Mississippi John Hurt

John Smith Hurt was a gentle, fingerpicking guitarist from Avalon, Mississippi, whose warm voice and intricate playing made him one of the most beloved figures of the 1960s folk-blues revival. He recorded 13 sides for Okeh Records in 1928, including 'Frankie' and 'Avalon Blues,' but the recordings sold poorly and he returned to farming and local performances for the next 35 years. In 1963, folk enthusiast Tom Hoskins used the lyrics of 'Avalon Blues' to locate Hurt, still living in Avalon, and brought him to Washington, D.C. The subsequent rediscovery launched a remarkable second career: Hurt performed at the Newport Folk Festival, recorded three albums for Vanguard, and became a favorite of college audiences who were enchanted by his sweet disposition and his elegant, country-ragtime guitar style. He died in 1966, just three years into his revival, but his influence on acoustic fingerpicking persists to this day.