Lightnin' Hopkins
Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was a country blues guitar musician, from Houston, Texas.
Life
Young Sam Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texas, to Abe and Frances (Sims) Hopkins. Together with his mother and five siblings, little Sam moved to Leona Texas after his father died in 1915. His first instrument was a home-made guitar fashioned from a cigar box, which he got when he was eight years old. A major influence on his playing was Blind Lemon Jefferson, who sometimes partnered with Hopkins' cousin, Texas Alexander, and encouraged him to to develop his talent.
Still in his teens, Sam had already started living the bluesman's life, traveling by hitchhiking or "riding the rails" and playing for dances and parties. His marriage to Elamer Lacey, but did not endure, during the Hopkin's rambling. After a stint in prison, he returned to his musician's life in the late 1930s.
When Hopkins and Alexander were playing in Houston in 1946, he was discovered by Lola Anne Cullum of Los Angeles', Aladdin Records. A piano player who backed Hopkins in the Aladdin sessions reportedly gave him the nickname Lightnin’, probably because of Hopkins nimble playing style. Hopkins' partnership with Alladin resulted more than 40 records, but he also recorded for numerous other labels, including especially Houston's Gold Star Records.
Hopkins eventually made his home in in Houston as well, touring occasionally. In the late 40s and early 50s he recorded a large number of songs, which sold modestly well to black audience. His biggest record was “Shotgun Blues” (1950) which reached number five on the Billboard R & B chart. Among his other hits were “Short Haired Women (1947) and “Penitentiary Blues” (1959).
In the early 60s, Hopkins became a staple on the folk circuit, where is solo performances and engaging personality were well received. He played often at venues such as The Ash Grove in Los Angeles, Folk City in New York, and various other folk clubs. In 1964 he performed with with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez at Carnegie Hall. Later he opened for such acts as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane in San Francisco's premier rock venues. A film devoted to his music won the prize outstanding documentary prize at the Chicago Film Festival for in 1970. He gave a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II in the early 70s, and in 1972—partnering with Taj Majal, whom he had met earlier at L.A's Ash Grove— he worked on the soundtrack to the motion picture Sounder.
Hopkins died of cancer of the esophagus on January 30, 1982. He was survived by his caretaker, Antoinette Charles, and four children. His funeral was attended by more than 4,000, including fans and musicians. He was buried in Forest Park Cemetery in Houston. In 2002 the town of Crockett in Houston County, east of the birthplace of Hopkins, erected a memorial statue honoring the bluesman in Lightnin’ Hopkins Park.
He settled in Houston in 1952 and gained much attention. Solid recordings followed including his masterpiece song Mojo Hand in 1960.
His style was born from spending many hours playing informally without a backing band. His distinctive style often included playing, in effect, bass, rhythm, lead, percussion, and vocals, all at the same time. His musical phrasing would often include a long low note at the beginning, the rhythm played in the middle range, then the lead in the high range. By playing this quickly - with occasional slaps of the guitar - the effect of bass, rhythm, percussion and lead would be created.
In 1968 Hopkins recorded the album Free Form Patterns backed by psychedelic rock band the 13th Floor Elevators.
His albums included The Complete Prestige /Bluesville Recordings, The Complete Aladdin Recordings, and the Gold Star Sessions (two volumes). Hopkins recorded a total of more than eighty-five albums and toured around the world. But after a 1970 car crash, many of the concerts he performed were on his front porch or at a bar near his house. He had a knack for writing songs impromptu, and frequently wove legends around a core of truth. His often autobiographical songs made him a spokesman 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. In 1980 Lightnin’ Hopkins was inducted into The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.
Influence
Jimi Hendrix reportedly became interested in blues music listening to Lightnin' Hopkins records with his father.Hopkins was a great influence on many local musicians around Houston and Austin, Texas in the 1950s and 1960s. He was an influence on Jimmie Vaughan's work and, more significantly, on the vocals and blues style of Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, the keyboardist of the Grateful Dead until 1972. He was also an important influence on Townes Van Zandt, the Texan folk/blues songwriter and performer, who often performed Hopkins numbers in his live performances. Doyle Bramhall II is another Texas artist who was influenced by Hopkins, as evidenced by a tattoo of Lightning on his upper left arm.
A song named after him was recorded by R.E.M. on their album Document.
The Houston Chronicle included Hopkins in their list of "100 Tall Texans," 100 important Texans that influenced the world. The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum included Hopkins in a 100 Tall Texans exhibit that opened in September 2006. The display includes Lightnin's Guild Starfire electric guitar and performance video.
Hopkins' Gibson J-160e guitar is on display at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
Discography
- The Roots of Lightnin' Hopkins
- Blues in My Bottle
- Po' Lightning
- Texas Blues
- California Mudslide
- Lonesome Dog Blues
- Morning Blues
Film
The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins (1969). Directed by Les Blank and Skip Gerson (Flower Films & Video).
As of 2006, a documentary on Hopkins is in production with Fastcut Films.
Books
- Lightnin' Hopkins Blues Guitar Legend by Dan Bowden
- Deep Down Hard Blues: Tribute to Lightnin by Sarah Ann West
External links
- Blues Foundation Hall of Fame Induction, 1980
- Houston Chronicle story about dedication of Lightnin' Hopkins statue
- Hopkins feature on Big Road Blues
Credits
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