Equally important was the use of John Henry's image and story by the labor movement. There were plays about John Henry, children's books about John Henry (I remember one of those), and comic book heroes like Superman who evolved (in Nelson's analysis) from the John Henry strongman character as depicted by artists of the early twentieth century. Several examples of that impressive John Henry artwork are reproduced in the book.
Few things are more interesting than when folklore and history dovetail. This book is a valuable contribution to both studies, and a fascinating read. It's not flawless. The writing is occasionally awkward, and some errors have slipped through the editorial process. There are extensive notes, but an appendix pointing the reader to at least some of the recordings mentioned in the book would have been welcome. And Nelson, while an acknowledged railroad expert and a credible folklorist, is not a musicologist. Nevertheless he is well-qualified to tell this story, and it's a good one.
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
2 - John Garst
Good review of Nelson, "Steel Drivin' Man." You picked up a few flaws I hadn't noticed.
Overall, I like the book very much, but as Jon notes, there are some flaws in it. Some of its statements about early 20th century ballad and folksong scholarship are misleading if not simply incorrect.
Jon states that the evidence identifying John William Henry with the legendary steel driver is "inconclusive." I'd go further: it is nearly nonexistent.
I believe that the evidence for the historic John Henry at Dunnavant, Alabama, in 1887 is much stronger. It is not compelling, perhaps, but to me it is persuasive. See my article, "Chasing John Henry in Alabama and Mississippi," in Tributaries: Journal of the Alabama Folklife Association, Issue No. 5, 2002.
3 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Congratulations! This article has been selected as an Editors' Pick.