passed away in 2001, so at least by owning this, you are unlikely to have to buy the updated version in a year or two.

Wow this is stunning, visually. Ignore the back cover that says it's in a 4:3 full frame aspect ratio, as this is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it's also 16x9 enhanced. It is a beautifully clean transfer with no video artefacts. Colours are bold and vibrant, and slightly oversaturated. There is no evidence of noise, or colour bleeding or cross-colouration. There is some slight aliasing where you'd expect (guitars and on the shiny chrome bits of his many Cadillacs) but this is easily ignored. The image is brilliantly detailed, as good as any I've seen. Shadow detail is generally good, except for some of the on-stage footage attributable to stage lighting. There is some footage from the early sixties and as such it's of very poor quality and full of grain and artefacts, but hey, what do you expect?

The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo and is very nice too. The musical pieces sound wonderful and the guitars and other top end sounds are clear. Low frequency sounds such as bass guitars sound deep and rich. All other instruments and vocals are clear and in sync. The only person I had trouble understanding was the "King of the Boogie" himself, as he is a terrible mumbler, and there are no subtitles. Whilst we're talking about subtitles, while there are none mentioned on the cover or the menu, like many other titles from Madman there is a subtitle track used to provide names and details of people interviewed in the programme.

Some separation of left and right channels is detectable during the musical numbers, but of course the subwoofer, centre and surround speakers are not utilised. The only noticeable audio blemish is a loud click and a half-second audio drop out at 73:30, but it is between scenes and does not disrupt viewing. And no, it isn't the layer change as this is a single layer disc.

The only extra is a short Biography, which is a handful of unaccompanied screens of hard to read text. Most of the subject matter is discussed in the feature. The written biography states "John Lee Hooker 1917 - 2001" yet the feature makes no mention of his passing, and the guests all talk about him as if he was still alive, so I suspect the feature is a little older than the written biography, though not much.

For blues fans, this is a somewhat interesting look at the life of one of the legends of the blues, John Lee Hooker. If musical performances are what you want, then this will probably leave you a little disappointed. It is more about the man than his music, as strange as that may seem, and is certainly not a history of the blues. It is not going to win any new fans, nor will it be a history lesson or a revealing expose for enthusiasts. It simply acknowledges that John Lee Hooker was an innovator, an inspiration, and a kind old man who loved to play guitar for, and with, others. A simple man who led a happy and fulfilling life. Let's hope the rest of us can say the same when our time comes.