Hootin' the Blues is a live album by blues guitarist and singer Lightnin' Hopkins. Recorded in Philadelphia in 1962, it was released in 1964 on Prestige Records' subsidiary label Prestige Folklore.Jazzdisco: Prestige Records Catalog: International 13000, 25000, Folklore 14000, Lively Arts 30000, Irish 35000, Near East 45000 series accessed November 9, 2018Both Sides Now: Prestige/Folklore Album Discography accessed November 9, 2018
Reception
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". 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".
Track listing All compositions by Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins except where noted "Blues Is a Feeling" – 8:00 "Me and Ray Charles" (Ray Charles) – 3:35 "In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)" (Leroy Carr, Don Raye) – 3:21 "Ain't It Crazy" – 2:26 "Last Night I Lost the Best Friend I Ever Had" – 4:33 "Everything" – 2:58 "I Work Down on the Chain Gang" – 5:10 "Meet Me in the Bottom" – 2:27
Personnel Performance Lightnin' Hopkins – guitar, vocals
Production Shel Kagan – supervision Esmond Edwards – engineer
Notes
References