ARTamental

I attended “The Blues According to Lightnin Hopkins” video viewing at Project Row Houses in Houston’s historical 3rd ward community in part because I am a huge fan of the organization and what it stands for, but also because Lightnin Hopkins and this video truly capture a unique part of my family history that would have otherwise been lost. So often the cultural legacy of small towns is left in the dust of big city hype. Without PR, a marketing & advertising budget, television specials, museum recognition, or playing to sold out shows in the Garden it’s very difficult for a small town hero to leave the proper legacy.

I own several Lightnin’ Hopkins albums, and I’m listening to “In the Key of Lightnin’” right now for inspiration to write this post. (The title is hilariously ironic considering Lightnin’ only ever played in 2 keys!) The album begins with “Lightnin Declares” where he says “I want you to know that Lightnin is not just playin behind 19-20 peoples, Lightnin is playin by himself.” (He was quite fond of speaking of himself in the 3rd person.) And that really captures the essence of the Blues and why the Blues even exist.

The Blues emerged as a form of self-expression in African-American communities taken from spirituals, shouts and chants, and field holars where the singer/story teller rhymed simple narrative ballads. Being that my family is from Centerville, TX and we still attend the little white church down by the river and sing the same spirituals, often unaccompanied in a call & answer style, I can certainly attest to this being the root of Lightnin’s musicial influence. In country churches, spirtuals sound like the blues. (In melody, blues is distinguished by the use of blue notes, or the flattened third, fifth and seventh of the associated major scale.) Some of the more well known songs are “Soon I will be done”, “Wade in the Water”, “Motherless Child”, and “Nobody Knows”. Many of those songs have been performed by popular blues and soul singers around the world for several decades. These songs aren’t necessarily hopeful or even seem like worship songs at all, but are instead declarations of self, expressions of a deep personal sadness. The church was the place to lay your burdens down for a while, and the best (and most convenient) way to do this was through song. These songs are the blues.

One of the most interesting things I learned at this event from “Skin Man” during his portion of the presentation was that when The Rolling Stones first came to the Unites States, they came looking for Lightnin Hopkins! They even swung by his studio in Houston hoping that he might be there. His music is said to have not only influenced The Rolling Stones, but also Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, and Fleetwood Mac…just to name a few.

The film “The Blues According to Lightnin Hopkins” captures the very essence of the blues as it was true for Lightnin and those closest to him, and features classic live performances in very intimate settings that one would otherwise never get the chance to see. It includes performances in his home, at an outdoor BBQ, and at a black rodeo (which is still a huge tradition in Centerville, TX. Centerville has a rich history of black cowboys and deep Zydeco roots that has yet to be officially documented. Currently the Kelly Reuinion Trail Ride that takes place the first weekend in April every year, is one of the largest black trail rides in the United States and has hosted some of the most talented Zydeco musicians ever known.)

Film Trailer

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcVbNaiBZCU&hl=en&fs=1]

Related Links:
Les Blank (film producer): lesblank.com/more/lightnin.html
Project Row Houses: projectrowhouses.org