Recorded St. Louis, MO: April 26, 1927
Arnold Williamson, fiddle; Irving Williamson, guitar; Curry, guitar. The vocalist is unidentifed.
Originally released on Okeh 45127

(alternate titles: John Henry; John Henry Blues; Spike Driver Blues; Story of John Henry)

The Williamsons and Curry were from Logan County, West Virginia, a coal mining region of the state. They apparently accompanied their neighbor Frank Hutchison (Track 9) to this St. Louis session. The Williamson Brothers featured Arnold and Irving Williamson, who were brothers.  Nothing is known about Curry. At the time of the session, Arnold Williamson was only 23 years old. They continued to play locally in Logan County for many years thereafter.

John Henry in all its variants is arguably the most famous American folksong. Its popularity is evident through the numerous recorded versions of the song.  For example, the Smithsonian Folklife Archive has hundreds of versions in its collections. Of African-American origin, the ballad has made John Henry a mythic character in American culture: the image of man against machine. The song deals with the digging of the Big Bend tunnel in West Virginia. John Henry's story has been told from many perspectives, sometimes his own and sometimes from his wife Polly Ann's. Various versions of the story include John Hurt's "Spike Driver Blues" (Track 80), Dave Macon's "The Death of John Henry," Bill Monroe's "New John Henry Blues," and folk singer Josh White, who devoted an entire side of one of his LPs to songs to the John Henry story.

This is a selected list of John Henry and related ballads from the John Henry legend. There are many more:

Traditional American Folk: as John Henry: Rich Amerson (SFW CD 4471c); Etta Baker (TRD 1007a); Arthur Bell (LC AAFSL3); Bill Cornett (SFW CD 40077c); Bill and Jean Davis (SFW CD 40097c); Willie Dodson (SFW CD 4474c); Phyllis Gaskins (HRT 094d); Frank George (TRL 529a); David Holt (HW c); Max Hunter (FL 11a); Buell Kazee (SFW CD 3810c); The Kimble Family (MMC 9036d); Lead Belly (SFW CD  40068c, SFW CD 40045c, SFW CD 7533c); Bascom Lamar Lunsford (RVR 12-645a); Alison Mathis (FLY 250a); J.J. Neece (SFW CD 40097c); John Jacob Niles (TRD 1023a; FW 2373c); Leslie Riddle (SFW CD 40097c); Jean Schilling (TRL 5117a); Kilby Snow (SFW CD 2365c); Wallace Swan (LC AAFSL2); Raymond Swinney (RND 0237c); Henry Grady Terrell (SFW CD 34162c); Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley (SFW CD 40029c); Doc Watson (SGH 3786c, VG 155/8c); as Little John Henry: James "Iron Head" Baker (LC AFSL53a).

Folksong revival: as John Hardy: Casey Anderson (ELK 192a); Hoyt Axton (Horizon 1601a); Harry Belafonte (RCA 52469c); The Brothers Four (COL 8378a); Fleming Brown (FL 4a); Bruce Buckley (SFW CD 2025c); Paul Clayton (SFW CD 3571c); Michael Cooney (FL 35a); Double Decker String Band (FRT 160a); Richard Dyer-Bennet (DYB 5000c); Sam Eskin (CK 1020c); John Fahey (TAK 1002a, TAK 8901c); The Folksmiths (SFW CD 2407c); Bob Gibson (RVR 12-806a); Ronnie Gilbert and Odetta (FF 483c); Woody Guthrie (SFW CD 40007c); Frank Hamilton (SFW CD 2437c); Neal Hellman (KM 222a); Cisco Houston (VF 9002a); Bruce Hutton (MMC 9040d); Burl Ives (DEC 8125a); Peter LaFarge (COL 1795a); Michael Larue (CPT 560a); The Limelighters (RCA 2907a, ELK 7180a, GNP 2188c); Alan Lomax (TRD 2057a); John Lomax Jr. (SFW CD 3508c); Trini Lopez (Crown 458a); Bill McAdoo and Pete Seeger (SFW CD 2448 c); Ed McCurdy (RVR 12-601a); John McCutcheon (RND 8009c); The New Christy Minstrels (COL 8987a); Odetta (OBC 565c, 9076a, VG 73102c); Tom Paley (ELK 217a); Paul Robeson (COL 4105a, VG 3007c); Carl Sandburg (COL 5339a); Mike and Peggy Seeger (RND 8001/3a); Pete Seeger (FF 104c, SFW CD 2319c, SFW CD 2513c, SFW CD 40027c, SFW CD 45024d); Brother John Sellers (VG 79036c); Happy Traum (KM 110a); Dave Van Ronk (SFW CD 3818c, VF 9017a); as The Death of John Henry: Rambling Jack Elliott (AFJ 210a); as The Saga of John Henry: (MER 60777a); as My Little John Henry: Alan Lomax (TRD 1029a); as John Henry and the Steam Drill: The New Christy Minstrels (COL 2187a); as John Henry, The Thinking Man: Gibson and Camp (FKE 1413c).

Post revival: as John Henry: The Heartbeats (MMC 9040d); Kristina Olsen (PH 1147c); Way Out West (Bainbridge 1033c).

Country/String Band: as John Henry: Chet Atkins (RCA 2025a); The Blue Sky Boys (RCA 5520a); Dock Boggs (SFW CD 2392c); The Bogtrotters (BIO 6003a); Brother Oswald and Charlie Collins (RND 0041c); The Calahan Brothers (OH 90031a); Fred Cockerham (KM 213a); Kyle Creed and Fred Cockerham (CTY 701a); Little Jimmie Dickens (COL 38905a); Dave Dudley (Sun 1026a); The Eller Brothers (FLY 546a); David Holt (HW 1251c); Tommy Jarrell (MTN 310a); Grandpa Jones (COL 52416c); Fiddlin' Van Kidwell (VET 506a); The Kimble Family (MMC 9035d, MMC 9037d); Mainer's Mountaineers (KNG 666a); Wade Mainer (OH 124a); The Mountain Ramblers (ATL 82496c); The New River Ramblers (HRT 4a); The New Lost City Ramblers (SFW CD 2395c); Paul, Vernon and Wade Miles (LC LBC-3a); George Pegram (RND 0001c, FW 2435c); Jerry Reed (RCA 0331a, RCA 3978a); The Roan Mountain Hilltoppers (Cloudlands 009c); The Round Peak Band (MMC 9044d); Lee Sexton (JA 0051c); Morgan Sexton (JA 0055c); Jimmie Skinner (VET 3027a); Ernest Stoneman (EDS 51869b); Stringbean (GUS 215a); The Sutphin Family (SFW CD 2315c); Wallace Swan and the Cherokee String Band (LC AFSL2a); Gid Tanner and the Skillet Lickers (RND 1005c); Jimmie Tarlton (TST 3302a); Hank Thompson (LIB 33601c); Merle Travis (CAP 891a, RND SS09c, CMH 9017a); Merle Travis and Joe Maphis (CMH 4901c); Martin Young and Corbin Grigsby (SFW CD 2317c); as John Henry Blues: Earl Johnson and the Clodhoppers (CTY 543a, OK 45101b); Evans and McClain (YZ 2017c); as the Death of John Henry: Uncle Dave Macon (BR 112b, BR 59001a, CRL 174a, CTY 502a, CTY 545d, DU 101a, RND 1028c, CTY 3504c, VOC 15320b); Welby Toomey (GEN 6005b); as John Henry Jr.: Eddie Pennington (cassette); as K.C. Blues: Frank Hutchison (RND 1007a); as The Legend of John Henry's Hammer: Johnny Cash (COL 29a, COL 1930a); as Old John Henry: Bashful Brother Oswald (RND 0041c).

Bluegrass: as John Henry: Kenny Baker and Josh Graves (PRT 5005a); The Blue Ridge Mountain Boys (TL 52083a); Hylo Brown (JES 134a); Country Gazette (FF 446d); The Crook Brothers (STR 182a); Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard (SFW CD 40065c); Dry Branch Fire Squad (RND 0339c); Flatt and Scruggs (COL 8364a, COL 31964a, BF 15559c); Tony Furtado (RND 0277c); David Grisman (SGH 3713c); Hot Rize (SGH 3748c); Carl Jackson (SGH 3715c); Doug Jernigan (FF 024a); David Johnson (SFW CD 31094c); Johnson Mountain Boys (RND 0135c, RND 0260c); The Kentucky Colonels (RND SS31c, World Pacific 1821a); The Kentucky Ramblers (JA 0071c); The Laurel River Valley Boys (RVR 7504a); The Lilly Brothers (CTY 729a, REB 1688c); Jimmy Martin (DEC 4643a); Bill Monroe (MCA 11048c); Frank Neccessary (OH 90010a); The Osborne Brothers (RND SS04a); Pete Pike (REB 1473a); The Pine River Boys (MTN 305a); Larry Richardson (CTY 702a); The Stanley Brothers (CC 0101c, JLY 118 a, REB 1109c); Joe Stuart (ATT 1514a); George Thacker (Pinecastle 1046c), The Virginia Mountain Boys (FW 3839c); as John Henry Blues: Osborne Brothers (Polydor 1048/50a); as John Henry Jr.: Delia Bell and Bill Grant (OH 90201a)); as John Henry Breakdown: Josh Graves (STR 340a); as New John Henry Blues: Bill Monroe (VOC 3702a); The Shelton Brothers and Curly Fox (CMH 8005c).

Blues/Rhythm and Blues: as John Henry: Pink Anderson (OBC 524c, PRS 577c); John Henry Barbee (Storyville 8003c); Big Bill Broonzy (SFW CD 40023c, GNP 10004a, GNP 10009a); Buster Brown (DJM 22037a); Blind James Campbell (AH 1015a); Cephas and Wiggins (FF 394c); John Cephas (LC LBC-9a); The Chicago String Band (TST 5006c); Gary Davis (OBC 524c); Snooks Eaglin (AH 348c, FLR 107a); Archie Edwards (MAP 512695c); Jesse Fuller (Good Time Jazz 537c); Walter Horton (LON 13526a, Chess 9268c); Bob Hadley (KM 103a); Frank Hovington (RND 2017a); Peg Leg Howell (TST 2204a); John Jackson (AH 378c, AH 1025a); Henry Johnson (TAK 3304a); Furry Lewis (FW 3823c, FTY 24703c, DOC 5004c); L7 9202c); Mississippi Fred McDowell (BIO 130c, BIO 12017a, OBC 535c, RND 2138c); Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry (SFW CD 40011c, FTY 24723c); Memphis Slim (SFW CD 2385c, FW 3535c, Candid 79024c); Peg Leg Sam (Tomato 2696652a); Virgil Perkins (FW 2610c); Pinetop Slim (Kent 9004a); Moses Rascoe (FF 454c); Paul Rishell (Tone Cool 1156c); Sonny Terry (ELK 14a, RVR 12-644a); Henry Thomas (YZ 1081c, OJL 3a, HER 209a); Josh White (EMR 36052a, ELK 123a, ELK 75008a); as Joe Louis and John Henry: Sonny Boy (John Lee) Williamson (BC 3a); as Spike Driver Blues: Mississippi John Hurt (see Track 80)(VG 79220c, RND 1081c, YZ 1065c); as the Story of John Henry: Josh White (ELK 701a).

Rock: as John Henry: Dick Dale (Accent 5033a); Lonnie Donegan (LON 1650 45); Duane Eddy (BF 15578c, Jamie 3011a); Don Hosea (Sun 1010a); Jerry Lee Lewis (Sun 102a, BF 15420c, BF 15408c); as John Henry: Surf (MER 12265a).

Jazz: as John Henry: Frances Faye (BET 6017a); Ramsey Lewis (Trip 5563 a); Bill and Dee Dee Pierce (FLR 110a).

American Popular: as John Henry: Ace Cannon (KNG 0061a); 101 Strings (Somerset 17800c).

British: as John Henry: John Renbourn (REP 6482a).