Hootin' the Blues

Hootin' the Blues
Live album by Lightnin' Hopkins
Released	1964
Recorded	May 17, 1962
Venue	The 2nd Fret, Philadelphia, PA
Genre	Blues
Length	362:30
Label	Prestige Folklore FL 14021
Producer	Shel Kagen
Lightnin' Hopkins chronology
Lightnin' Strikes (1962) Hootin' the Blues (1964) Goin' Away (1963)

Hootin' the Blues is a live album by the blues musician Lightnin' Hopkins, recorded in Philadelphia in 1962 and released on the Prestige Folklore label in 1964.^[1][2]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings	[4]
Record Mirror	[5]

The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings wrote that "this set gives an accurate idea of the repertoire Lightnin' tended to choose when playing for folkclub audiences".^[4] AllMusic reviewer Bruce Eder stated: "Hootin' The Blues is one of Hopkins' better folk club concerts, capturing him in an intense performance on acoustic guitar, rapping (in the sense of talking) about the blues and what it means as he introduces some powerful songs ... The best moment, though, is his reinvention of Ray Charles' 'What'd I Say' as an acoustic guitar number (trust me, it works), which displays the kind of fingering that must've made a young Eric Clapton want to sit down and cry".^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins except where noted

1. "Blues Is a Feeling" – 8:00
2. "Me and Ray Charles" – 3:35
3. "In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)" (Leroy Carr, Don Raye) – 3:21
4. "Ain't It Crazy" – 2:26
5. "Last Night I Lost the Best Friend I Ever Had" – 4:33
6. "Everything" – 2:58
7. "I Work Down on the Chain Gang" – 5:10
8. "Meet Me in the Bottom" – 2:27

Personnel

Performance

• Lightnin' Hopkins – guitar, vocals

Production

• Shel Kagan – supervision
• Esmond Edwards – engineer

References

1. Jazzdisco: Prestige Records Catalog: International 13000, 25000, Folklore 14000, Lively Arts 30000, Irish 35000, Near East 45000 series accessed November 9, 2018
2. Both Sides Now: Prestige/Folklore Album Discography accessed November 9, 2018
3. Eder, Bruce. Lightnin' Hopkins: Hootin' the Blues – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
4. Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. London: Penguin. p. 280. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
5. Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (February 13, 1965). "Lightnin' Hopkins: Hootin' The Blues" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 205. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.