Week 21
Lightnin' Hopkins, Complete Aladdin Recordings
(EMI 96843)

In 1920, eight-year-old Sam Hopkins, playing his homemade guitar, accompanied Blind Lemon Jefferson at a local picnic. Although Jefferson was already renowned as one of the top musicians in the region, he didn't shoo the child away, but continued to welcome his accompaniment. Hopkins’ picnic performance launched him on a public musical life that eventually saw him join his mentor in the pantheon of legendary Texas blues musicians.

By the time Hopkins began recording in his mid-30s, he’d been tearing up the streets and clubs of the Houston area for years. Recruited in 1946 by a scout for California's Aladdin Records, he traveled to Los Angeles with pianist Wilson Smith for a recording session. The results provided not only a substantial regional hit ("Katie May") but also a new nickname for Hopkins, as the duo's records were released under the name "Thunder and Lightnin'".

Over the next two years, Lightnin' Hopkins recorded 43 songs for Aladdin, all of which are gathered in this collection. As befitting a musician who made his living playing for tips, the songs include boogies, slow laments, covers, signature songs and what Hopkins often referred to as his "air songs”—tunes made up on the spot. Most feature Hopkins playing solo, invariably the best format for a musician whose freely expressive blues often avoided the conventional song structure upon which a band depends.

Even while with Aladdin, Hopkins recorded for other labels, particularly Houston's Gold Star, and he was known for many years to record for anyone willing to pay a set fee per song up front. Although his resulting catalog is possibly the largest in blues, his basic style rarely changed. Even upon going electric in later years, it was rooted firmly in the country blues tradition. However, in using his command of the guitar and singular ability to craft lyrics both topical and timeless, Hopkins always created resolutely individual music, leaving a legacy to which this collection serves as a wonderful introduction.

Listen: Lightnin' Hopkins - "So Long"
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