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by Lightnin' Hopkins: His Life;Blues


  “Abilene,” 49

  ACA studio, 59, 64–65, 123

  “Airplane Blues,” 143

  Aladdin Records, 40–41, 43–45, 48–50, 293n38

  Alexander, Alger “Texas,” viii–ix, 15, 21, 27, 30, 41, 55, 84, 87, 117, 146; background of, 22; discovery of, 23; Lightnin’ Hopkins, traveling with, 24–26; as mentor, 25; presence of, 24; in prison, 29; singing style of, 23

  alternative movement, 174

  American Federation of Musicians (AFM), 49

  American Folk Blues Festival, 135, 140–41, 144

  Amy, Curtis, 293n38

  Anderson, Wendell, 180

  Angel, Jack, 64

  Antone, Clifford, 221–22

  Arhoolie Records, xi, 78, 102, 181, 191, 201, 229–30

  Aristocrat Records, 47

  Asch, Moses, 70, 73, 75, 91–93

  Asher, M. Richard, 126

  Ash Grove (folk club), 98–100, 168, 197

  Austin City Limits (television program), 211

  Autobiography in Blues (recording), 88

  “Automobile Blues,” 110

  “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” 50, 100, 143–44

  “Bad Boogie,” 65. See also “My Little Kewpie Doll”

  Badeaux, Ed, 79, 91

  “Bad Luck and Trouble,” 75

  Baez, Joan, 104, 110, 156

  Bailey, Donald, 210

  Balatony, Krista, 157–59

  Balfour, Alan, 142

  Barbee, John Henry, 141

  Bartlett, John David, 185–86, 232

  baseball, 21

  Bates, Alan, 300n52

  Bates, Frank, 3

  “Begging You to Stay,” 58

  Bell, Carey, 222

  Bell, Rex “Wrecks,” xiii, 219

  Belushi, John, 218

  Benno, Marc, 213, 215

  Benson, David, xiii, 115, 200–2, 204,

  206–10, 212, 215–17, 219–20, 222,

  224–29, 232, 236; and

  “Emmett Till complex,” 211

  Berendt, Joachim, 141

  Berkeley Folk Festival, 97–98

  Berlin, Irving, 104

  Berry, Chuck, 67

  “Better Watch Yourself,” 310n89. See also “Stop Drinking”

  “Big Mama Jump,” 47

  Bihari brothers, 48; and Joe Bihari, 66

  Bishop, Elvin, 67

  Bizor, Billy, 27, 123, 125, 158, 163–64, 178, 180, 184–85

  “Black Cat,” 58

  “Black Cat Bone,” 114

  “Black Gal What Makes Your Head So Hard,” 35

  “Black Hannah,” 136

  Black Orpheus (film), 159

  black vaudeville, 22–23

  Blanchard, Carolyn, 34

  Blank, Les, x, 174–78, 180, 235

  Bleyer, Archie, 110

  blues, 82, 94, 236; blues singers, romanticizing of, 84; and jazz, 69–70, 95; in New York, 133;

  popularity of, 57, 60

  The Blues According to Lightnin’

  Hopkins (film), xi, 42, 178–80, 233

  The Blues in East Texas (recording), 92

  Blues in My Bottle (recording), 117

  “Blues in My Mind,” 26

  “Blues for Queen Elizabeth,” 87–88

  blues revival, 95, 128–29; as

  romantic movement, 96

  Bluesville Records, 107, 300n44

  “Boar Hog Blues,” 25–26, 29–30

  Boicel, Doudou, 205–6, 221

  Bond, Jimmy, 149

  Bonner, Weldon “Juke Boy,” 216, 232

  Booker, James, 208

  bootlegging, 25

  Box, Anna Mae, xiii, 16, 28, 38–39, 224–25, 227–29

  Box, Bertha, 224–25

  Bradley, Andy, 51

  Bramhall, Doyle, 43, 213–15

  Braverman, Jack, 64

  Brians, Robin Hood, 149–50

  Bromberg, Bruce, 189

  Broonzy, Big Bill, 30, 41, 56, 70, 79, 84

  Broven, John, 112

  Brown, Andrew, 96, 98, 119, 126, 293n38

  Brown, Buster, 131

  Brown, Danny, 213

  Brown, “Texas” Johnny, 40, 50, 53, 59, 62, 232

  Bruynoghe, Yannick, 117

  Bucks, Jabo, 12

  “Buddy Brown’s Blues,” 118

  “Bud Russell Blues,” 181. See also

  “Penitentiary Blues”

  Bullock, Dr. Henry Allen, 86

  Burks, Pinetop, 32

  “Burnin’ in L.A.,” 196

  Burton, Aaron, 222–23

  Butler, Wild Child, 186–88

  Byers, Bill, 81

  Bynum, Kyla, 79, 82, 85

  Cadena, Ozzie, 107, 109

  Cahn, Jesse, 139

  Cahn, Rolf, 120

  “California Mudslide (and Earthquake),” 189

  “California Showers,” 122, 196

  Camp Logan, 32

  Candid Records, 110

  “Can’t Do Like You Used To,” 43

  Cantor, Louis, 66

  Carroll, Fred, 185

  Carson, Fiddlin’ John, 7

  “Cemetery Blues,” 63

  Centerville (Texas), 1, 13, 179–80

  Chambers, Joe, 100

  Charles, Antoinette, xi, xiii, 90–91, 93, 109, 113, 118–19, 124, 128, 144, 153–54, 160, 163, 165–66, 169–70, 172, 175, 183, 188, 194, 197, 200, 202, 207, 216, 220, 222, 224–29, 231

  Charles, Leonard, 202

  Charters, Ann, 70

  Charters, Samuel, 42, 69, 78, 83–84, 92–93, 95, 126–28, 146, 157, 203–4, 235, 298n64; and Lightnin’ Hopkins, 70–76, 81–82; undermining of, by Mack

  McCormick, 90–91

  Chatman, Bo, 23

  Chatman, Sam, 23

  Chenier, Cleveland, 90, 119, 137, 169, 179

  Chenier, Clifton, 90, 119, 169, 218, 221, 302–3n11

  “Chicken Minnie,” 305n12

  Chitlin’ Circuit, 23, 57

  Choates, Harry, 46, 57

  civil rights movement, 133

  Clancy Brothers, 298n53; with Tommy Makem, 104

  Clay, Francis, 191

  Clearwater, Eddie, 222

  “Coffee Blues,” 59, 61, 116

  Cohen, David, 195

  Cohn, Lawrence, 130

  Collins, Albert, 228, 232

  “Come Go with Me,” 75

  “Come On, Baby, Come Home with Me,” 144

  Connors, B. J., 97

  “Contrary Mary,” 71

  “Conversation Blues,” 109

  Conversation with the Blues (Oliver), 103

  Cooks, Donald, 62, 64, 123

  “Coon Is Hard to Catch,” 119

  Cooper, Rob, 32

  Copeland, Johnny, 232

  Corry, John, 232

  country blues, 41, 46, 56, 84, 87

  Country Blues (recording), 87, 89

  The Country Blues (Charters), 73, 84, 95, 157

  country suppers, 6–7

  Crawford, Don, 149

  Crowe, H. M., 64, 293n38

  Crudup, Arthur “Big Boy,” 41, 47

  Cullum, Lola Ann, 40–42, 44–45, 93, 108, 119, 146, 301n81, 301n82

  Cullum, Dr. Samuel J., 40

  Cushing, Steve, 222–23

  Daily, H. W. “Pappy,” 119

  Dallas (Texas): Deep Ellum neighborhood in, 22

  Dane, Barbara, 99–100, 125, 131, 138–40, 145, 191

  Darin, Bobby, 168–69

  Davis, Carl, 23

  Davis, Duke, 184–85

  Davis, Reverend Gary, 147, 149

  Davis, Oscar, xii

  Davis, Uel L., 10

  Dawkins, Ray, xiv, 1, 2, 9, 17–18, 44

  “DC-7,” 118

  “Death Bells,” 225

  Decca Records, 62, 64

  “Deceitful Blues,” 26

  De Menil, Christophe, 218–20

  De Menil, Dominique, 204–5

  DeSanto, Sugar Pie, 141

  “Devil Is Watching You,” 119

  Diddley, Bo, 67

&nb
sp; “The Dirty Dozens,” 89–90

  Distler, Marian, 92

  Ditzell, Steve, 221

  Dixon, Willie, 141, 143, 147–48, 222

  D’Lugoff, Art, 104, 114, 133

  Dobell, Doug, 87

  Donnell, Delmar, 113

  “Don’t Need No Job,” 64

  “Don’t Think ‘Cause You’re Pretty,” 64–65. See also “Ida Mae”

  “Don’t Wanna Be Baptized,” 193

  Dougherty, Gordon, 134

  Down Home Blues (recording), 137, 145

  Down South Summit Meetin’ (recording), 101

  dozens, 89–90

  “Drinkin’ Wine Spodee-O-Dee,” 117

  Duke/Peacock Records, 52

  Dunbar, Rob, 13

  Dupree, C. A., 34

  Dylan, Bob, 147–48, 156

  Earle, Steve, 232

  Eggers, Kevin, 190

  El Dorado Ballroom, 33–34, 39

  Electric Mud (recording), 192

  Elliott, Rambling Jack, 120, 194

  Elizabeth II, 87–88

  Englelow, G. R., 3

  Estes, Sleepy John, 47, 141

  “Ethel Mae,” 56

  “European Blues,” 37

  Evans, Belton, 107, 109

  Evans, Fallon, 166

  “Fan It,” 75

  Filene, Benjamin, 84

  “Fishing Clothes,” 149

  floating lyrics, ix, 12

  folk revival, vii, 70, 95, 129; acoustic sound, championing of, 93–94

  Folkways Records, 70, 81, 90–93, 203, 298n64

  Foster, Pops, 133

  Foster, Preston, 113

  Four Chords and Seven Years Ago (recording), 310n89

  “Fox Chase,” 184

  Frankenstein, Alfred, 98

  Freedom Records, 294n47

  Freedom Riders, 133

  Free Form Patterns (recording), 184, 185, 187

  “Freight Train Blues,” 80. See also “Hobo Blues”

  Fuller, Jesse, 131

  Fulson, Lowell, 29, 131

  Funderburgh, Anson, 212–14, 232

  Gabriel, Lee, 5–6, 8

  Ganz, Isabelle, 85

  Gardner, Ida Mae, 17–18

  Gardner, Peter, 129

  Garrett, Joe, 190

  Gaskin, Leonard, 107, 109

  Gaslight Club, 148

  Gerson, Skip, 174, 175, 177, 180

  Gibbons, Billy, ix, 227, 232

  Gillespie, Dizzy, 174, 175

  Gillette, Pip, xiii

  Ginther, Noble, 184, 185

  “Give Me Central 209,” 59–61. See also “Hello Central, Give Me Heaven”

  “Give Me Time to Think,” 184

  Glenn, John, 123

  “Glory Be,” 113

  “Go Down Ol’ Hannah,” 89

  Goin’ Away (recording), 120, 127, 132

  “Goin’ Back to Florida,” 76

  “Going Home Blues (Going Back and Talk to Mama),” 2

  Goldberg, Joe, 109

  Gold Star Records, 46, 48–51, 55, 57–58

  Goldstein, Kenneth S., 117

  “Good Morning, Little School Girl,” 36, 124, 310n89

  “Goodnight Irene,” 70

  “Got to Move Your Baby,” 108

  The Great Electric Show and Dance (recording), 192, 304n56

  Green, Debbie, 120

  Greenhill, Manny, 111

  Greenhill, Mitch, 111–12, 145

  Greenspun, Roger, 180

  Grossman, Albert, 147

  Grubbs, Jimmie Lee, 79

  Guggenheim, Diane (aka Diane Hamilton), 89, 298n53

  Gulf Records, 46

  “Had a Gal Named Sal,” 64

  Hall, Michael, 211

  Hammond, John, 70, 216

  Hancock, Hunter, 66–67

  Handy, W. C., 40

  Hansen, Barry, 195

  “Happy Blues for John Glenn,” 123

  “Happy New Year,” 63

  Harlem, 133

  Harlem Holiday (radio program), 66

  Harlem Matinee (radio program), 66

  Harold, Dr. Cecil, xi, xiii, 53, 183–84, 188, 200–1, 203–4, 209, 224–25, 227, 233

  Harris, John “Fat Jack,” 22

  Harris, Peppermint (Harrison D. Nelson), 45, 58

  Harris, Sammy, 33

  Harrison, Olin, 122

  Harvesters, 104

  Hawes, Bess Lomax, 98–99

  Hayes, Lee, 104

  Helfer, Edwin, 222

  “Hello Central, Give Me Heaven,” 61, 116, 299n21. See also “Give Me Central 209”

  Henry, Eddie, 45, 294n47, 295n61

  The Henry Miller Odyssey (documentary), 171

  Hentoff, Nat, 70–71, 105, 110, 116

  Herald Records, 64–65, 115

  Herman, Michael “Hawkeye,” ix

  Herridge, Robert, 110

  Hess, Bennie, 46

  Hess, Norbert, 208

  Heywood, Eddie, 23

  “Highway Blues,” 63

  Hill, Rocky, 226, 227

  A History of Leon County (Gates and Fox), 3, 12

  “Hobo Blues,” 80. See also “Freight Train Blues”

  Hoefer, George, 104

  Hofheinz, Roy, 35

  Hofstein, Francis, xii, 141, 142

  Hogg, Andrew “Smokey,” 56

  Holford, Bill, 59, 64–65, 87, 122, 149, 187, 304n56

  Holley, Albert, 8

  Holt, John, 151, 152

  Homage à Lightnin’ Hopkins (television program), 208

  “Hoochie Coochie Man,” 66

  hoodoo, 113

  Hooker, John Lee, 47, 56–57, 59, 61, 84, 151, 167, 204, 205, 218–19, 235

  hootenannies, 78–79, 85, 296n23

  Hootenanny at the Alley, 78–80

  Hootin’ the Blues (recording), 130

  Hopkins, Abe, 3; murder of, 4

  Hopkins, Abe Jr., 3

  Hopkins, Alice, 3

  Hopkins, Charles Lewis, 228

  Hopkins, Emma, 227

  Hopkins, Frances, xiii, 3, 4, 17, 37, 42, 125, 288n11

  Hopkins, Joel, xiii, 3, 8–10, 125, 135–36, 164

  Hopkins, John Henry, 3, 5, 8, 135–36

  Hopkins, Lucien, 36

  Hopkins, Oland, xii–xiii

  Hopkins, Sam “Lightnin,’” 29, 47, 59, 61–63, 69, 88, 90, 107–11, 113, 119–20, 131, 138, 144, 150, 170, 181–82, 185–86, 189–92, 195, 197, 202–3, 213–14, 231, 297n37, 298n64, 299n21; airplane disasters, mental record-keeping of, 118; air travel, dread of, 140–41; on Aladdin, 43–45, 48–50; Alexander, Texas, influence on, 30; Alexander, Texas, traveling with, 24–26; appeal of, 52–53, 114; and black audiences, 121–22, 147, 196; on the blues, 11–12; and blues revival, 96–97, 128; boyhood of, 1, 3–8; broke, complaints of, 153; brothers, recording with, 135–36; in California, 98–100, 196; in Canada, 205, 206, 221; car accident, 194; as caricature, 215; at Carnegie Hall, 105, 218–20; cash payments, preference for, 91; in chain gang, 13–15, 27; character of, 19; and Samuel Charters, 71–76, 81–82; clothing of, 164; contracts, disregard of, 48, 112, 135, 188, 201; “country bumpkin,” dressed as, 99; death of, 225–26; discography of, 95–96, 151–52, 237–38, 240; discovery of, 41–42; documentary on, 175–80; drinking of, 82–83, 153–54, 184; education of, as minimal, 44; electric guitar, denigration of, 93–94; as enigma, x; European tour, 208; floating verses, use of, ix, 12; flying, hatred of, 118; as folk artist, 83, 106; as folk hero, 42; and Folkways, 90–93; at fraternity party, 134; funeral of, 226–28; gambling, fondness for, 5, 13, 28–29, 153; at Gaslight Club, 148; on Gold Star, 46, 48–50, 55; Grammy nomination, 198; as guitar collector, 220–21; guitar playing of, 8–9; health of, 126, 216, 220; Herald sessions, 67; Herald sessions, as watershed, 64; as high maintenance, 98; in Houston, 35–36, 38–39, 54, 199–200, 216; as icon, 173; illness of, 223–25; improvisation of, viii, x, 103, 105; in Japan, 208–10; Blind Lemon Jefferson, meeting with, 9–11; legacy of, 146, 232–36; as legend, 204; local following of, 52–53, 67; marriage of, 16; and Ma
ck McCormick, 76–81, 83, 87, 89, 124–28; memory of, 12; in Mexico, 222; on Modern, 58; mood swings of, 207; mother, importance of to, 125–26; as musically versatile, 139; as nationally known, 56; nickname of, xiv, 43; performances, descriptions of, 142–43, 205, 215, 302–3n11; persona of, 15; personality of, 217–19, 227; personal life of, 124–25; and J. J. Phillips, 155, 157–69, 171–72; physical appearance of, 16; rediscovery, myth of, 82–83, 115; romanticizing of, 84; royalties of, 229–30; self-mythologizing of, 233; signature sound of, ix; and social protest, 86; songs, selling rights of, 60, 152, 238; and talking blues, 133; temper of, 15; and Texas blues tradition, vii, ix; touring, dislike of, 57, 68; touring of, 132–34, 149, 188, 192, 193, 215; victim, self-portrayal as, 15, 37; at Village Gate, 107, 114, 130, 132–33; virtuosity of, viii, 18; white audiences, performing for, 80, 100–1, 112, 117, 122, 137, 145, 183, 218, 234; whites, distrust of, 68, 129, 211–12; wife, as term, loose attitude toward, 18, 38; will of, 228–29

  “Hopkins Sky Hop,” 64–65

  House Committee for Un-American Activities, 104

  House, Son, 147, 190

  Houston (Texas): African Americans in, 31–33, 86, 293n39; black music scene in, 52; Creole population in, 51; Dowling Street in, 33, 36, 39, 199, 304n61; Fifth Ward in, 32–33, 86; Fourth Ward in, 32, 86; marching bands in, 33; racism in, as rampant, 32, 84–86; Third Ward in, 33–35, 52–54, 86, 199

  Houston, Cisco, 111, 114

  Houston Folklore Group, 69, 79, 81, 92, 97

  Howlin’ Wolf, 141, 219

  “Howling Wolf Blues,” 49

  Hughes, Joe, 232

  Hurt, Mississippi John, 145, 147

  “I Can’t Stay Here in Your Town,” 239. See also “Rocky Mountain Blues”

  “Ida Mae,” 17, 64–65. See also “Don’t Think ‘Cause You’re Pretty”

  “I Feel So Bad,” 43

  “I’m Going to Build Me a Heaven of My Own,” 151

  “I’m Wild about You Baby,” 63

  International Artists Records, 184, 306n23

  It’s a Sin to Be Rich (recording), 307n60

  “I’ve Been ‘Buked (and Scorned),” 11

  “I’ve Got My Mojo Working,” 113

  “I Worked Down on the Chain Gang,” 14

  Jackson, J. J., 209

  Jackson, John, xiii

  Jackson, Lil’ Son, 56, 58, 295n61

  Jackson, Rayfield, 67

  “Jackstropper Blues,” 58

  Jack Yates High School, 33

  “Jail House Blues,” 14, 55, 239

  “Jake Head Boogie,” 58

  James, Clifton, 141

  James, Elmore, 131

  James, Skip, 147, 307n34

  Jax Records, 62

  Jazzman (Ramsey and Smith), 70

 

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