Lightnin' Hopkins

Sam Hopkins was a Texas country bluesman of the highest caliber whose career began in the 1920s and stretched all the way into the 1980s. Along the way, Hopkins watched the genre change remarkably, but he never appreciably altered his mournful Lone Star sound, which translated onto both acoustic and electric guitar. Hopkins' nimble dexterity made intricate boogie riffs seem easy, and his fascinating penchant for improvising lyrics to fit whatever situation might arise made him a beloved blues troubadour.

Lightnin' Hopkins is the star of this live recording, made at an August 1961 concert at the Ash Grove in Hollywood featuring Hopkins, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (with Big Joe Williams sitting in on three numbers…

Lightnin’ Hopkins is arguably the greatest Texas blues star of the 1960s era. A country bluesman of the highest caliber, his career began in the 1920s and stretched all the way into the 1980s. Along the way, Hopkins watched the genre change remarkably, but he never altered his mournful Lone Star sound, which translated onto both acoustic and electric guitar. His style, strong rhythms punctuated by his flowing but compact lead lines, created a stinging and heart-tearing evocative sound. This quintessential collector’s edition includes two of Hopkins’ finest albums: the long unavailable Lightnin’ Strikes, originally released in 1962 by Vee-Jay Records, and the self-titled Lightnin’ Hopkins, his1959 debut for the Folkways label. The two LPs are widely regarded as landmarks of the late-‘50s/early-‘60s blues revival. Both solid-blues masterpieces have been remastered and packaged together in this very special release, which also includes 5 bonus tracks from the same period.