Mojo Hand Anthology (Remastered) Lightnin' Hopkins

• 1Shake That Thing03:58
• 2I'm Leaving You Now03:52
• 3Walk a Long Time05:21
• 4Bring Me My Shotgun03:58
• 5Just Pickin'01:24
• 6Last Night05:08
• 7Mojo Hand02:56
• 8Coffee for Mama03:27
• 9Awful Dream04:48
• 10Black Mare Trot03:53
• 11Have You Ever Loved a Women?02:37
• 12Glory Be04:06
• 13Sometimes She Will02:31
• 14Shine on Moon!04:25
• 15Santa03:46
• 16Just Sittin' Down Thinkin'02:29
• 17Katie Mae Blues02:59
• 18Shotgun Blues02:39
• 19Baby Please Don't Go02:49
• 20Automobile02:57
• 21Give Me Central 20902:57
• 22Coffee Blues02:42
• 23I'm Begging You02:36
• 24Contrary Mary02:39
• 25Moanin' Blues02:27
• 26Penitentiary Blues02:53
• 27Fan It02:44
• 28Conversation Blues03:50
• 29Last Night Blues05:16
• 30Mighty Crazy07:10
• 31Mojo Hand (Alternate Version)03:02
• 32Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes03:44
• Total Runtime01:52:03

Info for Mojo Hand Anthology (Remastered)

MOJO HAND is widely regarded as one of the true masterpieces from Hopkins' catalog. The material ranges from classic blues to R&B-flavored numbers. There's even a charming novelty Christmas blues, titled SANTA. These are moody and powerful performances. Despite the variety, the album is remarkably cohesive becuase Hopkins' amalgamation of styles can be heard within each song.

"The blues ... is a feeling, that makes you feel very bad." Truer words were never spoken, and these begin a spoken rhyme that opens this excellent anthology. Blues may make you feel bad, but blues music, this blues music in particular, will make you feel very good indeed. It's not an exhaustive collection, but then, an exhaustive collection of Hopkins's multidecade career would require a wheelbarrow to carry around. Meanwhile, this two-disc set is a good place to begin, sampling from several periods in Hopkins's career. You can hear his influence on blues, soul, and rock on these CDs, from the early country blues recordings to some later songs that are almost rock & roll in themselves. There's so much good stuff here, it's hard to know where to begin. Just get it. (Genevieve Williams)

"As with its John Lee Hooker two-disc set, Rhino offers a very pleasant way to begin serious appreciation of Lightnin' Hopkins' humongous recorded legacy with this 41-track anthology. His Aladdin, Gold Star, RPM, Sittin' in With, and Mercury output are all liberally sampled on disc one, and there are a half-dozen of those electrifying 1954 Herald sides that verged on rock & roll. Disc two is a less exciting affair; those 1960s folk-blues and later efforts usually pale in comparison to seminal early efforts. Still, for a cogent overview of the guitarist's daunting discography, this is the place to start." (Bill Dahl, AMG)

Digitally remastered

Sam Lightnin' Hopkins
Born in Centerville, Texas, Hopkins learned the blues when young in Buffalo, Texas from Blind Lemon Jefferson and his older cousin, country-blues singer Alger 'Texas' Alexander. When Hopkins and Alexander were playing in Houston in 1946, he was discovered by Lola Anne Cullum of Los Angeles', Aladdin Records (although Alexander would not make it out to L.A.) Hopkins' fast finger style is very distinct.

He settled in Houston in 1952 and gained much attention. Solid recordings followed including his masterpiece song Mojo Hand in 1960.

His style was born from spending many hours playing informally without a backing band. His distinctive style often included playing, in effect, bass, rhythm, lead, percussion, and vocals, all at the same time. His musical phrasing would often include a long low note at the beginning, the rhythm played in the middle range, then the lead in the high range. By playing this quickly - with occasional slaps of the guitar - the effect of bass, rhythm, percussion and lead would be created.

In 1968 Hopkins recorded the album Free Form Patterns backed by psychedelic rock band the 13th Floor Elevators.

Hopkins was a great influence on many local musicians around Houston and Austin, Texas in the 1950s and 1960s. He was an influence on Jimmie Vaughan's work and, more significantly, on the vocals and blues style of Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, the keyboardist of the Grateful Dead until 1972. He was also an important influence on Townes Van Zandt, the Texan folk/blues songwriter and performer, who often performed Hopkins numbers in his live performances. Doyle Bramhall II is another Texas artist who was influenced by Hopkins, as evidenced by a tattoo of Lightning on his upper left arm. Jimi Hendrix reportedly became interested in blues music listening to Lightnin' Hopkins records with his father.

A song named after him was recorded by R.E.M. on their album Document.

The Houston Chronicle included Hopkins in their list of "100 Tall Texans", 100 important Texans that influenced the world. The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum included Hopkins in a 100 Tall Texans exhibit that opened in September 2006. The display includes Lightnin's Guild Starfire electric guitar and performance video.

Hopkins' Gibson J-160e guitar is on display at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982).

This album contains no booklet.