BLUES REVIVAL The Starlight Barber Shop on Camp Street in Crockett was one of the first stamping grounds for bluesman Sam “Lightnin'” Hopkins, the unofficial poet laureate of Texas who eventually worked his way up from the street corner to Carnegie Hall before his death, in 1982. The all-purpose cafe, taxi stand, barbershop, and pool hall originally functioned as a commercial center and a gathering place for blacks in Houston County back when laws dictated segregated societies. It also provided Hopkins with a platform to articulate his improvised narrative raps accompanied with a stinging guitar before he launched his storied recording career. Both Hopkins, who was born 33 miles west of Crockett, in Centerville, and the restored and revitalized business, rechristened the Camp Street Cafe and Store, get their overdue props January 30, when a statue of Lightnin’ will be dedicated twenty years after the day of his passing. Many of Hopkins’ relatives will be at the ceremony, which includes performances by gospel singer Ruthie Foster and guitar master Steve James.(See Elsewhere: Other Events.)
