Lightnin' Hopkins

HOPKINS, SAM (1912-1982).

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"I am the man they call The Lightnin' Hopkins" blues singer and guitarist, was born in Centerville, Texas, on March 15, 1912, the son of Abe and Frances (Sims) Hopkins. After my father died in 1915, the family (my mother and five brothers and sisters) moved to Leona. At age eight I made my first instrument, a cigar-box guitar with chicken-wire strings. By ten I was playing music with my cousin, Alger (Texas) Alexander, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, who encouraged me to continue. I also played with his brothers, blues musicians John Henry and Joel. By the mid-1920s I had started jumping trains, shooting dice, and playing the blues anywhere I could. I served time at the Houston County Prison Farm in the mid-1930s, and after my release I returned to the blues-club circuit. In 1946 I had my big break and first recording-in Los Angeles for Aladdin Recordings. On the record was a piano player named Wilson (Thunder) Smith; by chance he combined well with me, and he gave me the nickname, Lightnin'. The album has been described as "downbeat solo blues" characteristic of Hopkins's style. Aladdin was so impressed with me that the company invited me back for a second session in 1947. I eventually made forty-three recordings for the label. Over my career I recorded for a total of close to twenty different labels, including Gold Star Records in Houston. On occasion I would record for one label while under contract to another. In 1950 I settled in Houston, but continued to tour the country periodically. Though I recorded prolifically between 1946 and 1954, my records for the most part were not big outside the black community. Then there was the Herald sessions Ronnie. Had my Herald sessions been my only accomplishment, I'd still be the legend I am now. I'd rambled into a studio, pulled out the electric guitar and amplifier, put myself in the company of a rude and powerful rhythm section of bass and drums, and let loose. Having been taken advantage of by record labels in the past, I became one tough cat. I was pretty much willing to record for anyone, but only if you put the cash in my hand first. I wanted to hear nothing of royalties, future payment schedules, or possibilities; figuring the best way to avoid getting ripped-off again was to get the cash in my pocket, cut my sides, and walk away. Thankfully, the cash was there in 1954 when I waxed these 26 sides. It was not until 1959, when I began working with legendary producer Sam Chambers, that my music began to reach a mainstream white audience. I switched to an acoustic guitar and became a hit in the folk-blues revival of the 1960s. During the early 1960s I played at Carnegie Hall with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez and in 1964 toured with the American Folk Blues Festival. By the end of the decade I was opening for such rock bands as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. I toured Europe during the 1970s, playing for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance. I also performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 1972 I worked on the soundtrack to the film Sounder. I was also the subject of a documentary, The Blues According to Lightnin' Hopkins, which won a prize at the Chicago Film Festival for outstanding documentary in 1970. I am the subject of a second documentry called Where Lightnin' Strikes which is still in production.



Some of my biggest hits included "Short Haired Women / Big Mama Jump!" (1947); "Shotgun Blues," which went to number five on the Billboard charts in 1950; and "Penitentiary Blues" (1959). My albums included The Complete Prestige/Bluesville Recordings, The Complete Aladdin Recordings, and the Gold Star Sessions (two volumes). I recorded a total of more than eighty-five albums and toured around the world! But after a 1970 car crash, many of the concerts I performed were on my front porch or at a bar near my house. I had an incredible knack for writing songs impromptu, and frequently wove myths and legends around a core of truth. My songs were often autobiographical, making me a de facto spokesperson for the southern black community that had no voice in the white mainstream until blues attained a broader popularity through white singers like Elvis Presley. I died of cancer of the esophagus on January 30, 1982. I was survived by my wife, Antoinette, and four children. My funeral was attended by more than 4,000, including fans and musicians. My influence has been, and will be felt throughout the music world forever.



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