Country blues by lightnin hopkins sam john lightnin hopkins march 15, 1911 january 30, 1982 was a texas country bluesman of the highest caliber from from centerville, texas. Legendary houston bluesman, sam lightnin hopkins was an icon of american music. Blanks wheelhouse however was always regional american music and the blues accordin to lightnin hopkinsa gorgeous little film radiates with his reverence for the texas legend. He was 67 and wearing a brightblue leisure suit with rhinestones that sparkled in the tv lights and a beige fedora cocked at a 45degree angle on the side of his head. With remarkable intimacy, blank captures his music and musings the blues is just a funny feelin, yet people call it a mighty bad disease in this celebration of a legend that doubles as a portrait of the people and culture of houston, txcaptured vividly at a bbq and an allblack rodeo. See more ideas about country blue, blues music and music. Charlie, your rollin mill is burnin down outtakes from the blues accordin to lightnin. Les blank reveals the inspiration of great texas bluesman lightnin hopkins, and features a generous helping of classic blues, including the songs, mr. The great texas bluesman lightnin hopkins is captured brilliantly in this deeply moving film.
Lightning hopkins sings the blues releases discogs. Blank reveals lightnins inspiration, and features a generous helping of classic blues. Browse 240 lyrics and 1073 lightnin hopkins albums. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins check out the video clip below for an excellent 30miniute documentary, capturing the life of legendary blues singerguitarist sam lightnin hopkins. Dec 9, 2015 sam john hopkins, better known as lightnin hopkins, was an american country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist, and occasional pianist, from houston, texas. The blues accordin to lightin hopkins 1967 rotten tomatoes. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins 1970 the blues.
Austin city limits, 1979, less than three years before he died. Personnel on camera jazz on the screen is a reference work of filmographic information and does not point to digitized versions of the items described. A list of 90 films compiled on letterboxd, including kes 1969, scenes from under childhood, section one 1967, five easy pieces 1970, the conformist 1970 and valerie and her week of wonders 1970. The short avoids explicit biography, choosing instead to record intimate musical moments and the ambient humanity of hopkins worldit even credits. Rolling stone magazine ranked him number 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time whose career began in the 1920s and stretched all the way into. The blues accordin to lightin hopkins nr, 31 min documentary. As one of the last great country bluesmen, hopkins was a fascinating figure who bridged the gap between rural and urban styles. Four classic albums sings the blues lightnin hopkins.
Likable short documentary features the great texas blues singer lightnin hopkins. Venus that sections two 1969, three 1969, and four 1970 of stan brakhages scenes from under childhood have no title card, whereas units in his film series normally do, and that the title card from section one does not identify it as such, simply reading scenes from under childhood, together suggest that these four works should be considered as one long, 6minute opus. By the time of his death in 1982, sam lightnin hopkins was likely the most recorded blues artist in history. Hopkins was active musically until his death in 1982 of esophageal cancer. On the making of the blues according to lightnin hopkins.
As per usual, its not your runofthemill biographical work and blank pays just as much attention to the history and the environment his subject is part of in the rural american south. Initial released as lightning hopkins sings the blues in 1961 on crown, self titled in 1963 again as original folk blues in 1967 on kent, with some reissues, also on united superior a time for blues in the uk in the middle of the 60s. The blues according to lightnin hopkins 1970 by lightnin hopkins. These were all recorded between 1947 and 1951 at quinn recording company.
The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins 1967 youtube. Ive tried, on more than one occasion, to get into the blues, but i find it just doesnt move me. Personnel on camera jazz on the screen is a reference work of filmographic information and. Filmmaker les blank captured the texas troubadours informal lifestyle most vividly in his acclaimed 1967 documentary, the blues accordin to lightnin hopkins. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins dangerous minds. Dec 12, 2012 the blues accordin to lightnin hopkins is dated 1968, and captures a group of aging blues musicians and a community for whom blues music was still part of the texture of everyday life. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins is dated 1968, and captures a group of aging blues musicians and a community for whom blues music was still part of the texture of everyday life. He recorded for a host of labels and was one of the most prolific blues artists. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins postcard quantity.
Les blank the blues accordin to lightin hopkins 1970 in 1961 1970, documentary, les blank, performance, usa november 30, 2018 0 1,251 views. This video is about the blues according to lightning hopkins. Earlier films about blues artists tended to be a lot more formal, usually based around a performance staged specially for the cameras. In his own words and own own music, lightnin hopkins reveals the inspiration for his blues. Two of the best come from the man renowned near and far as lightnin hopkins, the most recent being the 1968 lp texas blues man. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins nov 27, 2004.
The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins 1969 directed. Much of it was protest songs by singersongwriters of the 60s, but also featured very special people on tour, like blues singers brownie mcgee and sonny terry and my favorite, lightnin hopkins. This was followed by the blues accordin to lightnin hopkins 1968 and the suns gonna shine 1968 about houston blues musician lightnin hopkins. Here he takes us in one of his many short films, certainly one of his more known, to texas into the world of blues musician lightnin hopkins. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins 2014, texas blues, documentary, bdrip 720p. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins supplements the suns gonna shine 1968 short film 9. Publication date 1960 topics country, blues, texas language english tracklist a1 long time. Lightnin hopkins country blues by lightnin hopkins. The blues according to lightnin hopkins record collector. Lightnin hopkins the blues according to lightnin hopkins lightnin bottled in acclaimed 60s documentary the combination of les blanks innate feel for portraying american folk musicians in their cultural context and lightnin hopkins, one of the most prolific and influential blues singerguitarists of all time, could only be a winner.
Topics the blues according to lightnin hopkins, 1970, lightin hopkins. Even the conformist and patton seem to exist in this context as purposeful. Best films of 1970, a list of films by cormac jones. Rolling stone magazine ranked him number 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins postcard les. Taught by a master thunder and lightnin regained fame. He was back on the houston scene by 1959, largely forgotten.
The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins facebook watch. The film includes interviews and a performance by hopkins. Best films of 1970, a list of films by cormac jones letterboxd. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins july 31, 2014 hallgeir 2 comments he was like an ancient oracle in his uncanny ability to improvise rhyming blues songs about a person or situation that revealed a truth that was perfect in its simplicity, yet infinitely complex in its layers of meaning. Lightnin hopkins, mance lipscomb, ruth ames and billy bizor. The following year he was featured in another les blank documentary, the blues according to lightnin hopkins, which won a gold hugo award at the chicago film festival as the best documentary of 1970. He never went back to work making industrial films and all of his films were independently produced, often with the assistance of grants from cultural agencies, both governmental and nongovernmental. Sam lightnin hopkins career stretched across five decades and some 40 plus labels, not counting subsidiaries, though he seemed to settle for long periods with particular producers, burning out many along the way. Includes performances at an outdoor barbeque and a black rodeo. I dont know the difference between lightin hopkins, lightin slim, or lightnin mcqueen. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins the official.
On the making of the blues accordin to lightnin hopkins. Blank reveals lightnin s inspiration, and features a generous helping of classic blues. The famous bluesmans stellar recordings for tradition epitomized lightnin s spare country blues which was in contrast to the brash and bold chicago blues so commercially appealing at the time. Of late theres been a very welcome flurry of prime reissues originating from the powerhouse vaults of arhoolie records. Country blues by lightnin hopkins the turntable jukebox. Let there be lightnin how sam hopkins lived the blues. Blues accordin to lightnin hopkins les blank spent the early part of his thirties, and much of his twenties, putting together industrial movies, basically educational films for the corporate world, movies to promote the venture to investors and employees.
Rolling stone magazine ranked him number 71 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time the musicologist robert mack mccormick opined that hopkins is the embodiment of the jazzandpoetry spirit. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins is an american documentary from 1970, so this one is already almost 50 years old now and it is an early, but not very early career effort by director les blank. Its a fine batch of tunes from a true legend in prime form, and its also an opportunity to get up close and personal with a still potent. In 1970 hopkins was in an auto accident that put his neck in a brace and initiated a steady decline in his health. The making of the blues according to lightnin hopkins by les blank written for the program ix. The international festival of ethnographic films nuoro, sardinia, italy, 1998 i grew up in tampa, florida in a white, uppermiddle class home and distinctly remember the first live music i ever experienced. At the time, my second marriage had recently collapsed and i felt myself a failure as a father, a human and an artist.
Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. One doesnt need to know much about blues or the great texas bluesman lightnin hopkins to enjoy this yet another wonderful and moving documentary by les blank. The film begins depicting hopkins as a young boy at the point that he decides to become a musician and goes on to show lightnin as an adult in. Lightnin started his career singing on houstons street corners for change and drink and his best performances are those intimate concerts. A portrait of the great texas bluesman, lightnin hopkins. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins 1969 directed by. Hey well oh yeah what did you tell him about it i wish you up that you know get it dont get it cuz you see i cant i go long all the way but you know you dont stay in my boy you comes on you know yeah okay you go up there baby youll see me live up there come on play to get tired. Fortunately, folklorist mack mccormick rediscovered the guitarist, who was dusted off and presented as a folkblues artist.
Garlic is as good as ten mothers turner classic movies. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins 2014, texas. The blues accordin to lightnin hopkins full documentary. Here, blank displays what he always did bestan unobtrusive, casualseeming, but highly observant style that links the food so prominent in many of his films barbecue in the blues accordin to lightnin hopkins 1970. This brilliant new biographythe first book ever written about himilluminates the many contradictions of the man and his myth. Blues accordin to lightnin hopkins library of congress. Texmex in chulas fronteras, 1976 to all aspects of. Samuel john lightnin hopkins march 15, 1912 january 30, 1982 was an american country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist, from centerville, texas. This is quite the year for experimental and iconoclastic cinema, as the list below reveals. Smokes like lightnin the great electric show and dance. Charlie, your rollin mill is burnin down outtakes from the blues accordin to lightnin hopkins 7. Mar 17, 2007 in his own words and own own music, lightnin hopkins reveals the inspiration for his blues. The famous bluesmans stellar recordings for tradition epitomized lightnins spare country blues which was in contrast to the brash and bold chicago blues so commercially appealing at the time.
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