Mississippi John Hurt (3 July 1893 – 2 November 1966) was an American country blues singer-songwriter. Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, he learned to play a finger-picked style.

His early recordings were not popular at the time, but they had a significant influence on others. Tom Hoskins, a blues enthusiast, located Hurt in 1963 and brought him to Washington, D.C. where he was recorded by the Library of Congress, and that helped expand the American folk music revival.

Hurt found himself riding that groundswell of support, playing coffeeshops, cafes and The Tonight Show to great popular acclaim. His success was unfortunately short-lived, though, as he died of a heart attack in 1966.

Since his death, Hurt’s works have only grown in popularity, being covered by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Beck, and many more.