Personal accounts of blues shows and meeting blues singers

At many shows I had no camera. Instead I wrote down my impressions in a diary. Here are the best ones...

PASSAGE 1 - LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS SEPTEMBER 1974

Houston, September 7th, Saturday. I had met Lightnin' the day before. Got Calhoun bus to Lightnin's home, sat outside his door until the building manager drove me to the shops - there was Po' Sam leaning on his car, in yesterday's clothes, talking to some guys - he said "What's goin' on?"  He said he'd been up all night, and was about to go home to sleep - was in a sombre mood today. Didn't want me to take a photo, as he sat on the hood of his new Buick, ankles crossed & sipping a Pearl - said "take me when I'm laughing, dressed up - I'm a happy man"! He grinned with gold front teeth. He pointed out Hop Wilson (Hawaiian gtr on Jailhouse Blues he said) - I left Lightnin' to meet Wilson.

Houston, September 10th. I spent an hour and a half sitting with Antionette & Lightnin', watching TV, sipping Pearl and chatting. He wore a thin black scarf on head, sunglasses, stockings on his thin shins & feet; his deep voice told of times he flew in fear with Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon, Big Joe Williams, Billy Bizor.... He described when he saw biggest mule in world in Washington DC; was disgusted at President Ford's pardoning Nixon; he noticed my new shoes, admired them! We 3 laughed a lot. Lightnin' told me that "Miss Loretta" was about a girl he knew who had 5 beautiful friends. Left them at six.

Houston, September 12th. Carl Myers' wife Ann told me more about Lightnin' - that he "conks" his hair - straightens it - an old fashioned custom.. She said he was once in jail, wrongly accused of killing his good friend - pretty rough.

Houston, September 13th, Friday. LIGHTNIN' IN CONCERT..the skies have opened in Texas, and what Lightnin' sang in '65 applies: "Rained five days and the clouds turned dark as night...". In pouring rain we got to 3124 Gray, sat down in the Hopkins apartment while Sam sipped his soup and Antionette fussed over him.

We set off at 4 in pouring rain: Ann & I in back, Po' Lightnin' in the front passenger seat, and Carl driving Lightnin's deluxe 74 Buick! This great 62 year old artist observed all around him intently, staring at people in the street and peering round at drivers in cars, frequently commenting on those he saw and making remarks of delight when he watched children. We cruised over the Brazos River, and many other fast flowing streams... from high ground where the rain had fallen to lower lying land, in floods.  Lightnin' pointed out old buzzards on trees, and talked about earlier times in his life -- catching fish by imbibing them with walnut juice & just reaching out; and of times such as when he went to Switzerland. He asked me about the weather in Scotland. Then he sharply spotted and pointed out three young deer, telling me "I wanted you to see some!" He said it's raining so hard that if the fishes were wishing for water, now they'll be happy!

Arriving in Austin Carl got Ann & me in the Castle Creek club, and then went off to the motel with L. where they two were spending the night - Lightnin' wants the sole company of a friend when he goes out of town for a couple of gigs like this - it's rare he lets Ann (Carl/Rusty's wife) go along at all. We two got a choice table at the front, and waited.... The supporting act was a pretty typical folk singer with acoustic guitar, helped by congas.

At last at ten Lightnin' Hopkins was announced & got on the stage; using a Yamaha wooden amplified guitar and backed by Carl's electric bass & a good man on drums. But Lightnin' was not at all happy in his first set - didn't like his guitar (forced to use it because the other he has at home is stringless) - he played mostly boogies, and flashed some forced smiles - but you could tell he was upset by this guitar and the buzzing amp. One song he did was "Mojo Hand", and he'd started off with an instrumental boogie. He said he felt bad, all the drunkards laughed and thought he was "acting the blues". He looked great as he winced & clowned; felt hat, his gold teeth & white smile, his dark glasses with gold sides, his long darting speedy accurate digits with rings on - one of diamonds - his white undershirt, yellow shirt, & dark green jacket, his brown trousers on spindly legs and his black pointed shoes on madly tapping feet - he perched on a stool, and he frowned, shook his head, joked and acted while he played & sang. Other numbers beautifully done were "Trouble in Mind" and "Automobile Blues".

After half an hour he went off, and the first folk got on again. Rusty tapped me on the shoulder & told me Lightnin' was asking me to come to the performer's room! Was introduced to the drummer, a female friend and Ron a young black guy who helps fix up his stage gear, an old friend. Sat next to Po' Lightnin' on the couch, he made me say where I'd come all the way from to see him - he loves being the celebrity! He had me brought a beer, said I was a good person, who doesn't always ask him to do things (which I know he hates) - and he said, "and I love him for it!".... He talked a bit to the others, girls came in for autographs, and then when I mentioned that I didn't want to lose my good seat at the front, he replied "you'll be sitting on my lap to see me play before you have to fight for a place!" He then asked me what "hello" was in Dutch, and he spoke French words (viens ici & comme ca va?) he'd learnt from Antionette!

In the second set he played his rarely used Fender solid electric guitar - God, it sounded good! His mood was so different this time, he was happy playing. He brilliantly did, after an anecdote about Antionette stealing his left shoe so he couldn't run way, "Rock Me Baby", a slow leaving-mama blues, "The Saints/Me and Ray Charles", "Shining Moon", "Come and Go With Me", "The Crazy Song", "T Model Blues" and finally "Katie Mae" - BRILLIANT!...I carried his guitar to the car.