Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, The Untold Story of an American LegendThe ballad "John Henry" is the most recorded folk song in American history and John Henry--the mighty railroad man who could blast through rock faster than a steam drill--is a towering figure in our culture. In Steel Drivin' Man, Scott Reynolds Nelson recounts the true story of the man behind the iconic American hero, telling the poignant tale of a young Virginia convict who died working on one of the most dangerous enterprises of the time, the first rail route through the Appalachian Mountains. Using census data, penitentiary reports, and railroad company reports, Nelson reveals how John Henry, victimized by Virginia's notorious Black Codes, was shipped to the infamous Richmond Penitentiary to become prisoner number 497, and was forced to labor on the mile-long Lewis Tunnel for the C&O railroad. Equally important, Nelson masterfully captures the life of the ballad of John Henry, tracing the song's evolution from the first printed score by blues legend W. C. Handy, to Carl Sandburg's use of the ballad to become the first "folk singer," to the upbeat version by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Attractively illustrated with numerous images, Steel Drivin' Man offers a marvelous portrait of a beloved folk song--and a true American legend. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - mstrust - LibraryThingUsing the railroad trackliner song as the starting point, the author goes in search of the legendary John Henry. The first question is, was he a real man? After much research and visits to sites that ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - GregMiller - LibraryThingNelson explores the connections between mythology and history, and spinkes in a bit of historical methodology as well--and makes the whole thing fun to read. He demonstrates what a lot of persistence ... Read full review
Contents
| 1 | |
2 To the White House | 21 |
3 Wisemans Grocery | 41 |
4 WardWell | 59 |
5 Man Versus Mountain | 73 |
6 The Southern Railway Octopus | 93 |
19001930 | 119 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
African American ain’t ballad of John became Benton Big Bend Big Bend Tunnel black and white black codes black workers blast blues BRFAL Burd Burd’s Burnham Wardwell C. P. Huntington called Chapel Hill Chesapeake & Ohio Circuit Court City Point Communist Confederate contractors convicts death dozen Freedmen’s Bureau Gellert gonna Guy Benton Johnson hammer songs Henry’s Hugo Gellert hundred John Lomax Johnson killed labor Lawrence Gellert legend Lewis Tunnel Library of Congress Library of Virginia machine Mason military mill miners mountains musicians Negro nitroglycerin Ohio Railroad performers Prince George Circuit Prince George County prisoners radical Reconstruction records River road rock Samson Sandburg sang Schofield seemed slaves soldiers song of John South steam drill steel steel-driving story of John strongman sung told track trackliners Union University of North University Press versions Virginia Penitentiary West Virginia Whitcomb Wiseman’s women WRHS Yeckley York
References to this book
Haunted West Virginia: Ghosts & Strange Phenomena of the Mountain State Patty A. Wilson No preview available - 2007 |
Bibliographic information
| Title | Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, The Untold Story of an American Legend |
| Author | Scott Reynolds Nelson |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 2006 |
| ISBN | 019974114X, 9780199741144 |
| Length | 224 pages |
| Subjects | › › › Biography & Autobiography / Cultural, Ethnic & Regional / General History / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies) Music / Genres & Styles / Blues Social Science / Ethnic Studies / American / African American & Black Studies |
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