Voting Station

Mississippi John Hurt

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Musician

The Resume

    (July 3, 1893-November 2, 1966)
    Born in Teoc, Mississippi
    Recorded ‘Stack O’Lee Blues,’ ‘Ain’t No Tellin’,’ ‘Frankie,’ ‘Avalon, My Home Town’ and ‘Morning Monday Blues’

Why he might be annoying:

    He dropped out of school at age nine.
    His original 1920s catalog consists of only 13 songs recorded during two recording sessions.
    He was a smoker.
    He had fourteen children.
    He had the same name as the British actorJohn Hurt.

Why he might not be annoying:

    The Great Depression derailed his musical career.
    His record label, Okeh, went under.
    He spent the next thirty years as a sharecropper and laborer.
    He was rediscovered when a musicologist named Tom Hoskins tracked him down in 1963.
    He had mentioned his hometown, Avalon, in one of his songs, which was how Hoskins was able to find him.
    He resumed his career and played concerts and festivals for three more years until his death.
    He had a gentle acoustic style, in contrast to other blues players.
    Folk singer Tom Paxton wrote a song about him, titled ‘Did You Hear John Hurt?’

Credit: Truffle


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 21 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 28 Votes: 60.71% Annoying