Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi, United States
Piedmont blues, Country blues, Delta blues, Folk
John Smith Hurt (possibly March 3, 1892 or March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist.
Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine. He worked as a sharecropper and began playing at dances and parties, singing to a melodious fingerpicked accompaniment. His first recordings, made for Okeh Records in 1928, were commercial failures, and he continued to work as a farmer.
Tom Hoskins, a blues enthusiast, located Hurt in 1963 and persuaded him to move to Washington, D.C. He was recorded by the Library of Congress in 1964. This helped further the American folk music revival, which had led to the rediscovery of many other bluesmen of Hurt's era. Hurt performed on the university and coffeehouse concert circuit with other Delta blues musicians who were brought out of retirement. He also recorded several albums for Vanguard Records.
Worried Blues (1964)
Today! (1966)
The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt (1967)
Last Sessions (1972)
Satisfying Blues (1995) Live
Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings (1996)
Satisfied...... Live (1996)
Blues Legend (2003) Comp.
Essential Recordings: Candy Man Blues (2009) Rec.'64
tribute albums:
Avalon Blues: A Tribute to the Music of Mississippi John Hurt (2001)
