The story of original Delta Blues guitarist Mississippi John Hurt is one of mystery and heartbreak.  In 1928 he made a groundbreaking record of many Delta Blues tunes and then the Great Depression struck and all the music stopped and he disappeared. 


John had to give up his music career to earn a living, so he became a
farmhand in Avalon, Mississippi.  He worked the land until he happened
to be rediscovered by a book researcher during the the American Blues
revival in the late 1960s. 

Look no further than John to find the direct inspiration for Blues guitarists like Keb Mo’.

Can you imagine living a repressed life for 35 years from one recording to the next?  We lost over three decades of recorded music making from Mississippi John — and while that dead stretch of his life may have enhanced his talent — it more likely didn’t make him any better or more
inspired. 

When an economy sours, the Artist in society suffers first and most and longest.

Here is Mississippi John singing “Lonesome Valley” on a 1960’s television show and his Delta Blues fingerpicking style is so beautiful and enchanting that it makes you cry a little:

Mississippi John Hurt is one of my favorite musical inspirations.  His
Blues is pure.  His heart is golden.  His fingers spin his heartache
into our
fairy tales.

4 Comments

  1. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    Gordon Davidescu says:

    That’s really powerful music, David. Thank you for sharing it with us.

  2. Kathakali Chatterjee – Hyderabad, India – Professionally, I have an interesting concoction of experience -- from entertainment industry to retailing to executive education -- the journey is still on. When I don't work, I love to travel, read, listen to music and watch movies.
    kathakali.chatterjee says:

    I closed my eyes while listening to the music. this is truly a gem. What a loss for the world for 35 years.

  3. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    Powerful and sweet, Gordon. That is the magic of Mississippi John Hurt.

  4. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    He was lost for a generation and a half. We needed him in the history of American music during those lost years to save us from our national demons.

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