Lightnin' Hopkins_ His Life and Blues - Alan Govenar [0]
Govenar, Alan B., 1952–
Lightnin’ Hopkins : his life and blues / Alan Govenar.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-55652-962-7 (hardcover)
1. Hopkins, Lightnin’, 1912-1982. 2. Blues musicians—United States—Biography. I. Title.
ML420.H6357G68 2010
781.643092—dc22
[B]
2009048798
Interior design: Jonathan Hahn
© 2010 by Alan Govenar All rights reserved
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 978-1-55652-962-7
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Early Years
2 Travels with Texas Alexander
3 The Move to Houston
4 Rediscovery
5 The Blues Revival Heats Up
6 The Touring Intensifies
7 Mojo Hand: An Orphic Tale
8 An Expanding Audience
9 The Last Decade
Discography
Endnotes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Writing this book spread over more than fifteen years. While there were days and months that I set the manuscript aside, I knew I’d come back to it and complete what I had set out to do. The amount of inaccurate information on Lightnin’ Hopkins made me especially vigilant, and numerous people helped me through the arduous process of establishing a cohesive biography.
Andrew Brown propelled my work forward by sharing his voluminous research and then reading and critiquing several drafts of the manuscript. Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie Records made available his archive and record collection, and my frequent conversations with him clarified many inconsistencies. Jane Phillips, whom I first talked to more than a decade ago, made valuable suggestions as she shared her memories of Lightnin’ during the 1960s. David Benson openly discussed Lightnin’s day-to-day life during his last years. Paul Oliver and Pat Mullen aided me in contextualizing the cross-cultural appeal of Lightnin’s blues. Laurent Danchin translated various articles published in French and engaged me in a dialogue I had not foreseen.
I am also grateful to Les Blank of Flower Films, Jeff Place of the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, John Wheat of the Center for American History at the University of Texas, Dan Morgenstern of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, Bill Belmont of Prestige Music Archives/Concord Music Group, and many others who offered their assistance, including Sam Charters, Mack McCormick, Paul Oliver, Roger Armstrong, Barbara Dane, David Evans, Kip Lornell, John Broven, Ed Pearl, Bernie Pearl, Carroll Peery, Bruce Bromberg, Paul Drummond, Jay Brakefield, Stan Lewis, Don Logan, Joe Kessler, Eric Davis, Eric LeBlanc, Andre Hobus, Krista Balatony, Ray Dawkins, Clyde Langford, Alan Hatchett, Francis Hofstein, Norbert Hess, and Alan Balfour.
My wife, Kaleta Doolin, and my children, Breea and Alex, were a constant source of encouragement as my efforts moved forward, bringing a counterpoint to my work that has enriched my life.
Introduction
I been making up songs all my life. I could get out among people ‘cause this here’s a gift … to me. An old lady told me, “Son, your mother had music in her heart when she was carrying you.” You know what that mean, don’t you? When I come into this world I was doin’ this.1
Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins, at the time of his death in 1982, may have been the most frequently recorded blues artist in history. He was a singular voice in the history of the Texas blues, exemplifying its country roots but at the same time reflecting its urban directions in the years after World War II. His music epitomized the hardships and aspirations of his own generation of African Americans, but it was also emblematic of the folk revival and its profound impact upon a white audience.
What distinguished Lightnin’ Hopkins was his virtuosity as a performer. He soaked up what was around him and put it all into his blues. He rambled on about anything that came into his mind: chuckholes in the road, gossip on the street, his rheumatism, his women,