Mississippi John Hurt

**"Mississippi" John Smith Hurt** (July 2, 1892, Teoc, Mississippi - November 2, 1966, Grenada, Mississippi) was an American blues singer and guitarist.

## Life

Hurt was raised in Avalon. He tought himself playing guitar at the age of nine. While he was working as a sharecropper, he played at local dances and parties. He did his first recording in 1928 for Okeh Records but was not successful. So he worked on as a sharecropper and played on at the local parties.

Two of Hurt's songs were included in the album _The Anthology of American Folk Music_ and an Australian found a copy of _Avalon Blues_. So the interest in finding John Hurt himself increased. In 1963 Tom Hoskins found him in Avalon and found out that his musical skill was still intact. He brought him to Washington, D. C. He started playing at greater festivals like the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. In his later years he often played in colleges, concert halls, coffee houses and also on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He also recorded three albums for Vanguard Records and recorded most of his songs for the Library of Congress.

Hurt influenced different music genres like  blues, country, bluegrass, folk and contemporary rock and roll.

## Death

Hurt died on November 2, 1966 from a heart attack in Grenada, Mississippi.

## Discography

1. "Frankie" (3:21)- February 24, 1928, Memphis, TN - 400221-B, OK 8560
1. "Nobody's Dirty Business" (2:52)- February 24, 1928, Memphis - 400223-B, OK 8560
1. "Ain't No Tellin'" (2:54)- December 21, 1928, New York City, NY - 401471-A, OK 8560
1. "Louis Collins" (2:57)- December 21, 1928, NYC - 401472-A, OK 8724
1. "Avalon Blues" (3:01)- December 21, 1928, NYC - 401473-B, OK 8759
1. "Big Leg Blues" (2:50)- December 21, 1928, NYC - 401474-B, unissued
1. "Stack O' Lee" (2:55)- December 28, 1928, NYC - 401481-B, OK 8654
1. "Candy Man Blues" (2:44)- December 28, 1928, NYC - 401483-B, OK 8654
1. "Got The Blues (Can't Be Satisfied)" (2:49)- Dec 28, 1928, NYC- 401484-B, OK 8734
1. "Blessed Be The Name" (2:46)- December 28, 1928, NYC - 401485-B, OK 8666
1. "Praying On The Old Camp Ground" (2:35)- Dec 28 1928, NYC- 401486-B, OK 8666
1. "Blue Harvest Blues" (2:51)- December 28, 1928 NYC - 401487-A, OK 8692
1. "Spike Driver Blues" (3:13)- December 28, 1928 NYC - 401488, OK 8692
***Last Sessions - 1966*** (Vanguard)
1. "Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home"
1. "Boys, You're Welcome"
1. "Joe Turner Blues"
1. "First Shot Missed Him"
1. "Farther Along"
1. "Funky Butt"
1. "Spider, Spider"
1. "Waiting For You"
1. "Shortnin' Bread"
1. "Trouble, I've Had It All My Days"
1. "Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me"
1. "Good Morning, Carrie"
1. "Nobody Cares For Me"
1. "All Night Long"
1. "Hey, Honey, Right Away"
1. "You've Got To Die"
1. "Goodnight Irene"

***Mississippi John Hurt 1928 Sessions***  (Yazoo 1065,  Yazoo Records)
|Side 1|Side 2|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|valign=top width=250px|* "Got the Blues Can’t Be Satisfied" * "Louis Collins" * "Blue Harvest Blues" * "Avalon Blues" * "Blessed Be the Name" * "Nobody’s Dirty Business" * Frankie|valign=top width=250px|* Ain’t no tellin’ * Big leg blues * Stack O’Lee blues * Praying on the old camp ground * Spike Driver Blues * Candy Man Blues|

***Worried Blues*** (Piedmont PLP 13161, Piedmont Records)
|Side 1|Side 2|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|valign=top width=250px|* Lazy Blues * Farther along * Sliding delta * Nobody cares for me * Cow hooking blues|valign=top width=250px|* Talkin’ Casey Jones * Weeping and wailing * Worried blues * Oh Mary don’t you weep * I been cryin’ since you been gone|

***Mississippi John Hurt Today*** (VSD-79220, Vanguard Records)
|Side 1|Side 2|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|valign=top width=250px|* Payday * I’m satisfied * Candy man * Make me a pallet on the floor * Talkin’ Casey Jones * Corrina, Corrina|valign=top width=250px|* Coffee blues * Louis Collins * Hot time in the old town tonight * If you don’t want me. Baby * Spike driver blues * Beulah land|

***Mississippi John Hurt Last Sessions***  (VSD-79327, Vanguard Records)
|Side 1|Side 2|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|valign=top width=250px|* Poor boy long ways from home * Boys, you’re welcome * Joe Turner blues * First shot missed him * Farther along * Spider, spider * Waiting for you * Shortnin’ bread|valign=top width=250px|* Trouble, I’ve had it all my days * Let the mermaids flirt with me * Good mornin’, Carrie * Nobody cares for me * All night long * Hey, Honey, right away * You’ve got to die * Goodnight, Irene|

***The Best of Mississippi John Hurt***   (VSD-19/20, Vanguard Records)
Recorded live at Oberlin College April 15, 1966
|Side 1|Side 2|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|valign=top width=250px|* Here I am, Oh Lord, send me * I shall not be moved * Nearer my God to thee * Baby what’s wrong with you * It ain’t nobody’s business|valign=top width=250px|* Salty dog blues * Coffee blues * Avalon, my home town * Make me a pallet on the floor * Since I’ve laid this burden down|
|Side 3|Side 4|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|valign=top width=250px|* Sliding delta * Monday morning blues * Richland women blues * Candy man * Stagolee|valign=top width=250px|* My creole belle * CC rider * Spanish Fandango * Talking casey * Chicken * You are my sunshine|

***The Candy Man***  (QS 5042, Quicksilver Records)
|Side 1|Side 2|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|valign=top width=250px|* Richland women blues * Trouble, I’ve had it all my days * Chicken * Coffee blues * Monday morning blues|valign=top width=250px|* Frankie and Albert * Talking Casey * Here I am, Oh Lord, send me * Hard time in the old town tonight * Spike driver blues|

***Volume One of a Legacy*** (CLPS 1068, Piedmont Records)
|Side 1|Side 2|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|valign=top width=250px|* Trouble, I’ve had it all my days * Pera Lee * See See rider * Louis Collins * Coffee blues * Nobody’s dirty business * Do Lord remember me * Monday morning blues|valign=top width=250px|* Let the mermaids flirt with me * Payday * Stack-o-lee blues * Casey Jones * Frankie and Albert|

***Folk Songs and Blues*** (PLP 13757, Piedmont Records)
|Side 1|Side 2|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|valign=top width=250px|* Avalon blues * Richland woman blues * Spike driver blues * Salty dog * Cow hooking blues * Spanish Fandang|valign=top width=250px|* Casey Jones * Louis Collins * Candy Man Blues * My Creole belle * Liza Jane – God’s unchanging hand * Joe Turner blues|

## Other websites

- Mississippi John Hurt Museum  Includes a link to a discussion forum regarding Mississippi John Hurt with substantive participation by grand nephew, Fred Bolden.
- Mississippi John Hurt News  Website run by John's grand nephew, Fred Bolden. Has several forums and discussions open to the public.
- Illustrated Mississippi John Hurt discography
- Available recordings at The Internet Archive
- [ Allmusic]
- Mississippi John Hurt's Stackolee  Recording, sheet music and guitar tab.

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **image**: M John Hurt.jpg
- **caption**: Mississippi John Hurt recording for the Library of Congress 1964
- **name**: Mississippi John Hurt
- **background**: solo_singer
- **birth name**: John Smith Hurt
- **birth place**: Teoc, Mississippi, United States, US
- **death place**: Grenada, Mississippi, US
- **instrument**: guitar, vocals
- **genre**: Piedmont blues
- **occupation**: musician
- **years active**: 1920s - 1960s
- **label**: Okeh
Vanguard
- **url**: http://www.msjohnhurtmuseum.com/