Delta Blues History, Part 6
Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt
by Don Erickson
Nehemiah "Skip" James, born June 9, 1902, was one of the most unique sounding artists from the Delta. He was born and raised a son of a prominent preacher in the town of Bentonia, between Yazoo City and Jackson on Highway 49. He kearned how to play from Henry Stuckey and went on to become the main practitioner of the idiosyncratic style of Blues that came specifically from this small area. James' style employed minor tunings with haunting melodies sung in an eerie falsetto-type voice.
James, who also played piano, was discovered by talent scout H.C. Speir, who brought him to Grafton, WI in 1931 to record for the Paramount label. In a two-day span, Skip recorded as many as 26 sides. The Yazoo label released a collection of these works in 1986 and again in 1994.
James' recordings were a big influence on the great Robert Johnson, particularly the song "Devil Got My Woman", which became the model for Johnson's own "Hellhound on My Trail".
Because of the advent of the Depression, the Paramount label folded in 1932, and James' recordings were a commercial failure. Skip turned to church work and became a Baptist minister in 1932. He gave up playing Blues and moved to Dallas where he formed a gospel group. He returned to Mississippi in the mid-40's and became a Methodist minister in 1946.
He was only re-discovered in 1964 when his friend Ishman Bracey from Jackson was being pressured by John Fahey and Bill Barth to resume a recording career. Bracey declined, but did give them Skip's address. Fahey and Barth, along with Henry Vestine (of the group Canned Heat) convinced James, who was battling cancer, to resume performing. Two weeks later, he was playing at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival.
He recorded for Adelphi, Columbia and Vanguard during a four year period before passing away October 3, 1969 in Philadelphia, PA. His composition, "I'm So Glad", became famous when it was performed by the Blues-Rock group, Cream, with Eric Clapton. James was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1992.
Mississippi John Hurt, another Delta artist with a relatively unique style for the area, played at some of the same shows as Skip James. He was born John Smith Hurt on July 3, 1893' in Teoc, MS; his family moving to Avalon two years later. One of ten children, John was a self-taught guitarist with a relaxed, finger-picking technique that was unusual for a Delta Bluesman. Delta artists had a rougher sound with an emphasis on propulsive rhythms. Hurt had more in common with the lighter, more articulate approach of the Piedmont players on the East coast. His singing and playing was gentle and tranquil. His repertoire included folk songs, light rags and ballads in addition to Blues.
He was discovered by an OKeh talent scout in 1928. He recorded a total of 13 sides with only seven being released; two from a Memphis session and five from New York. He was paid $20 a song and he returned to Avalon, farm work and raising 14 children.
Two young Blues musicians and folklorists, Tom Hoskins and Mike Stewart, had been listening to Hurt's music and decided to see if they could locate him. One of John's tunes was "Avalon, My Home Town", but the two young men couldn't find it on any of their maps. In 1963, they found Avalon in an 1878 atlas, and headed to Mississippi with tape recorder in hand. On a road between Greenwood and Grenada, they stopped at Avalon's only gas station/store and asked the attendant about Mississippi John Hurt. They were floored when the attendant pointed down the road and told them that John's house was "about a mile down that road, third mailbox up on the hill. Can't miss it." When Hoskins and Stewart met John, they exclaimed that "we've been looking for you for years." Hurt thought they must be FBI men and said, "You got the wrong man! I ain't done nothing mean." After explaining to John why they were there, he relaxed and performed for them. After thanking him, they headed back to Washington, DC with the taped results.
Hurt was then brought to Washington, DC to perform and was an immediate sensation in the Folk/Blues scene. He played all over the Northeast in clubs and at festivals, including Newport in 1963 and 1965. He became an influence on artists such as Bob Dylan, Doc Watson, John Fahey and Stefan Grossman.
He recorded several albums worth of material before passing away at 73 years of age on November 2, 1966, in Grenada, MS. Most of his 60's work has been released on Vanguard, among other labels. His recordings from 1928 can be found on a 1988 Yazoo release, and also on a 1990 release on Document.
Next month we will continue with part 7 of Delta Blues History.
Reprinted with permission from the August 1997 issue of the Blues Crier
