Lightnin Hopkins

Full Name: Sam Hopkins
Profession: Blues Singer

Biography: Lightnin' Hopkins was an American country blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was immersed in the blues tradition from a young age, meeting and learning from legendary artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson and his cousin Alger "Texas" Alexander.

After being discovered singing on the streets of Houston by Lola Anne Cullum of Aladdin Records in 1946, Hopkins recorded his first songs, including "T-Model Blues" and "Tim Moore's Farm."

In the late 1950s, blues researcher Mack McCormick helped bring Hopkins to wider audiences, including his 1960 debut at Carnegie Hall alongside Joan Baez and Pete Seeger.

Hopkins recorded prolifically from the 1960s-1970s, sometimes with backing bands like the 13th Floor Elevators on the 1968 album "Free Form Patterns."

Hopkins influenced many other musicians like Townes Van Zandt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, whose "Rude Mood" was inspired by "Hopkins' Sky Hop," as well as a generation of blues artists. He was considered a living link to the earliest eras of blues, recording an estimated 800-1000 songs and earning the nickname "the Poet of the Blues."

Some of Hopkins' career highlights included tours of the U.S. and Japan, a poet-in-residence position in Houston, and having his guitars displayed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Born: March 15, 1912
Birthplace: Centerville, Texas, USA

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Rat
Star Sign: Pisces

Died: January 30, 1982 (aged 69)
Cause of Death: Esophageal cancer