Lightnin Hopkins

Lightnin' Hopkins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 13, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Smithsonian Folkways
• ASIN: B000001DGX
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,179 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #4 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Texas Blues
  • #7 in Music > Indie Music > Blues > Traditional Blues
  • #67 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > Texas Blues

Track Listings

1. Penitentiary Blues

2. Bad Luck And Trouble

3. Come Go Home With Me

4. Trouble Stay 'Way From My Door

5. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

6. Goin' Back To Florida

7. Reminiscenses Of Blind Lemon

8. Fan It

9. Tell Me, Baby

10. She's Mine

Editorial Reviews

When I listen to this recording again many years later, I still have the same sense of excitement I felt that day when I sat in his shadowy room with the bottle of gin on the floor, and the sounds of other people in the house drifting through the door. Through the blues revival and on into the 1970’s he went on to record many more albums, including some sessions we did together, but this one, still, for me, his most exciting musical statement. Often during those years I was asked if there was some way to describe the country blues, and the easiest way I could think of was to play this labum. Whenever I think of Linghtning and his music it is this sound and these blues that come back to me. –Sam Charters, Mansfield Center, Conn. 1990

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Lightnin', April 22, 2000

By 

Tim Weber (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lightnin Hopkins (Audio CD)

This magnificent recording is in my top five blues albums of all time. That's saying something. While it is not necessarily the most representative Lightnin' Hopkins, it might be the best. Here is Lightnin' bursting with energy after having vanished from the recording scene for four years, and the emotional, joyful, painful, gorgeously human blues he gives vent to are staggering to hear. Just Lightnin', close-miked in a hotel room, playing from his soul, with no clue that he was igniting his career anew with this album. Sound is outstanding, songs are less personal than usual for him (many are traditional) but absolutely riveting. Buy this and look into the soul of country blues. Buy it, and smile.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lightnin' Strikes !, October 1, 2003

By 

peterfromkanata (Kanata, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lightnin Hopkins (Audio CD)

This is a marvellous CD--no-frills, honest, straight-from-the-heart acoustic blues from a true master. I actually felt as if I were in the same room with this legendary artist.

I'm not sure where the dividing line is between blues and folk--in the case of Lightnin' Hopkins maybe there isn't one. This is surely American music at its purest, undistilled best !

No more hype--if you want to add a very special disc to your collection, look no further.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars lightnin at his best, November 27, 1999

By 

Blues Bro "bluesbro" (Lakewood, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lightnin Hopkins (Audio CD)

This is just lightin and his acoustic guitar recorded in a hotel room, just before the 60's blues revival.This is my personal favorite of lightin, better than any other compilation. If you have seen any video of lightin performing live, maybe you wondered why he wasnt captured like that on record. Well, listen to this one, its a great live performance, with lightnin taking all the decisions.