Lightnin' Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins | |
---|---|
Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982)[1] was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.[2]
The
Life
Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texas.[4] As a child, he was immersed in the sounds of the blues. He developed a deep appreciation for the music at the age of eight, when he met Blind Lemon Jefferson at a church picnic in Buffalo, Texas.[5] He went on to learn from his distant older cousin, the country blues singer Alger "Texas" Alexander;[5] Hopkins had another cousin, the Texas electric blues guitarist Frankie Lee Sims, with whom he later recorded.[6] Hopkins began accompanying Jefferson on guitar at informal church gatherings. Jefferson reputedly never let anyone play with him except Hopkins, and Hopkins learned much from Jefferson at these gatherings.
In the mid-1930s, Hopkins was sent to Houston County Prison Farm, but the offence for which he was imprisoned is unknown.[5] In the late 1930s, he moved to Houston with Alexander in an unsuccessful attempt to break into the music scene there. By the early 1940s, he was back in Centerville, working as a farm hand.
Hopkins took a second shot at Houston in 1946. While singing on Dowling Street in Houston's
Hopkins recorded more sides for Aladdin in 1947. He returned to Houston and began recording for
In 1959, the blues researcher
In 1968, Hopkins recorded the album Free Form Patterns, backed by the rhythm section of the
Hopkins was Houston's poet-in-residence for 35 years. He recorded more albums than any other blues musician.[3] A statue of Hopkins sits in Crockett, Texas.[8]
Hopkins died of
His Gibson J-160e "hollowbox" is on display at the Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland, and his Guild Starfire at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, both on loan from the Joe Kessler collection.[10]
Musical style
Hopkins's style was born from spending many hours playing informally without a backing band. His distinctive
Much of Hopkins's music follows the standard
Some of his songs were of warning and sour prediction, such as "Fast Life Woman":
You may see a fast life woman sittin' round a whiskey joint,
Yes, you know, she'll be sittin' there smilin',
'Cause she knows some man gonna buy her half a pint,
Take it easy, fast life woman, 'cause you ain't gon' live always...[3]
Discography
Early compilations of previously issued material
- Early Recordings (Arhoolie, 1946-50 [1969]) - collection of Gold Star recordings
- Early Recordings Vol. 2 (Arhoolie, 1946-50 [1971]) - collection of Gold Star releases
- Lightnin' Hopkins Strums the Blues (Score, 1946-48 [1958]) - collection of Aladdin releases
- Lightning Hopkins Sings the Blues (Crown, 1947-1951 [1961]) - collection of RPM releases
- Last of the Great Blues Singers (Time, 1950-51 [1960]) - collection of Sittin' in With releases
- Lightnin' and the Blues (Herald, 1954 [1960]) - collection of Herald releases
- Blues Masters: The Very Best Of Lightnin' Hopkins (Rhino, 2000) - later collection.
Original LP releases
- The Rooster Crowed in England (77, 1959 [1960])
- Lightnin' Hopkins (Folkways, 1959) - reissued as The Roots of Lightnin' Hopkins
- Country Blues (Tradition, 1959)
- Autobiography in Blues (Tradition, 1960)
- Down South Summit Meetin' (World Pacific, 1960) with Brownie McGhee, Big Joe Williams and Sonny Terry - reissued as Summit Meetin'
- Last Night Blues (Bluesville, 1960) with Sonny Terry
- Lightnin' (Bluesville, 1960)
- Lightnin' in New York (Candid, 1960)
- Mojo Hand (Fire, 1960 [1962])
- Blues in My Bottle (Bluesville, 1961)
- Blues Hoot (Horizon, 1961 [1963]) with Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry - reissued as Coffee House Blues
- On Stage (Imperial Records,[1962]) reissued Dolchess 2013
- Lightnin' Sam Hopkins (Arhoolie, 1962)
- Walkin' This Road by Myself (Bluesville, 1962)
- Lightnin' and Co. (Bluesville, 1962)
- Smokes Like Lightning (Bluesville, 1962 [1963])
- Lightnin' Strikes (Vee-Jay, 1962)
- Hootin' the Blues (Prestige Folklore, 1962 [1965])
- Goin' Away (Bluesville, 1963)
- The Swarthmore Concert (Prestige, 1964 [1993])
- Down Home Blues (Bluesville, 1964)
- Soul Blues (Prestige, 1964 [1965])
- Lightning Hopkins with His Brothers Joel and John Henry / with Barbara Dane (Arhoolie, 1964 [1966])
- My Life in the Blues (Prestige, 1964 [1965])
- Live at the Bird Lounge (Guest Star, 1964)
- The King of the Blues (Pickwick, 1965) - reissued as Let's Work Awhile
- Blue Lightnin' (Jewel, 1965 [1967])
- Live at Newport (Vanguard, 1965 [2002])
- Lightnin' Strikes (Verve Folkways, 1965 [1966]) - reissued as Nothin' But the Blues
- Something Blue (Verve Folkways, 1967)
- Thats My Story (Polydor, 1965 [1970])
- Blues Festival Song & Dance (Arhoolie, 1967) shared disc with Mance Lipscomb and Clifton Chenier
- Texas Blues Man (Arhoolie, 1967)
- Free Form Patterns (International Artists, 1968)
- Talkin' Some Sense (Jewel, 1968)
- Lightnin' Hopkins Strikes Again (Home Cooking, 1968 [1975])
- The Great Electric Show and Dance (Jewel, 1969)
- California Mudslide (and Earthquake) (Vault Records, 1969)
- Lightnin'! (Poppy, 1969) - rereleased on Arhoolie in 1993
- In the Key of Lightnin' (Tomato, 1969 [2002])
- Lightning Hopkins in Berkeley (Arhoolie, 1969 [1970])
- Po' Lightnin' (Arhoolie, 1961/69 [1983])
- The Legacy of the Blues Vol. 12 (Sonet, 1974 [1977])
- New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 1976 (Island, 1977) shared disc with various artists
- The Rising Sun Collection Vol. 9 (Just a Memory, 1977 [1996])
- Mighty Crazy (Catfish, 1980 [2002]) shared disc with Big Mama Thornton
- The Rising Sun Collection (Just a Memory, 1980 [1996]) shared disc with Louisiana Red, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
- Forever (Paris Album, 1981 [1983])
As sideman
With Sonny Terry With George "Wild Child" Butler
- Sonny Is King (Bluesville, 1963)
Films
- The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins (1968), directed by Les Blank and Skip Gerson (Flower Films & Video)[7]
- The Sun's Gonna Shine (1969), directed by Les Blank with Skip Gerson (Flower Films & Video)
- Sounder (1972), directed by Martin Ritt (the soundtrack includes Taj Mahal singing a version of Hopkins "Needed Time")
- As of 2010[update], a film documentaryon Hopkins, Where Lightnin' Strikes, was in production with Fastcut Films of Houston.
- His song "Once a Gambler" is on the soundtrack of the 2009 film Crazy Heart.
Books
- Mojo Hand: An Orphic Tale, by J.J. Phillips(Serpent's Tail)
- Lightnin' Hopkins: Blues Guitar Legend, by Dan Bowden
- Deep Down Hard Blues: Tribute to Lightnin', by Sarah Ann West
- Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life and Blues, by Alan Govenar (Chicago Review Press)
- Mojo Hand: The Life and Music of Lightnin' Hopkins, by Timothy J. O'Brien and David Ensminger (University of Texas Press)
See also
References
- Inline citations
- ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ "Lightnin' Hopkins | Rolling Stone Music | Lists". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-08-09.
- ^ ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ Nicholas, A. X. (1973). Woke Up This Mornin': Poetry of the Blues. Bantam Books. p. 87.
- ^ a b c d e "Lightnin' Hopkins Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ Dahl, Bill. "Frankie Lee Sims: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
- ^ Russell, pp. 145–146.
- ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (February 1, 1982). "Obituary: Sam (Lightnin') Hopkins, 69; Blues Singer and Guitarist". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ "The Team". Where Lightnin' Strikes. 2011-02-28. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- Further reading
- Stambler, Irwin; Landon, Grellun (1983). The Encyclopedia of Folk, Country & Western Music (2nd ed.). St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-24818-0.
- Liner notes to the CD Country Blues, Ryko/Tradition Records.
External links
- Blues Foundation Hall of Fame Induction, 1980
- Houston Chronicle article about dedication of Lightnin' Hopkins statue
- Hopkins feature on Big Road Blues
- Campstreetcafe.com. Accessed December 25, 2007.
- Lightnin' Hopkins at IMDb
- Lightnin' Hopkins discography at Discogs
- Where Lightnin Strikes (documentary film)
- New York Times obituary