Uploaded by bobtoomey on Feb 10, 2009
In 1928, Mississippi John Hurt recorded thirteen songs on the Okeh label, including "Avalon Blues." Then he disappeared. His music influenced generations of folk and blues performers, but the mystery remained. Who was he? What happened to him? In 1963, Tom Hoskins, following the clues of the "Mississippi" in Hurt's stage name, and the lyrics of this song, "Avalon, my home town," located Hurt living in a simple shack in tiny Avalon, Mississippi, the same shack pictured early in the video, and later as the reconditioned Mississippi John Hurt Museum. Not only was Hurt still alive in 1963, but the real miracle was that he retained his sweet singing voice and fluid guitar skills. He recorded dozens of songs and toured extensively in his final three years, sharing his beautiful music with the world. Sometimes there really are happy endings.
Uploader Comments (bobtoomey)
Top Comments
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His music is so clear and so clean, you could drink from it.
3 years ago 28
All Comments (16)
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0 dislikes - you're goddam right.
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... and certainly drink to it!
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@ElizabethTalbot and certainly drink to it!
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this fella sure would have been my 'bestie' back then. motha fuckin gangsterrrr.
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I wonder if this is the origin of "Bullfrog Blues".
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Best comment ever.
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nice to hear the original recording..rather than the later version..the difference in the voice, working outdoors,age and cigarettes!
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Nicely done. Thanks for uploading,
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There's some history to this song. After the depression hit, Hurt disappeared from the music scene. As the story goes, when the economy recovered, there was a search for him in Avalon, Georgia but he was nowhere to be found. Years later, a musicologist was driving through the Mississippi countryside and saw the little town of Avalon marked on the map. And so it was that Mississippi John Hurt was rediscovered.
George4the 1 year ago
@George4the - The whole story is in my notes to the song. It's one of the great musical tales.
bobtoomey 1 year ago