Possibly the Best Blues Performance Ever!

Blues music began in the South by people who had every reason to have the blues.

[@patrickwashington3868]

Mr. Sam Lightnin' Hopkins was the nicest neighbors you' d ever want to meet in life. When he was home & not touring he played the Blues on his porch on Hutchins St. every single day & wave at all the people passing by. I'm talkin' bout Houston, Texas.....3rd. Ward y'all. He would smoke his cigarettes & write songs, sometimes walk down the street & play for everybody in the hood. Everybody knew him....loved him for who he was. Always dressed with a straw hat on his head & sunglasses on his eyes. He would plug his guitar to his speaker & play music from sun up to sundown. I know because I grew up around the corner on Hadley & Hutchins St. When there was Thunder....We had Lightnin'! Fo Reel! Circa 1965 - 1971. 💯❤🖤💚💯💵💵💵💵💵💯🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💯💰💰💰💰💰💯✊👊💯👊✊💯🙏💙😇

[@NunchucksHabit]

That neighborhood looks a lot like Atlantic Canadian cities - some really nice homes/condos, then standalone bungalows that look like they've been there 200yrs. Some perfect lawns, some chaotic messes. People making $50k/yr on the same street as people making $500k/yr.

[@SAS1SAS1]

NOW THATS A COMMENT I WANNA HEAR THANX DUDE FROM UK ALSO WHAT A BLESSING FOR THE LOCALS AR MAN I WOULD WANNA LEAVE

[@M.C.W.62]

Great story! I wish I’d known him.

[@eugeneflynn7435]

Fine description. I can picture everything. Thank you!

[@zakpullen8113]

How incredible

[@cchgn]

The Blues ain't meant to be described, it's meant to be travelled. It's the scars on your heart. it's the hole in your soul.

[@johnthijm5113]

So True

[@Jejdjejbfjf]

You just described the Blues

[@sinceagesago5258]

Ironic because the blues can be sad nor happy. Blues is all about feeling

[@1004katherine]

Wish I didn't know that to be true........

[@dsilkiiereneeharris6166]

Blues is a deep emotion that is played with a pick up of I dont care any blues...you can sing it now and sing to the world what hurts ...deeply...and forever....it just want leave you alone..

[@johannbachmann4532]

My step-daddy R.I.P. used to say "the blues aint nuthin ...but a good man feeling bad."

[@12peekabooo]

Yeah that was a line from the movie Crossroads.

[@johannbachmann4532]

@@Trevorjennings35 the same to you. May GOD bless you 🙏

[@johannbachmann4532]

@@12peekabooo yep

[@Trevorjennings35]

@@johannbachmann4532 Thanks Johan, I am happy to know you’re safe from the virus. Hope you’re having a nice and a wonderful day today??

[@cj4ms]

Truth.

[@BrianBoese-im8jm]

Miss you Blues man!!!

[@richardberger414]

"Blues 'aint nothin' but a good man feeling bad"

[@saphirstone17]

Well said!!Love that!

[@dallasbatchy]

"" I'm not a rich man, I'm a good man- I'm a Poor Man"

[@andrewmair7371]

Richard Berger - That’s what the guy above you said…☝️😐

[@madrox69]

Crossroads

[@TheRealDadfad]

Or a bad man feeling good.

[@noah8402]

Lightning Hopkins was cooler than the other side of the pillow

[@johnthijm5113]

Po lightnin’ sure knows how to touch my soul.

[@wabska]

💚

[@robinkidd9919]

Hahahahahaha

[@seahawks1185]

I flipped my pillow right as I read this comment.

[@ladyinabag1]

Great simile.

[@leejankovskis7814]

There's life in those fingers and a hard life in that voice. As good as it gets.

[@Followerofthekingofkings1969]

Great description

[@connerallen642]

"I'll tell ya what she said" *hits a sicks blues lick* "That's what she said"

[@mikecacioppo5639]

Her name is "maybe" 🎵🎸🎶🎵

[@Unmaleable]

​@mikecacioppo5639 That's what they always say...."maybe"

[@michaeltoner1993]

This is what the director said about this recording: "Lightnin's apparent omniscience was a constant source of surprise for me. He was like an ancient oracle in his uncanny ability to improvise rhyming blues songs about a person or situation that revealed a truth that was perfect in its simplicity, yet infinitely complex in its layers of meaning. “You make your bed hard, baby, and calls it ease. The blues is just a funny feelin', yet some folks calls it a mighty bad disease.” This line was composed late one night while I was filming what started out to be an ordinary interview. I had asked him to tell me what the blues meant to him. He picked up his guitar and started to sing about a woman named Mary who had left him. Earlier that evening his wife had left him after a nasty argument that caused her cousin to attempt to shoot Lightnin'. While the song was being sung, the cousin was lurking outside the apartment door with a loaded pistol. Lightnin' also had a large loaded gun stuck down the front of his pants. Hardly a situation in which to delve into an academic and linear exploration of the nature of truth and the blues, but I came away feeling I knew a lot more about it than before, but I couldn’t exactly put it in words. Thus the style of the film."

[@AndySalinger33]

Michael Toner, thanks for that scoop. I appreciate it, man. fantastic story that adds to this incredible moment. well, it's part of the moment. wow.

[@alfmac7886]

Excellent background info!! Now that's the life of a Blues Man summed up in a short anecdote!!

[@HockeyRG]

Wow!

[@jeffreyshuster4482]

At first blush the gun story seems like a harmless anecdote. Try to think of your child being one of the participants. The wife? Lightening? The cousin? Which one? Unhealthy relationships like the one described in the comments are beyond the pale. Lack of education, discrimination, poverty- the list goes on. A very sad tale indeed.

[@andrewmair7371]

Michael Toner - Hmm 🤔 I’m takin’ all that with a grain of salt 🧂☝️😑

[@karlfluch4171]

"Mr Hopkins, what is the blues?" "Hopkins: Well, it's something between the greens and the yellows." -- gotta love him for this.

[@johannesbecker1969]

Hopkins was born with the blues....he is the blues

[@msaintpc]

"Between the the greens and the yellows", pure fkn genius!

[@danmandich2843]

GOD BLESS THE BLUES. The Stones got a lot of education in the SOUTH!

[@russellabrams4783]

Primary colours man, FAR OUT!

[@bisheshnugo5987]

Can anyone tell me the meaning of this

[@calmotto-rosmusic6145]

I love how he takes his time to play the song. Doesn't rush the song. What a skill

[@davidg.9932]

99 years ago Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins was born on this day.. March 15, 1912. The day blues was born.. We respect all the blues greats but Lightnin' was one of a kind..

[@Tranmere59]

Yep, a 13&a half bar blues is fine by me. Mercy..

[@connerallen642]

That ain't a song. That's the blues

[@sunnyland3952]

@@davidg.9932 Nah, blues is older than that. Charlie Patton, for a start. And he probably wasn't the first, either.

[@johnthijm5113]

@@sunnyland3952 the came from Africa with the slaves transported from Africa.

[@aniquinstark4347]

Lightning Hopkins was such a boss. The man exuded confidence. He was 100% himself and nobody could say or do anything about it.

[@tommdarg655]

Yep, as simple as that, he took the best road there ever was.

[@surrealmadrid7971]

He was a great blues man...... But also as high as fuck ..... Most high folks exude confidence

[@hakeemarkbar1675]

On da boi fa sho

[@kls2020]

Yeah I read something Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill (ZZ Top) said about commenting on Hopkin's playing while watching him play in a small club to the effect that Hopkins didn't know when he was supposed to change chords ? To their surprise Hopkins had heard what they said and exclaimed "Lightnin changes chords when Lightnin wants to change chords !" Too funny .

[@llano19fly]

@@kls2020 Their playing would not make a pimple on Lightin's butt.

[@Breakbeats92.5]

The man is making his own rhythm section while playing some nice lead fills while singing a song and telling a story.

[@bungieflute]

you forgot to say HOLYFUCK...

[@user-bu4uk5kz7k]

You get it

[@dvorahjackson231]

This what they did sitting under the trees in pleasant spring of centerville texas

[@MIKE-TYTHON]

Just some 12 bar finger picking really standard but this is badass

[@bungieflute]

@@dvorahjackson231 my step mom Sue Frazier was from Center Point ,around Kerville -I` m from AAAHHHH HHAAAAAAA SAN ANTONE so sayeth Bob Wills

[@knowspin]

Maybe, quite possibly, the greatest hair of all time...

[@kathberry8]

made me laugh so hard so true

[@Grungebobsquarepantz]

Rafael Flores true, if he was crud on the guitar he would just look insane

[@Grungebobsquarepantz]

Grey Man I think so hehe

[@cgw5971]

I think ol' Lightin' was coming down hard from a challenging nite....

[@DockingFreidmanRecords]

Thats my hair when i wake up in the morning. He probably was like frick it im gonna rock my hair like this cause aint no one lookin.

[@powermedal3578]

"The blues ain't nuthin' but a good man feelin' bad." - Blind Willie Brown

[@georgethompson1991]

Don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so cool. The voice, the geetar licks. Mans is the coolest man ever.

[@michrigan]

Great and true statement. Everyone wants to be cool. He just is, not because he wants to be.

[@omairsheikh3982]

Ain’t that the truth. Lightnin’ invented the word cool

[@SlickArmor]

And the hair just wow man. 👨

[@dogbreath203]

Totally agree! Never ever anything cooler than Lightnin!

[@2gyi718]

Cameraman : How much zoom do you want? Director : Yes

[@The-Dom]

lmao. g1

[@The-Dom]

Director: Can you get his camel-toed nuts center frame? excellent.

[@tropicalco2339]

All of it please

[@bejjoplaydogs2594]

@degenatron 23 how good

[@Daniel-hz2gg]

@@The-Dom LOL!

[@nevermind-he8ni]

If you don't feel that in your bones........call an ambulance.

[@youngpaderewski3668]

Better still, call the undertaker.

[@Ben-gh9ej]

Or eat some phills xD

[@dunstan96]

or a hearse ...

[@AlanCheek]

I thought this might be a spoof at first, until he started playing!

[@AlanCheek]

@never mind - & if you do, call a waa-mbulance!

[@detweilcny]

Unlike a lot of today's players he doesn't try to see how many notes he can cram into 12 bars. Just the ones that need to be there.

[@randomlyrancannabis7020]

He's playing in open g tuning so 5 of his strings open are D or G so there's only so many places to go. Old blues is really about the octaves.

[@majorrev8690]

@@randomlyrancannabis7020 I was looking for this comment. Thx. I knew it was an open tuning, once you've played open G, D, Dm, you can tell. Skip James played cross tuning, open D minor, and its an eerie tune. It was fun, but kinda limiting too.

[@karlmacdonald3267]

good call mon

[@kylechristen3639]

Notice how Hopkins doesn't even think, The melodies just flow from him. I am a huge fan of this man. Robert Johnson, Son house, and of course the man Hopkins himself have influenced so many of the music we hear today. Gives me goosebumps. A man of few words, but profound talent and wisdom.

[@el_chief_dannyboy]

Don’t forget Blind Lemon Jefferson, he’s one of the greatest bluesmen from down here in Texas!

[@autumnsworld8095]

And howlin wolf!

[@nolanyoung4480]

Thought is the enemy of flow

[@randyjimmiejamesbowles]

How do you know he wasn't thinking? I've been playing for 60 years as of this month; and singing for 65. I make it look and sound like I'm not thinking. How? By thinking.

[@blackdynamite3288]

@@randyjimmiejamesbowles takes a lot of thinking to get to that point. This video is the result of hours of practice and passion

[@robhand7205]

For those of you that don't play - Lightnight really bridged the gap from old acoustic blues to the modern electric blues. He and Muddy were two of the most influential bluesmen of their day.

[@danielschaeffer1294]

Hooker, too.

[@vKarl71]

Good point about the acoustic-electric bridge. One of the many reasons this is a great performance is how delicate & sensitive his playing is. Many a famous (& boring) shredder could learn a lot from this playing. Or maybe they couldn't. It's also interesting to see how high the action is on his guitar.

[@chuckmurphy4948]

1954 Herald Recordings

[@markjames8603]

@@chuckmurphy4948 had a gal called Sal and movin out boogie session?? Bootlegged on Diving Duck Records ?? Killer!! Beat Hendrix to the punch a clean 10 years in advance!!

[@sunnyland3952]

I play the blues, and I agree

[@patricksullivan2816]

The acoustics in that room are just amazing. His playing makes my hair stand on end. His delivery is just stunning. If this ain't the blues I don't know what is.

[@Username-mt6ok]

Made his stand on end too!

[@jpb1231000]

It's NOT the ROOM!!!

[@patricksullivan2816]

@@jpb1231000 I give the man credit too.

[@jpb1231000]

@@patricksullivan2816 Whops!!!!

[@patricksullivan2816]

@@jpb1231000 what the hell does "whops" mean?

[@Moosebreath74]

We must never lose the blues.

[@muchanadziko6378]

do you play guitar/harmonica or sing?

[@gdtimi]

Ever

[@austenreid1257]

@@muchanadziko6378 I can play the clarinet

[@muchanadziko6378]

@@austenreid1257 ok, cool, I never learned to play it well, though I have one in my studio. Why telling me that anyway?

[@darryllspalding9680]

my lead singer back in the day told me the blues was going outa style, Angry Anderson (rose tattoo)sang that line. I dont play drums nomore cause of that pair.

[@cuauhtemocmorisco3493]

If this ain't playing on the day of my funeral i ain't becoming a ghost👻🤣🤣🤣

[@damianoyibo507]

to haunt all dem folks that broke the deal aye???😂😂😂

[@JRotten]

This guy was cool, before being cool was a thing.

[@quicksno]

Cool has always been a thing. When our ancestors were cave men, this guys ancestors were cool 😉

[@valerikursk5253]

@@quicksno Yes! ....On the other hand cool was there yes but maybe being sissy was cool in that environment.

[@gonefishin2271]

hahahaha yah he was. He made up cool. wow amazing.

[@benwilson1710]

cool but smacked out!~~~ naughty boi

[@quicksno]

@@benwilson1710 haha...how true

[@davidjames1881]

Not only do you hear it you also feel it...Totally pure.

[@carlhicksjr8401]

OK, HUGE Blues fan here. LOTS of people say 'this is the best this' and 'this is the best that'. I've got performances in my memories that are the best I've ever heard and I'd have a hard time being convinced otherwise. But this bumped one of my favorite Willy Dixon performances down to #11, and I absolutely LOVE Chicago Blues with the bass and horns. So props.

[@victor493]

My Mary did the same dang thing, Lord Have Mercy !

[@francesbigred9926]

When You Were Raised On The Blues It Never Leaves You! He Was One Of My Daddys Favorite! RIP

[@kstaggs87]

This man was the real deal right here.

[@xv621]

Indeed ..it wraps you completely...with NO FALSE OVER THE TOP HOLLYWOOD BULL

[@JohnnyBGoode215]

I've had 8 tracks of Lightnin, John Lee Hooker, Howlin Wolf, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Very rough recordings that cannot be reproduced. I got them in a rack in a downtown liquor store. This was back in the late 70's. Great music. I used to love to play it while driving late at night. Some of it was haunting in it's melancholy. Soul stirring. Little Walter, Houndog Taylor, and Muddy were always high on my list of greats.

[@roscosreviews8517]

He has the blues. He is not overdoing the notes he is just making them tell the story. He has great technique as any expert makes it look easy. It is not how many notes you play but how you play them. Lots of musicians could learn from this no matter what style you play as he tells a story he just doesn't play notes. Love it.

[@randomlyrancannabis7020]

Ok someone tell SRV because he didn't get that memo

[@shivani41]

He was born March 15, 1912. Seeing him here, he's never gone, so incredible he is. The man is so interior that his music plugs right into one's soul. That is Lightnin'.

[@onethreesix]

The blues ,Lord have mercy

[@hwgray]

Born on the Ides of March.

[@leroyholm9075]

I sat in front of him while he was playing in 1963 and my life changed forever! He did indeed have the electicy of lightnin!

[@stephennewcombe452]

Way cool ! I’m listening in Sydney

[@charlescooler5680]

Same for me, around the same time, listening to his Cemetary Blues for the first time.

[@johnbarrett1763]

You lucky soul

[@leroyholm9075]

Horst Lippmann American Folk Blues Festival tour 1964 Manchester Free Trade Hall & Birmingham Town Hall were filmed.

[@leroyholm9075]

Horst Lippmann American Folk Blues Festival tour 1964 Manchester Free Trade Hall & Birmingham Town Hall were filmed.

[@mikecacioppo5639]

He's got the"BLUE'S" mind,body and soul ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@stephenwhite5444]

I think what I love most is its purity....no production and sound engineering....just a guy sitting on the couch letting his heart and art flow out and be recorded.

[@Cat1980bird]

This is from the short film "The Blues Accordin' to Lightnin' Hopkins" directed by Les Blank.

[@Ruffmike1]

I was hoping someone gave him credit. God bless Les Blank!

[@devinmiller9092]

Les Blank, one of the greatest documentary filmmakers of all time.

[@johnnybourgeois13]

Saw it as a teenager, about 1988. Never been the same since. Set me on the right path.

[@whitneygurley4505]

Cat1980bird thank you!

[@Elena-mx7uf]

Cooooooooo.....l🎸🎶

[@tommdarg655]

Lightning Hopkins was the man who got me hooked on playing the blues some 30 years ago. And im proud of that.

[@johnlocke7097]

Same for me back in the 60s, yes I am old.

[@71Wraith]

RL Burnside for me 👍

[@BRLaue]

Heard ‘Mister Charlie’ late at night in ‘67. Changed my musical direction immediately.

[@markewings7525]

Guess what the same thing happened to me ...same time

[@ContrarianCorner]

Lightnin' didn't turn me onto the blues but he quickly became one of my favorites while I was still in high school. The raw emotion he had just amazed me. I was about 16 or 17 when I found out he was playing in a small club in town. I barely had my driver's license but a school friend and I made it to the club to hear the maestro. We couldn't believe that there were only about a dozen people there to hear him. Hopkins was quite old at the time and had switched to electric guitars (for ease of playing, I assumed) but he was just fantastic! After the show, I told my friend we should try to go meet him backstage. He had some kind of body guard who tried to run interference but Lightnin' overheard me saying we just wanted to tell him how much we appreciated his music and he waved us through. He couldn't have been more kind and gracious, saying it made him so happy that young people enjoyed his music. We spent about 10-15 minutes just shootin' the sh!t with him. Never forget that night with the legend!

[@fionavanhaag518]

I could listen to this man play all day 🥰

[@redrum7475]

I do frequently, if you enjoy lightnin you should check out townes van zandt, very much the same blue fire played with another pair of hands.

[@denverjohnson5640]

You know the blues is a funny feeling.. but some call it a mighty bad disease. Those lyrics sit in my heart like a millstone.

[@vandalking8341]

Finally a good recommendation by KZbin. Thanks.

[@teko7477]

Hahaha... Yeah

[@jessebeall4523]

I know right

[@stephenblacks2876]

lol

[@lordXAVIJAANBJERGNOG]

What you don't want to know how everything you thought you knew about slavery and hitler was wrong, reactions to reactions of someone eating cake, video blogs about some dumbass parents and their baby, and liberals failing at life? Can't imagine what else you would use youtube for. Top ten best youtube videos video?

[@evanabbott2737]

YES. There’s so much pure garbage on here....😑

[@daveowens9490]

I saw him play live not long before he died. He was pretty drunk, and everything he played was pure muscle memory. But the tone and the consistency were there, and a lot of natural emotion.

[@mikehollingworth2262]

liar

[@lymphomasurvive]

@@mikehollingworth2262How?

[@marinakane5300]

Yes living, traveling blues 💙 is a state of mind ❤

[@NWGarage]

The blues has a way of sounding like the saddest and the most extreme happiest thing you’ve ever heard at the same time

[@erniegamboa5609]

How can something that sounds so sad, put a big smile on your face? That's what the Blues is all about!

[@niranjanpaul2176]

W0w

[@dadasha]

@erniegamboa5609 Don't talk smack mate, blues ain't about putting smile on no one's face!

[@AbleBodied]

​@@dadashaSpeak for yourself. Yes, the blues makes my blues go away because we as souls we are relating. In the song "I will play the Blues for You." it explains it. It's skin deep. And it feels oh so good.

[@AbleBodied]

And I picked in those large Mississippi fields too.

[@tonyfrancesco3701]

Reefer and wine and this video , like puzzle pieces

[@inkysteve]

I am always amazed by how well he plays even when he has consumed industrial quanities of whisky.

[@diop533]

Cool as ice, and blues to the bone marrow. RIP Lightning.

[@nickpavloff8977]

Edward Little .... I love the folk who kno who this is already....... him n skip James slept on

[@joebushnell6818]

You can not get this sound without pain in your life. If you never really struggled coming up, you could play the exact same notes but the soul would be absent. When you play the blues you bend every note with your emotions. It just comes out. You cant really sit down and write it like you could rock music. Lightnin' is one of my biggest influences and a master blues player.

[@robotfighterandtheageanwar8557]

well said kid

[@omairsheikh3982]

I keep coming back to this video. Every single note has emotion put into it so effortlessly. It’s like he slows down time with his playing

[@staxmantim]

So effortless! It’s interesting that being a Texas guy, Hopkins was a master of that Mississippi Delta sound.

[@charlenegosse3988]

This is pure blues, sitting on a door step, humming and strumming your heart out, and telling your story with music.!!! ❤

[@Trevorjennings35]

Hello Charlene, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??

[@davidsprague-zs6gr]

Some of us have a hole that can't be filled except by musical expression

[@genej8828]

The blues ain’t about the colour of your skin, but the condition of your heart and soul!!!

[@robertoruiz7348]

This made me cry. Is it weird it brought genuine tears to my eyes? God bless.

[@luccyroux]

Ain’t nun weird. Just means you got the blues in you

[@omairsheikh3982]

That’s the power of blues and music. Cheers

[@johnc3403]

The first time I heard Lightnin' hopkins was back in when I was a teen. A record shop in Dublin had "autobiography in blues" playing on the speakers. I lingered so long in the shop that the lady behind the counter thought i was fixin' to rob the place but I was just drinking it in. This man shaped my appreciation for country blues way back before I had any reason to have the blues myself... 52 now listening to this an i still have that same excitement to hear him as i did on that faithful day..

[@dreamweaver1603]

Dublin, where? Ireland or Texas? I only ask because you said fixin’ to, which I’ve been told seems to be specific to Texas (not sure about that, but we do say it a lot around here).

[@kayskidf1]

my father was a receiving clerk at an uptown apartment building in the downtown chicago area. several radio talents lived in the building. they got comped demos from record companies hoping for play time on their station..or for giveaways. sometimes completely wrong format. they always asked my dad if he wanted the unwanted albums to take home to his kid. they couldn't''t have known how old i was..but i was hooked on ledbelly by 9 or 10, heard bob seegers breakout first album 2 years before it's release. some of the song were changed out.on the final album. i got the allman brothers demo album that was cut in Hialeah Florida.a bout 1 year before their official album launch. you haven't heard pure pain music until hearing gregg allmans version of morning dew - the old classic that everyone has recorded! but never like this.... i thank god for the father i had..and my 16 yr older , an honest to god go go girl.sister. in the cage with the white boots, mini skirt and all. . i was turned on to music at a very early age. it's become part of my lifes thread in my own weave. thanks to all those DJ's in the Chicago Loop

[@johnc3403]

@@dreamweaver1603 :D no, Dublin Ireland. Is there a Dublin in Texas? You are right about fixin' to, it's definitely a Texas thing but has crept into my vocabulary after 40 odd years of listening to this great man... well done spotting that... but yeah, I'm from Dublin in Ireland..

[@dreamweaver1603]

John C, yes there is a Dublin, Texas. We have Dublin, Italy, Rome, Paris, London, Florence, and Athens. We probably have more towns with international city names that I’m unaware of. We also have some weird ones like Mars, Earth, Dimebox, and my personal favorite, Cut and Shoot.

[@johnc3403]

@@dreamweaver1603 You certainly have a Paris, Texas, Ry Cooder told us all about that and there seems to be a longstanding tradition of European placenames in Texas towns. Not a bad thing at all and sometime I hope to visit the Lone Star state...

Pure Lightnin'! The blues is about the truth. It is about the reality of life. It is about things you cannot deny. Those 74 dislikes are people who do not want to face the realities of life.

[@gmfw9777]

This is the only man on the entire planet capable of bearing the enormous responsibility of being the foundation of that hair do

[@honkeedong1243]

I agree kinda like David Lee Roth being the only man to wear spandex and still be a alpha male

[@louisfarkas1497]

I officially give this comment 2 likes. Man, play it Lightin!

[@Otisleevonridge]

The music history of America wrapped up in lightning’s soul! Thank you for your greatness and inspiration Mr lightning Hopkins!

[@mouseyboy666]

That refocus from a field of flowers to barbed wire was as impeccable as the guitar

[@terryfreeman1018]

Every time I hear this I'm drinking a beer and relaxed. May this day last till tomorrow. Blessed and jamming

[@aspjake123]

A man, his guitar and the blues is all you need.

[@RyanLBrown9396]

Some of life’s greatest mysteries are all right there in the Blues

[@gangnamstylegrandpa6352]

There was only one Lightin', God Bless his soul ! Sadly missed and never forgotten !When I was young and learning guitar this is what I strived for , almost 60 years ago ! Still playing this style , still feeling the Blues , Still playing every day !

[@itaintmebabe714]

1:51 " I'll tell you what she said" 2:01 "That's what she said"

[@jamesagwe2981]

So that's where the meme came from

[@brandonroberts2959]

Classic

[@InHumanForm555]

So Good

[@bluesroot9264]

guitar said😂

[@billblount5955]

She's going to say I'm cheating on you for our whole marriage that's what mine did

[@Inspector-71]

Pure blues, the real stuff. The best.

[@plasteredbastard]

He and so many of these bluesmen walked it like they preached it. Packed enough life into those days than we do years. Has to come from a place of unrelenting hunger.

[@depaola63]

....I am 56 and remember my Uncle playing all this !!! ........On the outside , he's just so laid back, but on fire on the inside !! CLASSIC !!

[@faithbrigham2321]

This man is one of the best blues men this world has ever known. Love him through and through.

[@user-sz5xs7dm4u]

and not to mention , ROBERT JOHNSON , the KING of BLUES

[@nickpavloff8977]

Rip🌩 ....even know we know he ain’t resting he’s playin

[@bdemenil]

Who is this?

[@kayoztom1]

@@bdemenil Lightnin' Hopkins

[@4orrcountry]

@Eternal Rambler Relax, Nick.

[@adg4875]

There'll never be another lightning Hopkins what a special someone God gave us

[@BrianBoese-im8jm]

Loose a loved one ❤️

[@avagd6293]

So glad we still have blues singers performing. Hope many will take up the mantle and continue this great legacy.

[@bobbylerond7931]

As long as men will get sad or lost, blues will prevail

[@ThaloniusPFunk]

@@bobbylerond7931 yes sa!

[@tylerfoust487]

There’s no one single personification of “the blues” but Lightnin’ is as close as you’ll ever get.

[@janetcallanan7020]

It's meant to be felt and dragged from the deepest part of your soul and your heart it's the most personal soul baring music ever that's why it stays with you and speaks to you

[@Trevorjennings35]

Hello Janet, how are you doing today, hope you’re fine and safe from the COVID-19 virus??

[@LuminaryCursorem]

The coolest man ever to live on the face of the earth. Geez that man can play unnaturally well.

[@Followerofthekingofkings1969]

He is sitting there I thought he had went to sleep ripping them notes out sweetly effortlessly

[@michaelkmiotek7965]

I listened to a L. Hopkins tape on my way to work, every day for a few years. I lost the tape when I wrecked my car.He got me through hard times.

[@MaxAtLarge]

When I consider all of the music that our Afro brothers and sisters have blessed us with, I am shocked that we can't seem to acknowledge it! Blues, R&B, jazz, rock, gospel, ragtime, to name a few!

[@dannyharrington4978]

RJ Burnside? The man was unreal. His vocals were so honest. You probably know him, if not??? Poor Black Matte!!!!!, See my jumper hanging on a line! This guy will inspire!!

[@farshimelt]

Who are these "we" that don't acknowledge it? I don't know about you but everybody I know acknowledges it, listens to it, plays it and supports it.

[@MaxAtLarge]

@@farshimelt I'm 75 yr old so I've been around a while. White culture (we) does not elevate the contributions of black culture as it should be IMO. Black culture does not seem to either. Of course, I'm just sitting out here watching the parade go by. For me, if it wasn't for the influence of black culture especially music, we would not have much music at all. When I was about 5 I remember the hit tune on the radio was "When the moon hit you eye like a big pizza pie". All the real energy has come from our black cousins. . No offense meant in either comment.

[@farshimelt]

@@MaxAtLarge If we're speaking of white culture, in general, that's true, ditto for black culture. Being that I'm 81, I've got a few years on you but basically the same era. My first memories of listening to music are: Hungarian Gypsy music, Dvorak, Art Tatum & the Benny Goodman Carnegie Hall Concert. No offense taken. Nice to talk to a civilized person.

[@RudyB-ti8ye]

Black music has been acknowledged all of my life and I am 76. If it took you this long to make the acknowledgement I feel for you.

[@georgeesworthy962]

Saw him in a crowded bar in Cincinnati back in the 60’s. Damn he was good. Been a Blues fan since

[@axelonetwoman8058]

Hopkins sound is instantly recognizable. He's always been my favorite.

[@UziRyder1]

I was lucky enough to see him play live in the early '70's. He was great.

[@charlescicirella2670]

Tell us more. Where was it? Was it a big place? Where were you sitting? Oh and to the person who posted this you really need to say who this is - yes we of course know, but just posting with no info is not right to Lightnin'

[@UziRyder1]

It was at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Tx. It was a fairly large venue and had formerly been a National Guard Armory. For much of the time I was close to the stage, but I'm sure I spent a good deal of time staggering back and forth to the bar.

[@myjizzureye]

Jesus how old are you O.o

[@4orrcountry]

@@myjizzureye Well hell, he could be 65-70, an' that ain't old - you'll find out one day.

[@4orrcountry]

@@charlescicirella2670 WHY the hell would you doubt Uzi? Chill.

[@mikelyons5039]

I've spent my life looking for the pure essence of COOL...........I'm done........Lord have mercy!!

[@lunalea1250]

The "blues" isn't about feeling sad, it's a celebration of life stories!🥳💗🙏🏾

[@johnthijm5113]

Facts

[@lunalea1250]

@@johnthijm5113 Love, love ur Turquoise Ancestral jewelry!☮💙

[@johnthijm5113]

@@lunalea1250 oh you mean my avatar. That person, Russell Means, is my hero.

[@lunalea1250]

@@johnthijm5113Excellent choice, I am a big supporter of Robert Mirabal and his works!

[@johnthijm5113]

@@lunalea1250 Robert Mirabal. Talking about excellent choice. Are you Native American? Actually I was born in Surinam South American country near the Caribbean. I have native South American ancestors. At the of 8 in 1965 I move to Holland Amsterdam, where is still live. I have always felt a connection with south and North American natives in my heart.

[@TenThumbsProductions]

I learned a lot watching him play. Thank god for youtube, because I never would have been able to work it out just by listening to it. I love that monothump bass sound he does.

[@rangerdjim115]

god i wish theyd show his fuckin hands instead of a slow zoom on his mouth

[@Seabassbluesman]

What tuning do you think he's playing in? Seems different to standard with that amazing drone sound

[@TenThumbsProductions]

@@Seabassbluesman Standard tuning with his thumb just thumping on the E string over the I and A string over the IV.

[@Seabassbluesman]

@@TenThumbsProductions Thanks, I just suppose its impossible to sound the same as Lightning 🌩😅

[@DTOWNbidness]

Is this song on Spotify?

[@timhitt9541]

Love his hair and gold teeth and of course his music!

[@davidcatalano3781]

Jimmie Vaughan says that without lightning Hopkins there would not be Stevie Ray Vaughan Jimmie Vaughan or any Texas Blues. So true!

[@dewaynewhite2928]

Stevie also was a smooth and flawless guitar player as well!! So if he took pointers from Mr Hopkins then hey Stevie picked up on very well!!

[@dewaynewhite2928]

@MOE ORLESS man for me that would have been a sight to see!!

[@user-sz5xs7dm4u]

ever heard of ROBERT JOHNSON , all of these Blues artist has ROBERT JOHNSON wrote all over them from head to toe and they all know it and you should too , Keith Richards knows it as well

[@user-sz5xs7dm4u]

@Harry Browneigh tell it like it is , that's who it is , it is what it is

[@user-sz5xs7dm4u]

@Harry Browneigh don't forget , son house

[@JohnBham]

"The blues ain't nothin' but a good man feelin' bad, thinkin' about a woman he once was with" - Willie Brown, 'Crossroads'. Film quote, but so appropriate.

[@jefferyrightmire9520]

East Texas--Crockett, has a monument to this great man. And the original club he played is still there on Camp Street.

[@alexnetick1834]

How anyone can give this a thumbs down confounds me. This is pure gutbucket blues. Doesn't get any better than this.

[@toddkatz4631]

Some people dont like a man's hair conked; Others don't like a song less they heard it on their tv the night before...

[@jungleninja8415]

@@toddkatz4631 its called privliged souless walking zombies , the general polulation

[@michaelwhitehouse5659]

Cause it was too contrived n not really that great of a performance period. I think a lot of you guys get so caught up in the nostalgia of it, you lose your perspective on what's really good and what's just a quip of decent/mediocre at best.

[@eruera52]

@@michaelwhitehouse5659 Wow, .....and you are? The all-knowing One :) I preferred his opinion over your um .... judgment from on high - heard plus he's a petty mean blues man himself. Hahaha you wanker!!

[@stevecollins9750]

I'm guessing they think that's the download button. This is raw, unprocessed, nostalgic blues. Gotta love it!!!

[@geoffbell9670]

Less is more! This guy proves it beyond doubt!!!

[@kennethhowell5291]

The Blues, the love of your life has successfully maimed your soul.

[@YeseniaV92]

Just a man and his amplified guitar. Loving it!

[@finarollerz]

"Lightnin change when lightnin wanna change!"

[@jackhopkins9745]

Saw this on my first few life changing psycadelic experiences. Changed my life forever. The video that played next was by buddy guy - the first time I met the blues. My the blues be with ya

[@larryschmid3834]

"The blues is something you can't get rid of", his first words. This is as real as it gets from that harsh world that genius comes out of and into your real deep inner demons and angels.

[@johnpoccia4981]

My favorite blues artist ❤

[@dennislittle4279]

Quite possibly the coolest mother f---er that ever lived.

[@dorianvoka5591]

hahahhahahaha so true!

[@frankdexter1110]

Easily.

[@marcbrowning7868]

Him and Miles

[@johnnybourgeois13]

Check Belton Sutherland.

[@ecca777]

Quite possibly, but Howlin Wolf is up there

[@bryanmeekins835]

Saw this clip on turner classic movies a few years ago on my birthday. It felt like the universe had given me the best birthday gift ever.

[@JuniorFarquar]

61 now..was hooked on Lightnin' at about 20. Ended up moving to Memphis from 85-90. Was in heaven. Memphis was cool as hell then, just hell now. No one was mad back then. Thanks B.O.

[@glamouriadaglasseater]

Directly from your warm pulsing heart to my heart, wonderful! You have been with me since my youth. A million thanks for your generosity you live forever. Please don’t go!

[@wenshu888]

The embodiment of "cool", always have loved him!