Klappentext The untold story of the real man behind the iconic American folk hero John Henry, and how he came to be immortalized through blues music and art, beautifully written by the historian who discovered his existence. The author of Iron Confederacies: Southern Railways, Klan Violence, and Reconstruction, he has served as a consultant on the forthcoming PBS documentary on John Henry. Autorentext Scott Reynolds Nelson is Associate Professor of History at the College of William and Mary. Written at the crossroads where American myth and reality intersect, Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, The Untold Story of an American Legend is a tribute and requiem to the real steel drivin' men who built this country. Attractively illustrated with numerous images, Steel Drivin' Man offers a marvelous portrait of a beloved folk songand a true American legend. We see how the American Communist Party appropriated the image of John Henry as the idealized American worker, and even how John Henry became the precursor of such comic book super heroes as Superman orCaptain America. Handy, to Carl Sandburg's use of the ballad to become the first "folk singer," to the upbeat version by Tennessee Ernie Ford.
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. Nelson even confirms the legendary contest between John Henry and the steam drill (there was indeed a steam drill used to dig the Lewis Tunnel and the convicts in fact drilled faster). 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 RichmondPenitentiary to become prisoner number 497, and was forced to labor on the mile-long Lewis Tunnel for the C&O railroad. 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.
But for over a century, no one knew who the original John Henry wasor even if there was a real John Henry. Zusammenfassung The ballad "John Henry" is the most recorded folk song in American history and John Henrythe mighty railroad man who could blast through rock faster than a steam drillis a towering figure in our culture. Informationen zum Autor Scott Reynolds Nelson is Associate Professor of History at the College of William and Mary.
Beschreibung Zusatztext Written at the crossroads where American myth and reality intersect! Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry! The Untold Story of an American Legend is a tribute and requiem to the real steel drivin' men who built this country.