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.
Salty Dog
Mississippi John Hurt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey, hey, hey, you salty dog
Said, the big fish, little fish swimmin' in the water
Come back here, man, gimme my quarter
Says, God made a woman, he made 'em mighty funny
The lips 'round her mouth, just as sweet as any honey
Said, the scardest I ever was in my life
Uncle Bud like to caught me kissin' his wife
Hey, hey, you salty dog
[Incomprehensible]
You salty dog
Salty dog
The song Salty Dog by Mississippi John Hurt is a blues song that is filled with metaphors, mostly revolving around the life of a dog. The repeated lines of “Hey, hey, hey, you salty dog” give it a catchy and playful tone. The song talks about the value of small things, such as a quarter, and the consequences of losing them. The lyrics say, “Said, the big fish, little fish swimmin' in the water, Come back here, man, gimme my quarter”. This suggests that even small amounts of money are important and not easily given up.
Mississippi John Hurt then compares women to honey, saying, “Says, God made a woman, he made 'em mighty funny, The lips 'round her mouth, just as sweet as any honey”. He implies that women are attractive and sweet. He then goes on to tell a story about how he was caught kissing someone's wife. The line “Said, the scardest I ever was in my life, Uncle Bud like to caught me kissin' his wife” suggests that Uncle Bud was furious at the betrayal. The song then continues with incomprehensible lines and concludes with the line “You salty dog”, reinforcing the playful and lighthearted tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
You salty dog
Addressing someone who is charming but cunning and possibly untrustworthy.
Hey, hey, hey, you salty dog
Repeating the address, emphasizing the singer's friendly disposition towards the called out person.
Said, the big fish, little fish swimmin' in the water
Tells about the prey-predator relationship in nature.
Come back here, man, gimme my quarter
The artist is owed money and is trying to collect it.
Said, God made a woman, he made 'em mighty funny
The artist is commenting on the peculiarity of the female species.
The lips 'round her mouth, just as sweet as any honey
The singer notes the attractiveness of the female's lips.
Hey, hey, hey, you salty dog
Repeating the address, emphasizing the singer's friendly disposition towards the called out person.
Said, the scardest I ever was in my life
The artist recalls a moment of great fear.
Uncle Bud like to caught me kissin' his wife
The reason behind the artist's fear is revealed in the juxtaposition of him being caught kissing his uncle's wife.
Hey, hey, you salty dog
Repeating the address, emphasizing the artist's friendly disposition towards the called out person.
[Incomprehensible]
The lyrics are indecipherable or missing.
You salty dog
Addressing someone who is charming but cunning and possibly untrustworthy.
Salty dog
Repeating the address, emphasizing the singer's friendly disposition towards the called out person.
Lyrics © WYNWOOD MUSIC CO. INC.
Written by: JOHN S HURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cfrancis558
I remember this generation and the people of it well. Simple people with candor and character. I was raised in the era with songs and folks like this as my elders which I was taught to respect, I'm glad to have lived as a child to see the era. Even the '70's were nice with musicians such as Peter Paul and Mary. What has happened in the past several decades is not what was once sang about. I miss my these times past, I'm thankful to you tube and the likes that can connects me to them again...
@soultylive
You can feel so much the rock'n roll groove in that song already! MJH was really the father of modern folk/blues/rock genres. What an heritage and lucky we are to still be able to listen/see his timeless performance.
@markwdubin
My wife and I were on one of our first dates in 1963 and it was not going well--I was trying to impress too hard. Then we somehow found and went into a small "folk cafe" in Wash DC named the Ontario Place. Not many people were there EXCEPT for THIS wonderful and amazing man performing so matter of factly, and gracious in shaking our hands, At that moment she and I knew we were on the same *wavelength". Thanks Mississippi John!
@danthebeachman
I love Mississippi John Hurt...he's an original..and there's nothing like him out there.. I love listening to his simple way of playing and singing.. What a guy!
@danjoebak
I was trying to watch some videos of English actor John Hurt and discovered Mississippi John Hurt. Oh shit yeah, this is my night!
@cwood1946
He performed at the the Ontario Place coffeehouse in the early '60s. I sat as close to him as I could to learn his finger picking style. I still play his songs...
@rodsreel
Mississippi John was known as a real gentleman and friendly down to earth man, always just being himself a hard working man who played the blues. The absolute real deal when it came to playing working and living the blues. We are blessed with such characters. Cheers for the upload.
@MrPj74
Mississippi J. Hurt is probably one of my favorite musicians of all time
@Muziekgenot
His music reflects a time long gone. Life was tough, bare and shabby and the feelings authentic and pure.
@dandyu
could listen to this giant of a singer all day love music n picking