The fascinating independent 31-minute documentary portrait of the great Texas bluesman, The Blues Accordin’ To Lightnin’ Hopkins, was released in late 1970.  A work produced by Les Blank, it won a Gold Hugo award at the 1970 Chicago International Film Festival for Best Documentary, chronicling the aspects of Hopkins’ life that he was best known for, regaling people with his tales and performing superb blues.  The film presented its subject in the context of how it was to live as a Black musician, as conveyed via captivating interviews and Hopkins performances.

Hopkins’ revelations in the documentary are told with such conviction that the viewer, especially if they are a die-hard blues fan, can’t turn away from the screen.  Two quotes from The Blues Accordin’ To Lightnin’ Hopkins have always stood out to me, as follows, in Hopkins’ exact words. 

“Now, I’ll tell you about the blues down here.  The blues dwells with you everyday and everywhere.  You see, you can a blues about that you’re broke. You can have a blues about your girl’s that’s gone.  The blues comes so many different ways until its kind of hard to explain.  But, when’s ever you get a sad feeling, you tell the whole round world you got nothin’ but the blues.”

“The blues is something hard to get acquainted with.”

As someone who did not grow up in locales and under circumstances that have formed the life perspectives that yield the blues of the majority of Black blues artists, these two quotes strike as richly profound.

Regarding the performances in the documentary, some are Hopkins in a solo format, and they are exemplary on so many levels.  We also get amazing footage of fellow Texas bluesman and songster Mance Lipscomb, and Hopkins is joined in a performance by Texas blues harmonica player and singer, and Hopkins’ cousin, Billy Bizor, creating a magnificent blues piece.

While both Hopkins and Lipscomb enjoyed a higher level of blues distinction than Bizor due to their voluminous recording output, Hopkins though the myriad labels he had recorded for to-date including Modern Records, Aladdin, Gold Star, Mercury, Sittin In With, RPM Records, Decca, Harlem, Jax, Arhoolie Records, and Prestige Records, among others, and Lipscomb via his production with Arhoolie Records.

But here was Bizor, a truly gifted blues harmonica artist and vocalist, yet another in the ranks of obscure bluesmen primarily known in his immediate community and through his association with Hopkins on his 1960s recorded works.  Bizor’s talents are such that they warrant a brief overview of his life and career, as he is currently top-of-mind.

Billy Bizor came into the world in early September, 1963 in an area in Leon County, Texas, an expanse in the state’s mid-east section.  Yet again, virtually nothing of Bizor’s early formative years is known, but what is generally recognized is that he as time progressed into the 1930s Bizor had sufficiently developed both his harmonica and vocal skill sets to the point that he was playing blues in a part-time way.  But the reality for Bizor was that compared to other Texas blues artists of greater renown, and there were many, as indicated previously, he existed in great obscurity.

And this obscurity, while truly unfortunate, was even more regrettable due to Bizor’s tremendously uniquely frugal and melancholy harmonica style, and his powerful and expressively exciting singing.  In many ways, Bizor’s harmonica work harkened back to the sparse downhearted style of many who came before him.  In many ways, he was something of a throwback. 

But Bizor did somewhat reap some great advantages of his generous skill set with the onset of the 1960s blues revival.  As Hopkins built further upon his reputation as a first-tier bluesman during the blues revival, he realized a renewed interest in having his blues recorded.  On many of Hopkins’ blues during this period, Bizor accompanied his cousin, plying his vast harmonica proficiencies to great effect, and also providing strong, inspiring backing vocal support.

Unfortunately, while his work with Hopkins was of great merit, it was always Hopkins’ show, and a greater awareness of Bizor’s attributes still escaped him.

However, Roy Ames, a music producer associated with Hopkins, Freddie King, Johnny “Clyde” Copeland, and Johnny Winter took notice of Bizor’s talents and made recordings of him during 1968 and 1969 sessions.  On these recording sessions, Ames paired Bizor with the likes of top-shelf bluesmen such as Hopkins on guitar and vocals, guitarist Clarence Holliman, piano man Elmore Nixon, Donald “Duck” Dunn exercising his broad skills in rhythm guitar backing, and both Ben Turner and Linda Waring providing percussion duties.  Bizor was obviously assisted by some of the crème de la crème of the blues music world on his sides.

But, no matter how good the recordings were (and they are indeed very good), they were not immediately released.  In fact, the recordings remained unreleased for 20 years, finally seeing the light of day on the Home Cooking Records release entitled Blowing My Blues Away, a collection indicated as “Also featuring Lightning Hopkins.” 

Regrettably, Bizor did not live to see the release as he passed away in early April, 1969 in Houston, Texas.

Interestingly, South Filthy, a band that counted as its main influences the music traditions of Austin, Texas and Memphis, Tennessee covered one of the superb Bizor cuts from Blowing My Blues Away, “Screwdriver,” on it’s early 2000s release entitled Crackin Up.

Bizor, once again, was one of those immensely talented blues artists who fell through the cracks of greater recognition.  His work is certainly worthy of consideration by all blues fans.

Bizor’s musical competencies should ultimately be valued by all blues enthusiasts.  Below are two collections that highlight Bizor’s broad talents.  Both are highly recommended.

• Blowing My Blues Away – Home Cooking Records HCS-111 (LP), also available on Collectables Record Corp. COL-CD-5225 (CD)
• Lightnin Hopkins & Billy Bizer [sic} – Cousins – Blues Factory BFY 47028 (CD)