About this site and its author

John Henry: The Rebel Versions

by Jim Hauser Contact: jphauser2000 (at) yahoo.com

Hi, my name is Jim Hauser and I created this website to document my research on the ballad "John Henry." I am a music lover and enjoy using my research skills (by trade, I am a research librarian) to learn about various aspects of music and its history. Since about the year 2012, I have spent a good bit of my free time researching the ballad about the legendary black steel driver named John Henry and using this website to document what I've learned.

Prior to creating this website, I put together two other websites, one named The Stagger Lee Files which is about the old African American folk song "Stagolee" and another one titled the AKA Blues Connection in which I wrote about the influence of the blues on rock and roll music. For me, creating the AKA Blues Connection was a way that I could help popularize the blues and early rock 'n' roll, and, as a popularizer, I envisioned myself as working along the same lines as disc jockeys from the 1950s and 1960s such as Alan Freed, Wolfman Jack, and Dewey Phillips. I adopted sort of an early R&B/rock 'n' roll DJ persona, and tried to write the material I posted to my site in a very loose and fun style. While doing my research and writing, I became interested in the song "Stagolee" (better known as "Stagger Lee" to rock music fans) which is a ballad that tells the story of an African American badman who lived over 100 years ago. After a while, I became hooked on the story of Stagolee and stopped my work on the AKA Blues Connection to concentrate on researching and writing about "Stagolee." I created a website called The Stagger Lee Files, wrote in a much more serious tone, and began to document my sources. But I still largely envisioned myself as a popularizer--I even wrote an essay suggesting that Lloyd Price's recording "Stagger Lee" is the ultimate rock 'n' roll record.

After several years of researching "Stagolee," I started a new research project which was sparked by an unexpected discovery about the John Henry ballad. I made this discovery in a book titled Stealing Through Life which was written by Ernest Booth. The book included a verse of the ballad in which John Henry threatens to fight back against his captain if the captain hits him with a strap. After this find, I began to research the John Henry ballad and also songs known as "hammer songs" which are black work songs related to the John Henry ballad. Although I had always thought of "John Henry" and "Stagolee" as ballads with very different themes, I soon noticed striking similarities and connections between the two. For example, both of them embody the theme of black manhood. After spending some time researching John Henry, I put together this website, John Henry: The Rebel Versions, to document my work. With my writings about John Henry, I have abandoned the role of popularizer and switched to a serious, scholarly approach including taking the time to document all my sources and doing my best to ensure that I support all my ideas and conclusions with solid evidence.

Although I have been studying John Henry for several years now, I see myself continuing to research the ballad and legend surrounding it for a good number of years to come. There is a long and infinitely fascinating road ahead of me. Partly because there is so much that has been written about John Henry and so many recorded versions of the ballad that it is a big task for someone like me working on my own and in my spare time to look at the existing research and listen to the many recordings. (See below for a list of just some of the many musicians who have recorded "John Henry.")

As I continue my research, I will update this website periodically--about three or four times a year--to document what I have found.

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"John Henry" is probably the most recorded--and most researched--of all American folk songs. Below is a list of just some of the many musicians who have recorded the ballad.

Andrew Calhoun

Arlo Guthrie

Bill Monroe

Big Bill Broonzy

Big Boy Henry (aka Richard Leslie Henry)

Brownie McGhee

Bruce Springsteen

Burl Ives

Chet Atkins

Dave Van Ronk

Deford Bailey (instrumental)

Doc Watson

Dock Boggs

Don Flemons

Earl Scruggs

Furry Lewis

Gabriel Brown

Guitar Gabriel (aka Robert Lewis Jones)

Harry Belafonte

Henry Thomas

Hoyt Axton

Jazz Gillum (instrumental)

Jerry Reed

Jesse Fuller

John Cephas

John Dee Holeman

John Henry Barbee

John Jackson

John Lee Hooker

Johnny Cash

Josh White

Leadbelly

Lester Flatt

The Limeliters

Memphis Slim

Mike Seeger

Mississippi Fred McDowell

Neal Pattman

The New Christy Minstrels

The New Lost City Ramblers

Odetta

Paul Robeson

Peg Leg Howell

Peg Leg Sam

Pete Seeger

Pink Anderson

Porter Wagoner

Ralph Stanley

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

Roger McGuinn

Roscoe Holcomb

Ronnie Hawkins

Snooks Eaglin

Sonny Terry

The Stanley Brothers

Tennessee Ernie Ford

Tom T. Hall

Uncle Dave Macon

Valentine Pringle

Van Morrison

Virgil Perkins

Woody Guthrie