Ep 7 - Five from the Archives - John Henry

The Archives Podcast

This episode on the classic American ballad “John Henry” is the first of five featuring key songs of the Old Town School songbook. Like our last story on “We Shall Overcome,” this is part of our Five from the Archives series, in which we take five minutes (more or less) to delve into the stories behind rare recordings from our collection. Original recordings featured in this episode (in order of occurrence): - “Glory of Love,” performed by Big Bill Broonzy at Circle Pines Center in Delton, MI, circa 1955 - “John Henry,” performed by Hobart Smith, Sept. 1963 - Interview with Chris Walz in the Resource Center at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4/8/16 - “If I Die A Railroad Man,” performed by Chris Walz in the Resource Center at the Old Town School of Folk Music, 4/8/16 - “John Henry,” performed by Big Bill Broonzy at Circle Pines Center in Delton, MI, circa 1955 References: - Folk Song: U.S.A. by John and Alan Lomax, 1947 - “Railroad Workers,” from the Encyclopedia of Chicago, http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1038.html - “The African-American Railroad Experience,” from KPBS radio, http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/mar/23/african-american-railroad-experience/ - “African-Americans in Railroad History,” from The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/about/rrpeopleandsociety/africanamericans.shtml