1928 Sessions
Mississippi John Hurt recorded 13 country-blues songs for the Okeh Electric Records company in 1928. Then he vanished. Actually, he never left his hometown of Avalon, Mississippi. He simply put the guitar down. It was the Great Depression, times were tough, money was scarce, and he needed to work. Nearly 30 years later, a blues enthusiast tracked him down and took him back to Washington, D.C. Suddenly, Mississippi John's musical career resumed as quickly as it had been halted. These first songs cut in the late 1920s, however, represent Hurt in his youthful prime; the 1928 recordings represent the greatest presentation of his melancholy voice and hypnotic guitar playing.--Percy Keegan