MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT
Mississippi John Hurt played the blues in a gentle, playful way; one might
even say he played "happy blues". He had a unique style of combining
complex, ragtime-like guitar fingering with a soft, friendly singing voice.
Born in Teoc, Mississippi in 1892, Mississippi John Hurt spent his life
as a tenant farmer, but always played music on the side. He made a little extra
money here and there playing at dances and in 1928 was approached by
a music scout from Okeh Records to do some recordings. Hurt ended up
recording 13 songs which didn't sell well, then in 1929 the Depression set in
and brought the whole record industry to a halt. He was virtually forgotten, until
Harry Smith discovered Hurt's music and placed two of his songs on the classic
"Anthology Of American Folk Music" released by Folkways in 1952. In 1963
two fans of the "Anthology" went looking for their hero and found the 71-year-old
Hurt farming as usual in Avalon, Mississippi. They convinced him to do some more
recordings and even to play at the Newport and Philidelphia Folk Festival. He
enjoyed three years of great admiration and recognition until his death in 1966.
LOGGS favorite MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT songs:
Stack O' Lee, Spike Driver Blues
