I picked up a used copy of Lightnin’ Hopkins’ the Complete Prestige/Bluesville Recordings five years ago while I was still employed in a music store. I was struck by the raw power of the music. For those of you who enjoy blues, folk or other kinds of roots music, this box set is a must buy. Lightnin’ Hopkins (1912- 1982) was an influential part of the post-war blues scene in Houston, Texas, and he has been described as a “blues original.”
The box set contains a large selection of the blues musician’s body of work recorded between 1960 and 1964. There are 112 songs spread over 7 CDs. The collection also includes previously unreleased concert, an interview were he talks about his childhood, a 32-page booklet with an essay by Samuel Charters.
You can buy the entire box set or just download individual songs at Amazon.com. The set cost $60 and individual songs can be downloaded for .99 cents.
Unlike many of contemporary blues artist, a large part of Lightnin’ Hopkins music is simple and is constructed with simple lyrics. Many of the songs are preformed with just his vocals over his acoustic guitar. That is why his music is so good. It’s raw. It is like when you strip away all the polish of modern post-production and just get to the core of what music is suppose to be about. This music opens doors to the past. Each song helps you understand what life was like for an older generation of Americans.
A video of him performing can be seen here.