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.
Candy Man Blues
Mississippi John Hurt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That good sweet candy man's in town
It's the candy man
It's the candy man
He likes a stick of candy just nine inch long
He sells as fast a hog can chew his corn
It's the candy man
She always takes a candy stick to bed
Don't stand close to the candy man
He'll leave a big candy stick in your hand
He sold some candy to sister Bad
The very next day she took all he had
If you try his candy, good friend of mine
You sure will want it for a long long time
His stick candy don't melt away
It just gets better, so the ladies say
The Mississippi John Hurt song "Candy Man" tells the story of an eccentric candy maker who is quite a hit with the ladies. The song is essentially a warning to women who are attracted to the candy man, who is known for leaving a "big candy stick" in their hands. The candy man likes his candy sticks to be "just nine inch long" and is especially popular among the ladies in town. The singer tells the women to be careful not to get too close to the candy man, lest they fall for his charms and become addicted to his candy.
The theme of temptation runs throughout the song. The candy man is a symbol not just of sweet treats but of forbidden pleasures as well. The women are attracted to him precisely because he represents something they're not supposed to have. The candy man isn't just a character in the song; he's an archetype, a representation of the many pleasures that we're drawn to even though we know they may be bad for us. The song warns us about the allure of such pleasures, and the danger of getting too close to them.
In conclusion, Mississippi John Hurt's "Candy Man" is a playful cautionary tale. The song warns of the seductive power of temptation and the danger of getting too close to something we know is bad for us. The lyrics are witty and clever, and the tune is catchy, making it a classic of the blues genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Well all you ladies gather 'round
The Candy Man has arrived and all women are welcome to come around
That good sweet candy man's in town
The Candy Man has arrived to sell his delicious candy
It's the candy man
The man who is referred to as Candy Man
It's the candy man
The man who is referred to as Candy Man
He likes a stick of candy just nine inch long
Candy Man prefers to sell candy sticks that are no more or less than nine inches
He sells as fast a hog can chew his corn
Candy Man sells his candy really fast
It's the candy man
The man who is referred to as Candy Man
All heard what sister Johnson said
Everyone has heard what sister Johnson has to say
She always takes a candy stick to bed
Sister Johnson always carries a candy stick to bed with her
Don't stand close to the candy man
Don't stand too close to Candy Man
He'll leave a big candy stick in your hand
Candy Man will give you a candy stick if you stand too close
He sold some candy to sister Bad
Candy Man sold candy to Sister Bad
The very next day she took all he had
The next day, Sister Bad returned and bought all of Candy Man's candy
If you try his candy, good friend of mine
If you try Candy Man's candy, you will love it
You sure will want it for a long long time
You will never forget the taste of Candy Man's candy
His stick candy don't melt away
Candy Man's stick candy doesn't melt away
It just gets better, so the ladies say
The ladies say that Candy Man's stick candy becomes more delicious with time
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC.
Written by: JOHN S HURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Crys_Vicious1111
Real music. RIP Mississippi John Hurt 💔 🙏
D Evans
He is my absolute favorite💖
Jim Hoffman
had the rare opportunity to see m h h a number of times. the greatest blues performer i ever saw
BlindArthurBlake
You're very fortunate
Jim Hoffman
@BlindArthurBlake i am very fortunate, know that
iMaddatu
Because of this song.. I always ask my friends “Do you wanna hear about the Candy Man?” But at this point, they know what they’re getting into 😏
jaime pedrosa
El mejor!!!
Camilo Restrepo
Great song
Marcus Starr
The good sweet candyman’s in town
Tim Del Vecchio
The candy mannnnnnn