Mississippi John Hurt is one of the greatest prewar blues artists; he created a fingerpicking blues style that nobody else had and made a series of great postwar recordings. This compilation features his most famous songs! Hurt was an American country blues singer and guitarist. He incorporated a fast, pick-less, syncopated fingerpicking style that he taught himself. He was influenced by very few people, but does recall an elderly, unrecorded blues singer from that area, Rufus Hanks, who played 12-string guitar and harmonica. He also recalls listening to the country singer Jimmie Rodgers. Many of Hurt s songs were in very basic keys, his fingers picking notes within the chords. On occasion, he would use an open tuning and a slide, as he did in his arrangement of The Ballad of Casey Jones................
