Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine. Singing to a melodious finger-picked accompaniment, he began to play local dances and parties while working as a sharecropper. He first recorded for Okeh Records in 1928, but these were commercial failures. Hurt then drifted out of the recording scene, and he continued his work as a farmer. Tom Hoskins, a blues enthusiast, would be the first to locate Hurt in 1963. He convinced Hurt to relocate to Washington, D.C., where he was recorded by the Library of Congress in 1964. This rediscovery helped further the American folk music revival, which had led to the rediscovery of many other bluesmen of Hurt's era. Hurt entered the same university and coffeehouse concert circuit as his contemporaries, as well as other Delta blues musicians brought out of retirement. As well as playing concerts, he recorded several studio albums for Vanguard Records.
Born John Smith Hurt in Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi (there is confusion about his date of birth, but the grave marker mentions March 8, 1892) and raised in Avalon, Mississippi, he learned to play guitar at age nine. He was completely self-taught, stealthily playing the guitar of a friend of his mother's, who often stayed at the Hurt home while courting a lady who lived near by. His style was not reminiscent of any other style being played at the time; it was the way Hurt "thought the guitar should sound". He spent much of his youth playing old time music for friends and dances, earning a living as a farmhand into the 1920s. His fast, highly syncopated style of playing made his music adept for dancing. On occasion, a medicine show would come through the area; Hurt recalls being wanted by one of them. "One of them wanted me, but I said no because I just never wanted to get away from home." In 1923 he partnered with the fiddle player Willie Narmour as a substitute for his regular partner Shell Smith.
When Narmour got a chance to record for Okeh Records as a prize for winning first place in a 1928 fiddle contest, he recommended Hurt to Okeh Records producer Tommy Rockwell. After auditioning "Monday Morning Blues" at his home, he took part in two recording sessions, in Memphis and New York City (see Discography below). While in Memphis, Hurt recalled seeing "many, many blues singers ... Lonnie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bessie Smith, and lots, lots more." Hurt described his first recording session as such:
... a great big hall with only the three of us in it: me, the man [Rockwell], and the engineer. It was really something. I sat on a chair, and they pushed the microphone right up to my mouth and told me that I couldn't move after they had found the right position. I had to keep my head absolutely still. Oh, I was nervous, and my neck was sore for days after.
Hurt attempted further negotiations with Okeh to record again, but after the commercial failure of the resulting records, and Okeh Records going out of business during the Great Depression, Hurt returned to Avalon and obscurity, working as a sharecropper and playing local parties and dances.
After Hurt's renditions of "Frankie" and "Spike Driver Blues" were included in The Anthology of American Folk Music in 1952, and an Australian man discovered a copy of "Avalon Blues", there became increased interest in finding Hurt himself. In 1963, a folk musicologist, Tom Hoskins, supervised by Richard Spottswood, was able to locate Hurt near Avalon, Mississippi using the lyrics of "Avalon Blues":
Avalon, my home town, always on my mind/Avalon, my home town.
While in Avalon, Hoskins convinced an apprehensive Hurt to perform several songs for him, to ensure that he was genuine. Hoskins was convinced, and seeing that Hurt's guitar playing skills were still intact, Hoskins encouraged him to move to Washington, D.C., and begin performing on a wider stage. His performance at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival saw his star rise amongst the new folk revival audience. Before his death he played extensively in colleges, concert halls, coffee houses and also on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, as well as recording three further albums for Vanguard Records. Much of his repertoire was recorded for the Library of Congress, also. His fans particularly liked the ragtime songs "Salty Dog" and "Candy Man", and the blues ballads "Spike Driver Blues" (a variant of "John Henry") and "Frankie".
Hurt incorporated a fast, pick-less, syncopated fingerpicking style that he taught himself. He was influenced by very few people; but did recall an elderly, unrecorded, blues singer from that area, Rufus Hanks, who played twelve-string guitar and harmonica. He also recalled listening to the country singer Jimmie Rodgers. On occasion, Hurt would use an open tuning and a slide, as he did in his arrangement of "The Ballad of Casey Jones".
Hurt's influence spanned several music genres including blues, country, bluegrass, folk and contemporary rock and roll. A soft-spoken man, his nature was reflected in the work, which consisted of a mellow mix of country, blues and old time music.
Material recorded by Hurt has been re-released by many record labels over the years (see discography); and his influence has extended over many generations of guitarists. Songs recorded by Hurt have been covered by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Beck, Doc Watson, John McCutcheon, Taj Mahal, Bruce Cockburn, David Johansen, Bill Morrissey and Gillian Welch.
Hurt died on November 2nd, 1966, of a heart attack in Grenada, Mississippi.
There is now a memorial in Avalon, Mississippi for Mississippi John Hurt. It is parallel to RR2, the rural road on which he grew up.
American singer-songwriter Tom Paxton, who met Hurt and played on the same bill as him at the Gaslight in Greenwich Village around 1963, wrote and recorded a song about him in 1977 entitled "Did You Hear John Hurt?" Paxton still frequently plays this song at his live performances.
The first track of John Fahey's 1968 solo acoustic guitar album Requia is entitled "Requiem For John Hurt". Fahey's posthumous live album The Great Santa Barbara Oil Slick also features a version of the piece, there entitled "Requiem For Mississippi John Hurt".
British folk/blues artist Wizz Jones recorded a tribute song called "Mississippi John" for his 1977 album Magical Flight.
13. Nearer My God To Thee
Mississippi John Hurt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E'en tho' it be a cross that raiseth me
Still all my song shall be, nearer my God, to Thee,
Nearer my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee.
Tho' like the wanderer, the sun gone down
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone
Yet in my dreams I'd be, nearer my God, to Thee,
Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky
Sun, moon and stars forgot, upwards I fly
Still all my song shall be, nearer my God, to Thee,
Nearer my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee.
Nearer my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee
The song "Nearer My God to Thee" by Mississippi John Hurt is a spiritual song, which speaks about the desire to be closer to God. It begins with the repetition of the phrase "Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee!" which emphasizes the yearning to be closer to God. The first verse speaks about how the singer is willing to endure the difficulties and challenges of life, represented by the metaphor of the cross that raises him up, in order to achieve the goal of being closer to God. He proclaims that his life's song will always be to get nearer to God.
The second verse introduces the imagery of darkness and restlessness, which could represent the struggles and hardships of life that sometimes lead to feelings of despair or loneliness. However, the singer asserts that even in his troubled dreams, he still desires to be closer to God. Finally, the third verse describes the possibility of soaring towards God, symbolized by the soaring flight of a bird or angel. Even in this moment of great joy and transcendence, the singer's focus remains fixed on getting nearer to God.
In summary, the song "Nearer My God to Thee" is a spiritual declaration that seeks to strengthen one's faith and deepens one's relationship with God, even amidst the difficulties of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee!
I long to be closer to God and feel His presence always.
E'en tho' it be a cross that raiseth me
Even though I may face many trials and challenges that make me feel broken, they bring me closer to God.
Still all my song shall be, nearer my God, to Thee,
No matter what happens, I will continue to praise and strive to be closer to God.
Nearer my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee.
My ultimate goal is to be even closer to God, no matter the circumstances.
Tho' like the wanderer, the sun gone down
Even in my darkest moments, when I feel lost like a wanderer with no direction, I know that God is with me.
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone
When the world around me is full of darkness and despair, and I have nowhere to rest, I turn to God to find comfort and peace.
Yet in my dreams I'd be, nearer my God, to Thee,
Even in my dreams and aspirations, my goal is to grow closer to God and feel His love and guidance always.
Or if on joyful wing, cleaving the sky
If I am fortunate enough to experience joy and happiness, I will still seek to grow closer to God.
Sun, moon and stars forgot, upwards I fly
Even when the world and all of its distractions fade away, I will continue to reach for God and soar towards Him.
Still all my song shall be, nearer my God, to Thee,
My heart and soul will always be filled with praise and devotion for God.
Nearer my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee.
The ultimate desire of my heart is to draw ever nearer to God and experience His infinite love and grace.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TRADITIONAL, LUTHER HENDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lili T
God speaks through music like this, I believe