Mississippi John Hurt did a live 21-song set on April 15, 1965, at Oberlin College in Ohio, a scant two years after his rediscovery in 1963, and a year before his death in 1966.
Hurt was remarkably consistent as a performer, whether you listen to his famous 1920s Okeh tracks, his rediscovery studio work for Vanguard Records, or the handful of live shows like this one: the skill and delivery is always steady, professional, and charming. Among the highlights in this set is his intricate and atmospheric slide guitar work on "Talking Casey," one of the few times
Hurt abandoned his trademark three-finger guitar picking style. This concert has been issued in various configurations and sequences by several labels under different titles and with different cover art over the years including
In Concert (Magnum),
Frankie & Albert (Tomato),
Live! (Columbia River),
Satisfying Blues (Collectables),
Revisited (Varese), and
Mississippi John Hurt (Dressed to Kill). Vanguard added a handful of live tracks recorded at
Hurt's workshop appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival to the 21 original Oberlin songs to make 2002's
Live, which is probably the best choice out there. Just make sure you get the 1920s stuff first.