John Hurt

Bluesman. Born in Carroll County, Mississippi, the son of Mary McCain and Isom Hurt, he grew up in Avalon. He left school at age nine to work as a field hand. As a child, his mother bought him a Black Anne guitar for $1.50, and he taught himself to play, developing a unique style. Playing mostly for his own pleasure, he occasionally played for country dances and parties in Avalon and nearby towns supplementing his meager income. He played with the fiddler, Willie Narmour, from time to time, and this acquaintance earned him an introduction to recording producer, Tommy Rockwell. In 1928, Rockwell sent him to Memphis to record for the Okeh label. Hurt cut eight songs for Okeh; only two "Frankie" and "Nobody's Dirty Business" saw release. His singing style was very smooth and sophisticated and therefore unique within the genre. In December 1928, he went to New York for an Okeh recording session under the direction of Lonnie Johnson. He recorded 12 songs including "Spike Driver Blues," "Stack O' Lee," and "Avalon Blues." The Depression, however, put Okeh out of business, and Hurt returned to Mississippi and obscurity where isolation from the contemporary blues sound allowed his music remain unaffected and pristine. In 1963, guided by Hurt's 1928 recording, "Avalon My Home Town," folklorist Tom Hoskins traced Hurt to an Avalon farm where he was making about $28 a month. Encouraged to move north, he pulled off an outstanding performance at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. Hurt took his unexpected success in stride. He played concerts, folk festivals, coffee houses, colleges, and did radio, magazine, and newspaper interviews. He became an influence on the folk revival going on in the 1960s and inspired numerous musicians from Bob Dylan to Jerry Garcia. His three year renaissance ended with his death at age 72.