Topic: Mississippi John Hurt Releases

[outfidel]

Mississippi John Hurt fans, rejoice!

D.C. Blues: Library of Congress Recordings, Volume 1

This new CD contains everything on the Flyright release from 1989, plus 15 additional tracks that John Hurt recorded in the summer of 1963! And it says "Vol. 1", so there should be more to come!!

Fingerpicking Blues of Mississippi John Hurt

This new DVD has 11 songs taught by John Sebastian and Happy Traum, 2 outstanding fingerpickers who knew John personally in the 1960s. Also includes a conversation with Sam Hood, owner of the Gaslight Cafe?, who shares his insights & memories of John Hurt. I can't imagine that this DVD will reach the level of John Miller's, but I'm a MJH nut so I'll probably get it anyway.

WAHOOOO!!!

[Johnm]

Hi Michael,
Yeah, those Library of Congress recordings could be really interesting.? That stuff has been leaking out for a number of years.? I'll be interested to hear how many of the renditions of never been released before, and if there are performances of songs that we don't have John Hurt doing anywhere else.? The music will be great in any case.
All best,
Johnm

[outfidel]

Hi John,

I just picked up D.C. Blues yesterday. One of the treats that I haven't heard before is MJH playing Jimmie Rodgers' "Waiting on a Train". This is after the interviewer (maybe Dick Spotswood) asks John to play "Let the Mermaids Flirt" with me, except with the original lyrics. Hurt then jokes "But I can't yodel!", and proceeds to play the song with the same guitar patterns as Mermaid, but with the Waiting on a Train lyrics.

I know that Hurt was a big fan of Jimmie Rodgers. But as far as I can tell, Mermaid/Train and "Frankie & Johnny" are the only songs that both of them recorded.

Anyway, D.C. Blues is good stuff, and the sound quality is excellent.

Michael

[uncle bud]

Hi John,

I just picked up D.C. Blues yesterday. One of the treats that I haven't heard before is MJH playing Jimmie Rodgers' "Waiting on a Train". This is after the interviewer (maybe Dick Spotswood) asks John to play "Let the Mermaids Flirt" with me, except with the original lyrics. Hurt then jokes "But I can't yodel!", and proceeds to play the song with the same guitar patterns as Mermaid, but with the Waiting on a Train lyrics.

I know that Hurt was a big fan of Jimmie Rodgers. But as far as I can tell, Mermaid/Train and "Frankie & Johnny" are the only songs that both of them recorded.

It never occurred to me that Mermaids was an adaptation of Waiting on a Train. Was listening to John Hurt yesterday and dang, there it is. Learn something new every day....

[Bluesygirl]

Outfidel,
Did you ever get this DVD? I think about getting it every time my Home Spun catalog comes.  But I think I want to get John's first. Bg

[outfidel]

BG - No, I haven't gotten that DVD yet -- in part because John's is so good.

[BlindSockeyeSalmon]

Fingerpicking Blues of Mississippi John Hurt

This new DVD has 11 songs taught by John Sebastian and Happy Traum, 2 outstanding fingerpickers who knew John personally in the 1960s. Also includes a conversation with Sam Hood, owner of the Gaslight Café, who shares his insights & memories of John Hurt. I can't imagine that this DVD will reach the level of John Miller's, but I'm a MJH nut so I'll probably get it anyway.

You're right, it's not as good. Not even close. Netflix has it -- that's how I saw it -- so if you have an account you may want to add it to your queue.

John

[outfidel]

Heads up on this new release:

Mississippi John Hurt -- D.C. Blues: Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 2

By my count, there are 9 or 10 songs in this collection that MJH didn't record anywhere else, including:
- I Got Mine (MJH plays Frank Stokes - yeah!)
- Alabama Bound
- Will the Circle Be Unbroken

[GhostRider]

Hey Out:

Where can one get this?

Alex

[Slack]

Amazon has it -- I changed Outfidel's link so Weenie could make a buck off of it.    If ordering from amazon.CA - please use the links on the Juke page.

Thanks,
slack

[uncle bud]

Looks very interesting. Some stuff you don't see elsewhere or see on only one recording. Wonder what this one is: Blind Man Sit in the Way and Cried.

- I Got Mine (MJH plays Frank Stokes - yeah!)

Or perhaps Pink Anderson...

Did Pink and MJH ever get together during the blues revival? (Not looking for the source of MJH's version of I Got Mine, just curious.) I don't recall seeing photos of the two together.

[Bunker Hill]

FWIW Paul Oliver in his book Songsters & Saints devotes a couple of pages to the origins of I Got Mine which folklorists like Odum & Johnson or Newman Ivey-White were collecting versions of as early as 1910. The time frame is about right for Stokes, Hurt or Anderson to have absorb them via the 'tradition'.

[dave stott]

I saw it recently at a Borders Books and Music store recently here in CT...

My only reason for not purchasing it was the song listing seemed like it was a lot like Volume 1....

Dave

[Muddyroads]

I saw it recently at a Borders Books and Music store recently here in CT...

My only reason for not purchasing it was the song listing seemed like it was a lot like Volume 1....

Dave

Hey Dave,

They are never the same.  If you want to understand John Hurt better, listen to him  as much as you can.  There are insights on every cut.  His playing on Volume 2 is not as clean as it could be but his take on even the mundane is worth hearing.

Mud

[dave stott]

thanks Muddy.... I may indeed purchase the Volume 2 & will make sure Weenie gets some much needed $$

Does anyone have an idea why the Library of Congress spent the time to record all of MJH and never used an inch of video??

Dave