Lightnin' Hopkins

The Profile

Samuel John “Lightnin’” Hopkins (1912–1982) was an American Texas blues singer-guitarist from Centerville, Texas. A prolific and influential figure in country and Texas blues, he was rediscovered in 1959 by Samuel B. Charters and went on to record extensively; signature works include Mojo Hand and the 1959 album Lightnin’ Hopkins.

In 1959 Samuel B. Charters recorded Lightnin’ Hopkins in a rented Houston room using a single microphone. The resulting album, bare and intimate, is cited as a high point of the blues revival. The review also references Hopkins learning progressions from Blind Lemon Jefferson as a child.

A 5-star review celebrates the 1959 home-recorded Lightnin’ Hopkins album cut by Sam Charters with one microphone and a bottle of gin. The piece frames it as a stark, essential pillar of the blues revival and notes its weary solitude with flashes of humor. It recalls Hopkins learning progressions from Blind Lemon Jefferson as a child and being rediscovered in Houston decades later.