Mississippi John Hurt is considered “one of the most revered of all the Delta players,” and one of the finest exponents of the Country Blues. He was born in 1893 in Teoc, Mississippi, but always considered Avalon, Mississippi his home town. Years later, a line from one of his songs attesting to that fact (“Avalon’s my hometown, always on my mind…”) would change his life!
In 1928, when John Hurt was 35 years old, he made 13 recordings for Okeh records, first in Memphis and later in New York City. Unfortunately, after some of his 78’s became available, he didn’t become well known or successful. The beginning of the Great Depression was certainly a factor- people had very little money to spend on records, and record companies were not inclined to spend money to promote records. So, John Hurt went back to work on a farm in his home region.
In 1952, a few of John Hurt’s Okeh recordings were included in the “Anthology of American Folk Music.” Importantly, this made his music available to a whole new generation of listeners. Eventually, one of those listeners, a Northern blues fan, found Mr. Hurt in his “home town” of Avalon- just like the song said! Consequently, John Hurt’s “rediscovery” coincided with the “folk revival” of the early 60’s.
The life of a musician can be fraught with ups, downs, disappointments, and blind alleys. Tom Hoskins, that same Northern Blues fan, became John Hurt’s manager. The contract Hurt signed with Music Research Incorporated (Hoskins and others) is controversial. It might be considered a fairly standard contract for the time, except that it granted Hoskins 50% of John Hurt’s royalties “from all sources.” People associated with Hurt at that time have varied opinions about how the details of the contract were actually administered, but one word that inevitably surfaces is “exploitation.”
Nevertheless, John Hurt toured the country, performing at prestigious festivals such as the Newport Folk Festival. He also toured Europe and other parts of the world. Mississippi John Hurt made numerous recordings, most notably with Vanguard Records, until July of 1966. During this time, John Hurt recorded 90 songs for the Library of Congress, and appeared on the “Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson!
I spoke with Mary Frances Hurt, John Hurt’s granddaughter, and the Founder and President of the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation. She decried the fact that most of the people who write about her grandfather rarely contact the family- the people that knew him best! She stated that such writers neglect to think of Mississippi John Hurt as having a “mother and a father, a wife, three children, and 14 grandchildren.” It seems that some fans are more intrigued by the legendary story of his “rediscovery,” than by the life of an actual human being. Ms. Hurt was passionate in saying that the TRUE story of Mississippi John Hurt’s life has yet to be written.
John Hurt’s granddaughter fondly remembers family occasions when her grandfather played music for the children. She recalls that he would play songs like “Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me” and “Chicken,” but of course, none of his bawdy songs like “Candyman.” She remembers a quiet, thoughtful man, who chose his words carefully. He didn’t say much, but when he did- people listened!
For guitarists and musicians in “the know,” John Hurt is considered a virtuoso. His use of rhythmic alternating bass, along with the melody line and other embellishments, are more similar in approach to a jazz or “ragtime” piano player than a guitarist. The syncopated integration of the two contrasting parts takes skill, and a lot of practice!
Mississippi John Hurt passed away in Granada, Mississippi on November 2, 1966, at the age of 73. A line from one of his songs demonstrates the humor
and poetry that can be found in his music: “When my earthly trials are over, cast my body into the sea, save all the undertaker’s bills and let the mermaids flirt with me! (From “Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me”)
Sources:
Doggett, P. and Woodward, J. (Editors) (2001), Bill Wyman’s Blues Odyssey, DK Publishing, Inc.
King, Chris Thomas (2021) The Blues: The Authentic Narrative of my Music and Culture, Chicago Review Press Incorporated.
Ratcliffe, Philip R. (2011) Mississippi John Hurt: His Life, His Times, His Blues, University Press of Mississippi.
For more books about John Hurt or to listen to his music on CD search the catalog.
Coming Soon: A documentary film entitled “Hurt- A Mississippi Inspiration.” For more information, visit the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation: http://www.msjohnhurtfoundation.org
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