John Henry and His People: The Historical Origin and Lore of America's Great Folk Ballad

by John Garst

The song "John Henry," perhaps America's greatest folk ballad, is about an African-American steel driver who raced and beat a steam drill, dying "with his hammer in his hand" from the effort. Most singers and historians believe John Henry was a real person, not a fictitious one, and that his story took place in West Virginia--though other places have been proposed. John Garst argues convincingly that it took place near Dunnavant, Alabama, in 1887.

The author's reconstruction, based on contemporaneous evidence and subsequent research, uncovers a fascinating story that supports the Dunnavant location and provides new insights.

Beyond John Henry, readers will discover the lives and work of his people: Black and white singers; his "captain," contractor Frederick Dabney; C. C. Spencer, the most credible eyewitness; John Henry's wife; the blind singer W. T. Blankenship, who printed the first broadside of the ballad; and later scholars who studied John Henry. The book includes analyses of the song's numerous iterations, several previously unpublished illustrations and a foreword by folklorist Art Rosenbaum.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1476686114
• ISBN13: 9781476686110
• Release Date: January 2022
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 281 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up