Lightnin' Hopkins_ His Life and Blues - Alan Govenar [144]
Album Sessions. Beginning with his Folkways album in 1959, most of Lightnin’s sessions were specifically recorded as albums, or with an album concept in mind. Our discography reflects this change by listing album titles above the session, arranged with the earliest session date for that album (if there were more than one). While this method doesn’t eliminate all possible confusion, we feel it makes the most sense in organizing and assimilating this material. Albums that feature sessions that were recorded more than one year apart have been further subdivided by session date. For Various Artists LPs, only Lightnin’s songs have been listed.
Mono/Stereo. All of Lightnin’s records prior to the early 1960s were released in monaural. Some of his 1960s albums were available in mono and stereo; these usually have been reissued on compact disc with only the stereo versions. A minority were only available in stereo. As a side point, a large number of Lightnin’s early recordings were reissued after 1959 with added reverb to disguise their age. The listener should be aware that many reissues in the compact disc era are still using these inferior, altered sources rather than the original masters or singles.
Release Dates (Albums). Lightnin’s singles were usually released a short time after they were recorded. Albums, on the other hand, were often released months, years, and decades after they were recorded. With this in mind, we have tried to establish release dates for all of Lightnin’s original albums. In a few cases, this creates a conflict with the chronology by session dates (The Rooster Crowed in England LP is listed before the Folkways album; the latter was released first, but the Rooster LP features two songs recorded in 1954), but overall we feel this is the least confusing method of listing these sessions. Estimated release dates on LPs have been based on advertisements and reviews found in Billboard, Sing Out!, Blues Unlimited, Blues and Rhythm, Jazz Journal, Cashbox, The American Folk Music Occasional, Mother, Juke Blues, and Soul Bag.
Lightnin’s work as a session musician for other artists (Thunder Smith, L. C. Williams, J. D. Edwards, et al.) has not been included.
In compiling this discography, we have been indebted to all those who came before us: Anthony Rotante, Chris Strachwitz, Mack McCormick, John Holt, Mike Leadbitter, Neil Slaven, Simon Napier, Frank Scott, Chris Smith, and Les Fancourt. For this revision we have been assisted, directly or indirectly, by Dave Sax, Chris Strachwitz, Mack McCormick, Paul Drummond, Mary Katherine Aldin, Richard Flohil, Chris Smith, Don Logan, Stefan Wirz, Bill Bellmont, Ed Pearl, Bernie Pearl, Roger Armstrong, and Alan Govenar. The Huey Meaux Papers at the Center For American History (University of Texas) contain relevant paperwork from the Gold Star era that was crucial in establishing the early chronology. The unpublished research of Laurence Schilthuis, who interviewed both Hopkins and Hop Wilson in 1974, was also helpful. We have also relied upon the following books:
Fancourt, Les and Bob McGrath. The Blues Discography, 1943–1970. West Vancouver, Canada: Eyeball Productions, 2006.
Holt, John. Lightnin’ Hopkins. London: Texas Blues Society, 1965.
Leadbitter, Mike and Neil Slaven. Blues Records 1943–1966. New York: Oak Publications, 1968.
Ruppli, Michel. The Aladdin/Imperial Labels: A Discography. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1991.
Smith, Chris. That’s the Stuff: The Recordings of Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry, Stick McGhee, and J.C. Burris. Shetland, Scotland: The Housay Press, 1999.
Whitburn, Joel. Billboard Top R&B Singles, 1942–1999. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc., 2000.
November 9, 1946. Radio Recorders Studio, 7000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, CA. Producer: Eddie Mesner
Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins, vocal/acoustic