My Life in the Blues

My Life in the Blues
Studio album by
Lightnin' Hopkins
Released1965
RecordedDecember 2, 1964
StudioVan Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
GenreBlues
Length64:26
LabelPrestige
PR 7370
ProducerSamuel Charters
Lightnin' Hopkins chronology
Lightning Hopkins with His Brothers Joel and John Henry / with Barbara Dane
(1966) 		My Life in the Blues
(1965) 		The King of the Blues
(1965)

My Life in the Blues is an album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in late 1964 and released on the Prestige label the following year.[1][2][3] The album contains Hopkins' performances interspersed with an interview conducted by Samuel Charters.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[5]

The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings wrote that the album "contains half a dozen unremarkable performances taped at what sounds like a noisy party, and eight far more interesting passages of reminiscence in which Lightnin' describes his family, learning to play guitar, meeting Texas Alexander, making records and other topics".[5] AllMusic's Ritchie Unterberger reviewed Straight Blues, which collected the six songs from the project, calling them: "typical Hopkins' performances, incorporating both narrative folky tunes with spoken introductions, and livelier boogies".[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins

  1. I Growed Up with the Blues – 5:06
  2. "I Don't Want to Do Nothing to You" – 2:30
  3. My Family – 4:25
  4. "You Is One Black Rat" – 3:05
  5. I Learn About the Blues – 6:20
  6. "Got Nowhere to Lay My Head" – 6:25
  7. I First Come into Houston – 3:25
  8. "Just Boogyin'" – 2:15
  9. I Meet Texas Alexander – 5:15
  10. "Take Me Back" – 2:05
  11. They Was Hard Times – 6:10
  12. I Make My First Record and Get My Name – 6:35
  13. My Thoughts on the Blues – 5:30
  14. "I Was Down on Dowling Street" – 5:10

Personnel

Performance

Production

References

  1. ^ Jazzdisco: Prestige Records Catalog: 7300 series accessed November 12, 2018
  2. ^ Both Sides Now: Discography Preview for the Prestige label accessed November 12, 2018
  3. ^ Wirz' American Music: Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins discography accessed November 12, 2018
  4. ^ a b Unterberger, Ritchie. Lightnin' Hopkins: Straight Blues – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. London: Penguin. p. 281. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.