One day while rambling around Crockett, Texas, I stumbled upon this somewhat rustic sculpture in a small park in Crockett, a little town of 7,000 people about 75 miles from where I live. The plaque on the pedestal concerned one Lightnin' Hopkins, a name unknown to me but I assumed he must be an important figure to deserve a special place in a park, and I also was drawn to other items in the area.
As it turns out, "Lightnin'" Hopkins was just one of a significant number of blues artists who passed through this area during the 1940s performing at the Camp Street Cafe. In his early years I've heard that Hopkins lived in Crockett and played at the cafe and also performed for tips at a local barber shop.
Working primarily in bars and honkytonks in the Houston area, Hopkins made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1960 alongside Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. His statue faces the Camp Street Cafe, where all these music legends gathered to perform throughout the 40s, 50s, and 60s. The cafe remains a happenin' place to this day with performances scheduled in the next two months by Mikki Daniel, Nicholas David, and Pipp Gillette and will host the World Championship Fiddlers Festival next month. I'm unfamiliar with all these artists, as I was the mid-century blues artists, but they're all confirmed on that great resource we call the Internet.
And best of all, there's a mural commemorating the famous blues artists that performed on Camp Street. But what is the most amazing is that this gorgeous mural was painted by a high school senior, Robert Morrison, as part of a community project to earn his Eagle Scout status in 2013. I wanted to find the owner of that car and tell them I need them to please move that vehicle for a few minutes so it wouldn't block my view, but ...
The artists pictured on the mural, from left to right, are Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Frankie Lee Sims, "Blind" Lemon Jefferson, Sam John "Lightnin'" Hopkins, "Texas" Johnny Brown, "Big Mama Thornton," and "T-Bone" Walker.
The young Mr. Morrison had plans of entering Baylor University in the fall of 2013 and pursue a career in medicine.
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I'm back from my road trip and let me tell you, if it could, it happened! I got some great photos but I earned every one of them. It will take me a few days to start processing and posting them so in the meantime I'll be showing you some courthouses and murals and other things that have marked my life here in Texas for the last five years.
8 comments:
welcome home, and the shot of the statue with the Cafe is fantastic. very talented artist that created that statue. some of the names are familiar but only a few.
what a neat place. like the view he has forever around him. and a GREAT mural! wowza!
A cool place to see, lots of great info. Lovely mural and sculpture.
this is a fun find! I'm not familiar with those last names either but I appreciate their talent.
I can't wait to see the photos from the road trip.
Like all this and look forward to more. Glad you made it home safely.
I just love the sculpture and the story. I'm so glad that these old honky tonk places still exist. You sure do find some interesting places down there.
The Camp Street Cafe must have been a happening place, and I would have been a very loyal patron. It is the kind of music that I would really enjoy. PS. I want to thank you for your comments about our sweet Maggi. Don't think I will recover, yet I know I will. It is really, really hard.
Robert Morrison has talent, a LOT of talent. I like the sculpture too with it's old-time charm.
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