I Was Standing on 75 Highway: Lightnin’ Hopkins LIVE

In this video, Lightnin’ Hopkins performs “I Was Standing on Highway 75. Sam Hopkins was a blues singer from Centerville, Texas. His career began in the 1920s and stretched all the way into the 1980s. Along the way, the genre changed remarkably, but Hopkins never appreciably altered his mournful Lone Star sound, which translated onto both acoustic and electric guitar. Hopkins’ talent made his intricate boogie riffs seem easy, and his penchant for improvising lyrics to fit whatever situation might arise made him a beloved figure. Hopkins’ brothers were also talented bluesmen, but it was Sam who became the star. In 1920, he met Blind Lemon Jefferson and even got a chance to play with him. Later, Hopkins served as Jefferson’s guide. A mid-’30s stretch in Houston’s County Prison Farm for the young guitarist interrupted their partnership for a time, but when Hopkins was released, he hooked back up with the older bluesman again. The pair dished out their lowdown brand of blues in Houston’s Third Ward until talent scout Lola Anne Cullum came across them in 1946. She had already engineered a pact with Aladdin Records for pianist Amos Milburn, and when Cullum saw the same sort of opportunity within Hopkins’ dusty country blues, she knew she had struck gold. Hopkins went on to record prolifically for Aladdin in both L.A. and Houston until 1948, scoring a national R&B with “Shotgun Blues.“ “Short Haired Woman,“ “Abilene,“ and “Big Mama Jump,“ among many Aladdin gems soon followed.