The legendary bluesman John Smith Hurt, AKA Mississippi John Hurt (~1892-1966), left sharecropping for a brief recording career with Okeh Records in 1928, cutting 78s like "Frankie" and "Avalon Blues". The records didn't sell, and Hurt eventually returned to farming. Decades later, he was rediscovered and recorded again in the mid-1960s. As a singer and guitarist, Hurt was widely influential, and songs recorded by Hurt have been covered by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Beck, Taj Mahal, Bruce Cockburn, David Johansen, and many others.

This is a 1965 recording of "Lonesome Valley" on the TV program Rainbow Quest, a short-lived series hosted by Pete Seeger.