john era uno con le palle
un tizio di colore letteralmente grande e grosso che tutti dicevano "guardalo john, è nato col martello in mano"; menava le martellate sul ferro, menava pure le rotaie nei loro tragitti verso la nuova america.
insomma faceva le ferrovie più o meno all'inizio del novecento, quelle con quei vagoni che si vedono nei film che passano tra le montagne, che gli indiani pensano sempre che c'è un sacco di robba dentro, con le signore con quei cappelli un po' così e i signori che c'avevano i contanti col panciotto e l'orologio che ogni tre per due si rallegravano dell'incalzante progresso tecnologico, e quanto è veloce questa locomotiva e gradisce un sigaro.
un bel giorno che john stava lavorando con la sua supersquadra di operai lungo la ferrovia chesapeake-ohio gli si presenta il capo e gli dice tanti saluti ragazzi, il lavoro che dieci di voi fanno in un giorno questo coso qua tutto di metallo tutto meccanico tutto che fa casino e sbuffa fumo lo fa da solo in tre orette. salutatemi le vostre mogli.
o cazzo
avrà pensato john henry
dice aspetta un attimo
perchè scusa
noi siamo meglio
con noi ti puoi pure fare una chiacchierata
sfido la tua macchina: lavoriamo contemporaneamente e vediamo chi produce di più
e comincia a dargli giù col martello, ma seriamente: la macchina pure
vinse john henry: poi dallo sforzo collassò e morì.
vinse la macchina, uno steam powered hammer
non lavorò più nessuno
lo steam powered hammer non ha nessuna canzone dedicatagli
john henry non si contano
Part 1: Field Recordings & 78rpm records
1.Anonymous prisoners, from “Alan Lomax’s Prison Songs Vol.2: Don’tcha Hear Poor Mother Calling?
2.Arthur Bell, from “Afro-American Spirituals,worksongs and ballads”
3.Rich Amerson, from “Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Vol. 3″
4.Willie Turner, from “Negro Folk Music of Alabama, Vol. 6″
5.Ed Lewis, from “Southern Journey Vol. 5: Bad Man Ballads – Songs of Outlaws and Desperadoes”
6.Guitar Welch, Hogman Maxey, & Robert Pete Williams, from “Angola Prison Worksongs” 7.Blind John Davis, from “Field Recordings Vol. 2: North & South Carolina, Georgia…”
8.Reese Crenshaw, from “Field Recordings Vol. 2: North & South Carolina, Georgia…”
9.Leadbelly, from “Lead Belly’s Last Sessions”
10.”John Henry Blues”, Fiddlin’ John Carson, from “Vol. 1 (1923-1924) – Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order”
11.”Gonna Die With My Hammer in My Hand Curry”,The Williamson Brothers, from the Anthology
12.”John Henry Blues”, Two Poor Boys, from “American Primitive – Volume 2 – Pre-war Revenants 1897-1939″
13.Riley Puckett, from “Guitare Country : From Old Time To Jazz Times 1926-1950″
14.The Skillet Lickers, from “Volume 1 (1926-1927)”
15.Henry Thomas, from “Texas Worried Blues”
16.”John Henry Blues”, Earl Johnson, from “Mountain Blues”
17.Deford Bailey, from “Best of Blues Vol.1 : Harmonica Genius Deford Bailey “
18.”Death Of John Henry (Steel Driving Man)”, Uncle Dave Macon, from “Classic Sides New York 1924-1926″
Part 2: THE BLUES
1.Snooks Eaglin, from “Country Boy Down In New Orleans”
2.Etta Baker with Taj mahal, from “Sisters Of The South”
3.John Jackson, from “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down”
4.Pink Anderson, from “Gospel, Blues And Street Songs”
5.Hobart Smith, from “In Sacred Trust: The 1963 Fleming Brown Tapes”
6.John Cephas and Phil Wiggins, from “Richmond Blues”
7.Lonzie Thomas, from “Lonzie Thomas”
8.Muddy Waters And Memphis Slim, from “Chicago Blues Masters, Vol. 1″
9.Furry Lewis, from “Shake ‘Em On Down”
10.Jesse Fuller, from “San Francisco Bay Blues”
11.Peg Leg Sam, from “Early In The Morning”
12.Lesley Riddle, from “Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways”
13.John Lee Hooker, from “Jack O’Diamonds”
14.Fred MacDowell, from “When I Lay My Burden Down”
15.Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry, from “Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry Sing”
16.Ed Cabbell, from the Digital Library of Appalachia
17.Big Bill Broonzy with Pete Seeger, from “Big Bill Broonzy sings folk songs”
18.John Renbourn, from “John Renbourn”
19.Mike Seeger, from “Early Southern Guitar Sounds”
20.Kristina Olsen, from ”Kristina Olsen”
Part 3: Country, Bluegrass, Old-time
1.Johnny Cash, from “Blood,Sweat and Tears”
2.Fred Cockerham and Kyle Creed, from “Clawhammer Banjo, Volume One”
3.The Stanley Brothers, from “Shadows Of The Past”
4.Glen Smith, from “Clawhammer Banjo, Volume Three”
5.Roscoe Holcomb, from “Friends Of Old Time Music”
6.Glen Stoneman, from “Southern Journey Vol. 2: Ballads and Breakdowns”
7.Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley, from “Original Folkways Recordings Of Doc Watson And Clarence Ashley, 1960-1962″
8.New Lost City Ramblers, from “Volume 5″
9.Dock Boggs, from “His Folkways Years 1963-1968 “
10.Bill Cornett, from “Mountain Music Of Kentucky”
11.Hazel and Alice, from “Pioneering Women of Bluegrass”
12.”New John Henry”, Bill Monroe, from “Bill Monroe sings Country Blues”
13.Buell Kazee, from “Buell Kazee Sings and Plays”
14. J.C. and Vernon Sutphin, from “The Stoneman Family – Sutphin, Foreacre, and Dickens”
15.Tommy Jarrell, from “Legacy of Tommy Jarrell, Volume 3: Come and Go with Me”
16.Don Reno & Red Smiley, from “On Stage”
17. The Lilly Brothers, from “Early Recordings”
18.Merle Travis, from “The Guitar Player”
19.Doc Watson, from “Songs for Little Pickers”
20.Larry Richardson and the Blue Ridge Boys With Buddy Pendleton, from “Larry Richardson and the Blue Ridge Boys With Buddy Pendleton On Fiddle”
21.Art Rosenbaum, from “Five-string banjo”
22.Bruce Molsky & Big Hoedown, from “Bruce Molsky & Big Hoedown”
Part 4: Black banjo players and string bands/ Instrumentals
1.Joe Thompson and Odell Thompson, from ”Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina & Virginia”
2.James Roberts, from “Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina & Virginia”
3.Homer Walker, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
4.Leonard Bowles & Irvin Cook, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
5.Big Sweet Lewis Hairston, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
6.Blind James Campbell And His Nashville Street Band, from “B.J.C and his Nashville Street Band”
7.Jack Sims/Virgil Perkins, from “Folk Music U.S.A.: Vol. 1″
8.Howard Armstrong, from “Louie Bluie”
9.(autoharp) Kilby Snow, from “Masters of Old-time Country Autoharp”
10.(banjo) Winnie Winston, from “The Old-time Banjo Project”
11.(dulcimer) I-D Stamper, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
12.(banjo) Casey Helton, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
13.(fiddle and banjo) W.L. Gregory & Clyde Davenport, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
14.(piano) Blind John Davis, from “Blind John Davis”
15.”John Henry Medley” (banjo), Tony Trischka, from “Territory”
16.(mandolin and guitar) Jim & Bill Fuller, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
17.(piano) Janis Carper, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
18.(autoharp) Harvey Reid, from “The Autoharp Album”
19.(accordion) John Willis Tolliver, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
20.(Piano) Abe Spangler, from “Digital Library of Appalachia”
Part 5: The Folk Revival & Beyond
1.The Golden Gate Quartet & Josh White, from ”Freedom: At the Library of Congress (1940)”
2.Pete Seeger, from ”American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 1″
3.Aaron Copland & London Symphony Orchestra, from “The Copland Collection: Orchestral & Ballet Works”
4.”Legend Of John Henry”, Hoyt Axton, from “The Greatest Stars Of Folk Music”
5.John Jacob Niles, from “I Wonder As I Wander”
6.Lonnie Donegan, from “The Excellence of…”
7.Harry Belafonte, from “The Original Calypso and Other Folk Songs”
8.Woody Guthrie & Cisco Houston, from “American Roots- A History Of American Folk Music”
9.”The Saga Of John Henry “,The Smothers Brothers, from “Sibling Revelry”
10.Odetta, from “Live in concert”
11.Paul Robeson, from “The Originals – Spirituals”
12.Paul Clayton, from “Dulcimer Songs and Solos”
13.Richard Dyer-Bennet, from “Richard Dyer-Bennet #5″
14.Bob Gibson, from “Yes I See”
15.Counterpoint, Robert De Cormier, conductor, from “Let Me Fly: Music of Struggle, Solace, and Survival in Black America”
16.”Young John Henry”, The Shake ‘Em Ups, from ‘The Shake ‘Em Ups’
17.Bill Smith, from “Folk Jazz”
18.The Gun Club, from “Da Blood Done Signed My Name”
19.Bruce Springsteen, from “We Shall Overcome – The Seeger Sessions”
20.”John Henry Variations”, John Fahey, from “Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes”
