Linda Hopkins

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Born Melinda Helen Matthews on Dec. 14, 1924 in New Orleans, LA

Died April 10, 2017 in Milwaukee, WI

A fiery blues and gospel belter of the highest order, Linda Hopkins was born Melinda Helen Matthews in New Orleans, La.

She was discovered by singer Mahalia Jackson and started her career as a touring gospel vocalist with the Southern Harp Spiritual Singers in 1936. Hopkins was inspired by the great Bessie Smith at a young age after seeing the “Empress of the Blues” in concert. A self-taught vocalist, Hopkins continued to perform with the Singers until she was 21, but eventually left New Orleans for Northern California. She led a choir in Richmond, Calif., before starting a career singing blues, R&B and jazz at the Slim Jenkins Night Club in Oakland.

After performing with the likes of Johnny Otis and Count Basie collaborator Helen Humes at the Oakland club, Hopkins eventually moved to New York City and recorded her lone hit single, “Shake a Hand,” with Jackie Wilson in 1963. The song reached No. 21 on the R&B charts. Years later, Hopkins began a run of appearances on Broadway that began with a brief appearance in Ossie Davis’ “Purlie” in 1970. Hopkins won the Tony Award for best actress in a musical in 1972 for her role in “Inner City.” In 1974, she starred in the one-woman show “Me and Bessie,” a 26-song musical revue combining the life and career of Smith with her own, that ran for 17 months.

Moving to Los Angeles in 1976, Hopkins continued to perform in clubs and theaters for the next two decades, including a Tony-nominated role in the 1989 musical “Black and Blue” and “Wild Women Blues,” a musical that opened in Berlin in 1997. Though her recorded output is relatively small compared with many of her contemporaries, Hopkins continued to perform her blend of blues, showtunes and gospel into her 80s, releasing “The Living Legend Live!” in 2006 and the live DVD “Deep in the Night” in 2009.

— Chris Barton for the Los Angeles Times July 16, 2010

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Points of interest

Four thoughts about Linda Hopkins

“

Hi Linda
I really hope you will receive this letter.
We did meet in Stockholm, Sweden during the 80-90 when you performed at the Stockholm Jazz & Blue Festival. Do you remember?
Back then, “all” artists stayed at Castle Hotel. It was filled with music during the festival since the artists gig on many places during the time they stayed in Stockholm, hence when they came back from there gigs, they were still hungry to jam together, hence the need for an "all star hotel" only.
I think it was your second visit to Stockholm (you played there for sure 1985 & 1986), you wanted to cook some real Cajun food and asked the manager if you could borrow the hotel kitchen. He agreed as long as you fixed the food. Since I worked as an "official" photographer then and always hanged around, you asked me if I could assist you.
I agreed and during the day (I think it was on a Saturday on the last weekend of the festival, the festival back then lasted for 10 days, from Friday to Sunday the week after, in the middle July), we went to a small shop down in the Subway.
However since, as always back then, artists were never paid properly (has it changed?) the food you purchased cost way more than you anticipated and could afford (Sweden was very expensive back then, not cheap as it's now) so you became sad when you realized you couldn't stand by your word. But due to a lucky break, I had finished a big photo job and had the money needed. Your gratitude overwhelmed me and you said to me that you wanted to "adopted" me (I have witnesses) and since you haven't told me anything else, I still regard you as my American "mama". Therefore I would like to hear from you again if possible.
Anyway, this story doesn't end here. You also told me to look you up when I came to US and I got your LA phone number. I have tried it but it doesn't work anymore, don't know why. Anyway, I think it was in 1988 or 1989, I was working in Milpitas, CA and decided to visit you. I called and you told me your address to your penthouse on, if I remember correctly, Hollywood Boulevard. You also told me that I could say hello to your best friend Dionne Warwick and her cousin and that her cousin should go to a party in Beverley Hills that same evening and that I could go with her and her friends if I wanted (we were about the same age). When driving down, I realized that if it was "the" Dionne Warwick, then the "cousin" must be Whitney Huston. That did really make me nervous, even though Whitney Huston wasn't at her peak, in the late 80's she was still "huge" with many hits. So to me sincere disappointment, the traffic into Hollywood was horrible and I became over 1 hour late. To ashamed for being so late, my courage caved in so I never visited you, something I regret to this day. Anyway, if we ever have the change to meet again or at least talk, contact me on my email address above so we can set something up.
From your "Swedish son" Johan
PS. Yes she deserve a Star without a doubt!

” — Johan Öhgren, July 19, 2014 at 2:37 a.m.

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