b. 1977, Mertzon, Texas, USA. Hooker’s father led a country band, playing the traditional music of East Texas and at the age of seven he had absorbed enough of this musical atmosphere to allow him to join the group, playing bass guitar. Seven years after that he was leading his own band, singing and playing, and before many more years had passed was a full-time professional musician. He studied music theory at South Plains College, Levelland, Texas, and was meanwhile influenced by artists such as Johnny Bush, Darrell McCall, Ray Price, Leon Rausch and Faron Young. From 1998, Hooker was resident in Fort Worth, Texas, where he formed a new band, the Outsiders, which included drummer Jeff ‘The Kid’ Croy. With this group, Hooker gained a strong local following. In the early 00s the band included Anthony Wilson (fiddle), Dickey Overbey (steel guitar), with Croy still behind the drums.