John Smith Hurt, commonly known as Mississippi John Hurt was born in the
early 1890's and is one of those legendary blues singers of the same
generation at Son House, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Lemon Jefferson and
Charlie Patton. He started playing guitar at age 9 and worked on and off
as a sharecropper, recording for Okeh and Vanguard Records but the
resurgence of his career came when he was invited to play at the 1963
Newport Folk Festival.
This excellent concert recording from a performance at Oberlin College
in 1965, less than 2 years before his death, came at a time when
Mississippi John Hurt was coming back into the blues spotlight and being
discovered by a new generation of fans. Hurt's rich, gentle voice and
relaxed, flowing guitar lines could soothe the stormiest Monday. Among
the hymns and traditional songs heard here are "The Angel's Laid Him
Away" and "Here I Am, Oh Lord, Send Me". Complementing those are Hurt
folk/blues staples, notably "Salty Dog" "Coffee Blues," and "Monday
Morning Blues." While not showcasing the raw emotion of his earlier
work, the blues patriarch's warmth and intimacy shine through here,
especially during his exchanges with his audience.
This performance offered Hurt's fine balance of child-like and mature,
his voice mellow and his skill in the technically difficult art of
finger-picking never diminished.
John Smith Hurt, commonly known as Mississippi John Hurt was born in the
early 1890's and is one of those legendary blues singers of the same
generation at Son House, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Lemon Jefferson and
Charlie Patton. He started playing guitar at age 9 and worked on and off
as a sharecropper, recording for Okeh and Vanguard Records but the
resurgence of his career came when he was invited to play at the 1963
Newport Folk Festival.
This excellent concert recording from a performance at Oberlin College
in 1965, less than 2 years before his death, came at a time when
Mississippi John Hurt was coming back into the blues spotlight and being
discovered by a new generation of fans. Hurt's rich, gentle voice and
relaxed, flowing guitar lines could soothe the stormiest Monday. Among
the hymns and traditional songs heard here are "The Angel's Laid Him
Away" and "Here I Am, Oh Lord, Send Me". Complementing those are Hurt
folk/blues staples, notably "Salty Dog" "Coffee Blues," and "Monday
Morning Blues." While not showcasing the raw emotion of his earlier
work, the blues patriarch's warmth and intimacy shine through here,
especially during his exchanges with his audience.
This performance offered Hurt's fine balance of child-like and mature,
his voice mellow and his skill in the technically difficult art of
finger-picking never diminished.
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