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.
C.C. Rider
Mississippi John Hurt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
C C Rider, you see what you done done
You C C Rider, you see what you done done
You done made me love you and now your man done come
My home is on the water, I don't like no land at all
Home's on the water and I don't like no land at all
My home's on the water and I don't like no land at all
I'd rather be dead than to stay here and be your dog
C C Rider, you see what you done done
You C C Rider, you see what you done done
You done made me love you and now your man done come
The Mississippi John Hurt's song C.C. Rider is a lament of a man who has fallen in love with a woman from his hometown. While the man is someone who prefers to live on water and considers any land unpleasant, he has been smitten by a woman who has been able to make him fall in love in spite of his penchant for water. However, their love is short-lived as the woman's partner has come back and her loyalty beckons her to go back to him, causing the man to be heartbroken. The song is a reflection of how one can fall in love with someone and yet, it could be over in a blink of an eye, and how love can be as fickle as the waves on which the singer prefers to live.
The song is a classic blues song that was written by Ma Rainey and first recorded in 1924. The song has since been covered by many artists such as Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, and Chuck Willis. In fact, Elvis Presley's version of the song was his first single to be released under his own name. The song has been inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame as a Classic Blues Recordings.
Line by Line Meaning
You C C Rider, see what you done done
Hey, you C C Rider, look at the consequences of your actions
C C Rider, you see what you done done
C C Rider, you should know what you've done
You C C Rider, you see what you done done
C C Rider, you need to acknowledge what you've done
You done made me love you and now your man done come
You made me fall in love with you and now your man has come back, causing problems
My home is on the water, I don't like no land at all
I prefer living on the water rather than on land
Home's on the water and I don't like no land at all
My ideal residence is on water, not on land
My home's on the water and I don't like no land at all
Water is where I belong, land doesn't suit me
I'd rather be dead than to stay here and be your dog
I would rather die than be subservient to you
So you C C Rider, see what you done done
Therefore, you C C Rider, should reflect on the impact of your actions
C C Rider, you see what you done done
C C Rider, you need to recognize the consequences of your actions
You C C Rider, you see what you done done
Come on, C C Rider, understand what you've done
You done made me love you and now your man done come
You caused me to fall in love with you and now your partner has returned
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN S HURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patrick Evans
did I hear someone say this was simple guitar....then try playing it.. I can say for certain its anything and everything but simple, but it can be figured out what John hurt was doing to get his chords and that is the fun of it, the figuring. what (is) his odd technique, for chord structuring,
there's that thumb over for 5th string of the G7 maj chord , very clever
so as he can get at the little melody trick on the 2nd and 3rd strings.. that little bit of flash.
there's also another trick but I'm keeping that one a secret.. yeah and that one is just shouting
saying can you hear me ringing out yes an he uses that in a number of his tunes .
And that thumb over is a kind of trademark thing that John uses and it hidden in plain sight.
it's how he keeps the strict tempo of his tunes and odd sounding chords and micro rhythm's
you end up only hearing when you try to play alongside him.
there are great things to be found in listening to Mr John Hurt (just love his smug smile the old devil)
so many ideas can be gleened about the steal strung acoustic guitar
oh! and on this tune Mr Hurt has the guitar tuned 3 half steps down and capo'd at the 2nd fret
so as to get that very mellow sweet sounding string tone on the 2nd and 3rd strings
MrJimc2
What a disgrace that this video only has 13 likes and 2078 views! This heaven sent music is eternal; almost holy in content simplistic beauty. The near total lack of interest or mere existence of this treasure shows the true mental and spiritual condition of 21st century America.
ScoriacTears
It's almost certainly because of the lazy video editing, which you must agree is annoying at it's least, and maybe seizure inducing to some, non of the numbers should suprise anyone, only reason I thumbed it up is because I do like the song, and I'm thinking now 'does this upload deserve a thumb up'.
Estelle self
@ScoriacTears Music is to be listened to not seen! At least the sight should never affect the sound. These days certainly make that 80s song make more and more sense…” Video killed the Radio Star”! Nowadays many people are judging a song by the corresponding visual presentation! What a shame. Remember the old saying…” never judge a book by it’s cover “?
jeff mead
on a brighter note , when folk here it fer the first time.....
John Hausmann
lol, chill out. The worth of the world is not tallied in thumbs up.
Chuck Jeffery
John Hurt is a National Treasure. Not only that, he made wonderful music.
Drew Badger
Such a great recording ❤️
Gary Barnett
I want to personally thank Traveler for putting this on here I totally dig this track and that's coming from a Memphian born and raised in Memphis Tennessee Birth place of Rock and Roll home of The Blues Baby...❤️😎🎸
Danny Adams
Damn, what a great performance and an amazing song!
CC Rider
Simply Beautiful!