An extremely versatile singer and performer with extensive stage credentials alongside her vocal skills, Linda Hopkins was a major artist beginning in the early '50s. She recorded classic, traditional, and urban blues as well as R&B and soul, jazz, and show tunes, all with distinction and style. Hopkins long idolized Bessie Smith and won critical plaudits for her rendition of Smith in the theatrical presentation Jazz Train. She recorded for numerous labels but only earned one chart hit, a duet with Jackie Wilson for Brunswick in 1963. "Shake a Hand" narrowly missed the R&B Top 20, peaking at number 21. She remained active for decades, but with only a limited amount of material in circulation, especially on domestic U.S. labels. Hopkins died in April 2017 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the age of 92. ~ Ron Wynn