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Historical Marker Honoring Lightnin' Hopkins To Be Placed In Third Ward


JLWM8609

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Now add some markers/statues for Townes Van Zandt and Clifton Chenier and you've got a good start!

I agree those two legendary entertainers deserve a historical marker in the town they came from, but they didn't come from Houston. Townes Van Zandt was from Fort Worth, and lived most of his life in and around Austin. Chenier is from Opelousas Louisiana.

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I agree those two legendary entertainers deserve a historical marker in the town they came from, but they didn't come from Houston. Townes Van Zandt was from Fort Worth, and lived most of his life in and around Austin. Chenier is from Opelousas Louisiana.

Well, let's take back po' Lightnin's marker too...he was from Centerville!

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Well, let's take back po' Lightnin's marker too...he was from Centerville!

My family roots on the paternal side are in Centerville. I've been there countless times including earlier this week, and I've wondered why Crockett has a statue of him but Centerville doesn't have squat honoring Lightnin'. He's probably one of the only, if not THE most famous person from out of the Centerville/Leon County area.

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My family roots on the paternal side are in Centerville. I've been there countless times including earlier this week, and I've wondered why Crockett has a statue of him but Centerville doesn't have squat honoring Lightnin'. He's probably one of the only, if not THE most famous person from out of the Centerville/Leon County area.

Interestingly enough, Albert Collins is also from Leon County. Leona to be exact, just down the road from Centerville.

Another famous blues singer, Texas Alexander, is from Jewett in Leon County.

Turns out all three, Collins, Hopkins and Alexander, are cousins.

I don't think anyone famous has ever come out of Normangee.

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  • 9 months later...

The dedication for the marker will be at 10am Saturday, November 13 at the corner of Dowling and Francis. There will be performances by Milton Hopkins (kin to Lightnin'), Texas Johnny Brown and Diunna Greenleaf

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/7287319.html

Edited by JLWM8609
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Big Mama Thornton is worthy of recognition, too.

Saw her at a nightclub in Montreal, circa 1980. She had to perform the set sitting down, but the woman could still wail.

Yep, who can forget her affiliation with Peacock Records? The Peacock Records building on Erastus St. in Fifth Ward is still standing. There's no marker there, it deserves one though.

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  • 3 months later...

An example of what was recorded there;

was the flip side to the original "Hound Dog".

edit: what's fascinating to me is that peculiar bouncy sound at the beginning - is that really a xylophone, or just the way they engineered the piano?

Edited by dbigtex56
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An example of what was recorded there;

was the flip side to the original "Hound Dog".

edit: what's fascinating to me is that peculiar bouncy sound at the beginning - is that really a xylophone, or just the way they engineered the piano?

It might be a celesta. I've heard them used in a lot of early 50s-mid 60s black gospel recordings, so it wouldn't strike me as odd to hear them used in secular music from the same era.

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  • The title was changed to Historical Marker Honoring Lightnin' Hopkins To Be Placed In Third Ward

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