Mississippi John Hurt and Tom Waits

Back in the late 1950's and early 1960's, when I was developing a strong interest in Delta blues and coun try blues, I bought several albums of recordings by MJS and Big Bill Broonzy. During this time period, I lived in the suburbs of Washington, DC, (Kensington, MD), and had the chance to hear MJH at a club appearance in the DC area. He had a wonderful stage presence, with a warm, very human quality -- particularly for someone who had a difficult life. He seemed somewhat nonplussed by his appeal to so many white, middle-class white people, but clearly was having a good time sharing his music.

MJH didn't make many recordings during his lifetime, but the ones he did for Vanguard and Piedmont in the early '60's are probably his best. And for those who like MJH, check out the recordings of Broonzy and Lightnin' Hopkins.

John Lennon even mentioned Hurt as an influence in that famous 1971 interview for Rolling Stone Magazine.

I have a soft spot for Mississippi John Hurt, too. I don't think there are many who combined the grit, sweetness and virtuosity he did. I've always loved listening to him, as well, because everything about his voice, the accent, the lilting rhythm, the words themselves, sounds exactly like my grandparents. They were white but were Mississippi sharecroppers, too.

You might listen to samples of Mance Lipscomb and see what you think. I heard him several times when I lived in Austin in the late 60's and 70's because he lived close by and came into town fairly regularly. His is the only music I can think of that has the simplicity and wry sense of humor as Hurt. He's not quite as polished but another fine example of that same style of playing and singing.

I just got these links. Old footage of Mississippi John Hurt playing. Fantastic! In the first one MJH talks about how he learned how to play the guitar at age 8.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr3RB9l7_I4&search=mississippi%20john%20hurt

http://tinyurl.com/rxsjc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAwhN5-7pmk&search=mississippi%20john%20hurt

If you like this kind of music, you really owe it to yourself to watch. Very interesting.

Taj Mahal and Alvin Youngblood Hart are both very much disciples of MJH. Also don't miss "Avalon Blues" a MJH tribute album that came out on Vangaurd in 2001. A really great album with tons of cool artists doing MJH tunes. Should be widely available. Happy listening!