There are many works about John Henry's life, the story that grew around him, and the music. Steel Drivin' Man, a site dedicated to a 1995 radio documentary funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. The site provides opportunities to hear excerpts from the documentary, review the legend, access additional listings of print resources and samplings of music.
Site offers photographs, an opportunity to download movie samples ad a sound file of the narration.
Read or post. Featured Folk Artist John Cephas - Hear Cephas singing John Henry or check out the site's background on the legend and the song. Abstract of an analysis of theatrical productions focusing on the John Henry legend. The resources section is especially helpful. A little hard to find, this book should be available at most major libraries.