Recording information: Englewood Cliffs, NJ (01/16/1959); Houston (01/16/1959); Los Angeles (01/16/1959); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (02/16/1959); Houston (02/16/1959); Los Angeles (02/16/1959); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (02/26/1959); Houston (02/26/1959); Los Angeles (02/26/1959); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (05/12/1959); Houston (05/12/1959); Los Angeles (05/12/1959); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (07/06/1960-07/07/1960); Houston (07/06/1960-07/07/1960); Los Angeles (07/06/1960-07/07/1960); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (07/13/1959); Houston (07/13/1959); Los Angeles (07/13/1959); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (07/16/1959); Houston (07/16/1959); Los Angeles (07/16/1959); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (07/1960); Houston (07/1960); Los Angeles (07/1960); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (07/20/1959); Houston (07/20/1959); Los Angeles (07/20/1959); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (10/25/1960); Houston (10/25/1960); Los Angeles (10/25/1960); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (11/09/1960); Houston (11/09/1960); Los Angeles (11/09/1960); Englewood Cliffs, NJ (11/15/1960); Houston (11/15/1960); Los Angeles (11/15/1960).
Although he had cut sides with the Aladdin, Modern, RPM, Gold Star, Jax, Mercury, and Decca labels in the 1940s and early '50s, Lightnin' Hopkins was back in his home base of Houston, Texas by 1959, all but forgotten. There he was rediscovered by folklorist Mack McCormick, who shifted Hopkins' image to that of an acoustic folk-blues performer, essentially igniting the flame for the rest of Hopkins' career. This four-disc set collects the acoustic sides the bluesman cut in his new incarnation (really just the same old Lightnin' with a slightly different marketing plan) in 1959 and 1960. ~ Steve Leggett
