Nicholas Edward Williams
Nicholas Edward Williams | "Pay Day" (Mississippi John Hurt) - GrinderHouse Sessions
Here's my rendition of Mississippi John Hurt's "Pay Day", off my new record "Folk Songs for Old Times' Sake", which released November 2, 2021 on EarthTone Records.
From the album: "Folk Songs For Old Times' Sake" (released Nov 2021)
Listen/Vinyl Order: www.Linktr.ee/NicholasEdwardWilliams
Enjoy American music history? Find the "American Songcatcher" podcast:
https://linktr.ee/AmericanSongcatcher
Credits:
Arrangement and performance by Nicholas Edward Williams
Lyrics and original song written by Mississippi John Hurt
Video by James Crowley, shot at GrinderHouse Coffee in Crossville, TN (Aug 2021)
--
More information on "Pay Day" author Mississippi John Hurt:
Born the son of freed slaves around 1892 in Teoc, Mississippi, John Smith Hurt grew up in Avalon, not too far away. He left school at age 10 to be a farm hand, and was taught guitar by a local songster and family friend, the first of which was titled "Hop Joint". John lived most of his life without electricity, did hard labor of all sorts and played music as a hobby at local dances. In his late 20's, a fiddle player he performed with on occasion won a competition and a chance to record with Okeh Records. He insisted they listen to John, and after a few songs agreed to record him for two sessions, in Memphis and New York City. They were commercial failures, broadcasted as "race music", and with The Great Depression in full swing, John went back to farming and raising his family that would grow to 14 children. Nearly 40 years later, a white man showed up at John's door and told him there was a huge audience that loved his music. Those tracks for Okeh Records had been included in the holy grail of American music, Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music, one of the main catalysts for the folk and blues revival of the 60's and 70's. John went on to record several albums, perform for the big folk coffeehouse circuits, Carnegie Hall, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Newport Folk Festival. He passed away at age 72 of a heart attack, just a few years after being brought out of obscurity. He's one of the most influential guitarists and composers across the genres of blues, folk, bluegrass and jazz in American history. Interestingly, "Pay Day" was written by John Hurt, though several versions of this song, including John's, has verses that can be found in other songs - quite similar to others in the oral traditions of folk and blues music.
.jpg)
.png){kind=logo}
![Dan Rodriguez - Slow Down [The Quarantine Sessions]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pGZJbfRPzO0/mqdefault.jpg)
