Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend | 
 enlarge | Author: Scott Reynolds Nelson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 82108
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.4 x 0.7
ISBN: 0195341198
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9780195341195
ASIN: 0195341198
Publication Date: August 4, 2008
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Product Description
The ballad "John Henry" is the most recorded folk song in American history and John Henry--the mighty railroad man who could blast through rock faster than a steam drill--is a towering figure in our culture.
In Steel Drivin' Man, Scott Reynolds Nelson recounts the true story of the man behind the iconic American hero, telling the poignant tale of a young Virginia convict who died working on one of the most dangerous enterprises of the time, the first rail route through the Appalachian Mountains. Using census data, penitentiary reports, and railroad company reports, Nelson reveals how John Henry, victimized by Virginia's notorious Black Codes, was shipped to the infamous Richmond Penitentiary to become prisoner number 497, and was forced to labor on the mile-long Lewis Tunnel for the C&O railroad. Equally important, Nelson masterfully captures the life of the ballad of John Henry, tracing the song's evolution from the first printed score by blues legend W. C. Handy, to Carl Sandburg's use of the ballad to become the first "folk singer," to the upbeat version by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Attractively illustrated with numerous images, Steel Drivin' Man offers a marvelous portrait of a beloved folk song--and a true American legend.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 Good about research on Henry and Railroad not much on song August 22, 2008
I enjoyed reading this book for its delineation of the history of reconstruction Virginia, its investigation of who John Henry was and what tunnel he really dug or died in, and for its picture of the history of railroad building in the Appalachian South. These are the real strengths of the book.
The author is not a folklorist and spends little time talking about the exact evolution of the songs or their dissemination. That might matter to a folklorist like myself, but will not appear at all to be a deficiency to other readers. He writes clearly, with interest, and pays attention to aspects of the labor and racial history that most people are unaware of.
More than that, in sketching the 20th Century history of the song he provides a rather clear picture of the origins of the "folk music" milieu that I haven't seen written down anywhere else, only suggested in discussions among scholars. He also touches on the changes in the John Henry image as it was taken up by the Stalinized Communist Party of the 1930s and shows us how this John Henry was an ancestor of Superman and similar comic book superheroes.
The book is much more entertaining and intriguing than my review suggests. Especially at the remaindered prices, this book is a great deal. Read, learn, and enjoy
 Compact, Compelling, and Plausible August 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book will probably be the standard reference for quite some time regarding the historicity of John Henry and for giving a short overview of the various cultural-political strains that have contributed to the dissemination and variety of the "John Henry" songs. Despite criticism of Nelson by a certain Alabaman named Garst, Nelson's methodology is the superior of the two, and all you need to do to confirm that is to see how Garst's obejections(found on various sites including a review right here on Amazon)have been scaled back by Garst himself in the face of pointed criticism by others. Nelson's knowledge of nineteenth-centry railroad technology shines throughout the book, and his connecting the early blues with trackliners' songs deserves more attention in the future. All in all, this book is to be recommended, and it is no surprise (or fluke) that it has garnered numerous awards. I only with that Oxford University Press would issue paperbacks like this and Lawrence Levine's Black Culture and Black Consciousness (a classic if there ever was one) with surdier covers--covers that didn't curl and edges that didn't fray and split.
fascinating read! July 16, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As someone interested in history, the South, civil rights, and folk songs, I loved this book. The author starts by tracking down evidence to propose a candidate for the original John Henry who inspired the song. The author then fills in the details of what John Henry's life after arrest was probably like based on court, prison, and railroad records. Certainly, this part is speculative, as some reviewers have complained, but there is no reason a priori to expect that John Henry's experiences were significantly different from the norm. Besides, the discussion of the horrifying conditions the railroad builders and workers endured is eye-opening. Much of the latter portion of the book discusses how the song spread and the meaning it had at different times and to different groups. The author obviously did extensive research and creates a fascinating portrait of how a song mutates to suit current times.
This book really touched my soul ! February 8, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Although I am a Civil War aficionado, I have rarely read about what happened directly after the war. However, this book has changed my reading habits!!
From the time I was a child, I had a special affection for the John Henry songs and "legends". Well, I had no idea he was REAL-- flesh and blood! This book not only brought him alive for me, but the research and presentation was EXQUISITE. Dr Nelson -- in my eyes you have done a tremendous job of bringing alive not only JH, but the terrible wrongs done to thousands of African-American freedmen (and women) in Richmond, by the corrupt "Freedman's Bureau".
By reading this book, in my mind's eye AND ear, I could see the men and women who toiled in the often brutal conditions, to dig tunnels and build track. I could almost hear the weird and wonderful chants that helped lay the track and ease the brutal conditions and physical pain that these people, mostly (wrongfully convicted in many cases) convicts endured, usually until they dropped dead from the years of toil and/or silicosis.
Could that photograph of a John Henry (page 46) in Bealton VA (not that far from Richmond) really be him? Truth is stranger than fiction - perhaps we ARE looking into his smiling face. And one question I have-- how does the Smithsonian REALLY know which bones are his? (maybe I missed something)
The author's narrative, interspersed with highly pertinent photographs AND song verse kept me riveted to this very complex and highly interesting book.
The book's narrative gives great detail to that era in Richmond that John Henry lived, as wel as the "white house" by the tracks (Federal Penitentiary where so many of these Freedmen were wrongfully incarcerated) and as it winds past John Henry the individual, it reveals the highly pertinent correlation with those railroad songs handed down by word-of-mouth and then collected and sung by the like of people such as Carl Sandburg, folk singer as well as poet, Pete Seeger, Burl Ives.
The book then shows how the John Henry story and ballads found their way into art, and life as well - expressed in the artwork and subject matter in Marvel Comix; expressed in the song and art of striking workers, the WPA, Karl Marx, the Communists and Socialists in America in the 1930's, the "radical and liberals of the 1940's", the Black Worker Protest Songs -- and more.
Of great interest also was the way the South incorporated (and the way it did NOT incorporate) black history regarding John Henry and other related Afro-American folk heroes and song into its school textbooks and library books back in the 40's and 50's.
I borrowed this book from the library -- but I was so impressed with it that I bought one for myself. I want to do my own research (in fact I'm playing some CD samples from Amazon right now, having to do with John Henry and word of mouth folk songs) on these ballads, and those who sang them as well as those who still sing them today.
I cannot find any fault with this book. The fact that I am now hooked on the John Henry ballad and all the history (past AND present) that goes with it is proof enough of this book's influence.
Does Dr. Nelson have a web site that relates to this book? I guess that's one more bit of research that I will undertake!! (I hope he does!)
PS- the "Gandy Dancer's Gal" on page 131 is a tremendous summation on canvas, of the strength and hardships, as well as the joys that were part of these track workers' lives.
A great view of part of American (and Black American) History January 31, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Race relations are a complex issue, this book was an interesting survey of the issue, following an American Legend how it was molded and re-molded to fit the view of the teller at the time.
The book isn't a novel, and possible starts a little slow but I felt picked up really well by the middle of the book.
Overall a great history book that looks at history in a interesting way.
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