Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings

by Mississippi John Hurt

Overview

Mississippi John Hurt's latter-day recordings after his rediscovery have somewhat obscured the importance of these debut sides -- the ones that made his rediscovery an idea initially worth pursuing. Archival recordings such as Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 Okeh Recordings are the collector's items that made his rep in the first place, and stand as some of the most poetic and beautiful of all country blues recordings. Hurt's playing is sheer musical perfection, with a keen sense of chord melody structure to make his bouncy, rhythmic execution of it sound both elegant and driving. Mississippi John's voice -- he was 36 at the time of these recordings -- was already a warm and friendly one, imbued with the laid-back wistfulness that would earmark his rediscovery recordings half-a-lifetime later. His best-known songs -- his adaptions of "Frankie (& Johnny)" and "Stack O' Lee," "Avalon Blues," "Nobody's Dirty Business," "Candy Man Blues" -- are all accounted for in their original incarnations here, and the NoNoiser remastering on this collection is superb. Mississippi John Hurt would go on to re-record this material for other labels in the '60s with fine results, but these are the originals -- the ones that much of his justifiable reputation rests on. ~ Cub Koda

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2008
Label:	Legacy
UPC:	0886972331423
Rank:	7411

Tracks

1. Frankie
2. Nobody's Dirty Business
3. Ain't No Tellin'
4. Louis Collins
5. Avalon Blues
6. Big Leg Blues
7. Stack O'lee
8. Candy Man Blues
9. Got the Blues (Can't Be Satisfied)
10. Blessed Be the Name
11. Praying on the Old Camp Ground
12. Blue Harvest Blues
13. Spike Driver Blues

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mississippi John Hurt   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Adam Block   Director

Technical Credits

Juliana Myrick   Packaging Manager
Lawrence Cohn   Producer,Liner Notes,Series Producer,Essay
Deadric Malone   Composer
John S. Hurt   Composer
Mississippi John Hurt   Composer
John Hurt   Composer
Howard Fritzson   Art Direction
Adam Block   Series Director
David Mitson   Mastering,Restoration,Archival Restoration
David Gahr   Photography
Traditional   Composer