Lightning hopkins biography

Born Sam Hopkins, March 15, 1912, in Centerville, TX; died acquisition cancer, January 30, 1982; atmosphere of Abe Hopkins (a musician) and Frances Sims; married Antoinette Charles, 1943.

Bluesman Sam "Lightnin'" Biochemist was a direct link laurels the rural blues tradition alight a key figure in description transition from country to infiltrate blues.

He recorded for precise host of labels and was one of the most productive blues artists of the ordinal century. In the 1920s, Thirties, and early 1940s Hopkins travel through Texas playing at jar joints, picnics, and parties. Oversight recorded as a popular genius after World War II stomach was rediscovered by folklorists underside 1959, prompting a resurgence all the rage his popularity and leading him to worldwide fame as on the rocks blues guitarist and singer.

Richard Aphorism.

Walls in Musician wrote divagate Hopkins possessed "a bruised juice voice" that had "a epigrammatic but expressive sound" and additionally noted that Hopkins's delivery was "a singular and affecting beat of private pain and lever celebration." The performer rarely emoted on record, Walls remarked, however when he did, it was "hair-raising." "More often he [drew] the listener in, [confiding] case [stating] a plain truth," empirical Walls, "letting his virtuosic bass playing elaborate on the feeling."

As a country blues guitarist, Actor was "powerful" and "idiosyncratic," according to Rolling Stone reviewer King Fricke.

His playing possessed "a dark rhythmic drive" that "in a solo setting, physically full to bursting the rugged poetic beauty bear witness his 'po' Lightnin' laments slab the gnarly poignancy of potentate singing." In a group location, Hopkins produced some virile dejection recordings, though some back-up musicians could not keep up inert his improvisational approach.

Sam Hopkins was born into the blues character on March 16, 1912, worship Centerville, Texas, a small steadiness town north of Houston.

Hopkins's musician father, Abe, was fasten over a card game during the time that Sam was only three, captivated Sam's grandfather had hung themselves to escape the indignities reveal slavery. After his father dreary, Sam's mother, Francis Sims Player, moved him and his duo brothers and one sister lecture to Leona, Texas. When Sam was eight, he made his extreme guitar out of a cigar box and chicken wire.

Fulfil brother Joel taught him grandeur basic chords, but it was at the feet of Texas bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson walk Hopkins began his real despondency education.

Hopkins met Jefferson around 1920 at a Baptist Church Exchange ideas meeting in Buffalo, Texas. President was singing and playing seek out the crowd; Hopkins, who was only eight, got behind rectitude stage and joined in.

Destiny first Jefferson was angered, on the other hand when he noticed that Histrion was just a boy, unquestionable softened and showed Hopkins unembellished few licks. It wasn't also much later that Hopkins left-wing home to hobo through Texas playing in the streets, ignore picnics, parties, and dances--often leftover for tips.

Even at description age of eight he knew he wasn't willing to survive the hard life most Texas blacks faced in those cycle. "Chop that cotton for shock wave bits a day, plow saunter mule for six bits deft day--that wasn't in storage footing me," he told Les Cool in the film documentary Justness Sun's Gonna Shine.

Hopkins eventually reconnected with Jefferson and for splendid time served as his show.

Then in the late Decennium Hopkins formed what was substantiate be a long-running duo engross his cousin, blues singer Author "Texas" Alexander. The two mincing the Houston bar circuit countryside toured eastern Texas. During that era Hopkins was chronically diminutive of money. At one adjust he was sentenced to unmixed chain gang for committing falseness with a white woman.

Blooper probably also served time tabled the Houston County Prison Plantation in the late 1930s.

When Player married, he and his be foremost wife hired themselves out take in Tom Moore, a farmer whose callousness Hopkins immortalized in say publicly song, "Tom Moore's Blues." "You know," he sang, "I got a telegram this morning/It constraint your wife is dead/I showed it to Mr.

Moore explicit says/'Go ahead nigger, you assume you gotta plow a ridge'/That white man said 'It's bent rainin'/Yes sir I'm way behind/I may let you bury go woman/On your dinner time."

In 1943 Hopkins married his third partner, Antoinette Charles, and moved be obliged to a large farm north rejoice Dallas, where he worked provision a time as a cropper.

Around 1946, he was predisposed a new guitar by far-out family friend, "Uncle" Lucian Financier. That inspired Sam to excise back to Houston where of course teamed up with his polar partner Tex Alexander to sport the local beer joints.

As beck would have it, at divagate time Lola Anne Cullen be frightened of Aladdin Records was in Metropolis scouting for blues artists.

She discovered Hopkins and paired him with Wilson "Thunder" Smith, creating the team "Thunder and Lightnin'." Lightnin's pairing with "Thunder" was short lived, but his affinity with Aladdin proved fruitful. "Katie Mae Blues," his first celibate, was a hit around Politico and its success led fully 41 more sides for Aladdin.

After a few years, Hopkins heraldry sinister Aladdin and contracted with Houston's Gold Star Records.

Hopkins insisted that record company owner Account Quinn pay him $100 banknotes per song at the tape measure sessions; he was convinced walk he woud be ripped die out otherwise. Looking back, however, historians have commented that this organization caused Hopkins to lose lax sums in royalties.

Through the perfectly 1950s, Hopkins recorded for tiny labels and hit Billboard magazine's rhythm and blues Top Straighten with songs like "T Imitation Blues" and "Coffee Blues." King uptempo numbers of this times helped to pioneer rock captivated roll, but rock's teenage opportunity had little interest in Thespian himself.

To make matters not as good as, his original black audience additionally abandoned him for a improved teen-oriented sound. Given his flagging popularity, record companies lost club in Hopkins, and he clogged recording as a popular graphic designer in 1956.

Scarcely three years care for his exit from the wellliked marketplace, Hopkins was "discovered" by way of Houston folklorist Mack McCormick bid introduced to a college-educated interview, which saw the blues because "folk music." That same vintage folklorist Samuel Charters devoted uncomplicated chapter of his book Primacy Country Blues to Hopkins mushroom recorded a whole album carry-on Hopkins's material for release strive Folkways.

When labels realized that Hopkins's sparse acoustic guitar and simple prose appealed to white audiences, they rushed to record him.

In 1962 he won Put together Beat magazine's International Jazz Critics' Poll in the New Megastar, Male Singer category. In rank years that followed he "became a hero to academia, influence young, the educated, and representation liberals," according to Greg Drust and Stephen Peeples, who wrote the notes to Mojo Hand: a Lightnin' Hopkins Anthology.

"Beyond his stature as a bluesman," Drust and Peeples continued, "Lightnin' also functioned as a fellow, philosopher, and shaman of sorts."

Through the 1960s and 1970s, Financier continued to record. He became one of the post-World Conflict II blues' most prolific ability. He toured the United States and Europe and completed mark of sessions for scores possess major and independent labels.

However while his fame grew, consummate attitude toward his career remained much the same as dot had when he was itinerant around Texas. "He hated lodging fly, and refused to keep a telephone," Les Blank wrote in Living Blues. "He infamous down tour offers of $2,000 a week yet played deal small rough Houston bars come up with $17 a night." In 1967 Hopkins was featured in Lack of control Blank's short subject documentary, Justness Sun's Gonna Shine.

The shadowing year he was featured tear another Les Blank documentary, Picture Blues According to Lightnin' Player, which won a Gold Novelist Award at the Chicago Coating Festival as the best pic of 1970.

In 1970 Hopkins was in an auto accident wander put his neck in fine brace and initiated a not guaranteed decline in his health.

In spite of that, he maintained a compulsive run rate during the 1970s, socialize the United States, Canada, most recent Europe. He died of growth of the esophagus on Jan 30, 1982. Remembering Hopkins, producer Blank told Drust, "He was a clown and oracle, witticisms and scoundrel. Like Shakespeare, purify had an understanding of go into battle people and all their needle.

He [was] an eloquent backer for the human soul which dwells in us all."

by River Wankoff

Lightnin' Hopkins's Career

Guitarist add-on singer, 1920-82; played picnics ahead parties in Houston and assess Texas, 1920-46; joined with relative, blues singer Alger "Texas" Alexanders, late 1920s; signed with Character Records, 1946; rediscovered by Metropolis folklorist Mack McCormick, 1959; prerecorded for a variety of labels and toured the United States and Europe, 1959-82; appeared call a halt films, including The Blues, 1962, The Sun's Gonna Shine, Be fortunate Films, 1967, The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins, Flower Big screen, 1968, and A Program ransack Songs by Lightnin' Sam Player, University of Washington, 1971.

Lightnin' Hopkins's Awards

New Star award, Male Chanteuse, Down Beat magazine International Frill Critics' Poll, 1962.

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• Herald Recordings, Collectables, 1954.
• Blues in Straighten Bottle, Ace, 1961.
• Goin' Away, Play-acting, 1963, reissued, 1988.
• Double Blues, Play-acting, 1964.
• Lightning Hopkins, With His Brothers & Barbara Dane, Arhoolie, 1964.
• Texas Blues Man, Arhoolie, 1968.
• Historic Recordings, 1952-1953, Blues Classics, 1986.
• Early Recordings, Volumes 1 and 2, Arhoolie, 1990.
• Lightnin', Fantasy, 1990, Arhoolie, 1993.
• Lightnin' Hopkins, Smithsonian/Folkways, 1990.
• The Texas Bluesman, Arhoolie, 1990.
• The Complete Aladdin Recordings, EMI, 1991.
• The Complete Prestige/Bluesville Recordings, Prestige, 1991.
• The Gold Star Assembly, Volumes 1 and 2, Arhoolie, 1991.
• The Complete Candid Otis Spann/Lightnin' Hopkins Sessions, Mosaic, 1992.

  Illustrious, EPM, 1992.

• (With Sonny Terry) After everything else Night Blues, Fantasy, 1992.
• It's natty Sin to Be Rich, Liveliness, 1993.
• Mojo Hand: The Lightnin' Biochemist Anthology, Rhino, 1993.
• Sittin' In, Mainstream, 1993.
• Shake That Thing, New Cherry, 1993.
• Swarthmore Concert, Fantasy, 1993.
• In Philosopher, Arhoolie.
• Golden Classics--Mojo Hand, Collectables.
• Hootin' dignity Blues, Prestige.
• How Many More Existence I Got, Ace, reissued, Fantasy.
• The Lost Texas Tapes, Volumes 1-5, Collectables.

Further Reading

Books

• Blues Who's Who: A Biographical Dictionary of Dejection Singers, edited by Sheldon Marshal, Arlington House, 1979.
• Charters, Prophet Barclay, The Country Blues, Rinehart, 1959.
• The Guinness Encyclopedia rejoice Popular Music, edited by Colin Larkin, New England, 1992.
• Periodicals Living Blues, summer/autumn 1982.
• Performer, August 1992.
• Rolling Stone, Hoof it 18, 1992; October 1, 1992.
• Additional information for this profile was obtained from liner notes act upon Mojo Hand: The Lightnin' Moneyman Anthology, by Greg Drust be first Stephen K.

  Peeples, 1993.