Mississippi John Hurt - American Epic : The Best of Mississippi John Hurt

One of the most beloved and imitated artists in American music, Mississippi John Hurt was born on the edge of the Mississippi Delta in the 1890s. A gently soulful singer and deceptively intricate guitarist, he spent most of his life working as a sharecropper, playing for friends and family around the tiny hamlet of Avalon. Fortunately, in 1928 he made these recordings and in 1952 two were included on Harry Smith’s groundbreaking Anthology of American Folk Music, leading to his rediscovery and appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. As a result, his songs and guitar style were picked up by a new generation of folk and blues musicians, from John Fahey to Peter, Paul, and Mary, and millions of listeners discovered the infectious swing of his playing and the wry humor of his unique repertoire, much of it predating the earliest blues.