''Today!'' is the

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, but third body of work recorded by

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

country blues Country blues (also folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or downhome blues) is one of the earliest forms of blues music. The mainly solo vocal with acoustic fingerstyle guitar accompaniment developed in the rural Southern United States in t ...

musician

Mississippi John Hurt John Smith Hurt (March 8, 1893 – November 2, 1966), better known as Mississippi John Hurt, was an American country blues singer and guitarist. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself to play the guitar around the age of nine. He wo ...

.Wirz, Stefan
Illustrated Mississippi John Hurt discography
Wirz.de. Retrieved 2 June 2011. It was released in 1966 by

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City. It was a primarily classical label at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but also has a catalogue of recordings by a n ...

. This album contains some of the first commercial material recorded after his "

rediscovery ''Rediscovery'' is a science fantasy novel by American writers Marion Zimmer Bradley and Mercedes Lackey, part of the ''Darkover'' series of novels and short stories published in the United States since 1958. It was first published by DAW Books ...

" in 1963, and is the first he recorded for Vanguard. The album spans several genres and styles of music, ranging from traditional blues and folk songs, to

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

, to African-American

spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the e ...

.Freelander, David
Today! – Mississippi John Hurt
Allmusic. Retrieved 2 June 2011. Along with Hurt's two previous releases, ''Today!'' helped to reveal his work to a wider

audience.Eder, Bruce
Mississippi John Hurt
Allmusic. Retrieved 2 June 2011. In 2009, the album was one of the twenty-five selections that were added to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...

.National Recording Registry Adds 25 – The Library Today (Library of Congress)
Loc.gov. Retrieved 2 June 2011.

Background and recording

Hurt had made commercial recordings for the now-defunct

Okeh Records Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

in 1928; these did not sell well, and he drifted back into obscurity in southern

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. In 1952, Harry Smith's ''

Anthology of American Folk Music ''Anthology of American Folk Music'' is a three-album compilation, released in 1952 by Folkways Records, of eighty-four recordings of American folk, blues and country music made and issued from 1926 to 1933 by a variety of performers. The album wa ...

'', which contained two tracks by Hurt, was released. As well as this, a man had discovered a copy of Hurt's "Avalon Blues", which gave the name of Hurt's home town,

Avalon, Mississippi Avalon is an unincorporated community in Carroll County, Mississippi, United States. Avalon is located on the former Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad and was at one time home to a general store. A post office first began operation under the ...

. In 1963, Tom Hoskins and Richard Spotswood, two folk enthusiasts, located him in Avalon using the song. Hoskins convinced him to move to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where there would be plenty of opportunities to perform to an increasing folk audience.Dahl, Bill. Liner notes to ''D. C. Blues: The Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 1''. Fuel 2000 Records. 1998. There, he made his first post-war recordings, which were released on the

Gryphon The griffin, griffon, or gryphon ( Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and ...

label as ''Folk Songs and Blues''. Hurt was invited to perform at the

Newport Folk Festival Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a foca ...

in 1963, where he was greeted as a "living legend". Following this performance, he began to tour around various universities, and recorded a second album in 1964. Through touring, Hurt's audience continued to grow, which prompted a recording contract with Vanguard Records and the release of his third album, ''Today!'', in 1966. A similar recording and performance schedule was adopted by the fellow bluesman

Skip James Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James (June 9, 1902October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. AllMusic stated: "This emotional, lyrical performer was a talented blues guitarist and arranger with an impressive ...

around this same time, who also recorded for Vanguard an album of the same name.Wynn, Ron
Today! – Skip James
Allmusic. Retrieved 4 June 2011.

Reception

David Freedlander, of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, writes this of ''Today!'':

Track listing

All songs written by Hurt, except when noted ;Side one #"Pay Day" #"I'm Satisfied" #"Candy Man" #"

Make Me a Pallet on the Floor "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor" (also "Make Me a Pallet on your Floor", "Make Me a Pallet", or "Pallet on the Floor") is a blues/jazz/folk song. It is considered a standard. Jelly Roll Morton explained the title: "A pallet is something that – you ...

" (trad.) #" Talking Casey" #" Corrina, Corrina" (trad.) ;Side two #"Coffee Blues" #"Louis Collins" #"Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" (trad.) #"If You Don't Want Me Baby" #" Spike Driver Blues" (trad., arranged John Hurt) #"Beulah Land" (trad.)

Personnel

* Mississippi John Hurt – guitar, vocals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Today! 1966 albums Vanguard Records albums United States National Recording Registry recordings Mississippi John Hurt albums United States National Recording Registry albums

Background and recording

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

See also

References