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i n t e n t i o n i s t o p l e a s e a n d t o e n l i g h t e n t h
o s e l e s s a w a r e o f t h e t r u e m e a n i n g a n d q u a l
i t y o f m u s i c d u e t o d a m a g e s r e l a t e d t o m t v b
u t w i t h o u t f u r t h e r a d o f u f f e n s o f f e r y o u t
o i n c r e a s e y o u r k n o w l e d e g e a b o u t m u s i c a n
d i n t h a t w a y c r e a t e a b e t t e r w o r l d f o r o u r c
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a r t i s t Lightnin' Hopkins w/ Sonny Terry
a l b u m Last Night Blues
l a b e l n/a
g e n r e Blues
r i p d a t e May-23-2005
s t r e e t d a t e 000-00-0000
o r i g i n a l r e l 1992
s u p p l i e r freund
s o u r c e cd
b i t r a t e VBR
e n c o d e r lame 3.90.3
r e l e a s e n o t e s
Biography by Bill Dahl
Sam Hopkins was a Texas country bluesman of the highest caliber whose
career began in the 1920s and stretched all the way into the 1980s.
Along the way, Hopkins watched the genre change remarkably, but he
never appreciably altered his mournful Lone Star sound, which
translated onto both acoustic and electric guitar. Hopkins' nimble
dexterity made intricate boogie riffs seem easy, and his fascinating
penchant for improvising lyrics to fit whatever situation might arise
made him a beloved blues troubadour.
Hopkins' brothers John Henry and Joel were also talented bluesmen,
but it was Sam who became a star. In 1920, he met the legendary Blind
Lemon Jefferson at a social function, and even got a chance to play
with him. Later, Hopkins served as Jefferson's guide. In his teens,
Hopkins began working with another pre-war great, singer Texas
Alexander, who was his cousin. A mid-'30s stretch in Houston's County
Prison Farm for the young guitarist interrupted their partnership for
a time, but when he was freed, Hopkins hooked back up with the older
bluesman.
The pair was dishing out their lowdown brand of blues in Houston's
Third Ward in 1946 when talent scout Lola Anne Cullum came across
them. She had already engineered a pact with Los Angeles-based
Aladdin Records for another of her charges, pianist Amos Milburn, and
Cullum saw the same sort of opportunity within Hopkins' dusty country
blues. Alexander wasn't part of the deal; instead, Cullum paired
Hopkins with pianist Wilson "Thunder" Smith, sensibly re-christened
the guitarist "Lightnin'," and presto! Hopkins was very soon an
Aladdin recording artist.
"Katie May," cut on November 9, 1946, in L.A. with Smith lending a
hand on the 88s, was Lightnin' Hopkins' first regional seller of
note. He recorded prolifically for Aladdin in both L.A. and Houston
into 1948, scoring a national R&B hit for the firm with his "Shotgun
Blues." "Short Haired Woman," "Abilene," and "Big Mama Jump," among
many Aladdin gems, were evocative Texas blues rooted in an earlier
era.
A load of other labels recorded the wily Hopkins after that, both in
a solo context and with a small rhythm section: Modern/RPM (his
uncompromising "Tim Moore's Farm" was an R&B hit in 1949); Gold Star
(where he hit with "T-Model Blues" that same year); Sittin' in With
("Give Me Central 209" and "Coffee Blues" were national chart entries
in 1952) and its Jax subsidiary; the major labels Mercury and Decca;
and, in 1954, a remarkable batch of sides for Herald where Hopkins
played blistering electric guitar on a series of blasting rockers
("Lightnin's Boogie," "Lightnin's Special," and the amazing "Hopkins'
Sky Hop") in front of drummer Ben Turner and bassist Donald Cooks
(who must have had bleeding fingers, so torrid were some of the
tempos).
But Hopkins' style was apparently too rustic and old-fashioned for
the new generation of rock & roll enthusiasts (they should have
checked out "Hopkins' Sky Hop"). He was back on the Houston scene by
1959, largely forgotten. Fortunately, folklorist Mack McCormick
rediscovered the guitarist, who was dusted off and presented as a
folk-blues artist; a role that Hopkins was born to play. Pioneering
musicologist Sam Charters produced Hopkins in a solo context for
Folkways Records that same year, cutting an entire LP in Hopkins'
tiny apartment (on a borrowed guitar). The results helped introduced
his music to an entirely new audience.
Lightnin' Hopkins went from gigging at back-alley gin joints to
starring at collegiate coffeehouses, appearing on TV programs, and
touring Europe to boot. His once-flagging recording career went right
through the roof, with albums for World Pacific; Vee-Jay; Bluesville;
Bobby Robinson's Fire label (where he cut his classic "Mojo Hand" in
1960); Candid; Arhoolie; Prestige; Verve; and, in 1965, the first of
several LPs for Stan Lewis' Shreveport-based Jewel logo.
Hopkins generally demanded full payment before he'd deign to sit down
and record, and seldom indulged a producer's desire for more than one
take of any song. His singular sense of country time befuddled more
than a few unseasoned musicians; from the 1960s on, his solo work is
usually preferable to band-backed material.
Filmmaker Les Blank captured the Texas troubadour's informal
lifestyle most vividly in his acclaimed 1967 documentary, The Blues
Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins. As one of the last great country
bluesmen, Hopkins was a fascinating figure who bridged the gap
between rural and urban styles.
...and remember: s t a y f u f f e n s f o r l i f e
t r a c k l i s t
Rocky Mountain 05:01
Got To Move Your Baby 04:04
So Sorry To Leave You 04:24
Take A Trip With Me 05:08
Last Night Blues 05:19
Lightnin' Stroke 04:58
Hard To Love A Woman 04:04
Conversation Blues 03:51
36:49
MB 55,4
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