Mississippi John Hurt (July 3, 1893, Teoc , Carroll County, Mississippi - November 2, 1966, Grenada, Mississippi) was an influential blues singer and guitarist.

Raised in Avalon, Mississippi , he learnt to play guitar at age 10, and spent much of his youth playing old time music for friends and dances. Earning a living as a farm hand, he continued in this vein until into the 1920s, often partnered with the fiddle player Willie Narmour. In 1928, after his "discovery" by a mobile recording unit associated with Okeh Records, he took part in two recording sessions, in Memphis and New York City (See Discography below). After the commercial failure of the resulting disc, Hurt returned to Avalon and obscurity.

In 1963, however, a folk musicologist named Tom Hoskins , inspired by the recordings, visited Hurt and encouraged his return to performance on a wider stage. Whereas his first releases had coincided with the drop in sales due to the Great Depression, his new career could hardly have been better timed. A stellar performance at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival saw his star rise amongst the new "folk revival" audience, and before his death in 1966 he played extensively in colleges, concert halls and coffee houses, as well as recording three further albums for Vanguard records . A soft-spoken man, his nature was reflected in the work, which remained a mellow mix of country, blues and old time music to the end.

Selected Discography

Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 OKEH Recordings (Columbia Roots N' Blues reissue)

• 1. "Frankie" (3:21)- February 24, 1928, Memphis, TN - 400221-B, OK 8560
  
• 2. "Nobody's Dirty Business" (2:52)- February 24, 1928, Memphis - 400223-B, OK 8560
  
• 3. "Ain't No Tellin'" (2:54)- December 21, 1928, New York City, NY - 401471-A, OK 8560
  
• 4. "Louis Collins" (2:57)- December 21, 1928, NYC - 401472-A, OK 8724
  
• 5. "Avalon Blues" (3:01)- December 21, 1928, NYC - 401473-B, OK 8759
• 6. "Big Leg Blues" (2:50)- December 21, 1928, NYC - 401474-B, unissued
• 7. "Stack O' Lee" (2:55)- December 28, 1928, NYC - 401481-B, OK 8654
• 8. "Candy Man Blues" (2:44)- December 28, 1928, NYC - 401483-B, OK 8654
• 9. "Got The Blues (Can't Be Satisfied)" (2:49)- Dec 28, 1928, NYC- 401484-B, OK 8734
  
• 10."Blessed Be The Name" (2:46)- December 28, 1928, NYC - 401485-B, OK 8666
• 11."Praying On The Old Camp Ground" (2:35)- Dec 28 1928, NYC- 401486-B, OK 8666
• 12."Blue Harvest Blues" (2:51)- December 28, 1928 NYC - 401487-A, OK 8692
  
• 13. "Spike Driver Blues" (3:13)- December 28, 1928 NYC - 401488, OK 8692
  

Last Sessions - 1966 (Vanguard)

• 1. "Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home"
• 2. "Boys, You're Welcome"
• 3. "Joe Turner Blues"
• 4. "First Shot Missed Him"
• 5. "Farther Along"
• 6. "Funky Butt"
• 7. "Spider, Spider"
• 8. "Waiting For You"
• 9. "Shortnin' Bread"
• 10."Trouble, I've Had It All My Days"
• 11."Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me"
• 12."Good Morning, Carrie"
• 13. "Nobody Cares For Me"
• 14. "All Night Long"
• 15. "Hey, Honey, Right Away"
• 16. "You've Got To Die"
• 17. "Goodnight Irene"