The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/23074
Vinyl Vault by Eric Coan Mississippi John Hurt, “Today” (Vanguard) The title of this album, “Today,” refers to the long journey through time that Mr. Hurt took to get to the recording of this 1966 album. Born in the late 1800s (actual date of birth is uncer- tain), he began playing guitar and honing his style at a very young age, and performing around his hometown of Avalon, Miss. On the heels of local notoriety he cut a few 78s for Okeh records in 1928. But the record label failed, and it seemed his professional music career was snuffed out as well. Except, however, for the insatiable and eccentric record collector Harry Smith, it would seem. Smith- sonian Folkways produced Smith’s “Anthology of American Folk Music,” culled from his personal col- lection, in the ’50s, and it became a Bible of sorts for the folky/revivalist crowd in the early ’60s. Two of Hurt’s cuts from those early recordings appeared on the anthology (which is incredible) and turned enough heads that he was sought out once it was learned that he was still alive, working as a sharecropper in Avalon at nearly 70 years old. Having kept his chops up over time, he was con- vinced to move to Washington, D.C., and hence began his second music career. The recordings are simply his voice and guitar, both remarkable and majestic. The songs are hushed and gentle, his voice a warm whisper, almost like a favorite grandfather imparting bedtime stories of the railroad and trainwrecks (the tales of Casey Jones and John Henry), ramblin’ (“Make Me a Pallet On Your Floor”) and lost love (“You Don’t Want Me Baby”) — essentially passing along the entire lineage of American folk songs. But it’s the guitar playing that really grabs you. More or less defining the three-finger picking style, it’s almost hard to believe there is only one guitar playing (one ru- mor is that An- dres Segovia, a Spanish master, was incredulous that only Hurt was playing upon hearing one of the Okeh recordings). Holding down the bass and rhythm with his thumb, his first and middle fingers manage to conjure melo- dies that seem technically impossible, and are inde- scribably lovely. And he never misses a note amidst the baffling complexities. But beyond the technical proficiency, this is truly one of the most soothing and pleasing albums I’ve ever heard. Worthy of careful study by guitar students interested in the traditional method, this record is also perfect for dropping the needle on and drifting off to another time. Jan. 13, 2011 O-Town Scene 15