Every Tuesday, step by step, I’m walking with my readers from A to Z, last week we had the “iii”-challenge, so this week we’ll take “j” – I’m sure you’ll also find a a photo, a story or a music title tagged with “j”! Feel free to add in the comments below the link to your personal interpretation of the letter “j”!!! Myself I’ll focus on the history of the song “John Henry”: continue to read on page two
Pages: 1 2
Flickr Comments 
What a tremendous post. Bill Broonzy! Merle Travis, Woody, Lead belly. Interesting the variety of styles, nuances in the melody. I love the minor key in some of the white versions. That German guy’s version wasn’t bad either.
I’ll add mine here. I’ve put this song on my blog a number to times. it’s such a wonderful story and song to play.http://bumbastories.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/john-henry-4/
LikeLike
dear Bumba,
you, performing the ballad, are making a real good job!
P.S.:
I’ve just uploaded TAKE THIS HAMMER – played on my Dobro / resonator steel guitar – with a similar protest message:
https://soundcloud.com/fingerstyle_guitar/take-this-hammer
LikeLike
One of our favorite songs here, thanks for so many different clips! My son sings the Bruce Springsteen song a lot…
LikeLike
nice to have a son like him!
P.S.:
you wrote for the SEA challenge
describing your Oregon beach impressions:
“…The sound of waves crashing on a beach
and the smell of salt water
are two of my favorite things in the world…” –
frizz-response:
maybe I’m allowed to add two further favorites (of mine):
my wife, my guitar …
LikeLike
He is a great boy!
LikeLike
Hi there Frizz, this is a great post. The first time I heard of John Henry was through a picture book I reviewed for GatheringBook. Here is the link to my post about the man with the strength of a steam powered hammer: http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/the-man-with-the-strength-of-a-steam-powered-hammer-john-henry-by-julius-lester-with-pictures-by-jerry-pinkney/
I also included the Fred McDowell clip in my post then. 🙂 How nice to see this here.
My contribution this week for the photo challenge is our “Journey” from Budapest to Bratislava by train, here is the link:
http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/photo-journala-z-photo-challenge-j-is-for-journey/
LikeLike
WOW! What a great tribute for this amazing musician… Thank you, dear Frizz, have a nice day, love, nia
LikeLike
I knew that song….and now I remember why : Woody Guthrie of course….because Joan Baez made a tour with Woody Guthrie songs. But I’m not sure of the fact she sang herself or if it was one of her musician…..
Good choice for J !
LikeLike
Great song!!! Thanks for looking for so many different versions!!!
LikeLike
What a post, Frizz!! 🙂 All these amazing versions of this incredible song!
🙂
LikeLike
A real jamboree of steel driving players here – Mississippi John Hurt is favourite by a whisker. My post is the female equivalent but lacks the music and status
http://telltaletherapy.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/jjj-challenge-just-jane/
LikeLike
“…Jane rhymes
with champagne!”
+
LikeLike
thank you, Jayne, you really inspired me with your tagxedo-link!
here the result:
https://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/make-your-tagxedo/
LikeLike
Great posts Frizz! Here’s mine: http://goomfh.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/jjj-challenge/
LikeLike
nice to have a joker now – but we must discover for what?
LikeLike
Here is my entry this week! ENJOY!
http://www.ceephotography.com/2013/09/03/flickr-comments-iii-challenge/
LikeLike
hi CEE,
jetty-jellyfish-jug
=
I found my thrill,
on South Jetty Hill
+
but I don’t know,
how to get my girlfriend Jill,
+
a jellyfish and a jug
eliminated from my bill …
LikeLike
Here’s my go – http://lynneayersbeyondthebrush.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/a-z-challenge/
LikeLike
I like the jungle of jour jardin!
LikeLike
Hi Frizz, Here is mine: http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/j-jadeite-cabbage/
LikeLike
thank you, Amy, for your interesting information about jade carving – I only learned wood carving…
LikeLike
amazing music frizz … great collection! mine is musical too http://dadirridreaming.wordpress.com/2013/09/04/jjj-is-for-jamming-and-jumping/
LikeLike
hi Christine,
I always feel joy – jamming or eating jam!
LikeLike
Haven’t heard “John Henry” in forever.
LikeLike
http://indigomoondazed.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/jjj-challengejesus-joy/
LikeLike
I was sure, you would discover J = Jesus 🙂
LikeLike
Frizz, I’m curious about who owns the copyright on our word clouds–as it clearly says tagxedo does on the finished product. Does that mean I lose any rights to my text, within the cloud–Do you know?? Since I’ve discovered that my poems don’t translate well in the word cloud format, I guess it doesn’t matter much–but I couldn’t seem to find a concrete answer on their blog (FAQ).
LikeLike
dear Bennetta, are the word-clouds on their blog? I think they only will have the permission to do so. But if you fear, your poems are stolen now – stop it …
LikeLike
Thanks so much, always, for your help Frizz–I’ll be more cautious now, just in case. You’re the BEST.
LikeLike
Hi Frizz, here is my J and music to accompany it this time http://angelinem.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/j-is-for/
LikeLike
thank you, Angeline for:
JAZZ = “Would our lives be the same without it? Not mine…”
LikeLike
Great song, great post. Fascinating to have so many versions brought together like this. Here is my JJJ post: http://travelwithintent.com/2013/09/04/j-is-for-jowls/
LikeLike
hi Debbie,
you’ve composed a great tribute to the hippo JOWLS!
my grandchildren like to watch this video every evening:
LikeLike
In return for magnificent versions of John Henry, Frizz, I give you Joe Sabuni P.I. http://wp.me/pKVAM-iK
LikeLike
“…the book was also to be used in Zambian schools, and not only in English, but translated into 6 Zambian languages. This I gather was funded by the World Bank. Someone had the surprising idea that people learn to read best in their own language…” – yes, really good, congratulations!
LikeLike
Ok, here is my contribution.
http://msudlj.com/2013/09/04/a-to-z-photo-challenge/
LikeLike
hi Danny, thank you for joining the challenge with this great shot of the famous jumping Masai warriors! P.S.: I thought J for James 🙂
LikeLike
So did I but I put the ego in check on this one.
LikeLike
My entry for letter ‘J’ – http://completelydisappear.wordpress.com/2013/09/08/japan/
Thank you 🙂
LikeLike
an interesting Japan gallery, thank you!
LikeLike
I made it – I made it! Please have a look at
http://acrossthebored.com/2013/09/09/jjj-challenge/
LikeLike
“Jumpin’ Jehosaphats
Jitterbug Jive
Jingle Jangle piano…”
jou are a jenius!
+
LikeLike
Here’s my late entry for the jjj challenge.
http://unexpectedincommonhours.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/jjj-challenge-jesse-jewell/
LikeLike
My belated entry, Frizz. I will try hard to keep up in future. 🙂
http://restlessjo.wordpress.com/2013/09/16/j-is-for-jadwiga/
LikeLike
you’re touching my heart, Jo (J = Jo for me) telling about Poland – because my mother came from Poland – but I’ve never been there – only read a good book about Poland: Roman Polanski’s autobiography …
greetings by
https://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/pavilion-blues/
LikeLike
http://www.amazon.de/review/RRQ6QC9PUUU8D
+
A SINNER & A GENIUS
Roman Polanski, born on august 18, 1933, has written a fascinating autobiography. He is a sinner and a genius, a chaotic man and a passionate, he is a machismo and a vulnerable human being, he overcame the WWII, the Polish ghettos and the Holocaust as a resilient child and he lost his wife Sharon Tate and an unborn child in 1969 by the Manson Group massacre, and on the other hand he overcame (as an adult) a special pattern of machismo-self-destruction (with 13 year old girl accusing him of sexual contact). He had lived a lousy life in Nazi-surpressed Polish ghettos and he had lived with too much pride and arrogance in Hollywood, he was arrested in the United States and nevertheless now he releases movies in Paris (presently married with French actress Emmanuelle Seigner). He is a gifted filmmaker and indeed: a writer, better than any crime-author I know; his book, published in 1984, is not a larmoyant, self-pitiful autobiography alike 1001 others – it is an absorbing story about a personality-mixture-hybrid of a Robin Hood mixed with Mac Beth, an Idi Amin mixed with a Mother Theresa, it is the story of “Roman” P., who started his life 1933 in Paris as “Raymond” P.; the first sentence of his autobiography: “For as far back as I can remember, the line between fantasy and reality has been hopelessly blurred.” That became his helping trick to survive some struggles and tragedies, downfalls and comebacks …
LikeLike
That is a most tumultuous tale, Frizz! I’ve just arrived here now to read it. I will certainly be obtaining the book. Many thanks for your kindness.
I just completed my J post for my Portugal A-Z Personal Challenge. You will be thinking “is there no escape from this woman?” 🙂
http://restlessjo.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/j-is-for-joao-and-javali/
LikeLike
“j” for johanna!
P.S.:
I like your slogan:
“Inspiring bloggers to get personal”!
LikeLike