From the Annals of the Blues – In 1982, Sam (Lightnin’) Hopkins passed away.  Hopkins was a blues legend whose influence cannot be overstated.  He was born in Centerville, Texas, in 1912.  By age ten, Hopkins was already playing music with his cousin, Alger (Texas) Alexander, and Blind Lemon Jefferson.  He played all over for decades on the blues club circuit except when he was incarcerated in the mid-1930’s at the Harris County Prison Farm.  In 1950 he settled in Houston and finally had his breakthrough in 1959 when Hopkins began working with legendary producer Sam Chambers.  White audiences were exposed to his music and began to appreciate the blues legend.  In the 1960s, Hopkins switched to an acoustic guitar and became a hit in the folk-blues circuit.  During the early 1960s he played at Carnegie Hall with Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, and by the end of the decade was opening for rock bands. Hopkins recorded a total of more than eighty-five albums and performed around the world. His most famous songs include Mojo Hand, Baby Please Don’t Go, Bring Me My Shotgun, Jail House Blues and Have You Ever Loved a Woman.