I was living in Boston in 1963 when I heard that Mississipi John Hurt was alive. This was at a time when old musicians were being discovered. It seemed like Ralph Rinzler, an old-timey mandolin player was finding most of them but I don't think John Hurt was one of the people he tracked down. The Sixties were close enough to the twenties that a surprising number of those musicians were still around, forgotten by almost everyone, and probably boring their unbelieving neighbors with the stories of how they used to be stars. Then all of a sudden people started coming looking for them. It was really exciting to hear of a rediscovery and hear the music direct from the twenties and thirties.

I don't know where I heard John Hurt's first recording but I do remember that while listening to "Creole Belle" and "Louis Collins" that I started to comprehend that old saying that "less is more". John Hurt's guitar picking was so precise and his tones rang. The notes were so spare and tasteful. They blended with his simple vocal melodies with real warmth. I am not a fan of Delta Blues and but here was someone from both there and then but his music seemed to me to be so much more universal.

I think I envy you for getting to hear him for the first time.

Sourdough