WELCOME

Welcome to the "official" website for the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation. This is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted primarily to preserving the musical legacy of Mississippi John Hurt, a Country Blues musician from Avalon, Mississippi, whose work represents a profound contribution to American culture. Thank you for stopping by!

THE FOUNDATION

The Mississippi John Hurt Foundation was founded in 1997 by John Hurt's granddaughter, Mary Frances Hurt, and is mainly supported by generous donations as well as proceeds from the annual Mississippi John Hurt Music Festival and the operation of the Mississippi John Hurt Museum.

The Foundation's mission is to help preserve the musical legacy of Mississippi John Hurt. It achieves this goal by maintaining John Hurt's home which was converted into the Mississippi John Hurt Museum, and the St. James Church, which was John Hurt's place of worship and his school. Additionally, the Foundation helps maintain John Hurt's grave in the historic St. James Cemetery. The Mississippi John Hurt Foundation also provides musical and educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth, such as an after-school program where participants learn about Blues music, learn to play an instrument and perform at events like the Chicago Blues Festival. Through the Mississippi John Hurt Music Festival, also known as Homecoming, the Foundation celebrates John Hurt's life and music annually in a meaningful and personal way.

We invite you to learn more about Mississippi John Hurt's life, music, and legacy through this website. We hope that you will become a special part of our music family!

DONATE

Please consider donating to the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation through the PayPal Giving Fund or through PayPal.Me/MSJohnHurtFoundation. If you are a resident of the United States, donations are typically 100% tax-deductible - and donations of $500 or more can be made from 401K accounts without any tax consequences.

Generous donations to the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation help maintain the Mississippi John Hurt Museum and the historic St. James Church. Your contributions also help fund the Foundation's musical and educational endeavors and the annual Mississippi John Hurt Music Festival. The Foundation thanks you for your kindness and for taking the opportunity to contribute to the legacy of Mississippi John Hurt.

IN THE NEWS

October 25-26, 2024 - In partnership with the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation (AEBHF), the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation is pleased to present an exciting two-day fundraiser in Hyattsville, MD, focusing on the life, music, and legacy of Mississippi John Hurt. The event begins with a Friday concert inspired by the music of Mississippi John Hurt featuring Rick Franklin, Justin Golden, and the Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo, with emcee radio personality Bill Wax. Valerie Turner will lead a guitar workshop presenting some of Hurt's arrangements on Saturday and a Mississippi John Hurt-inspired jam will follow. Saturday continues with a private screening of the award-winning documentary film, A Man Called Hurt: The Life and Music of Mississippi John Hurt, at a local town hall, and the weekend ends with an intimate reception. Mary Frances Hurt, Founder and President of the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation, will be in attendance throughout. If you cannot attend but would like to contribute to this fundraiser, donations are accepted at PayPal.Me/MSJohnHurtFoundation. The Foundation appreciates your generosity! (Event Details)

October 5-6, 2024 - In partnership with the Mt. Zion Memorial Fund (MZMF), the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation is pleased to present a two-day celebration in Avalon, MS, of the life and musical legacy of Carroll County native, Mississippi John Hurt. This free event will take place at the former site of the Mississippi John Hurt Museum which was tragically burned to the ground on February 21, 2024, on County Road 109 in the Avalon community of Carroll County. Mary Frances Hurt, Founder and President of the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation, will serve as the official event host and MZMF has secured the participation of Jock Webb Sr., a Blues artist and scholar from Birmingham, Alabama, as emcee for the event. Unless otherwise noted, all events will be held on the festival grounds at County Road 109 in Avalon, Mississippi. If you would like to help support the 2024 Homecoming Festival & History Symposium, donations are accepted at PayPal.Me/MSJohnHurtFoundation. The Foundation thanks you for your kindness and for taking the opportunity to contribute to the legacy of Mississippi John Hurt. (2024 Homecoming Details)

The Mississippi John Hurt Museum burned down on February 21, 2024, mere hours after being placed on the National Historic Register. The Mississippi John Hurt Foundation would like to express gratitude for the spontaneous donations it received in the wake of this tragic fire. The Mississippi John Hurt's Legacy Will Rise fundraiser is excited to announce that John Price, a good friend of the Foundation, generously offered a dollar-for-dollar match for every donation up to $15K! This is a fantastic opportunity to double the impact of your contributions and we must raise at least $50K to activate the offer. So far, more than $35K has been raised and the $50K target is within reach. With sufficient funding, the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation can begin construction on the Mississippi John Hurt Fine Arts Center to help restore John Hurt's legacy. If donating is something you've been considering, now is the time. You can also help by sharing this fundraiser on your social media - the more people we reach, the faster we'll attain our goal. Thank you for joining us in this important initiative. (Visit Fundraiser)

The Mississippi John Hurt Foundation is excited to announce its emergence into the film festival circuit with a debut of A Man Called Hurt: The Life and Music of Mississippi John Hurt at the San Francisco Documentary Festival. The road to the film's completion has been long and many of you have been with us every step of the way. We are pleased to have this opportunity to share the story of Mississippi John Hurt with you and we hope that a screening of this documentary film will be at a venue near you soon. Whether you made a financial contribution, shared our story with friends, or simply believed in us - we thank you for being so supportive throughout this project! We are especially grateful to our collaborators at Draft, a creative production company from Knoxville, TN, for their talent and vision. Please visit the Film section of this website for all the latest updates, including opportunities to view the documentary. (Visit Film Page)

The Mississippi John Hurt Foundation partnered with Carnegie Mellon and worked with a team of graduate students to produce an interactive, educational installation. The project's goal was to tell the story of Mississippi John Hurt in the historical context of his time. We invite you to learn about the installation by watching this project overview, but you'll have to visit the St. James Church in Avalon, Mississippi, to experience it fully! (View Project Overview)

October 7-8, 2023 - The Mississippi John Hurt Foundation concluded its 25th Anniversary celebration with a special Memorial Walk in Avalon, Mississippi. The event included unveiling a new marker at the historic St. James Cemetery. This is where Mississippi John Hurt rests with many family members and generations of Avalon's African American residents. During the two-day celebration, attendees were invited to play music at John Hurt's gravesite and on the steps of the Mississippi John Hurt Museum. And those who just enjoyed listening had a lot of good music to tickle their ears! It was an exciting opportunity to help honor the legacy of Avalon's most celebrated resident. (Visit Memorial Walk Page)

In collaboration with Draft, a creative production company from Knoxville, TN, the Mississippi John Hurt Foundation is proud to present the official Trailer for the upcoming documentary film, HURT - A Mississippi Inspiration. This is a major milestone for the project and we thank each person who has supported it - we have come this far because of you. Anyone wishing to donate to this important project is encouraged to contribute to the Foundation's Silver Anniversary Fundraiser Campaign. There is more work to be done! (Visit Film Page)

Desecration of Historic African American Cemetery in Avalon, Mississippi, written by Valerie Turner and published by the African American Folklorist Magazine, shines a spotlight on an ugly tradition in the United States regarding the desecration of African American cemeteries. This article focuses on the historic St. James Cemetery, the resting place of Mississippi John Hurt. The St. James Cemetery is distinguished as being the sole African American cemetery in Carroll County, Mississippi, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and generations of African-Americans are buried there. A visit to this cemetery in the spring of 2022 by Mary Frances Hurt, granddaughter of Mississippi John Hurt, revealed that a mysterious marker had been installed at the cemetery's main entrance and that numerous graves had been disturbed. (Read Article)

The complete Mississippi John Hurt 2021 Online Concert Series is now available on the Foundation's YouTube channel. The artists presented in this concert series were Jontavious Willis, the Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo, Andy Cohen, Hubby Jenkins, and Alan Lighty. Enjoy! (Watch Concert Series)

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