Episode 8 Lightnin' Hopkins

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 EPISODE 8  LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS

 Episode 8 is about the life and musical career of Blues Master Lightnin' Hopkins. 

 The titles of releases on my label Big Guitar Music the songs are taken from in this episode include I’m Gone and World Wide Open. “Mean Ole Texas Twister” is from Eve Monsees and Mike Buck’s new release called Eve Monsees/Mike Buck and Their Groovy Orbit.

 A music track playlist for this podcast is available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple, and YouTube for your listening pleasure.

 The musicians featured in the tracks on this episode are Barry Bihm, Bruce Jones, Eve Monsees, Jason Crisp, Mike Buck, Nick Connolly, Paul Jr, Rich Chilleri, and Steve Kilmer.

 Omar’s Picks for further study of copyrighted music not used in Episode 8 are “Black Cadillac” on Walking This Road by Myself, “Lightnin’ Sky Hop” from the Herald Recordings, and “Mojo Hand” from The Complete Fire Sessions.

 Visit my website for more info  www.omarandthehowlers.com

 Thank you to Eve and Mike for permission to use “Mean Ole Texas Twister” from their new release Eve Monsees/Mike Buck and Their Groovy Orbit.

 Thank you to Matthew Garza (Upwork.com) for his work mastering this podcast.

Transcript

EPISODE 8 LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS  

Welcome to the podcast and thank you for listening. This episode will be about the Texas blues man, Sam Lightnin' Hopkins. He was a very important figure in bridging acoustic country blues and electrified jump, boogie, and blues. He was a wonderful storyteller, a great songwriter, a very original guitar player, and a good singer with a highly personal style.

When someone at one of Lightnin' Hopkins live shows would request a song by another artist, he would always respond, "I am Lightnin' Hopkins, and I don't know nothing but my music." This is somewhat true because of his absolute personal style and delivery. But if you study his repertoire, you will find it peppered with songs credited to other artists. He played songs by Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Joe Williams, and others. These songs were performed in such a personal style that they were deemed somewhat original. When he took off on one of these selections, his lyrics and verses changed dramatically from one performance to the next. I believe this practice put him in a category with someone like Mance Lipscomb, who always described himself as a songster. Lightnin' didn't consider this a copyright infringement as much as he thought he was playing a folk song or theme passed down from generation to generation. You hear Lightnin's interpretations of these songs, and they resemble the originals very little. To him, it was folk music. Because of this trait, I would tag him as a songster with an infinite repertoire to be used anywhere, anytime he needed it. He picked the selections as needed. Mance Lipscomb always said he was a Texas songster. I guess this would make Lightnin' a global songster. In my opinion, we should view Lightnin' Hopkins as the ultimate folk artist.

He used all of this combined talent to present his blues in the form of an accomplished blues poet. His delivery was completely natural and at no time did anything to do with his music ever seem forced. His storytelling was first rate and unbeatable. He was able to meld his singing and playing with the story being told in the song. I saw this firsthand, and it was mesmerizing. When you left his concert, you knew you had been entertained and in the presence of blues royalty. I know, I was there. More on this later. 

Lightnin' was born Sam Hopkins on March the 15th, 1912, in the small farming town of Centerville in northeast Texas. His career began in the 1920s and continued into the 80s. In that long span of time, he saw Texas blues and the blues in general change dramatically. That being said, Lightnin' never changed his approach one iota, by singing with the same Texas drawl he started with until the time of his death. He was an institution and a wonderful gift to traditional Texas blues. 

Lightnin's brothers, Joel and John Henry, were both musicians and had an influence on his early blues education. Lightnin' met Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1920, and even got to play with the blues legend, which was very unusual because Jefferson was known for not letting anyone perform with him. They hit it off, and Hopkins spent the next few years as a guide and a valet for his hero. 

In his early teens, he started playing and running with his cousin, Texas Alexander, who had become somewhat of a music personality, having several 78 records released. After hooking up with Alexander for a while, their performances were put on hold, when for unknown reasons, Hopkins had to serve a sentence in Houston's County prison. Upon serving his time and being released, he quickly got back with his cousin and the two of them moved to Houston. They started playing in the juke joints and clubs located in the Third Ward, which was a tremendously violent and rough part of Houston, where you had to be on your toes to survive.  

This is an original song that I wrote about Lightnin' Hopkins when he cut sugarcane while on the prison gang in the Brazos River Valley of Texas. When Lightnin' got out of prison, he often said he would never cut sugarcane again. Here is "No More Cane" from my release, World Wide Open.

At this time, after performing in the area for a while, a talent scout from Aladdin Records out of Los Angeles offered an opportunity for the two of them to record. The catch was they would have to go to California to make these recordings. Lightnin' seized the chance, but Texas Alexander declined and stayed in Houston. After arriving in Los Angeles, a recording session was arranged, and Hopkins was put with piano player Wilson 'Thunder' Smith, and the company changed Sam's name to Lightnin', activating the duo 'Thunder and Lightnin'. I like it.

Their first session yielded the song "Katie May" with Lightnin' singing and playing guitar backed by the piano of Thunder Smith. The song came out in November of 1946 and was somewhat of a hit on the R& B charts. The flip side was "Mean Old Twister". Hopkins continued to record for Aladdin into 1948. He had another national R& B hit with "Shotgun Blues". He recorded "Big Mama Jump" and " Short Haired Woman" that became one of his signature songs for the rest of his career. Lightnin' was well on his way, and he was becoming known as a national recording artist. 

Hopkins returned to Houston for the next eight or nine years recording for a multitude of labels. He became my new winner of the man with the most record labels even beating out John Lee Hooker, and that is no easy feat. Some of the record labels Hopkins recorded for included Modern, RPM, Jax, Sittin' In With, Gold Star, Decca, Herald, Mercury, Folkways, Tradition, Bluesville, World Pacific, Vee Jay, Candid, Fire, Imperial, Prestige, Jewel, Verbe, Sonnet, Vanguard, Vault, and many others. That sounds funny to say many others as if that wasn't plenty. He continued this record label hopping for the rest of his life. He adapted John Lee Hooker's philosophy of whoever has the cash gets the recording. Lightnin' didn't spend one second worrying or fretting over publishing rights. Cash on the barrel head, and he would make a great batch of songs before moving on to the next opportunity. It was spontaneous, and he was good at it. 

Lightnin' was often praised for the quality of his work. He may not have had a textbook definition of what was considered a great voice, but he could deliver the lyrics of a song with conviction, emotion, and the dynamics that the tune needed. He could do this on the spot and make up songs right then and there. He was a complete master of this style, and it has been said that he may have recorded a thousand or more songs over the course of his career. There has never been anyone quite like him. Bill Quinn of Gold Star Records said when Hopkins needed money, he would come by the studio and record a couple of songs for cash and be on his merry way. Quinn said some of these songs made it on the radio, and Lightnin' was a big hit on the jukeboxes along the entire Texas Gulf Coast. 

Toward the end of 1954, Lightnin' did his last session with Herald Records out of New York. This is some of my all time favorite recordings, including "Lightnin's Boogie", "Lightnin's Stomp", "Lightnin's Sky Hop", and Lightnin' means Lightnin' Hopkins, doesn't it? You think he liked to put his name with his songs? 

That was a song I wrote called "Omar's Boogie" from my I'm Gone release. Lightnin's repertoire definitely included fast boogies.

Stevie Ray used Lightnin's Sky Hop" as an inspiration for his song "Rude Mood". Stevie was a really big Lightnin' fan, and we used to talk about Lightnin' Hopkins. And of course, Jimmie, Jimmie Vaughan was a big Lightnin' player. He could play just like him, and me and Stevie could play our version of Lightnin', but it all worked out for all of us because we loved him. This material is totally electrified and definitely Lightnin' verging on rock and roll.  

After this, Hopkins took a couple of years off from recording, and then something extraordinary happened. He was recorded in Houston by Sam Charters, a notable blues historian and author. These recordings became Lightnin's first Folkways release. He recorded "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean" by Blind Lemon Jefferson and several others either by Jefferson or about Jefferson. The remainder of the album was filled with songs that Hopkins made up on the spot. This is a very important recording, because it was the first album to point Lightnin' in the direction of coffee house circuit and the college concert halls. The truth is a completely different group of people had discovered the blues, and Lightnin' was the perfect candidate to fulfill this role for them. It wasn't long before he was headlining concerts, playing important college dates, and being featured at prestigious coffee house shows. This started a new career for him. He soon went to California and did a series of recordings and live shows with Sonny Terry, Brownie McGee, and Big Joe Williams. When I was a young man, I had an album on Tradition Records that featured Lightnin' performing a song called "Black Cadillac". The song had a line that said, 'rubber on wheels is faster than rubber on heels'. This entire song was a hoot. I used to sit by my record player and play the selection over and over. 

In October of 1960, Hopkins performed with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez at Carnegie Hall and spent the next few weeks recording for various New York record labels. He cut sides for Candid, Bluesville, and Fire Records. Chomp! He spent the 60s recording for many other labels, staying around Houston because he didn't like to fly. He turned down lucrative jobs all over the U. S. to stay home and play little beer joints in his neighborhood. He was a celebrity in Houston and loved to be in the local bars there. 

This has been said many times in many ways, a cliche for sure, but I want to say it, too. When Lightnin' played with other musicians, they would point out that he changed chords in the wrong place of the progression. Lightnin' would turn around and respond to them and say, "Lightnin' change when Lightnin' wants to change." Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top, also a Houston native, said Hopkins had impeccable timing and the way he played was absolutely right for him. Lightnin' didn't put up with no crap. Yeah. He was his own man and played his music his way on his own terms. Damn the torpedoes.

He was an absolute genius and a master of making up original autobiographical songs. Chris Stachowicz, producer and owner of Arhoolie Records said he saw Lightnin' in a small club in the Third Ward of Houston, playing some loud, energetic, intense blues on an electric guitar. Lightnin' was making up a song about two women who were dancing right in front of him and another song about how hard it was for him to get to the club that day because of the driving rain that caused Po' Lightnin' to hit every pothole in the road that made him late to the show. He always said 'Poor Lightnin' when he needed an excuse or sympathy, which it usually meant he was late because he was already drunk or drinking. I've been there. I know. 

Chris Stachowicz said he had never seen or heard anything like it. Hopkins continued making up these songs the entire evening. He said, most of the songs were up tempo and delivered with a party atmosphere attitude, but at times during the show, Lightnin' would sing a slow, mournful, deliberate blues that silenced the audience and drew them in. Then, BAM, off and running with the fast party songs again. Chris said it was an incredible experience and completely drained him emotionally.

Hopkins continued to tour throughout the 60s and 70s, performing at clubs, coffee houses, college campuses, and festivals, both in the United States and internationally. In 1978, he did a multi-city tour of Japan that was a great success. He continued to record and release albums in 1980, including the Rising Sun Collection with Sonny Terry, Brownie McGee, and Louisiana Red. I'm big fan of Louisiana Red, too, plus an album split down the middle with Big Mama Thornton called Mighty Crazy.

Lightnin' Hopkins died of cancer of the esophagus at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas on January the 30th, 1982. He was a real blues man who had a tremendous influence on a number of prestigious artists that include Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, Albert Collins, B. B. King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, and many others. In 1968, filmmaker Les Blank made The Blues According to  Lightnin' Hopkins, an important documentary with Hopkins depicted living his life, playing his music, and hanging out with his brothers. This work garnered critical acclaim, and in 1973, Lightnin' was nominated for The Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording Lightnin' Strikes on Vee Jay Records.

Hopkins was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1980. He won a Grammy Recording Academy Special Merit Award in 2013, accepted by his granddaughter, Bertha Kelly. He won a 2014 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award with a tribute to Lightnin' Hopkins performed by Gary Clark Jr. and Doyle Bramhall II. 

Lightnin' was about playing his music and telling his stories. He wasn't concerned about accolades or awards. There are plenty of other blues artists who are worthy of our attention, but to me, Lightnin' Hopkins defines Texas blues. Every note I heard, I knew there was a lifetime of experience behind it.

" South Congress Blues" reminds me of Lightnin' Hopkins' slow blues style. A version of this original song is on my Courts of Lu Lu release. 

 After moving from Mississippi to Texas in 1976 and having lived in Austin for only a few months, I found out about an important concert coming to town. Lightnin' Hopkins, one of my musical heroes and my favorite Texas blues man, was to perform a concert at the Castle Creek venue on Lavaca Street, close to the University of Texas campus. I had been to this venue quite a few times and knew it would be the perfect place to witness Lightnin's show.

I quickly looked at my schedule and was delighted to find out the concert was to be an early show on Sunday evening, and I had the night off. I immediately called my friends in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and told them about the upcoming show. I knew they had been planning to come out for a visit, and I said this would be a great time to come. We could attend the concert and catch up on old times. They were completely into this idea, and started planning their trip. I was excited about seeing Lightnin' and my friends coming to town. 

This group of friends were called the Bunkhouse Gang, and we live next door to them in Hattiesburg. It was party city all the time. They were a rough and rugged bunch who could hold their own and had the potential to bring out the party animal in me. A few days before the concert, key leaders of the Bunkhouse Gang showed up at my house. Bob, Ken, and Johnny had ridden their motorcycles from Mississippi and were ready to drink and socialize. On the day of the concert, they asked me to go early and secure a good table. They planned to meet me at the venue. I felt confident I could find a good table, but everybody else had the same idea. The only available table was in the complete back of the club against the back wall as far away from the stage as you could possibly be and still be inside the club. I grabbed the table and was glad I at least got us a place to sit.

When the Bunkhouse Gang got there, they said, "This table sucks." They started walking towards the stage. I stayed at the table, and I heard a loud shrill whistle. I looked up and saw Bob motioning me to come to the front of the stage. I got up and left my beloved table and went to the front to find my friends sitting at a table pushed right up to the stage directly in front of Lightnin's microphone. Never underestimate the power of hillbillies. 

We waited a long time and finally the door of the club opened and in walked Lightnin' and his entourage of a dozen or maybe more people. He had on a purple suit, a white straw hat that defied gravity because it was on the side of his head, it wasn't on the top. I said, "How do you make a hat stay like that?" It had a feather in it, he was wearing sunglasses, black zip up boots with white lightning bolts on the sides, and he was smoking a big fat cigar. There were no smoking laws back in the clubs back then, and Lightnin' was taking advantage of that. 

He went backstage and it seemed like an eternity before he came out. He was carrying a wine-red Guild Starfire electric guitar. His band consisted of a bass player, a drummer, and a harmonica player. Except for the bassist, the other guys looked a little rag tagged, but at least they were on stage. Lightnin' took off on an instrumental shuffle and played the fire out of the Guild electric guitar. I was in guitar heaven. The show went on at a brisk pace for another 30 minutes or so, when Lightnin' stopped the show because the harp player dropped his harmonica offstage and was asking one of the patrons to retrieve it from the floor and hand it to him. Lightnin' told the harp man, "Get your drunk ass off of my stage", and he left. Lightnin' continued for a couple of more songs, and then stopped and said to the drummer, "Get your drunk ass off of my stage." The drummer left pronto.

 Hopkins continued with the bass player for a while, and it sounded great. The bass man was sober and alert. He was paying close attention to what Lightnin' was playing. Lightnin' seemed to be having difficulties keeping his guitar in tune, and maybe the trouble with the harp player and drummer had thrown him off his game. From my experience as a band leader, I know that can happen. The only difference was, I was the one drinking and couldn't stop the show and expel myself. Lightnin' recovered by telling his nephew, "Junior, go back in the dressing room and bring Uncle Lightnin' his wood guitar." We saw a young man about 12 to 14 years old go backstage, and he came back with a cheap acoustic guitar. I recognized the instrument as a Sears and Roebuck mail order catalog guitar. They used to sell for 17. 99. 

He gave Lightnin' the guitar. Lightnin' pulled a chair up, and lowered the mic so he could sit down and play the tunes. It got real intimate. I really liked it. The guitar had no acoustic quality and sounded like a percussion instrument. Even better. What he did for the rest of the show was extraordinary. With Lightnin' and the bass in perfect sync, he played the cheap guitar and told the greatest stories I have ever heard. A few times his stories went on so long, I forgot about the music. Then all of a sudden Lightnin' would shout out and start playing the music to the song, which scared me a couple of times. He went like, Whoa, Lightnin', and he continued the show in the same manner until the end of the performance. As we left, we all had big smiles on our faces and knew we had been thoroughly entertained. I loved it. What more could you ask for? A memory to last forever.

 In 2017, I contracted an undetermined disease in my arms that abruptly ended my playing career. It was a devastating and unexpected setback for me because playing and performing was my whole life. After a few years of trying to deal with this life changing situation, my friend Mike Buck called me one day and asked if I would be on a release that he and his wife,  Eve Monsees, were working on. I told him I couldn't play anymore, which he knew, but he told me I could still sing. I told him, "I don't know if I can even do that." He said, "Why don't you look for a blues song you like and think about it at least?" Eve had also sent my wife an email to ask her opinion of this particular idea. We discussed it and decided to give it a try. We drove around in our van, listening to the Lightnin' Hopkins CDs, and when "Mean Ole Twister" came on, we both said, "That's it." We said it at the same time. It was meant to be. 

Mike and Eve loved the idea of us recording a Lightnin' Hopkins song. We went to Alnico Studios, owned by our friend, Nico Leophonte, and with Eve, Mike, and Jason Crisp, we not only recorded "Mean Ole Twister", but three other songs, too. After I got started, I didn't want to stop. I say all of this to show my extreme gratitude to Mike, Eve, Jason, and Nico for getting me back in the saddle again. Recording with good friends is exactly what the doctor ordered. Shortly after recording for Eve and Mike's record, we all went back to Alnico to record my latest studio release, What's Bugging You? " That was fun. Woo! 

Thank you, Eve and Mike, for the permission to use "Mean Ole Texas Twister," from their release, Eve Monsees, Mike Buck, and their Groovy Orbit. Get your copy at Antone's record shop in Austin, Texas.

Here's "Mean Ole Texas Twister." 

Omar's Picks for Lightnin' Hopkins are "Black Cadillac", on the record  On Walking This Road by Myself, "Lightnin' Sky Hop" from the Herald Recordings, and "Mojo Hand" from the Complete Fire Sessions. 

Thank you for listening and be sure to tune in next time for another great blues master. A special thanks to Mark and Cindi from Texas who received a CD for their kind monthly support of this podcast.