richardmurray

I know Belafonte but I never heard his rendition of John Henry:) I remember the ezra jack keats book as a kid.  As a historical note in fiction, it is interesting that Black people have two Johns, as one of my poems say:) One is High John the other is John Henry. High John is older, he is from pre war between the states. John Henry, a railroad worker is from post war between the states and to be blunt, from the reconstruction era. If anything he was killed by Jim Crow, not just the railroad. I will never forget hearing white bluegrass people singing about john henry. Open pulpit question coming: has his wife been named Pollyanne usually? Some times John Henry's wife isn't mentioned sometimes she is, but just as his woman, but she has been named in a number of renditions I know of; but I wonder how often she is named PollyAnne?