Success was on the horizon, though, and the sun began shining in 1946 for Hopkins. That year he was signed to a deal with Aladdin Records, then moved over to Gold Star Records. In his career it is speculated he recorded for more than 20 labels and recorded somewhere between eight hundred and one thousand songs. He played regularly at the clubs and night spots in Houston. Very rarely did he travel outside Texas, even though he was gaining a large following among African Americans and blues aficionados throughout the South and in the larger cities in the North.
By the the late 1950’s, Hopkins had a following and a name as both a blues player and a folk artist. With the help of blues researcher Mark McCormack, Lightnin’ played Carnegie Hall on October 14, 1960.
He played on the same bill as Pete Seeger and Joan Baez.
His first major hit also came in 1960, the great “Mojo Hand.”
By the late 60s and into the 70s, Lightnin’ Hopkins was fully discovered. He had crossed over and was making at least one, usually two, albums a year. He was playing white colleges, folk festivals, and was recording and opening for some of the biggest acts in Rock and Roll, such as The Grateful Dead and The Jefferson Airplane.
Hopkins was Houston’s poet-in-residence for 35 years. He recorded more albums than any other blues-man. (Those numbers are still up for debate)
