Blues Search Engine: Mississippi John Hurt

Born March 8, 1892, in Teoc, Mississippi, John Hurt and his family moved in 1895 to Avalon, a town on the edge of Mississippi's hill country. He dropped out of school at the age of nine to begin working as a farmer. In 1902, Mississippi John Hurt picked up the guitar, a $1.50 "Black Annie" his mother bought him. Self-taught, Mississippi John Hurt developed a distinctive three-finger style that bears no resemblance to other area musicians. Mississippi John Hurt also developed proficiency with the harmonica but was always a self-accompanied musician. Unlike Furry Lewis and Memphis Minnie, Mississippi John Hurt refused an offer to accompany a traveling medicine show, preferring to stay close to home. Mississippi John Hurt played solo at local parties where his fluid yet highly syncopated guitar style made him a favorite among Carroll County dancers. His fame was localized, however; it was not until 1912 that Mississippi John Hurt started playing parties around Jackson, MI, 103 miles from his native Avalon. While Mississippi John Hurt worked mostly outside music as a farmer and laborer, his musical reputation among whites as well as blacks led to his first recording session in Memphis in 1928. Willie T. Narmour and Shell W. Smith, two white country musicians from Carroll County, recommended him to their record producer, Tommy Rockwell. Mississippi John Hurt recorded eight sides for the Okeh label, two of which were released and sold well: Frankie and Nobody's Dirty Business. In Memphis for the same recording session was St. Louis guitarist/pianist Lonnie Johnson, and Mississippi John Hurt later recalled that Blind Lemon Jefferson and Bessie Smith were also in town. He saw none of these famous musicians play but instead returned home to Avalon. Okeh called Okeh called Mississippi John Hurt to New York City for another session in December 1928, where he cut twelve additional sides, including Avalon Blues. These two sessions were the extent of Mississippi John Hurt's recording before the Great Depression curtailed record sales. His graceful picking, gentle crooning, and homespun lyrics marked him as an exceptionally talented musician. The preponderance of songs about legendary figures in his repertoire (Casey Jones, Frankie, Stack O'Lee Blues) and the lack of then-modern blues influences on his style, establish Mississippi John Hurt as a link between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 1963, he was rediscovered in Avalon, a consequence of having named it as his hometown in a record made thirty-five years before. 1963. He was rediscovered in Avalon, a consequence of having named it as his hometown in a record made thirty-five years before. Mississippi John Hurt enjoyed great popularity during the blues revival of the 1960s, making television appearances, playing folk festivals, and recording albums. Exceptionally well liked by all who came in contact with him, he became the most famous of all the rediscovered 1920s bluesmen, eclipsing in his fame the celebrated Son House and Skip James. His newfound fame lasted three years before his death on November 2, 1966.