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.
Casey Jones
Mississippi John Hurt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He told his fireman to not to fear
Says, "All I want, my water and my coal
Look out the window, see me drive wheel roll"
Early one mornin' came a shower of rain
'Round the curve I seen a passenger train
In the cabin was Casey Jones
Casey's wife, she got the news
She was sittin' on the bedside, she was lacin' up her shoes
Said, "Go away, children and hold your breath
You're gonna draw a pension after your daddy's dead"
"Children, children, get your hat"
"Mama, Mama, what you mean by that?"
"Get your hat, put it on your head
Go down in town, see if your daddy's dead"
"Mama, mama, oh, how can it be?
My daddy got killed on the old I.C."
"Hush your mouth I said and hold your breath
You're gonna draw a pension after daddy's dead"
Casey said, before he died
Fixed the blinds so the boys can't ride
If they ride, let 'em ride the rod
Trust they lives in the hands of God
Casey Jones was a brave engineer
He told his fireman to not to fear
Says, "All I want, my water and my coal
Look out the window, see me drive wheel roll"
Mississippi John Hurt's "Casey Jones" is a song about the eponymous railroad engineer, who was known to push his train to the limit to make up time. Casey Jones was famous for his skill at the helm of a train, but ultimately died in a collision while trying to make it to his destination on time. The opening lines of the song, "Casey Jones was a brave engineer, he told his fireman to not to fear," establishes Jones as both valiant and fearless. This characterization carries throughout the song, with Jones's bravery being highlighted each time a hurdle is faced.
The song includes the story of Jones leaving his family behind to pursue his life as an engineer. When the message of his passing is delivered, his wife's dialogue shows her strength and perseverance as she sets an example for her children. The song also incorporates the spiritual theme of trusting in the hands of God as Casey Jones fixes the train's blinds and allows the train's fate to ride in the hands of a higher power.
Line by Line Meaning
Casey Jones was a brave engineer
Casey Jones was a courageous locomotive operator
He told his fireman to not to fear
He assured his colleague to not worry
Says, "All I want, my water and my coal
He said he only needed the necessary resources
Look out the window, see me drive wheel roll"
He wanted others to see him drive the train
Early one mornin' came a shower of rain
It was a rainy morning
'Round the curve I seen a passenger train
He saw a train on a curve
In the cabin was Casey Jones
Casey was in the train's cockpit
He's a noble engineer, man but he's dead and gone
He was an honorable engineer but is now deceased
Casey's wife, she got the news
Casey's spouse received the news
She was sittin' on the bedside, she was lacin' up her shoes
She was sitting on the bed putting on shoes
Said, "Go away, children and hold your breath
She told her kids to leave and be quiet
You're gonna draw a pension after your daddy's dead"
They'll receive money after their father's passing
"Children, children, get your hat"
She instructed the children to get their hats
"Mama, Mama, what you mean by that?"
The kids asked her what she meant
"Get your hat, put it on your head
She reiterated her earlier instruction
Go down in town, see if your daddy's dead"
She told them to go into town to see
"Mama, mama, oh, how can it be?
The children were in disbelief
My daddy got killed on the old I.C."
Their father died on the train
"Hush your mouth I said and hold your breath
She shushed them and told them to be quiet
You're gonna draw a pension after daddy's dead"
She reminded them again of their future earnings
Casey said, before he died
Casey spoke before he passed away
Fixed the blinds so the boys can't ride
He made sure that the children could not play with the blinds
If they ride, let 'em ride the rod
If they play, let them play dangerously
Trust they lives in the hands of God
He placed their lives in God's hands
Casey Jones was a brave engineer
He courageously operated a locomotive
He told his fireman to not to fear
He reassured his colleague to stay calm
Says, "All I want, my water and my coal
He expressed that his needs were minimal
Look out the window, see me drive wheel roll"
He wanted others to see him operate the train
Lyrics © WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC.
Written by: JOHN S HURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bill Ruxton
Mr. John never did this tune with the same lyrics twice, but he was always great. The tune is mashed-up in the "folk process" with lots of different verses, and Mr. John used them all, depending on what came to his mind at the time. Such a wonderful old man!
Jim Brinegar
WOW!! This is the first time I've heard the original, this tune came my way thanks to Jerry Garcia. Came into my head out of the blue, glad it did! Thanks for sharing.
Mick B
@LeftLib " gonna draw pension now your daddy's dead" It makes Mrs Casey appear very mercenary .She sued the publisher of the lyrics but unsuccessfully.... the court found it to be protected by the freedom of speech and publication clauses in the US constitution .It seems to have been written by someone with a grudge against the railroads
First Last
Here's a recording of Garcia playing John Hurt's version: https://archive.org/details/gd70-08-05.sbd.jupile.17271.sbeok.shnf/gd1970-08-05-new-t15.shn
Johann Sebastian Bach
Different songs....
LeftLib
@JoshInTuolco The earliest version on You Tube is by Billy Murray. His version was meant to be a comedy song and the final verse is in incredibly bad taste given Casey Jones widow was still alive. But well worth listening to all the same.
JoshInTuolco
That’s how I found it too, on my John Hartford pandora station. Great stuff. At first I was pretty surprised that Garcia showed up there, but he is a pretty awesome bluegrass player. I guess I should have made the connection between his sound and bluegrass, but I didn’t.
Henni Habeck
To Listen to this unique man Had Always been a pleasure. So friendly. Heavenly Sound.
miyamototakahiko
His guitar sounds impressive.It is astonishing that such a man did not become famous until old age.
Alex Bowman
Apparently he arrived home one day in the 60’s being met by reporters due to his redound records.