John Henry [Bell]

John Henry [Bell]

United States

U.S. South

Reconstruction

time: 20th century

genre: folk

genre: work song

genre: blues

This song can be used to teach about the Reconstruction-era South racism and the dangerous working conditions found in the building of U.S. railroads. John Henry is an African-American folk hero from Virginia who, according to legend, was victorious against a steam-powered jackhammer but died at work due to the stress of boring holes into rock. Alternative iterations of the song depict John Henry, as a convict and portray the practice of convict leasing.

songwriter: unknown

1939

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English

United States

"The Ballad of John Henry." In The American Reader: Words That Moved a Nation, edited by Diane Ravitch, 165. New York, NY: HarperResource, 1991. Gale General OneFile (accessed June 11, 2020).

Apfeldorf, Michael. “Link to the Library of Congress: ‘John Henry’—What Can We Learn from Different Historical Versions of a Popular Folk Song?” Music Educators Journal 106, no. 1 (September 2019): 16–20. doi:10.1177/0027432119864261.

Arthur Bell

Sandy Trand

John Henry [Library of Congress]