| In April 1969, Lightnin’ Hopkins recorded more than a dozen tracks for the Clarity Music Company at Houston’s “ACA” Recording Studio. The sessions captured both fresh originals—like Born in the Bottom, December 7, 1941, A Rainy Day in Houston, and Stinking Foot—and reworkings of old favorites such as Feel Like Ballin’ the Jack, Shake That Thing, and Shinin’ Moon.
Since the 1970s, some of these recordings have appeared on scattershot compilations, often marred by heavy-handed mixing choices: bass and drums pushed too far forward, guitar buried in the background, and reverb piled on in an attempt to make Lightnin’ sound more “modern.”
Now, for the first time, the original four-track masters have been carefully remixed, restoring the raw immediacy of Hopkins’ performance without the missteps of earlier releases. Adding to the significance, this collection features previously unreleased cuts, including Movin’ On Out When the Saints March In, Old House Torn Down, Mistrust My Baby and She Mistrust Me, and Baby Please Don’t Do Me Wrong.
The set is further enriched with a trove of never-before-seen photographs, contracts, and archival documents, making it both a definitive musical statement and a historical record. The result: 77 minutes of Lightnin’ Hopkins in peak form, “shootin’ fire” alongside Cedric Haywood (piano), Lawrence Evans (bass), and Ben Turner (drums).
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