Early Recordings (Lightnin' Hopkins album)

Last updated

Early Recordings
Early Recordings (Lightnin' Hopkins album).jpg
Compilation album by
Lightnin' Hopkins
Released1965
Recorded1946–50
Studio Gold Star Recording Studios, Houston, Texas
Genre Blues
Length45:52
Label Arhoolie
Compiler Chris Strachwitz
Lightnin' Hopkins chronology
Early Recordings
(1965)		 Early Recordings Vol. 2
(1971)

Early Recordings is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins featuring tracks recorded at Gold Star Recording Studios between 1946 and 1950, eight of which were originally released as 10-inch 78rpm records on the Gold Star and Jax labels, along with eight others that were previously unissued. [1] Arhoolie reissued The Gold Star Sessions on two CDs through Smithsonian Folkways in 1990. [2]

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

AllMusic reviewer Eugene Chadbourne stated: "Much of the body of this blues artist's song catalog kind of runs together into a long odyssey, delivered in a rubato medium feel, sometimes locking into a steady beat but often hovering somewhere behind and ahead. As if performing an endless series of card tricks with only three cards, he comes up with variation after variation on the basic 12-bar form and a series of blues riffs that he has ready to fit any and all occasions. Listeners may not be able to tell one track from the next, but Hopkins' feel on guitar and charismatic, lilting voice has proven to be a winner with blues fans decade after decade. The ever adventuresome Hopkins cut some tracks on organ during this period ... Although the resulting 'Organ Boogie' certainly provides some variety, the songs with the guitar are of much more lasting music value, the organ numbers mostly of interest as an oddity". [3]

Track listing

All compositions by Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins

  1. "Bluebird Blues" aka "Glory Be Blues" – 3:11 previously unreleased
  2. "Walking Blues" – 2:47
  3. "Unkind Blues" – 3:00
  4. "Mad With You" – 2:32
  5. "Somebody's Got to Go" a.k.a. "Goodbye Blues" – 2:43 previously unreleased
  6. "Automobile Blues" – 2:47
  7. "Seems Funny Baby" – 3:03 previously unreleased
  8. "Coolin' Board Blues" a.k.a. "Thunder and Lightnin' Blues" – 2:43 previously unreleased
  9. "Airplane Blues" – 2:42
  10. "Loretta Blues" – 2:45 previously unreleased
  11. "Whiskey Blues" – 2:42 previously unreleased
  12. "You Don't Know" – 2:43
  13. "Organ Boogie" – 2:59 previously unreleased
  14. "What Can It Be" – 2:39
  15. "Ida Mae" – 2:40
  16. "Goin' Back and Talk to Mama" – 2:56 previously unreleased

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brownie McGhee</span> American folk-blues musician (1915–1996)

Walter Brown "Brownie" McGhee was an American folk and Piedmont blues singer and guitarist, best known for his collaboration with the harmonica player Sonny Terry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightnin' Hopkins</span> American singer-songwriter, pianist, and guitarist (1912–1982)

Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him No. 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carl Black</span> American drummer and vocalist (1938–2008)

James Inkanish, Jr., known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was a drummer and vocalist for the Mothers of Invention.

Arhoolie Records is an American small independent record label that was run by Chris Strachwitz and is based in El Cerrito, California, United States The label was founded by Strachwitz in 1960 as a way for him to record and produce music by previously obscure "down-home blues" artists such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Snooks Eaglin, and Bill Gaither. Strachwitz despised most commercial music as mouse music. Arhoolie still publishes blues and folk music, Tejano music including Lydia Mendoza, Los Alegres de Terán, Flaco Jiménez, regional Mexican music, cajun, zydeco, and bluegrass.

<i>The Yellow Princess</i> (album) 1968 studio album by John Fahey

The Yellow Princess is the ninth album by American folk musician John Fahey. Released in 1968, it was his second and last release on the Vanguard label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Johnny Brown</span> American singer

Texas Johnny Brown, born John Riley Brown was an American blues guitarist, songwriter and singer, best known for his composition "Two Steps from the Blues". In a lengthy career, he worked with Joe Hinton, Amos Milburn, Ruth Brown, Bobby Bland, Lavelle White, Buddy Ace and Junior Parker. He was born in Mississippi, but his long association with Houston, Texas, gave him his stage name.

<i>Goin Away</i> 1963 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Goin' Away is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in 1963 and released on the Bluesville label.

<i>Lightnin Sam Hopkins</i> 1962 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Lightnin' Sam Hopkins is an album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins recorded in California in late 1961 and Texas in early 1962 and released on the Arhoolie label.

<i>Lightnin in New York</i> 1961 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Lightnin' in New York is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in 1960 and released on the Candid label the following year.

<i>Lightnin Hopkins</i> (album) 1959 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Lightnin' Hopkins is an album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in 1959 and released on the Folkways label. The album was first released around the time that the book The Country Blues came out and was an instant success. It gave Hopkin's career a new lease on life.

<i>Down Home Blues</i> (Lightnin Hopkins album) 1964 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Down Home Blues is an album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins recorded in 1964 and released on the Bluesville label.

<i>Something Blue</i> (Lightnin Hopkins album) 1967 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Something Blue is an album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins recorded in Los Angeles in 1965 and released on the Verve Folkways label in 1967.

<i>Lightning Hopkins in Berkeley</i> 1972 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Lightning Hopkins in Berkeley is an album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins recorded in California in 1969 and originally released on the Arhoolie label in 1972. The original LP featured one side of previously unreleased recordings and the other six track which were originally released on Lightnin'!.

<i>Lightnin!</i> 1969 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Lightnin'! is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins recorded in California in 1969 and released on the Poppy label as a double LP.

<i>Po Lightnin</i> 1983 compilation album by Lightnin Hopkins

Po' Lightnin' is an album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins recorded in California in 1969 and originally released on the Arhoolie label in 1983.

<i>Lightning Hopkins Sings the Blues</i> 1961 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Lightning Hopkins Sings the Blues, also released as Original Folk Blues, is a 12-inch LP album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins collecting tracks recorded between 1947 and 1951 that were originally released as 10-inch 78rpm records on the RPM label. The album was released on the Mainstream Records low budget, Crown subsidiary and was an early 12-inch LP collections of Lightnin' Hopkins material recorded at Gold Star Studios to be released. In 1999 a double CD collection of Jake Head Boogie was released containing all of the Hopkins recordings released by the RPM label along with several previously unreleased recordings.

<i>Lightnin and the Blues</i> 1960 studio album by Lightnin Hopkins

Lightnin' and the Blues is a 12-inch LP album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, collecting twelve tracks recorded in 1954 that were originally released as 7-inch singles on the Herald Records label. From the late 1980s, other Herald tracks began appearing on collections like The Herald Recordings – 1954 and The Herald Recordings Vol. 2 before a 30-track CD edition was released in 2016.

<i>Early Recordings Vol. 2</i> 1971 compilation album by Lightnin Hopkins

Early Recordings Vol. 2 is an album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins featuring tracks recorded at Gold Star Recording Studios between 1946 and 1950, thirteen of which were originally released as 10-inch 78rpm records on the Gold Star and Dart labels, along with three others that were previously unissued. Arhoolie reissued The Gold Star Sessions on two CDs through Smithsonian Folkways in 1990.

<i>Lightning Hopkins with His Brothers Joel and John Henry / with Barbara Dane</i> 1966 live album by Lightnin Hopkins, Joel Hopkins, John Henry Hopkins and Barbara Dane

Lightning Hopkins with His Brothers Joel and John Henry / with Barbara Dane is an album by blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins recorded in Texas and California in 1964 and released on the Arhoolie label. The original album was split with one side featuring tracks with Hopkins and His Brothers and the other performances with Barbara Dane. In 1991 through Smithsonian Folkways, Arhoolie released the Hopkins Brothers tracks on CD as The Hopkins Brothers: Joel, Lightning & John Henry with additional unreleased recordings, then in 1994 the tracks with Barbara Dane were released as Sometimes I Believe She Loves Me with unreleased tracks.

<i>Those Prison Blues</i> 1959 studio album by Robert Pete Williams

Those Prison Blues is an album by blues musician Robert Pete Williams recorded by Harry Oster in Louisiana State Penitentiary in 1959 and 1960 and originally released on the Folk-Lyric label before being reissued with an altered track listing on Arhoolie in 1971.

References

  1. ↑ O'Brien, T. J. Lightnin' Album of the Week: Week 17 – December 25, 2010 accessed November 23, 2018
  2. ↑ Smithsonian Folkways: Lightnin' Hopkins catalog accessed November 23, 2018
  3. 1 2 Chadbourne, Eugene. Lightnin' Hopkins: Early Recordings Vol. 1 – Review at AllMusic . Retrieved November 22, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.