Blues In My Bottle (Remastered 2026) Lightnin' Hopkins

• 1 Buddy Brown's Blues (Remastered 2026) 04:03
• 2 Wine Spodee-O-Dee (Remastered 2026) 03:00
• 3 Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On (Remastered 2026) 04:18
• 4 DC-7 (Remastered 2026) 04:28
• 5 Death Bells (Remastered 2026) 03:51
• 6 Goin' To Dallas To See My Pony Run (Remastered 2026) 03:47
• 7 Jailhouse Blues (Remastered 2026) 03:17
• 8 Blues In The Bottle (Remastered 2026) 03:16
• 9 Beans, Beans, Beans (Remastered 2026) 02:23
• 10 Catfish Blues (Remastered 2026) 04:14
• 11 My Grandpa Is Old Too! (Remastered 2026) 03:04
• Total Runtime 39:41

Info for Blues In My Bottle (Remastered 2026)

The 1961 solo acoustic album by Lightnin’ Hopkins features the legend at his finest. Showcasing Hopkins’ guitar and vocals, Blues in My Bottle shines a spotlight on his blues mastery. The album contains Hopkins’ performances of originals, traditional standards, and renditions of covers.

The late great Lightnin’ Hopkins was one of the most natural of bluesmen-a poet who would often make up lyrics as he recorded. Because his meters and chord changes were frequently irregular, he was at his best when unaccompanied, as on this 1961 Prestige date. Besides such blues standards as “Wine Spodee-O-Dee,” “Blues in the Bottle,” and “Catfish Blues,” the album contains several autobiographical originals, including “Beans, Beans, Beans” about his brief stint on a railroad track gang and “D-7” about his aversion to flying. Though he usually played electric guitar, the Texas blues titan performed here with an acoustic and the result was most rewarding.

Recorded in 1961 for Prestige, a label best known for jazz, "Blues In My Bottle" presents Sam “Lightnin'” Hopkins in a strictly solo setting. Armed with only his plaintive vocals and an acoustic guitar, Hopkins gets to the very heart of the blues, his unadorned style placing nuance and emotion above volume and precision. Every song on this 11-track album–particularly the lonely “Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On,” the bleak “Death Bells,” and the resigned “Jailhouse Blues”–is a testament to the strength of Hopkins’s playing in such a minimal and informal environment. Although the Texas bluesman was just shy of 50 during these sessions, his world-weary voice makes him seem much older, lending an added gravity to these tales of life, love, travel, and isolation. Those looking for a direct link between Hopkins and his legendary predecessors Blind Lemon Jefferson and Robert Johnson will find it on this potent outing of top-notch country blues.

Lightnin' Hopkins, guitar, vocals

Recorded July 26, 1961 at ACA Studios (Gold Star Studios), Houston, TX
Produced by Kenneth S. Goldstein, Mack McCormick

Digitally remastered

Please Note: we do not offer the 192kHz version of this album, because our analysis clearly showed, that the 192kHz does not reach a frequency spectrum, that would justify to offer 192kHz. Hence we offer the 96kHz version.

Sam Lightnin' Hopkins
Born in Centerville, Texas, Hopkins learned the blues when young in Buffalo, Texas from Blind Lemon Jefferson and his older cousin, country-blues singer Alger 'Texas' Alexander. When Hopkins and Alexander were playing in Houston in 1946, he was discovered by Lola Anne Cullum of Los Angeles', Aladdin Records (although Alexander would not make it out to L.A.) Hopkins' fast finger style is very distinct.

He settled in Houston in 1952 and gained much attention. Solid recordings followed including his masterpiece song Mojo Hand in 1960.

His style was born from spending many hours playing informally without a backing band. His distinctive style often included playing, in effect, bass, rhythm, lead, percussion, and vocals, all at the same time. His musical phrasing would often include a long low note at the beginning, the rhythm played in the middle range, then the lead in the high range. By playing this quickly - with occasional slaps of the guitar - the effect of bass, rhythm, percussion and lead would be created.

In 1968 Hopkins recorded the album Free Form Patterns backed by psychedelic rock band the 13th Floor Elevators.

Hopkins was a great influence on many local musicians around Houston and Austin, Texas in the 1950s and 1960s. He was an influence on Jimmie Vaughan's work and, more significantly, on the vocals and blues style of Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, the keyboardist of the Grateful Dead until 1972. He was also an important influence on Townes Van Zandt, the Texan folk/blues songwriter and performer, who often performed Hopkins numbers in his live performances. Doyle Bramhall II is another Texas artist who was influenced by Hopkins, as evidenced by a tattoo of Lightning on his upper left arm. Jimi Hendrix reportedly became interested in blues music listening to Lightnin' Hopkins records with his father.

A song named after him was recorded by R.E.M. on their album Document.

The Houston Chronicle included Hopkins in their list of "100 Tall Texans", 100 important Texans that influenced the world. The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum included Hopkins in a 100 Tall Texans exhibit that opened in September 2006. The display includes Lightnin's Guild Starfire electric guitar and performance video.

Hopkins' Gibson J-160e guitar is on display at the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982).

This album contains no booklet.