VA • The Coolest Rhythm 'N' Blues

 

Mojo Hand: The Life and Music of Lightnin' Hopkins

 

 

In a career that took him from the cotton fields of East Texas to the concert stage at Carnegie Hall and beyond, Lightnin’ Hopkins became one of America’s greatest bluesmen, renowned for songs whose topics effortlessly ranged from his African American roots to space exploration, the Vietnam War, and lesbianism, performed in a unique, eccentric, and spontaneous style of guitar playing that inspired a whole generation of rock guitarists. Hopkins’s music directly and indirectly influenced an amazing range of artists, including Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Tom Waits, and Bob Dylan, as well as bands such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and ZZ Top, with whom Hopkins performed.

Mojo Hand follows Lightin’ Hopkins’s life and music from the acoustic country blues that he began performing in childhood, through the rise of 1950s rock ’n’ roll, which nearly derailed his career, to his reinvention and international success as a pioneer of electric folk blues from the 1960s to the 1980s. The authors draw on 130 vivid oral histories, as well as extensive archival and secondary sources, to provide the fullest account available of the development of Hopkins’s music; his idiosyncratic business practices, such as shunning professional bookers, managers, and publicists; and his durable and indelible influence on modern roots, blues, rock ’n’ roll, singer-songwriter, and folk music. Mojo Hand celebrates the spirit and style, intelligence and wit, and confounding musical mystique of a bluesman who shaped modern American music like no one else.

 

Sonny Terry • Sonny Is King

 

Sonny Terry

Saunders Teddell, or Saunders Terrell (or other variants, sources differ) (October 24, 1911 – March 11, 1986), known as Sonny Terry, was an American Piedmont blues and folk musician, who was known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers and occasionally imitations of trains and fox hunts.

Terry was born in Greensboro, Georgia. His father, a farmer, taught him to play basic blues harp as a youth. He sustained injuries to his eyes and went blind by the time he was 16, which prevented him from doing farm work, and was forced to play music in order to earn a living. Terry played Campdown Races to the plow horses which improved the efficiency of farming in the area. He began playing blues in Shelby, North Carolina. After his father died, he began playing in the trio of Piedmont blues–style guitarist Blind Boy Fuller. When Fuller died in 1941, Terry established a long-standing musical relationship with Brownie McGhee, and they recorded numerous songs together. The duo became well known among white audiences during the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. This included collaborations with Styve Homnick, Woody Guthrie and Moses Asch, producing classic recordings for Folkways Records (now Smithsonian/Folkways).

In 1938 Terry was invited to play at Carnegie Hall for the first From Spirituals to Swing concert, and later that year he recorded for the Library of Congress. He recorded his first commercial sides in 1940. Some of his most famous works include "Old Jabo", a song about a man bitten by a snake, and "Lost John", which demonstrates his amazing breath control.

Despite their fame as "pure" folk artists, in the 1940s Terry and McGhee fronted a jump blues combo with honking saxophone and rolling piano, which was variously billed as Brownie McGhee and his Jook House Rockers or Sonny Terry and his Buckshot Five.

Terry was also in the 1947 original cast of the Broadway musical comedy Finian's Rainbow. He also appeared in the film The Color Purple, directed by Steven Spielberg. With McGhee, he appeared in the 1979 Steve Martin comedy The Jerk. Terry collaborated with Ry Cooder on "Walkin' Away Blues". He also performed a cover of Robert Johnson's "Crossroad Blues" for the 1986 film Crossroads.

Terry and McGhee were both recipients of a 1982 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. That year's fellowships were the first bestowed by the NEA.

Terry died of natural causes in Mineola, New York in March 1986, three days before Crossroads was released in theaters. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in the same year.

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Sonny Terry

Saunders Teddell, o Saunders Terrell (u otras variantes, las fuentes difieren) (24 de octubre de 1911 - 11 de marzo de 1986), conocido como Sonny Terry, fue un músico de blues y folk del Piamonte americano, conocido por su enérgico estilo de armónica de blues, que frecuentemente incluía gritos y chillidos vocales y ocasionalmente imitaciones de trenes y cacerías de zorros.

Terry nació en Greensboro, Georgia. Su padre, un granjero, le enseñó a tocar arpa básica de blues cuando era joven. Sufrió lesiones en los ojos y quedó ciego a los 16 años, lo que le impidió hacer el trabajo de la granja, y se vio obligado a tocar música para ganarse la vida. Terry tocó en Campdown Races con los caballos del arado, lo que mejoró la eficiencia de la agricultura en la zona. Empezó a tocar blues en Shelby, Carolina del Norte. Después de su padre murió, comenzó a tocar en el trío de Piamonte estilo blues guitarrista Blind Boy Fuller. Cuando Fuller murió en 1941, Terry estableció una larga relación musical con Brownie McGhee, y grabaron numerosas canciones juntos. El dúo se hizo muy conocido entre el público blanco durante el resurgimiento de la música folclórica de los años 50 y 60. Esto incluyó colaboraciones con Styve Homnick, Woody Guthrie y Moses Asch, produciendo grabaciones clásicas para Folkways Records (ahora Smithsonian/Folkways).

En 1938 Terry fue invitado a tocar en el Carnegie Hall para el primer concierto de From Spirituals to Swing, y más tarde ese año grabó para la Biblioteca del Congreso. Grabó sus primeros lados comerciales en 1940. Algunas de sus obras más famosas incluyen "Old Jabo", una canción sobre un hombre mordido por una serpiente, y "Lost John", que demuestra su asombroso control de la respiración.

A pesar de su fama de "puros" artistas folclóricos, en la década de 1940 Terry y McGhee encabezaron un combo de jump blues con saxofón y piano, que fue presentado como Brownie McGhee y sus Jook House Rockers o Sonny Terry y sus Buckshot Five.

Terry también formó parte del elenco original de 1947 de la comedia musical de Broadway Finian's Rainbow. También apareció en la película El color púrpura, dirigida por Steven Spielberg. Con McGhee, apareció en la comedia de Steve Martin de 1979, The Jerk. Terry colaboró con Ry Cooder en "Walkin' Away Blues". También interpretó una versión de "Crossroad Blues" de Robert Johnson para la película Crossroads de 1986.

Terry y McGhee recibieron en 1982 la Beca del Patrimonio Nacional otorgada por el National Endowment for the Arts, el más alto honor del gobierno de los Estados Unidos en las artes folclóricas y tradicionales. Las becas de ese año fueron las primeras otorgadas por el NEA.

Terry murió por causas naturales en Mineola, Nueva York, en marzo de 1986, tres días antes de que Crossroads se estrenara en los cines. Fue admitido en el Salón de la Fama del Blues ese mismo año.

VA • 100 Christmas Blues

 

Lightnin' Hopkins,Ray Charles,Mabel Scott,Christmas,Willie Dixon,Freddie King,Brownie McGhee,T-Bone Walker,John Lee Hooker,Junior Wells,Roosevelt Sykes,Lowell Fulson,Jay McShann,Jimmy Witherspoon ...

VA • Bottleneck Blues Anthology

 

VA • Mo' Mod Jazz

Lightnin' Hopkins • Lightnin' Hopkins

Review by Thom Owens
Originally released as The Roots of Lightnin' Hopkins, Smithsonian/Folkways' Lightnin' Hopkins was recorded in 1959. Upon its initial release, it was a pivotal part of the blues revival and helped re-spark interest in Hopkins. Before it was recorded, the bluesman had disappeared from sight; after a great deal of searching, Sam Charters found Hopkins in a rented one-room apartment in Houston. Persuading Lightnin' with a bottle of gin, Charters convinced Hopkins to record ten songs in that room, using only one microphone. The resulting record was one of the greatest albums in Hopkins' catalog, a skeletal record that is absolutely naked in its loneliness and haunting in its despair. These unvarnished performances arguably capture the essence of Lightnin' Hopkins better than any of his other recordings, and it is certainly one of the landmarks of the late-'50s/early-'60s blues revival.

 

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Reseña de Thom Owens
Publicado originalmente con el nombre de The Roots of Lightnin' Hopkins, Lightnin' Hopkins de Smithsonian/Folkways fue grabado en 1959. Cuando se publicó por primera vez, fue una parte fundamental del renacimiento del blues y ayudó a reavivar el interés por Hopkins. Antes de que se grabara, el bluesman había desaparecido de la vista; después de una gran búsqueda, Sam Charters encontró a Hopkins en un apartamento alquilado de una habitación en Houston. Persuadiendo a Lightnin' con una botella de ginebra, Charters convenció a Hopkins para que grabara diez canciones en esa habitación, utilizando sólo un micrófono. El disco resultante fue uno de los mejores álbumes del catálogo de Hopkins, un disco esquelético, absolutamente desnudo en su soledad e inquietante en su desesperación. Estas interpretaciones sin tapujos capturan posiblemente la esencia de Lightnin' Hopkins mejor que cualquiera de sus otras grabaciones, y es sin duda uno de los hitos del renacimiento del blues de finales de los 50 y principios de los 60.

Lightnin' Hopkins • Lightnin' And The Blues

 

Lightnin’ Hopkins embodied the blues. His singing, guitar playing, his physical appearance, personality, and demeanor, were the blues. One of the most recognizable bluesmen to come out of Texas, Lightnin’ Hopkins went on to stake out an enduring and productive career with his own spontaneous and eclectic style of haunting vocals and accompanying guitar.

Sam Lightnin’ Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texas, on March 15, 1912. After his father died in 1915, the family (Sam, his mother and five brothers and sisters) moved to Leona. At age eight he made his first instrument, a cigar-box guitar with chicken-wire strings. By ten he was playing music with his cousin, Texas Alexander, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, who encouraged him to continue. Hopkins also played with his brothers, blues musicians John Henry and Joel.

By the mid-1920s Sam had started jumping trains, shooting dice, and playing the blues anywhere he could. He married sometime in the 1920s, and had several children, but by the mid-1930s his wife, frustrated by his wandering lifestyle, took the children and left Hopkins. He served time at the Houston County Prison Farm in the mid-1930s, and after his release he returned to the blues-club circuit. In 1946 he had his 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 Sam to give him his nickname, Lightnin’. The album has been described as “downbeat solo blues” characteristic of Hopkins’s style. Aladdin was so impressed with Hopkins that the company invited him back for a second session in 1947. He eventually made forty-three recordings for the label, which are highly regarded and available as “The Complete Aladdin Recordings.”

Over his career Hopkins recorded for nearly twenty different labels, including Gold Star Records in Houston. These were reissued under Arhoolie as “The Gold Star Sessions.” On occasion he would record for one label while under contract to another. In 1950 he settled in Houston, but he continued to tour the country periodically. Though he recorded prolifically between 1946 and 1954, his records for the most part were not big outside the black community, and buried by the onslaught of rock and roll. It was not until 1959, when Hopkins began working with legendary producer Sam Chambers that his music began to reach a mainstream audience. Hopkins switched to an acoustic guitar and became a hit in the folk-blues revival of the 1960s. He was signed by Chris Strachwitz for his new Arhoolie label in this period, which really propelled his popularity in the genre.

During the early 1960s he 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 he was opening for such rock bands as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. During a tour of Europe in the 1970s, he played for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance. Hopkins also performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 1972 he worked on the soundtrack to the film Sounder. He was also the subject of a documentary by filmmaker Les Blanks The Blues According to Lightnin’ Hopkins, which won the prize at the Chicago Film Festival for outstanding documentary in 1970.

Hopkins recorded and appeared on more than eighty-five albums for an incredible variety of labels, 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 until blues attained a broader popularity through white audiences and performers.

In 1980 Lightnin’ Hopkins was inducted into The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.

Hopkins died of cancer on January 30, 1982

Source: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/lightninhopkins

///////

Lightnin’ Hopkin encarnaba el blues. Su canto, su toque de guitarra, su apariencia física, su personalidad y su comportamiento eran los blues. Uno de los bluesmen más reconocidos de Texas, Lightnin' Hopkins continuó su carrera duradera y productiva con su propio estilo espontáneo y ecléctico de voces inquietantes y guitarra de acompañamiento.

Sam Lightnin' Hopkins nació en Centerville, Texas, el 15 de marzo de 1912. Después de la muerte de su padre en 1915, la familia (Sam, su madre y cinco hermanos y hermanas) se mudaron a Leona. A los ocho años hizo su primer instrumento, una guitarra de caja de puros con cuerdas de alambre de pollo. A las diez ya estaba tocando música con su primo, Texas Alexander, y Blind Lemon Jefferson, quien lo animó a continuar. Hopkins también tocó con sus hermanos, los músicos de blues John Henry y Joel.

A mediados de la década de 1920, Sam había empezado a saltar trenes, a tirar dados y a jugar al blues en cualquier lugar que pudiera. Se casó en algún momento de la década de 1920 y tuvo varios hijos, pero a mediados de la década de 1930 su esposa, frustrada por su estilo de vida errante, se llevó a los niños y se fue de Hopkins. Cumplió condena en la Granja de la Prisión del Condado de Houston a mediados de la década de 1930, y después de su liberación regresó al circuito de clubes de blues. En 1946 tuvo su gran éxito y su primera grabación en Los Ángeles para Aladdin Recordings. En el disco había un pianista llamado Wilson (Thunder) Smith; por casualidad se combinó bien con Sam para darle su apodo, Lightnin'. El álbum ha sido descrito como "downbeat solo blues" característico del estilo de Hopkins. Aladino quedó tan impresionado con Hopkins que la compañía lo invitó a regresar para una segunda sesión en 1947. Con el tiempo hizo cuarenta y tres grabaciones para el sello, que son muy apreciadas y están disponibles como "The Complete Aladdin Recordings".

A lo largo de su carrera Hopkins grabó para casi veinte sellos diferentes, incluyendo Gold Star Records en Houston. Estos fueron reeditados bajo el nombre de "Las Sesiones de la Estrella Dorada". En ocasiones grababa para un sello mientras estaba bajo contrato con otro. En 1950 se estableció en Houston, pero continuó haciendo giras por el país periódicamente. Aunque grabó prolíficamente entre 1946 y 1954, sus discos en su mayor parte no fueron grandes fuera de la comunidad negra, y fueron enterrados por el ataque del rock and roll. No fue hasta 1959, cuando Hopkins comenzó a trabajar con el legendario productor Sam Chambers, que su música comenzó a llegar a un público mayoritario. Hopkins cambió a una guitarra acústica y se convirtió en un éxito en el renacimiento del folk-blues de los años 60. Fue firmado por Chris Strachwitz para su nuevo sello Arhoolie en este período, lo que realmente impulsó su popularidad en el género.

A principios de los años 60 tocó en el Carnegie Hall con Pete Seeger y Joan Baez y en 1964 realizó una gira con el American Folk Blues Festival. A finales de la década estaba abriendo para bandas de rock como Grateful Dead y Jefferson Airplane. Durante una gira por Europa en la década de 1970, tocó para la Reina Isabel II en una función de mando. Hopkins también actuó en el Festival de Jazz y Patrimonio de Nueva Orleans. En 1972 trabajó en la banda sonora de la película Sounder. También fue objeto de un documental del cineasta Les Blanks The Blues According to Lightnin' Hopkins, que ganó el premio en el Festival de Cine de Chicago por documental sobresaliente en 1970.

Hopkins grabó y apareció en más de ochenta y cinco álbumes para una increíble variedad de sellos discográficos, y realizó giras por todo el mundo. Pero después de un accidente automovilístico en 1970, muchos de los conciertos que ofreció fueron en su porche o en un bar cerca de su casa.

Tenía un don para escribir canciones improvisadamente, y frecuentemente tejía leyendas en torno a un núcleo de verdad. Sus canciones a menudo autobiográficas lo convirtieron en el portavoz de la comunidad negra del sur que no tenía voz hasta que el blues alcanzó una popularidad más amplia a través del público y los intérpretes blancos.

En 1980, Lightnin' Hopkins fue admitido en el Salón de la Fama de The Blues Foundation.

Hopkins murió de cáncer el 30 de enero de 1982

Fuente: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/lightninhopkins

Lightnin' Hopkins • Lightnin' (The Blues Of LH)

 

Lightnin’ Hopkins embodied the blues. His singing, guitar playing, his physical appearance, personality, and demeanor, were the blues. One of the most recognizable bluesmen to come out of Texas, Lightnin’ Hopkins went on to stake out an enduring and productive career with his own spontaneous and eclectic style of haunting vocals and accompanying guitar.

Sam Lightnin’ Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texas, on March 15, 1912. After his father died in 1915, the family (Sam, his mother and five brothers and sisters) moved to Leona. At age eight he made his first instrument, a cigar-box guitar with chicken-wire strings. By ten he was playing music with his cousin, Texas Alexander, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, who encouraged him to continue. Hopkins also played with his brothers, blues musicians John Henry and Joel.

By the mid-1920s Sam had started jumping trains, shooting dice, and playing the blues anywhere he could. He married sometime in the 1920s, and had several children, but by the mid-1930s his wife, frustrated by his wandering lifestyle, took the children and left Hopkins. He served time at the Houston County Prison Farm in the mid-1930s, and after his release he returned to the blues-club circuit. In 1946 he had his 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 Sam to give him his nickname, Lightnin’. The album has been described as “downbeat solo blues” characteristic of Hopkins’s style. Aladdin was so impressed with Hopkins that the company invited him back for a second session in 1947. He eventually made forty-three recordings for the label, which are highly regarded and available as “The Complete Aladdin Recordings.”

Over his career Hopkins recorded for nearly twenty different labels, including Gold Star Records in Houston. These were reissued under Arhoolie as “The Gold Star Sessions.” On occasion he would record for one label while under contract to another. In 1950 he settled in Houston, but he continued to tour the country periodically. Though he recorded prolifically between 1946 and 1954, his records for the most part were not big outside the black community, and buried by the onslaught of rock and roll. It was not until 1959, when Hopkins began working with legendary producer Sam Chambers that his music began to reach a mainstream audience. Hopkins switched to an acoustic guitar and became a hit in the folk-blues revival of the 1960s. He was signed by Chris Strachwitz for his new Arhoolie label in this period, which really propelled his popularity in the genre.

During the early 1960s he 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 he was opening for such rock bands as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. During a tour of Europe in the 1970s, he played for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance. Hopkins also performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 1972 he worked on the soundtrack to the film Sounder. He was also the subject of a documentary by filmmaker Les Blanks The Blues According to Lightnin’ Hopkins, which won the prize at the Chicago Film Festival for outstanding documentary in 1970.

Hopkins recorded and appeared on more than eighty-five albums for an incredible variety of labels, 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 until blues attained a broader popularity through white audiences and performers.

In 1980 Lightnin’ Hopkins was inducted into The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.

Hopkins died of cancer on January 30, 1982

Source: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/lightninhopkins

///////

Lightnin’ Hopkin encarnaba el blues. Su canto, su toque de guitarra, su apariencia física, su personalidad y su comportamiento eran los blues. Uno de los bluesmen más reconocidos de Texas, Lightnin' Hopkins continuó su carrera duradera y productiva con su propio estilo espontáneo y ecléctico de voces inquietantes y guitarra de acompañamiento.

Sam Lightnin' Hopkins nació en Centerville, Texas, el 15 de marzo de 1912. Después de la muerte de su padre en 1915, la familia (Sam, su madre y cinco hermanos y hermanas) se mudaron a Leona. A los ocho años hizo su primer instrumento, una guitarra de caja de puros con cuerdas de alambre de pollo. A las diez ya estaba tocando música con su primo, Texas Alexander, y Blind Lemon Jefferson, quien lo animó a continuar. Hopkins también tocó con sus hermanos, los músicos de blues John Henry y Joel.

A mediados de la década de 1920, Sam había empezado a saltar trenes, a tirar dados y a jugar al blues en cualquier lugar que pudiera. Se casó en algún momento de la década de 1920 y tuvo varios hijos, pero a mediados de la década de 1930 su esposa, frustrada por su estilo de vida errante, se llevó a los niños y se fue de Hopkins. Cumplió condena en la Granja de la Prisión del Condado de Houston a mediados de la década de 1930, y después de su liberación regresó al circuito de clubes de blues. En 1946 tuvo su gran éxito y su primera grabación en Los Ángeles para Aladdin Recordings. En el disco había un pianista llamado Wilson (Thunder) Smith; por casualidad se combinó bien con Sam para darle su apodo, Lightnin'. El álbum ha sido descrito como "downbeat solo blues" característico del estilo de Hopkins. Aladino quedó tan impresionado con Hopkins que la compañía lo invitó a regresar para una segunda sesión en 1947. Con el tiempo hizo cuarenta y tres grabaciones para el sello, que son muy apreciadas y están disponibles como "The Complete Aladdin Recordings".

A lo largo de su carrera Hopkins grabó para casi veinte sellos diferentes, incluyendo Gold Star Records en Houston. Estos fueron reeditados bajo el nombre de "Las Sesiones de la Estrella Dorada". En ocasiones grababa para un sello mientras estaba bajo contrato con otro. En 1950 se estableció en Houston, pero continuó haciendo giras por el país periódicamente. Aunque grabó prolíficamente entre 1946 y 1954, sus discos en su mayor parte no fueron grandes fuera de la comunidad negra, y fueron enterrados por el ataque del rock and roll. No fue hasta 1959, cuando Hopkins comenzó a trabajar con el legendario productor Sam Chambers, que su música comenzó a llegar a un público mayoritario. Hopkins cambió a una guitarra acústica y se convirtió en un éxito en el renacimiento del folk-blues de los años 60. Fue firmado por Chris Strachwitz para su nuevo sello Arhoolie en este período, lo que realmente impulsó su popularidad en el género.

A principios de los años 60 tocó en el Carnegie Hall con Pete Seeger y Joan Baez y en 1964 realizó una gira con el American Folk Blues Festival. A finales de la década estaba abriendo para bandas de rock como Grateful Dead y Jefferson Airplane. Durante una gira por Europa en la década de 1970, tocó para la Reina Isabel II en una función de mando. Hopkins también actuó en el Festival de Jazz y Patrimonio de Nueva Orleans. En 1972 trabajó en la banda sonora de la película Sounder. También fue objeto de un documental del cineasta Les Blanks The Blues According to Lightnin' Hopkins, que ganó el premio en el Festival de Cine de Chicago por documental sobresaliente en 1970.

Hopkins grabó y apareció en más de ochenta y cinco álbumes para una increíble variedad de sellos discográficos, y realizó giras por todo el mundo. Pero después de un accidente automovilístico en 1970, muchos de los conciertos que ofreció fueron en su porche o en un bar cerca de su casa.

Tenía un don para escribir canciones improvisadamente, y frecuentemente tejía leyendas en torno a un núcleo de verdad. Sus canciones a menudo autobiográficas lo convirtieron en el portavoz de la comunidad negra del sur que no tenía voz hasta que el blues alcanzó una popularidad más amplia a través del público y los intérpretes blancos.

En 1980, Lightnin' Hopkins fue admitido en el Salón de la Fama de The Blues Foundation.

Hopkins murió de cáncer el 30 de enero de 1982

Fuente: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/lightninhopkins

VA • Blues Today - Southern Style

 

Lightnin' Hopkins • Lonesome Life

 

 

Lightnin' Hopkins • Dirty Blues

 

 Texas & West Coast blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins delivers an amazing set with his 1971 "Dirty Blues" album. There was nobody quite like Lightnin’ Hopkins. John Lee Hooker may have made more records but even he couldnt match the consistently high level of Hopkins creativity. Lightnin' and his vast repertoire represented the epitome of Texas country blues. No question. He came from a musical family and his unique guitar style was fashioned from the traditions he learned in the presence of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Texas Alexander, a distant cousin. His guitar both underscored and complemented the songs he drew from his own life and the lives of those around him.

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La leyenda del blues de Texas y la costa oeste Lightnin 'Hopkins ofrece un set increíble con su álbum de 1971 "Dirty Blues". No había nadie como Lightnin 'Hopkins. John Lee Hooker pudo haber hecho más récords, pero incluso él no pudo igualar el alto nivel de creatividad de Hopkins. Lightnin 'y su vasto repertorio representaban el epítome del blues country de Texas. No hay duda. Venía de una familia de músicos y su estilo de guitarra único se formó a partir de las tradiciones que aprendió en presencia de Blind Lemon Jefferson y Texas Alexander, un primo lejano. Su guitarra subrayó y complementó las canciones que extrajo de su propia vida y las vidas de quienes lo rodeaban.

 

Lightnin' Hopkins • Mojo Hand

 

 

Lightnin’ Hopkins embodied the blues. His singing, guitar playing, his physical appearance, personality, and demeanor, were the blues. One of the most recognizable bluesmen to come out of Texas, Lightnin’ Hopkins went on to stake out an enduring and productive career with his own spontaneous and eclectic style of haunting vocals and accompanying guitar.

Sam Lightnin’ Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texas, on March 15, 1912. After his father died in 1915, the family (Sam, his mother and five brothers and sisters) moved to Leona. At age eight he made his first instrument, a cigar-box guitar with chicken-wire strings. By ten he was playing music with his cousin, Texas Alexander, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, who encouraged him to continue. Hopkins also played with his brothers, blues musicians John Henry and Joel.

By the mid-1920s Sam had started jumping trains, shooting dice, and playing the blues anywhere he could. He married sometime in the 1920s, and had several children, but by the mid-1930s his wife, frustrated by his wandering lifestyle, took the children and left Hopkins. He served time at the Houston County Prison Farm in the mid-1930s, and after his release he returned to the blues-club circuit. In 1946 he had his 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 Sam to give him his nickname, Lightnin’. The album has been described as “downbeat solo blues” characteristic of Hopkins’s style. Aladdin was so impressed with Hopkins that the company invited him back for a second session in 1947. He eventually made forty-three recordings for the label, which are highly regarded and available as “The Complete Aladdin Recordings.”

Over his career Hopkins recorded for nearly twenty different labels, including Gold Star Records in Houston. These were reissued under Arhoolie as “The Gold Star Sessions.” On occasion he would record for one label while under contract to another. In 1950 he settled in Houston, but he continued to tour the country periodically. Though he recorded prolifically between 1946 and 1954, his records for the most part were not big outside the black community, and buried by the onslaught of rock and roll. It was not until 1959, when Hopkins began working with legendary producer Sam Chambers that his music began to reach a mainstream audience. Hopkins switched to an acoustic guitar and became a hit in the folk-blues revival of the 1960s. He was signed by Chris Strachwitz for his new Arhoolie label in this period, which really propelled his popularity in the genre.

During the early 1960s he 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 he was opening for such rock bands as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. During a tour of Europe in the 1970s, he played for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance. Hopkins also performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 1972 he worked on the soundtrack to the film Sounder. He was also the subject of a documentary by filmmaker Les Blanks The Blues According to Lightnin’ Hopkins, which won the prize at the Chicago Film Festival for outstanding documentary in 1970.

Hopkins recorded and appeared on more than eighty-five albums for an incredible variety of labels, 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 until blues attained a broader popularity through white audiences and performers.

In 1980 Lightnin’ Hopkins was inducted into The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.

Hopkins died of cancer on January 30, 1982

Source: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/lightninhopkins

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Lightnin’ Hopkin encarnaba el blues. Su canto, su toque de guitarra, su apariencia física, su personalidad y su comportamiento eran los blues. Uno de los bluesmen más reconocidos de Texas, Lightnin' Hopkins continuó su carrera duradera y productiva con su propio estilo espontáneo y ecléctico de voces inquietantes y guitarra de acompañamiento.

Sam Lightnin' Hopkins nació en Centerville, Texas, el 15 de marzo de 1912. Después de la muerte de su padre en 1915, la familia (Sam, su madre y cinco hermanos y hermanas) se mudaron a Leona. A los ocho años hizo su primer instrumento, una guitarra de caja de puros con cuerdas de alambre de pollo. A las diez ya estaba tocando música con su primo, Texas Alexander, y Blind Lemon Jefferson, quien lo animó a continuar. Hopkins también tocó con sus hermanos, los músicos de blues John Henry y Joel.

A mediados de la década de 1920, Sam había empezado a saltar trenes, a tirar dados y a jugar al blues en cualquier lugar que pudiera. Se casó en algún momento de la década de 1920 y tuvo varios hijos, pero a mediados de la década de 1930 su esposa, frustrada por su estilo de vida errante, se llevó a los niños y se fue de Hopkins. Cumplió condena en la Granja de la Prisión del Condado de Houston a mediados de la década de 1930, y después de su liberación regresó al circuito de clubes de blues. En 1946 tuvo su gran éxito y su primera grabación en Los Ángeles para Aladdin Recordings. En el disco había un pianista llamado Wilson (Thunder) Smith; por casualidad se combinó bien con Sam para darle su apodo, Lightnin'. El álbum ha sido descrito como "downbeat solo blues" característico del estilo de Hopkins. Aladino quedó tan impresionado con Hopkins que la compañía lo invitó a regresar para una segunda sesión en 1947. Con el tiempo hizo cuarenta y tres grabaciones para el sello, que son muy apreciadas y están disponibles como "The Complete Aladdin Recordings".

A lo largo de su carrera Hopkins grabó para casi veinte sellos diferentes, incluyendo Gold Star Records en Houston. Estos fueron reeditados bajo el nombre de "Las Sesiones de la Estrella Dorada". En ocasiones grababa para un sello mientras estaba bajo contrato con otro. En 1950 se estableció en Houston, pero continuó haciendo giras por el país periódicamente. Aunque grabó prolíficamente entre 1946 y 1954, sus discos en su mayor parte no fueron grandes fuera de la comunidad negra, y fueron enterrados por el ataque del rock and roll. No fue hasta 1959, cuando Hopkins comenzó a trabajar con el legendario productor Sam Chambers, que su música comenzó a llegar a un público mayoritario. Hopkins cambió a una guitarra acústica y se convirtió en un éxito en el renacimiento del folk-blues de los años 60. Fue firmado por Chris Strachwitz para su nuevo sello Arhoolie en este período, lo que realmente impulsó su popularidad en el género.

A principios de los años 60 tocó en el Carnegie Hall con Pete Seeger y Joan Baez y en 1964 realizó una gira con el American Folk Blues Festival. A finales de la década estaba abriendo para bandas de rock como Grateful Dead y Jefferson Airplane. Durante una gira por Europa en la década de 1970, tocó para la Reina Isabel II en una función de mando. Hopkins también actuó en el Festival de Jazz y Patrimonio de Nueva Orleans. En 1972 trabajó en la banda sonora de la película Sounder. También fue objeto de un documental del cineasta Les Blanks The Blues According to Lightnin' Hopkins, que ganó el premio en el Festival de Cine de Chicago por documental sobresaliente en 1970.

Hopkins grabó y apareció en más de ochenta y cinco álbumes para una increíble variedad de sellos discográficos, y realizó giras por todo el mundo. Pero después de un accidente automovilístico en 1970, muchos de los conciertos que ofreció fueron en su porche o en un bar cerca de su casa.

Tenía un don para escribir canciones improvisadamente, y frecuentemente tejía leyendas en torno a un núcleo de verdad. Sus canciones a menudo autobiográficas lo convirtieron en el portavoz de la comunidad negra del sur que no tenía voz hasta que el blues alcanzó una popularidad más amplia a través del público y los intérpretes blancos.

En 1980, Lightnin' Hopkins fue admitido en el Salón de la Fama de The Blues Foundation.

Hopkins murió de cáncer el 30 de enero de 1982

Fuente: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/lightninhopkins

VA • Boogie Woogie Riot

Review by Jason Ankeny
Boogie Woogie Riot assembles highlights from Arhoolie's extensive back catalog of boogie woogie collections; it includes performances from Piano Red, Lightnin' Hopkins, Walter Horton and Big Joe Williams.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/boogie-woogie-riot%21-mw0000233892

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Reseña de Jason Ankeny
Boogie Woogie Riot reúne lo mejor del extenso catálogo de colecciones de boogie woogie de Arhoolie; incluye actuaciones de Piano Red, Lightnin' Hopkins, Walter Horton y Big Joe Williams.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/boogie-woogie-riot%21-mw0000233892

Lightnin' Hopkins • Blues Train

 

Lightnin’ Hopkins embodied the blues. His singing, guitar playing, his physical appearance, personality, and demeanor, were the blues. One of the most recognizable bluesmen to come out of Texas, Lightnin’ Hopkins went on to stake out an enduring and productive career with his own spontaneous and eclectic style of haunting vocals and accompanying guitar.

Sam Lightnin’ Hopkins was born in Centerville, Texas, on March 15, 1912. After his father died in 1915, the family (Sam, his mother and five brothers and sisters) moved to Leona. At age eight he made his first instrument, a cigar-box guitar with chicken-wire strings. By ten he was playing music with his cousin, Texas Alexander, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, who encouraged him to continue. Hopkins also played with his brothers, blues musicians John Henry and Joel.

By the mid-1920s Sam had started jumping trains, shooting dice, and playing the blues anywhere he could. He married sometime in the 1920s, and had several children, but by the mid-1930s his wife, frustrated by his wandering lifestyle, took the children and left Hopkins. He served time at the Houston County Prison Farm in the mid-1930s, and after his release he returned to the blues-club circuit. In 1946 he had his 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 Sam to give him his nickname, Lightnin’. The album has been described as “downbeat solo blues” characteristic of Hopkins’s style. Aladdin was so impressed with Hopkins that the company invited him back for a second session in 1947. He eventually made forty-three recordings for the label, which are highly regarded and available as “The Complete Aladdin Recordings.”

Over his career Hopkins recorded for nearly twenty different labels, including Gold Star Records in Houston. These were reissued under Arhoolie as “The Gold Star Sessions.” On occasion he would record for one label while under contract to another. In 1950 he settled in Houston, but he continued to tour the country periodically. Though he recorded prolifically between 1946 and 1954, his records for the most part were not big outside the black community, and buried by the onslaught of rock and roll. It was not until 1959, when Hopkins began working with legendary producer Sam Chambers that his music began to reach a mainstream audience. Hopkins switched to an acoustic guitar and became a hit in the folk-blues revival of the 1960s. He was signed by Chris Strachwitz for his new Arhoolie label in this period, which really propelled his popularity in the genre.

During the early 1960s he 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 he was opening for such rock bands as the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. During a tour of Europe in the 1970s, he played for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance. Hopkins also performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 1972 he worked on the soundtrack to the film Sounder. He was also the subject of a documentary by filmmaker Les Blanks The Blues According to Lightnin’ Hopkins, which won the prize at the Chicago Film Festival for outstanding documentary in 1970.

Hopkins recorded and appeared on more than eighty-five albums for an incredible variety of labels, 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 until blues attained a broader popularity through white audiences and performers.

In 1980 Lightnin’ Hopkins was inducted into The Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.

Hopkins died of cancer on January 30, 1982

Source: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/lightninhopkins

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Lightnin’ Hopkin encarnaba el blues. Su canto, su toque de guitarra, su apariencia física, su personalidad y su comportamiento eran los blues. Uno de los bluesmen más reconocidos de Texas, Lightnin' Hopkins continuó su carrera duradera y productiva con su propio estilo espontáneo y ecléctico de voces inquietantes y guitarra de acompañamiento.

Sam Lightnin' Hopkins nació en Centerville, Texas, el 15 de marzo de 1912. Después de la muerte de su padre en 1915, la familia (Sam, su madre y cinco hermanos y hermanas) se mudaron a Leona. A los ocho años hizo su primer instrumento, una guitarra de caja de puros con cuerdas de alambre de pollo. A las diez ya estaba tocando música con su primo, Texas Alexander, y Blind Lemon Jefferson, quien lo animó a continuar. Hopkins también tocó con sus hermanos, los músicos de blues John Henry y Joel.

A mediados de la década de 1920, Sam había empezado a saltar trenes, a tirar dados y a jugar al blues en cualquier lugar que pudiera. Se casó en algún momento de la década de 1920 y tuvo varios hijos, pero a mediados de la década de 1930 su esposa, frustrada por su estilo de vida errante, se llevó a los niños y se fue de Hopkins. Cumplió condena en la Granja de la Prisión del Condado de Houston a mediados de la década de 1930, y después de su liberación regresó al circuito de clubes de blues. En 1946 tuvo su gran éxito y su primera grabación en Los Ángeles para Aladdin Recordings. En el disco había un pianista llamado Wilson (Thunder) Smith; por casualidad se combinó bien con Sam para darle su apodo, Lightnin'. El álbum ha sido descrito como "downbeat solo blues" característico del estilo de Hopkins. Aladino quedó tan impresionado con Hopkins que la compañía lo invitó a regresar para una segunda sesión en 1947. Con el tiempo hizo cuarenta y tres grabaciones para el sello, que son muy apreciadas y están disponibles como "The Complete Aladdin Recordings".

A lo largo de su carrera Hopkins grabó para casi veinte sellos diferentes, incluyendo Gold Star Records en Houston. Estos fueron reeditados bajo el nombre de "Las Sesiones de la Estrella Dorada". En ocasiones grababa para un sello mientras estaba bajo contrato con otro. En 1950 se estableció en Houston, pero continuó haciendo giras por el país periódicamente. Aunque grabó prolíficamente entre 1946 y 1954, sus discos en su mayor parte no fueron grandes fuera de la comunidad negra, y fueron enterrados por el ataque del rock and roll. No fue hasta 1959, cuando Hopkins comenzó a trabajar con el legendario productor Sam Chambers, que su música comenzó a llegar a un público mayoritario. Hopkins cambió a una guitarra acústica y se convirtió en un éxito en el renacimiento del folk-blues de los años 60. Fue firmado por Chris Strachwitz para su nuevo sello Arhoolie en este período, lo que realmente impulsó su popularidad en el género.

A principios de los años 60 tocó en el Carnegie Hall con Pete Seeger y Joan Baez y en 1964 realizó una gira con el American Folk Blues Festival. A finales de la década estaba abriendo para bandas de rock como Grateful Dead y Jefferson Airplane. Durante una gira por Europa en la década de 1970, tocó para la Reina Isabel II en una función de mando. Hopkins también actuó en el Festival de Jazz y Patrimonio de Nueva Orleans. En 1972 trabajó en la banda sonora de la película Sounder. También fue objeto de un documental del cineasta Les Blanks The Blues According to Lightnin' Hopkins, que ganó el premio en el Festival de Cine de Chicago por documental sobresaliente en 1970.

Hopkins grabó y apareció en más de ochenta y cinco álbumes para una increíble variedad de sellos discográficos, y realizó giras por todo el mundo. Pero después de un accidente automovilístico en 1970, muchos de los conciertos que ofreció fueron en su porche o en un bar cerca de su casa.

Tenía un don para escribir canciones improvisadamente, y frecuentemente tejía leyendas en torno a un núcleo de verdad. Sus canciones a menudo autobiográficas lo convirtieron en el portavoz de la comunidad negra del sur que no tenía voz hasta que el blues alcanzó una popularidad más amplia a través del público y los intérpretes blancos.

En 1980, Lightnin' Hopkins fue admitido en el Salón de la Fama de The Blues Foundation.

Hopkins murió de cáncer el 30 de enero de 1982

Fuente: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/lightninhopkins

Lightnin' Hopkins • Lightnin' Strikes

 

Review by Cub Koda

This brings together some early-'60s sides that Hopkins recorded for the Chicago-based Vee-Jay label, although all of them were recorded in his native Houston. Lightnin's spoken introduction sets up the hilarious "Big Car Blues," part of five live tracks aboard, before setting up eight heavily reverbed studio tracks from Bill Quinn's Gold Star Studios. The final two are full-band tracks produced by drummer King Ivory Lee Semiens with Lightnin' playing electric, the band following his erratic timing as best as they can. While the material on here is classic Lightnin', the sound is dodgy throughout, the live tracks pulled from vinyl and distorting out in several spots. If you can find the live material on another compilation and can audition it before buying, pass this one by.

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Traducción Automática:

Revisión por Cub Koda

Esto reúne algunos aspectos de los primeros años de la década de los 60 que Hopkins grabó para el sello Vee-Jay de Chicago, aunque todos ellos se registraron en su Houston natal. La introducción hablada de Lightnin configura los divertidos "Big Car Blues", parte de cinco pistas en vivo a bordo, antes de configurar ocho pistas de estudio muy reverberadas de los Estudios de la Estrella de Oro de Bill Quinn. Los dos últimos son pistas de banda completa producidas por el baterista King Ivory Lee Semiens con Lightnin tocando el ritmo eléctrico, la banda sigue su tiempo errático lo mejor que puede. Si bien el material aquí es clásico Lightnin ', el sonido es poco fiable, las pistas en vivo se extraen del vinilo y se distorsionan en varios puntos. Si puede encontrar el material en vivo en otra compilación y puede escucharlo antes de comprarlo, pase este.

Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life and Blues

 

By the time of his death in 1982, Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins was likely the most recorded blues artist in history. This brilliant biography illuminates the many contradictions of the man and his myth. Born in 1912 to a poor sharecropping family in cotton country, Hopkins left home when he was eight years old with a guitar his brother had given him. This biography explores his meetings with Blind Lemon Jefferson and Texas Alexander, his time on a chain gang, his relationships with women, and his lifelong appetite for gambling and drinking. Hopkins began recording in 1946, when he was dubbed “Lightnin’” during his first session, and he soon joined Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker on the national R & B charts. But by the time he was “rediscovered” by Mack McCormick and Sam Charters in 1959, his popularity had begun to wane. A second career emerged--now Lightnin’ was pitched to white audiences, not black ones, and he became immensely successful. This biography is based on scores of interviews with Lightnin’s lover, friends, producers, accompanists, managers, and fans.

 

Alan Govenar (Author) 

 

VA • The RPM Blues Story

 

B.B. King, Lowell Fulson, Howlin' Wolf, Lightnin' Hopkins, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson ...

Lightnin' Hopkinsː His Life and Blues

 

 By the time of his death in 1982, Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins was likely the most recorded blues artist in history. This brilliant new biography--the first book ever written about him--illuminates the many contradictions of the man and his myth.

Born in 1912 to a poor sharecropping family in the cotton country between Dallas and Houston, Hopkins left home when he was only eight years old with a guitar his brother had given him. He made his living however he could, sticking to the open road, playing the blues, and taking odd jobs when money was short. This biography delves into Hopkins’s early years, exploring the myths surrounding his meetings with Blind Lemon Jefferson and Texas Alexander, his time on a chain gang, his relationships with women, and his lifelong appetite for gambling and drinking.

Hopkins didn’t begin recording until 1946, when he was dubbed “Lightnin’” during his first session, and he soon joined Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker on the national R & B charts. But by the time he was “rediscovered” by Mack McCormick and Sam Charters in 1959, his popularity had begun to wane. A second career emerged--now Lightnin’ was pitched to white audiences, not black ones, and he became immensely successful, singing about his country roots and injustices that informed the civil rights era with a searing emotive power.

More than a decade in the making, this biography is based on scores of interviews with Lightnin’s lover, friends, producers, accompanists, managers, and fans.

 

  Alan Govenar (Author)