Mississipi John Hurt
by Nathan Wirth
It is unfortunate that Hurt does not have more recordings available, but those that do exist are all worth getting. The Music Archive recommends the following releases:
BIO
Of all the many blues personalities that have bared their souls over the years, Mississippi John Hurt has 
to be the most soothing to listen to. His unique picking style-- copied by anyone who has ever ventured into the world of folk music-- is simply delightful-- and his voice is as smooth as a fine, well-aged wine. It is hard to believe that Hurt walked into a studio in 1927, recorded an album, and then vanished until he was rediscovered in the 1960's. Hurt became the darling of the American folk scene in the Sixties and inspired all types of musicians-- from Bob Dylan to Dave Von Ronk, Jerry Garcia Doc Watson, Bill Morrisey and so many others. Hurt's music, often categorized as country blues, truly walks the line between folk and blues-- bringing the best of what both have to offer. Hurt was not just a master musician, but also a wonderful songwriter and storyteller and his music is instantly relateable with its low-down dirty tales of betrayed hearts and tragic deaths. One must be very thankful that in 1963 Tom Hoskins traveled to Avalon, Mississippi in the hopes of finding the man who had recorded only one record in 1928-- and even more so, that Hoskins convinced Hurt to record more! Hurt died in 1966 at the age of 74. And while it is essentially a cliche to say that his music lives on . . . there is no denying that, indeed, it does.
Recommended Recordings
Complete Studio Recordings is a three-disc set that combines all of the studio recording previously available on Vanguard Records: Today (released in 1966), The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt (released in 1967), and Last Sessions (released in 1966). The collection offers a wonderful overview of the many songs that Hurt would play at festivals and concerts during the years of his rather sudden popularity. The recordings are excellent as are the performances. The collection also features a wonderful booklet-- filled with tons of information. This is as good a place as any to start!
All three recordings released by Rounder Records are essential to any blues collection! The first two, Worried Blues and Avalon Blues, are taken from the very first studio recordings Hurt did for Piedmont records right after he was rediscovered at the age of 71 by Tom Hoskins in 1963. Hurt's delightful fingerpicking and soothing voice are wonderfully preserved on these recording. The third release by Rounder, Legend, are taken from some very informal recordings in 1963 and 1964. These tracks have a live feeling to them, so they sound much more personal. The original master recordings were destroyed in a fire, but Rounder somehow managed to piece together this release from the "best available sources and mastering technology." Miss these recordings at your own peril!
The 1928 session that Hurt did for Okeh Records-- Avalon Blues : Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings -- was re-released by Sony Records in the Nineties. The blues label Yazoo Records also released it. This session is essential! Naturally, since these sessions were recorded in the late Twenties, they are not going to sound very good. But if you grin and bear it-- the rewards are many! It is especially interesting to compare these sessions to later ones-- the first recorded when Hurt was in his Thirties and the others when he was in his Seventies.
Recommended Links
The most thorough of all the Hurt pages we have come across.
Great page with nice bio and pictures.
Nice bio.