[19][20], In 2020, Terry Crews played a modern-day version of the legend in John Henry, in which he plays a former gang member who takes in two young teens who are on the run from his former gang leader, played by Ludacris. The historical accuracy of many of the aspects of the John Henry legend are subject to debate. In October 2018, it was announced that Dwayne Johnson will portray the character in an upcoming film exclusive to Netflix titled John Henry and the Statesmen. Directed by Mark Henn, plans for theatrical releases in 2000 and 2001 fell through after having a limited Academy Award qualifying run in Los Angeles,[25] a shorter version was released as the only new entry in direct-to-video release, Disney's American Legends (2002). TALCOTT — Having the 1905-vintage general store she and her husband operated for decades converted into a museum commemorating the life and times of John Henry, the legendary steel-driving man, [1][2] According to researcher Scott Reynolds Nelson, the actual John Henry was born in 1848 in New Jersey and died of silicosis and not due to exhaustion of work.[4]. He beat the steam drill down and then he died. Funny thing, though — turns out there really was a steel-drivin' man named John Henry, a convict at the Virginia State Penitentiary who was conscripted to help dig the railroad tunnels that would connect the South with the West. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is a juvenile fantasy novel about seventh grader Tristan Strong who travels to another world and encounters black American gods. I believe these old mountains are caving in. Schlosser . The story surrounding the Miner Miracles quest is a reference to John Henry's competition. [9], The records Nelson found indicate that the contest took place 40 miles (64 km) away at the Lewis Tunnel, between Talcott and Millboro, Virginia, where prisoners did indeed work beside steam drills night and day. Jake Kasdan will direct the film, from a script written by Tom Wheeler. He laid his hand on his shoulder and said: Before that steam drill could beat him down, She caught on fire by a little blue blaze. The character later appeared in a Walt Disney Feature Animation short film, John Henry (1999). [12], Based on documentation that corresponds with the account of C. C. Spencer, who claimed in the 1920s to have witnessed the contest, Garst speculates that John Henry may have been a man named Henry who was born a slave to P.A.L. Then the shaker would begin rocking and rolling: wiggling and rotating the drill to optimize its bite. "Who Was John Henry? John Henry said to his captain: "You are nothing but a common man, Before that steam drill shall beat me down, Songs featuring the story of John Henry have been recorded by many musical artists and bands of different ethnic backgrounds. According to legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam-powered rock drilling machine, a race that he won only to die in victory with hammer in hand as his heart gave out from stress. John Henry is briefly mentioned in an episode of 30 Rock, during season 6 titled “The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell”. Sung more slowly and deliberately, often with a pulsating beat suggestive of swinging the hammer, these songs usually contain the lines "This old hammer killed John Henry / but it won't kill me." Lyrics to 'John Henry, The Steel Driving Man' by The Limeliters. Some scholars have suggested that the "John Henry" ballad grew out of the hammer songs, while others believe that the two were always entirely separate. He took a lot of pride in his work and he hated to see a machine take the work of men like him. Given his line of work, he probably wears relatively tight-fitting clothing, if any … According to the story, John Henry was a steel driver. The DC Comics superhero Steel's civilian name, "John Henry Irons," is inspired by John Henry. [5][3] That tunnel was built near Talcott, West Virginia, from 1870 to 1872 (according to Johnson's dating), and named for the big bend in the Greenbrier River nearby. They Might Be Giants named their fifth studio album after John Henry. In the story of Team Fortress 2 comics, he was the first Heavy of the original BLU team. [55], In Civilization IV, the quote "Before that steam drill shall beat me down, I'll die with my hammer in my hand." That's in Chapter 2: The African–American Tradition. [53], John Henry was featured as a fictional character in the 2014 video game Wasteland 2. A West Virginia Legend. A West Virginia Legend. [17], John Henry is a symbol of physical strength and endurance, of exploited labor, of the dignity of a human being against the degradations of the machine age, and of racial pride and solidarity. The well-known narrative ballad of "John Henry" is usually sung in an upbeat tempo. He went to work as a steel-driver for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, don't ya know. John Henry, the strongest steel-driving man there ever was, stood up and said, "There's no machine faster than me!" "[50], Ezra Jack Keats's John Henry: An American Legend, published in 1965, is a notable picture book chronicling the history of John Henry and portraying him as the "personification of the medieval Everyman who struggles against insurmountable odds and wins. The official music video for John Henry Was A Steel Drivin' Man premiered on YouTube on Wednesday the 25th of March 2020. The Patty Gadget, is a reference to the story of John Henry. Poems. He concluded that John Henry might have worked on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's (C&O Railway) Big Bend Tunnel but that "one can make out a case either for or against" it. In the 1996 film Basquiat, the story of John Henry was told to Basquiat by his friend Benny as words of wisdom. He names himself after John Henry and even uses John Henry's weapons/tools, two iron sledgehammers. Poems Home ... Says, "There lies my steel-driving man, Lord, Lord, There lies my steel-driving man." Unfortunately, he was wounded, discovered by a white girl, was caught by the Klan, and was burned alive. Please let John Garst, from the University of Georgia, believes that the John Henry legend was born in Alabama. John Henry: The Steel Driving Man. Johnson believed this version represented portions of several earlier versions. In “Steel Drivin’ Man,” Scott Reynolds Nelson argues that the John Henry story was no tall tale, and Henry himself no myth. I asked people about Mr. Miller's reputation, and they all said, "If Neal Miller said anything happened, it happened. Despite differences in the lyrics, all focus on the same event - the race between a mechanized steam hammer and a man to see who could beat down a section of railroad track the fastest. My favorite version of this old folk song, with George Shuffler on lead guitar. Steel is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The short is considered a milestone in American cinema as one of the first films to have a positive view of African-American folklore. "[17], Colson Whitehead's 2001 novel John Henry Days uses the John Henry myth as story background. Advertisement. It's unknown exactly how many men lost their lives to injury or illness while expanding the nation’s railroad system during Reconstruction, but the legacy of these men lives on in one of the most enduring folk heroes in American history...the ballad of John Henry, the steel-driving man. ballads originated in the oral tradition of hammer songs in the 1870s and evolved over time into the ballads with which we are familiar today. It was part of a set honoring American folk heroes that included Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and Casey at the Bat. And these were the last words John Henry said, "Bring me a cool drink of water before I die.". Sociologist Guy B. Johnson investigated the legend of John Henry in the late 1920s. During World War II his image was used in U.S. government propaganda as a symbol of social tolerance and diversity.[18]. As far as anyone can determine, John Henry was hired as a steel-driver for the C&O Railroad, a wealthy company that was extending its line from the Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio Valley. "JOHN HENRY, THE STEEL DRIVING MAN" John Henry was a railroad man, He worked from six 'till five, "Raise 'em up bullies and let 'em drop down, I'll beat you to the bottom or die." It was eventually released in its original format as an interstitial on the Disney Channel, and later as part of the home video compilation Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection in 2015. The contest involved John Henry as the hammer man working in partnership with a shaker, who would hold a chisel-like drill against mountain rock, while the hammer man struck a powerful blow with a sledgehammer. The Legend of John Henry There are two John Henrys - the man and legend surrounding him. , they decided to hold a test to get an idea of how practical the steam was. 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