Lightnin' (subtitled The Blues of Lightnin' Hopkins) is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in 1960 and released on the Bluesville label the following year.[1][2][3]

Lightnin'
Studio album by Lightnin' Hopkins
Released	1961
Recorded	November 9, 1960
Studio	Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Genre	Blues
Length	40:34
Label	Bluesville BVLP 1019
Lightnin' Hopkins chronology
Last Night Blues (1960) Lightnin' (1961) Lightnin' in New York (1961)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[5]

AllMusic reviewer Alex Henderson stated: "Lightnin' is among the rewarding acoustic dates Lightnin' Hopkins delivered in the early '60s. The session has an informal, relaxed quality, and this approach serves a 48-year-old Hopkins impressively well ... Lightnin' is a lot like being in a small club with Hopkins as he shares his experiences, insights and humor with you".[4] The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings awarded the album 3 stars, noting that "Lightnin's performances are unfailingly fluent, perhaps because he doesn't challenge himself: almost all the songs on Lightnin' are well-tried pieces from his core repertoire".[5]

Track listing

All compositions by Sam Hopkins except where noted

1. "Automobile Blues" – 4:34
2. "You Better Watch Yourself" – 5:00
3. "Mean Old Frisco" (Arthur Crudup) – 3:43
4. "Shinin' Moon" – 4:09
5. "Come Back Baby" (Walter Davis) – 3:31
6. "Thinkin' 'Bout an Old Friend" – 5:08
7. "The Walkin' Blues" – 3:25
8. "Back to New Orleans" (Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry) – 3:22
9. "Katie Mae" – 4:05
10. "Down There Baby" – 4:07

Personnel

Performance

• Lightnin' Hopkins – guitar, vocals
• Leonard Gaskin – bass
• Belton Evans – drums

Production

• Ozzie Cadena – supervision
• Rudy Van Gelder – engineer

References