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.
Short'nin' Bread
Mississippi John Hurt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
Three little children layin' in the bed
Two were sick and the other 'most dead
Sent for the doctor, the doctor said
"Feed those children on shortnin' bread"
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
When those children layin' in the bed
Heard that talk about shortnin' bread
They popped up well and started to sing
Skipping 'round the room doing the pigeon wing
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
Put on the skillet
Put on the lid
Mamma's going to make some shortnin' bread
That's not all she's going to do
Mamma's going to cook us some cocoa too
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
I snuck to the kitchen, picked up the lid
I filled my pockets full of shortnin' bread
I winked at the pretty little girl and said
"Baby, how'd you like some shortnin' bread"
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
Got caught with the skillet
Got caught with the lid
Got caught with my mouth full of shortnin' bread
Six months for the skillet, six months for the lid
Six months in the jail eatin' shortnin' bread
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
"Shortnin' Bread" was originally a nursery rhyme in the late 19th century. Mississippi John Hurt's version of the song has additional verses that describe the healing powers of shortbread, emphasizing its importance in African American culture. Essentially, the song tells the story of three sick children who are given shortbread by the doctor as a remedy. The children love the shortbread so much that they start dancing around the room and singing, and even the child who was very ill recovers. The song also describes the making of the shortbread and the consequences of stealing it.
The lyrics of the song illustrate a simple but powerful theme that depicts the significance of delicious food in bringing joy and creating a sense of community. The song highlights the healing and nurturing properties of food, particularly with "[t]hose little children layin' in the bed." Through the act of making shortbread, Mississippi John Hurt highlights the role of food in caring for the sick and depicts this as a celebratory act. However, the song also highlights the tension between desire and consequences, leading up to the singer getting caught stealing shortbread and being punished for it.
Line by Line Meaning
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin', shortnin'
The child of the mother in the song enjoys eating shortnin' bread.
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin' bread
The child of the mother in the song loves eating the pastry snack known as shortnin' bread.
Three little children layin' in the bed
There were three young kids lying in bed.
Two were sick and the other 'most dead
Of the three children, two were ill and the other was almost on the brink of death.
Sent for the doctor, the doctor said
The mother called for the doctor, who gave instructions.
"Feed those children on shortnin' bread"
The doctor recommended that the children be fed shortnin' bread to help them recover.
When those children layin' in the bed
While the young kids were still in bed, recovering.
Heard that talk about shortnin' bread
When they heard about the suggestion of eating shortnin' bread.
They popped up well and started to sing
The children became suddenly and notably better, and began to sing with joy and energy.
Skipping 'round the room doing the pigeon wing
The kids danced playfully, using a casual dance move called the pigeon wing.
Put on the skillet
The mother began heating up a skillet on the stove.
Put on the lid
She also took out a lid to use with the skillet.
Mamma's going to make some shortnin' bread
She started to prepare a batch of shortnin' bread for her children to eat.
That's not all she's going to do
In addition to making the pastry, the mother planned to do something else.
Mamma's going to cook us some cocoa too
She also planned to make cocoa to go with the shortnin' bread.
I snuck to the kitchen, picked up the lid
One of the people in the story secretly went to the kitchen and picked up the lid to the skillet.
I filled my pockets full of shortnin' bread
That person proceeded to fill their pockets with shortnin' bread, taking more than their share.
I winked at the pretty little girl and said
They saw and flirted with a fellow child and said to them,
"Baby, how'd you like some shortnin' bread"
I offered the shortnin' bread to the other child.
Got caught with the skillet
The person who took extra shortnin' bread was caught in the act by the mother in charge of the skillet.
Got caught with the lid
They were likewise caught with the lid in tow.
Got caught with my mouth full of shortnin' bread
The person was eating the snack when caught.
Six months for the skillet, six months for the lid
As punishment, the person was sentenced to six months for each theft: one for the skillet, and one for the lid.
Six months in the jail eatin' shortnin' bread
The person was imprisoned, and their diet in jail consisted mainly of shortnin' bread.
Writer(s): Louis Clark, Kris Ife, Traditional
Contributed by Sydney W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.