Texas blues legend Sam Lightnin' Hopkins - Where Lightnin' Strikes
Houston-based Fast Cut Films, in association with Sunset Productions, is working on a documentary feature film, "Where Lightnin' Strikes," about the life and times of Houston blues legend Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins (1912-1982). His music inspired generations around the world from the Texas Gulf Coast, Mississippi delta to the British invasion. The enduring musical journey of Sam Lightnin' Hopkins began on a cotton farm in Centerville,Texas in 1912. He was drawn to the music he heard played by an older brother. After meeting up with Dallas bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson, Sam left the hardscrabble life of the Texas cotton fields, determined to play his way to better circumstances. Possessing a sharp wit and a unique ability for endless improvisation, Lightnin became a master storyteller. He was able to convey profound truths about the human condition via poetic imagery. The "Po' Lightnin" that inhabited his tales of struggle and misery became the "Everyman" that black audiences identified with and white audiences flocked to performances to experience.Whether playing on a street corner on Dowling Street or at Carnegie Hall his style defined Texas blues. He sounded like no one else yet influenced every one. His unique musical style influenced generations of blues, rock, country and soul musicians as well as filmmakers, writers and painters. Over the course of his 60-year career, Lightnin' Hopkins recorded more music than any other blues artist. His discography includes more than ...
No comments:
Post a Comment