If one were to ask virtually any fairly established folk music singer in, let's say, 1968 what country blues musician affected them the most then the subject of this review would win hands down. The list would be long Dave Van Ronk, Geoff Muldaur, Maria Muldaur, Phil Ochs, Chris Smithers, Joan Baez and on and on. Hell, Tom Paxton made a song about him-Did You Hear John Hurt? That song still gets airplay on the folk station around where I live.
So what gives? Why the praise? What gives is this- Mississippi John Hurt and his simple country blues were discovered at a time when many young, mainly white urban musicians were looking for roots music. This search is not anything particularly new- John and Alan Lomax went on the hustings in the 1930's and recorded many of the old country blues artist that were `discovered' in the 1960's. Hell, you can go back further to the 1920's and the record companies themselves were sending out agents to scour the country looking for talent- they found the likes of the Carter Family and Blind Willie McTell along the way.
And what made John Hurt so special? Well, for one very clean, very simple picking on the old guitar. For another that little raspy voice that you had to perk up your ear to if you wanted to hear him. But the big deal really is that he sang songs in a simple country way that reflected the hard life of the Mississippi delta, the hard work of picking cotton, the hard fact of being black in the Jim Crow South and the hard fact of needing some musician entertainment on a hot Saturday night after a hard week in the fields. The flow changed when the blues headed north to Chicago and got electrified but if you want to hear a master at work when the sound was simpler then hear John Hurt, hear him playing Creole Belle. And Joe Turner, Spanish Fandango, Beulah land and the rest.
May 23, 2008I have had this selection on vinyl for many years. As Kavity Killer (Dentist per chance?) notes this album is akin to a spiritual mantra. Mississippi John Hurt was counting days to his promised land when he recorded this music, in all of its profoundness, in 1966. Sometimes we miss the greatest poets in our own life, concentrating instead on sensationalist memorabilia. To listen to this simple music is nye on hearing the angels for any true lover of the folk-blues tradition. Buy it, this is no one just after fame and fortune here. This is timeless.
August 31, 2005 |  | You have to really listen to it. |  |
I listened to this album about five times before I noticed something unusual. The simple songs, the traditional lyrics, the rhythmic guitar, when added up, when listened to with something resembling sensitivity, convey a staggering and intense gentleness and peace. This guy RADIATES peace like some swami or guru. The beauty, though, is that he's not laying any philisophical trip on you. He's just being himself! You can tell that he is really at peace, and listening gives you just a little hint of that same peace in your own soul. He's one of a kind. Thank God for Mississippi John Hurt.
August 30, 2003this is my first written review, and i've chosen to write about this album in particular because it's my favorite. i've been listening to it now for three or four years, and i also play his style of guitar, and this album has just grown and grown on me. he is his own little symphony orchestra, with his voice, his guitar basslines and his treble lines (which usually play the melody) working so well together...it's just music. if you haven't listened to this album (which is one of the best by m.j.h.) then give yourself a treat and do it. i tell you, this is brilliant stuff. another good album of his is the Immortal M.J.H. it truly is immortal. and anyone who says he was a better musician in 1928 as a young man doesn't know what they're talking about. voice more silky, yes, but as a guitarist and all-around singer he IMPROVED dramatically in 35+ years of practice alone on his front porch. please, buy this!
November 25, 2000When I was a small child, sometimes I would lay awake in bed, listening. The adults were still up, laughing, talking, playing music. This is that tantalizing music that I never could quite hear. And it is just as good as I suspected.
November 8, 1999More reviews at Amazon.com ...
