Tim Moore's Rooster

Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster

Doc "MistaBluesman" Quinn's Tribute To "Sam Lightin' Hopkins"
A Texas Legendary Country Bluesman

Most all Bluesmen have a rooster song of some sort and I have made it around to listen to a good majority of them. I love them all! So with that said, please take a few minutes and listen to my tribute to Sam Lightin' Hopkins as I perform with Cliff Houck and Gary D. Ward .......

In 2005, the Chinese "Year Of The Rooster" and my wants to do a jam in tribute to the great legendary Texas Bluesman (Mr. Lighting "Sam" Hopkins).

I wrote and do the vocal on "Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster". Lyrics at bottom of page!

Playing lead guitar in the first half of this Collaboration jam is Mr. Gary Ward. Gary is a well seasoned blues guitarist that laid some damn heavy blues guitar on this track. Gary plays his lead guitar to perfectly match the feel and era of this type of blues tribute, (I know Sam is loving this). Simply put, Gary D. Ward is a great blues guitarist/artist as well as a dear friend!

Playing lead slide guitar in the second half of this Collaboration is Mr. Cliff Houck, (Big Red Blues Dawg). Cliff slings out some slide guitar from his Les Paul that will curl your hair to say the least. I'm sure that Cliff has put a big grin on the face of Sam up above! Cliff is a well seasoned guitarist/artist and a grand friend that has been on the frets for many a year. Cliff is known for holding nothing back when he jams on his guitars.

A special thanks from me to Gary and Cliff (Rooster Cluckin' Blues Guitarist). I love having you as dear friends and from my heart truly appreciate you jumping in on making "Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster" the jam that it is! ~ Doc

Now to get on with some info about what all this jammin'/rooster cluckin' is about!

Sam "Lightning" Hopkins helped define Texas country blues during World War Two, and I've heard that he recorded for more than 20 different record labels over a career that spanned six decades.

Lighting recorded "Tim Moore's Farm" in 1946 at Quinn Recording (Gold Star Label), Houston, Texas. Mr. Bill Quinn who was my grandfather's (Robert Quinn) brother owned the Gold Star label. Actually the farmers name that owned the farm Sam once lived on and sang about was Tom Moore! - Sam didn't care much for Tom Moore so he would call him Tim just to make him mad. Stories have it that Tom Moore made a pass on Sam's woman and this made Sam made. I have heard scuttlebutt stories that Sam fatally cut the man but like I say, it's scuttlebutt and no records of proof.

Born in Centerville, Texas in 1912, Lightin' (Sam Hopkins) grew up in Leona, Texas. He had two brothers (John Henery and Joel) who were also Bluesmen that he in later years recorded with.

Sam learned to play the guitar by making his first guitar out of a cigar box and wire. He later became a blues singer and always said; "nobody taught me, I just see how they do it and then I do it my own way. I Make my own songs."

He met up with Blind Lemon Jefferson sometime around 1920 and tailed him around, eventually becoming Jefferson's "guide." He was a performing musician by his teens, and worked a lot with his cousin, famous blues singer Arthur "Texas" Alexander.

More legends abound: that he was a local sheriff for awhile; that he did time on a chain gang for fooling around with white women (usually, that sort of thing got you lynched) - in fact, he did do some time on a penal farm in the mid-30's. I'm not sure of the reason, though Hopkins claimed he was framed for a murder, ("Had to cut an old boy") - I wonder who that was, lol. According to Hopkins, he was released when the sentencing judge, heard him sing a song about "how bad and how sad to be a fool." This was somewhere around 1937.

Somewhere along the line he married (nine times, according to Hopkins, "but only once with holding hands and all in front of a preacher. Them others, they'd just be around") but eventually he settled with Antoinette Charles (Antoinette was with Sam until his dying day) and made himself at home in the Dallas area to farm.

Sam loved to play hard and loud. Some artists didn't like to play with Sam because of his style but it never bothered Sam, he would just tell them good bye and be sure to have a nice day!

Sam would never record without getting his money up front. He didn't trust studios to pay him later" No dough, no show", was Sam's motto.

Again, A Very Special Thanks to Gary Ward and Cliff Houck for putting up with me during this Collaboration of "Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster". I love ya' Brothers!!!!!

I'm Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster
I lay the hens in his pen
I'm Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster
I lay his hens now and then
Mr. Moore tells his friends
I'm the best hen layer ever been

All the other roosters
They done up and flew the coop
I say now, all the other roosters
They done flew the farmers coop
So line up lil' chickies
Big Red Rooster got somethin' just for you

Hey there lil' chickadee
You say you want this big cock
Hey there lil' chickadee
Tell Big Red Rooster what you want
You say the word lil' lady
Big Red Rooster give you all what I got

I'm Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster
I lay the hens in his pen
Aw now, I'm Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster
I lay the hens now and then
Mr. Moore tells his friends
I'm the best dang rooster ever been

Now all the other roosters
They done up and flew the coop
(that's what I'm sayin')
Hey all the other roosters
They done flew the farmers coop
So line up lil' chickies
Big Red Rooster got somethin' just for you

I'm Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster
I lay the hens in his pen
Aw now, I'm Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster
I lay this hens now and then
Mr. Moore tells his friends
I'm the best hen layer ever been

Hey there lil' chickadee
You say you want this big cock
Hey there lil' chickadee
Tell Big Red Rooster what you want
You say the word lil' lady
Big Red Rooster give you all what I got

I'm Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster
I lay the hens in his pen
Aw now, I'm Tim Moore's Big Red Rooster
I lay this hens now and then
Mr. Moore tells his friends
I'm the best hen layer ever been

Hey there lil' chickadee
You say you want this big cock
Aw now, Hey there lil' chickadee
Tell Big Red Rooster what you want
You say the word lil' lady
Big Red Rooster give you all what I got