Lightnin' Hopkins

Lightnin' Hopkins was a legendary country blues player. In my mind, Hopkins' "Bring Me My Shotgun" is one of the best blues songs out there- bar none. And talk about bona fides. When he was eight years old, he met Blind Lemon Jefferson and later accompanied Blind Lemon at church gatherings.

In the forties he recorded with Alladin out in L.A., where he enjoyed the success of a national R & B hit.
Then, in the fifties, Lightnin' recorded at SugarHill Recording Studios in Houston, a place where legends such as George Jones and Willie Nelson also cut albums. In the sixties, Hopkins even recorded an album with some members of the Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Austin's answer to Pink Floyd.

Houston folks perhaps remember Lightnin' Hopkins from the Jester Lounge, a place where Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, K.D. Lang, and numerous other up-and-coming musicians used to play. Here is a picture of Lightnin' Hopkins and Townes Van Zandt taken by John Lomax III.

   

Here is a vintage video of Lightnin' Hopkins that focuses a great deal on his hands, a real treat for the guitar pickers among us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC89NJg94w