The Best Of Lightnin' Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins
Label:
Prestige Records
Album Notes
The rediscovery of Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins (1912-1982) at the peak of the blues revival established this then-obscure singer and guitarist as one of the most compelling and idiosyncratic poets of the rural idiom. Whether covering warhorses or creating original narratives, playing electric or acoustic, fronting a band or by himself, in the studio or in person, Hopkins cast a spell that marked him as one of the blues immortals. His numerous Prestige/Bluesville sessions allowed Hopkins to display every facet of his art, and are surveyed here in a program highlighted by samples of his classic encounter with harmonica master Sonny Terry, several signature story lines, and his impromptu tribute to an American astronaut.