Lightnin' Hopkins grew up steeped in blues in Texas and learned much of his
music from his distant cousin, the singer Alger 'Texas' Alexander. He was also
directly inspired by meeting another blues great, Blind Lemon Jefferson at a
church picnic and began accompanying Jefferson at church gatherings. After
working as a farm hand, Hopkins migrated to Los Angeles in 1946, teaming up with
pianist Wilson Smith and making his first recordings. They were released on the
Aladdin label, which also persuaded Hopkins to adopt the nickname Lightnin' to
make him sound more dynamic. This led t...