Historians consider Texan Lightnin’ Hopkins as the most significant country blues musician of his generation. Artists as different and important as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix have cited Hopkins’s style of guitar playing and singing as seminal to the development of their own work. The influence Hopkins has had on the genre has been considerable and continues to this day.
Canadian singer-songwriter Jeremie Albino cites Hopkins’s music as the source of his own desire to perform. “When I first heard Lightnin’ Hopkins’s records, I thought, that’s what I want to do. I copied and learned from the way he played guitar and sang. It formed the foundation of my musical education.” The Ontario native played old-time banjo and fiddle. Hopkins’s music motivated Albino to focus on the guitar. He also cites Neil Young’s album Live at Massey Hall and John Hammond Jr.’s disc Country Blues as important inspirations, as well as the work of other blues pioneers, such as Skip James and Big Bill Broonzy.
Hopkins was known for his ability to play live and make up lyrics on the spot to capture his audience’s attention. Albino said the connections the Texan made with live spectators inspired him to hit the streets and busk for passersby. The Canadian started his career by showing up in downtown Toronto and performing for tips. “Just having someone stop and listen to me was a reward in itself,” Albino said. This motivated him to make music his vocation.
Since then, Albino has played both for large crowds and smaller club audiences. For example, in July 2024 he performed at the outdoor festival North Liberty Blues & BBQ to thousands of folks. Last January, the Canadian played the 250-capacity xBk Live in Des Moines. He will perform at xBk again on January 29 of this year.
“I remember both of those Iowa shows!” the musician said. “It was a hot day when we played North Liberty. I remember seeing my band members sweating heavily when we started in the early evening, but then it started to cool off nicely.” In terms of the xBk show, Albino said the crowd was really into the music. “It was one of my favorite gigs on that tour,” he gushed. He looks forward to coming back to Iowa.
“We approach each show the same way, whether we are performing for a festival or a club, because each show is different—even if one is playing the same venue two nights in a row,” Albino explained. Two factors determine the outcome, the first being the state of mind of the artist. “Did I get a good night’s sleep? Did I just get off the road and not have a chance to relax? These kinds of questions make a difference, and it is the performer’s job to make the proper attitude adjustment,” he noted.
“The other is the psychology of the room. Is there electricity in the air or some other kind of dynamic going on?” Again, he noted that it is the musician’s job to set the mood. Audiences expect to have a good time, and Albino said his role is to help them get them there.
Albino did farm work for several years to earn a living before pursuing a musical career. He enjoys driving through the Midwest because it reminds him of his rural roots, growing vegetables to sell at farmers markets in the city. The Canadian noted the similarities between the agricultural life and the music business. He said it’s possible grow a bumper crop and still lose money if the product isn’t sold at the right time or if buyers don’t want it. Marketing is just as important as raising a good harvest. The same is true of music. “Since the early days of rock, like Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom, the merchandising matters,” Albino pointed out. The music has to find an appreciative audience. That is an important part of being a musician.
Albino pointed out that, in these times, it is important to have a social media presence. “Social media is the radio of our day,” he said. “One can amass a large audience as an independent artist without major label support. That was not the case in the past.” Albino is signed to Easy Eye Sound, the record company of Dan Auerbach (of the Black Keys). Auerbach produced the Canadian’s latest album (Albino’s fourth), Our Time in the Sun. The backup band on this record features Waterloo, Iowa, native Pat McLaughlin (John Prine, Johnny Cash) on backup vocals. McLaughlin, along with Auerbach, helped with the songwriting as well. Other contributors include Tom Bukovac (Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks) on electric guitar, Tommy Brenneck (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley) on bass, Auerbach on a variety of instruments, and of course Albino on lead vocals and acoustic guitar.
“I got into music originally because I liked the sound of one man with just his voice and his guitar,” Albino said as he referred back to Lightnin’ Hopkins, Neil Young, and John Hammond Jr. “But there is something special about playing with a band.” He described the interaction among group members as serendipitously larger than “one plus one equals two”—it’s a magic that exceeds simple math. “When combined with an audience, a room can be turned into an enchanted place or a trip to the unknown,” the musician noted. That is what he aims for.