rory block - avalon: a tribute to mississippi john hurt [liner notes]

7/28/2019 Rory Block - Avalon: A Tribute To Mississippi John Hurt [Liner Notes]

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J o h n H u r t


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SPCD1369C &P 2013 Stony Plain Records. Stony Plain Recording Co. Ltd. PO Box 861 Edmonton, AB

Canada T5J 2L8. For a free catalogue: tel: 780-468-6423 fax: 780-465-8941 email: [email protected]

MADE IN CANADA. Please become a member of the Blues Foundation at www.blues.org

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1. Everybody Loves John5:222. Avalon5:14

3. Candy Man3:41

4. Frankie & Albert5:57

5. Got The BluesCant Be Satisfed3:58

6. Louis Collins4:16

7. Richland Woman Blues4:43

8. Spike Driver Blues4:15

9. Stagolee4:00

10. Make Me A PalletOn Your Floor4:42

11. Pay Day4:39


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The ollowing is an excerpt

rom my autobiography

When A Woman Gets

The Blues, available atwww.roryblock.com

and amazon.com

In December o 1963 I met

Mississippi John Hurt at

a concert in New York which also eatured the

great Old Timey musician Doc Boggs. We went

back stage as we always did. Stean Grossman

was part o the accepted insiders group and we

never needed special passes. Hurts presence was

shy and gentle. His ace was beautiully weather

beaten, he wore a signature hat, and always had a

mellow smile. I loved the way he rocked around

when he played... it was a bounce that started slowand built up to a strong pace that carried the music.

He had his own way o doing this I never saw

anyone else with this exact style o moving and

playing. At times when I am perorming I eel this

energy come over me: the Mississippi John Hurt

bounce energy...

Stean and I traveled to Washington DC to stay

with Nick Perls. Mississippi John Hurt was

now living in the area so we went to his home. I

remember this unpainted wooden house it was

very quiet, and beautiully bare inside. Hurt sat on

RORY BLOCKwhen a woman gets the blues

This is now the ourth cd in my Mentor Series, andas always, the challenge o creating a proper tributeis ar greater than anticipated. Every country bluesmaster I can think o put something extraordinary,ethereal, spiritual and so powerul into their playing,as to make it almost impossible to reproduce. Manyworthy artists have covered these songs, but whenyou examine the source, you understand more ullythe level o greatness that was in the original versions greatness that is also almost impossible to defne.But let me try by saying that true character, charisma,drive, and soululness are some o the essentialingredients. So how will we manage? With devotion,respect, reverence, and with energy with extraoomph lest we be weak.

Mississippi John Hurt was a truly unique artist. Helet a resounding impact on our musical landscape.We think o him as outwardly mellow, sweet, andas one writer described it, singing in a whisper.

But have you pondered the words? Alongside gospelmaterial, this gentle man sang about sex, murder,mystery, violence and steamy sensuality. It gets everdeeper the more you listen.

Most people fnger pick simply, careully, and withenough volume to be heard and enjoyed. But next tothe masters we can fnd ourselves tinkling away whilethe train pulls out o the station. Mississippi John Hurt

bounced rhythmically rom side to side while he wasplaying did this bounce add power and jauntiness tothe notes, or did his extra strong attack on the stringscreate the bounce? We can never do polite versions othese songs i we want to capture some o the powerthat made the originals great and enduring.


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a chair in the middle o the room while we talked

and played music. Later some small children

tumbled across the oor. Frankie & Albert

was my avorite Hurt song and I would imagineI played it or him. He oered us coee, but

neither Stean nor I were coee drinkers. I never

elt the urge to pepper him with questions or pry

or inormation I was not a flmmaker and let

that to the historians. When in the presence o

great blues masters I always elt a sense o joy

and purpose. This was where I wanted to be.

I think it interesting to note that Mississippi John

Hurt covered many Appalachian country songs.

This just underscores the exchange o musical

styles that was going on in the early 1900s which

ew people understood. Mississippi John Hurt

knew musicians who played Appalachian music

(Doc Boggs or example), and many o the Old

Timey players knew the blues pickers. At the ageo ourteen, sitting on the porch o an old wood

rame house in North Carolina, I heard Clarence

Ashley say, I learned this one rom an old blues

player and I heard Mississippi John Hurt talk

about the country fddle players he knew. What

we have in the end is a true melting pot which

included music rom Arica, the British Isles,

Flamenco (Hurt reerred to open G tuning as

Spanish), olk, jazz, popular contemporary

music o the day, and probably even Classical

music, to name some o the sources.

One o the things I have endeavored to capture

in this tribute series is a return to a moreearthy, natural approach. We dont love the

old recordings because they are crackle-ree, or

ancy, or have clever ormats. No, some o the

songs are one chord throughout. Some have the

same simple rerain which repeats again and

again ater each verse no solos, just the driving

beat and original theme. And almost never ancy

endings. I call these abrupt events the Get outa

town endings just plunk, and wham, or the

sound o someone getting up and leaving the

room beore the song is over. This is part o whatMississippi John Hurt 1963 Photo John Byrne Cooke


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SPCD 1329

Blues Walkin Like

A Man: A Tribute

To Son House

SPCD 1359

I Belong to The

Band: A Tribute To

Rev. Gary Davis

SPCD 1344

Shake Em On Down:

A Tribute To

Mississippi Fred

McDowell

Also available:

I love. So instead o sweeping the tracks clean

o all noise, sanitizing, bleaching, disinecting

and straining the music, Rob and I eel

compelled to let it be real. Even so, Rob standson the side o high end sound, and I (who

expect to start recording beore the sound

check begins, and want the tape to be rolling

the moment I walk in the studio), never care

a thing about that as my background is in the

soulul, spontaneous, heartelt music o this

country. Every recording is a feld recordingin my view. The frst take is always the best.

So in this eort I remember John Hurt,

celebrate his music and times, and rejoice at

having had the chance to meet him. Nothing

will ever be the same as a result, and my lie

has been made ar richer by the experience.

Produced by Rory Block and Rob Davisor Aurora Productions

Executive Producer: Holger Petersen

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Rob Davisat Aurora Productions mobile studios

Guitars and vocals by Rory Block

Rory plays her OM40 Signature Model Martin guitars,uses Martin SP3200 medium gauge strings, a Shubbcapo, and an SK 14mm deep well socket

Photography: Sergio Kurhajec

Mississippi John Hurt Photo: John Byrne Cooke

Graphic Design: Mark Dutton

at Halkier + Dutton Designwww.roryblock.com

Exclusive worldwide bookings:Ted Kurland Associatescontact: [email protected]

Tracks 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11:John Hurt, EMI Longitude Music Inc

Track 1: Rory Block, Brown Foot Publishing Company

Tracks 4, 10: Traditional arranged and adapted byRory Block, Brown Foot Publishing Company

Track 6: John Hurt, Wynwood Music Co Inc /Zap Publishing Co

Track 7: John Hurt, Songs O Windswept Pacifc

Special thanks to Stean Grossman, Martin Guitars,Holger and Stony Plain Records, Mark Dutton,John Byrne Cooke, Matt McCluskey and Ted KurlandAssociates, Mark Pucci and Jill Kettles at mpmedia,Todd Glazer, and all those who work together tokeep the music alive and vital venues, ans, radiostations, writers, online resources, etc. we love andappreciate you!

rory block - avalon: a tribute to mississippi john hurt [liner notes]

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