Lightnin' Hopkins - The Singles Collection Vol. 1 1946-53 (CD)

Lightnin' Hopkins - The Singles Collection Vol. 1 1946-53 - This substantial collection covering the early years of his recording career helps to explain and underline that view / Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins was one of the true blues greats, a singer, guitarist, songwriter and occasional pianist from Texas, who through a life as a long-time solo performer developed a highly distinctive style, playing rhythm, lead, bass and percussion, with a legendarily unstructured approach to the 12-bar format. Musicologist Mark McCormick said that Hopkins is "the embodiment of the jazz-and-poetry spirit, representing it's ancient form in the single creator whose words and music are one act". Born in 1912, he did not get an opportunity to record until the post-war years, and then recorded prolifically for a variety of labels. Acrobat has addressed his output on 78s and 45s from 1946 to 1962 with two 3-CD sets of which this is the first. This 78-track collection comprises the A & B sides of just about all his releases during these years on the Aladdin, Modern, Gold Star and RPM labels. His RPM releases overlapped with his releases on the Sittin' In With label which begin in 1951 and start Vol. 2. It includes his hits in the US R&B charts with "Shotgun Blues", "T Model Blues" and "Tim Moore's Farm". It also includes records for Aladdin with pianist Wilson "Thunder" Smith. His New York Times obituary in 1982 said he was "one of the great country blues singers and perhaps the greatest single influence on rock guitar players", and this substantial collection covering the early years of his recording career helps to explain and underline that view.

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. That Mean Old Twister
2. Katie Mae
3. Rocky Mountain Blues (I Can't Stay Here)
4. I Feel So Bad
5. Big Mama Jump
6. Short Haired Woman
7. Fast Mail Rambler
8. Thinkin' and Worryin'
9. Play with Your Poodle
10. Down Home Baby
11. Big Mama Jump
12. Short Haired Woman
13. Sugar Mama
14. Picture on the Wall
15. Woman, Woman
16. Nightmare Blues
17. Have to Let You Go
18. Morning Blues
19. Baby Child
20. Changing Weather Blues
21. Rollin' Blues
22. Shotgun Blues
23. Honey, Honey Blues
24. Moonrise Blues
25. Miss Me Blues
26. Abilene

Disc: 2

1. Worried Life Blues - You're Not Going to Worry
2. Daddy Will Be Home Some Day
3. So Long
4. My California
5. Shining Moon
6. Ida May
7. Mercy
8. What Can It Be
9. Lonesome Home
10. Appetite Blues
11. Walkin'blues
12. Lightnin' Blues
13. No Mail Blues
14. Ain't It a Shame
15. Tim Moore's Farm
16. You Don't Know
17. Treat Me Kind
18. Somebody Got to Go
19. Baby Please Don't Go
20. Death Bells
21. Mad with You
22. Airplane Blues
23. Unsuccessful Blues
24. Rollin' Woman Blues
25. Jail House Blues
26. T Model Blues

Disc: 3

1. Lightnin' Boogie
2. Unkind Blues
3. Fast Life Woman
4. European Blues
5. Automobile
6. Zolo Go
7. Old Woman Blues
8. Untrue Blues
9. Henny Penny Blues
10. Jazz Blues
11. Jackstropper Blues
12. Grievance Blues
13. Bad Luck and Trouble
14. Beggin' You to Stay
15. Jake Head
16. Lonesome Dog Blues
17. Last Affair
18. Don't Keep My Baby Long
19. One Kind Favor
20. Needed Time
21. Candy Kitchen
22. Another Fool in Town
23. Mistreater Blues
24. Black Cat
25. Santa Fe Blues
26. Someday Baby