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Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend 1st Edition

by Scott Reynolds Nelson (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 87 ratings
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The ballad "John Henry" is the most recorded folk song in American history and John Henry--the mighty railroad man who could blast through rock faster than a steam drill--is a towering figure in our culture.
In Steel Drivin' Man, Scott Reynolds Nelson recounts the true story of the man behind the iconic American hero, telling the poignant tale of a young Virginia convict who died working on one of the most dangerous enterprises of the time, the first rail route through the Appalachian Mountains. Using census data, penitentiary reports, and railroad company reports, Nelson reveals how John Henry, victimized by Virginia's notorious Black Codes, was shipped to the infamous Richmond Penitentiary to become prisoner number 497, and was forced to labor on the mile-long Lewis Tunnel for the C&O railroad. Equally important, Nelson masterfully captures the life of the ballad of John Henry, tracing the song's evolution from the first printed score by blues legend W. C. Handy, to Carl Sandburg's use of the ballad to become the first "folk singer," to the upbeat version by Tennessee Ernie Ford.
Attractively illustrated with numerous images, Steel Drivin' Man offers a marvelous portrait of a beloved folk song--and a true American legend.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0195341198
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0195341195
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    August 4, 2008
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    5.48 x 0.56 x 8.55 inches
  8. Print length
    224 pages
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Readers looking for the roots of African American popular culture in the Jim Crow South, for the relationships between work like and popular culture, for the ways in which such popular culture is re-created and transformed over time, can do no better than Steel Drivin' Man.--James R. Barrett, Peace and Change

"A fine example of engaged writing, one that deserves to be read and used to understand the world of the hammer men."--Rosemary Feurer, Reviews in American History

"Written at the crossroads where American myth and reality intersect, Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend is a tribute and requiem to the real steel drivin' men who built this country."--Bruce Springsteen

"Nelson manages to piece together a portrait of Henry -- a black convict laborer who died drilling railroad tunnels -- offering an illuminating course in Reconstruction history along the way. Part biography and part cultural history, this slender volume, nicely illustrated with maps and photographs, is at heart a detective story by a sleuth with a PhD and a healthy dose of skepticism."--Washington Post Book World

"A beautifully written, unique essay in social and cultural history that tells a multilayered story about labor, race, and railroads in the era of Reconstruction.... Elegant, accessible, and engaging [it] reveals the archaeological process of historical research and history writing, compelling readers to understand how all of us come to understand the past. Based upon astonishing research, Nelson tells an eloquent story about injustice, racism, and most important of all, why we study history and how those in the present become engaged with the past."--Merle Curti Prize Committee [Henry Yu, Professor of History, UCLA,; Mary Murphy, Montana State University; Mae M. Ngai, Columbia University; Hal Rothman, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Jeffrey Sklansky, Oregon State]

"It is thrilling to follow the exegesis of the 'John Henry' lyrics through to the discovery of John Henry's identity. Many disciplines are necessarily examined in the course of this detective tale: history of course, but also geology, forestry, engineering, anthropology, anatomy, sociology, law, music, literature, poetry, art and popular culture. Yet Mr. Nelson stirs the brew with the effortless touch of a master chef, deftly adding ingredients at just the right temperature (a dash here, a sprinkle there) to serve up a most enticing gumbo."--National Awards for Arts Writing Committee [Alan Cheuse, Professor of English, George Mason University; Rita Dove, Former Poet Laureate of the United States, Joyce Carol Oates, Professor of English, Princeton University]

"Steel Drivin' Man begins as a fine historical detective story. Through dogged work and serendipitous strokes Nelson, a labor historian, pieced together the story...a wonderful bit of sleuthing and a fascinating tour of life on the lower fringes of the post-bellum South."--Elliot West, Professor of History, University of Arkansas [review in History Book Club]

"It is a grim story...a black man who fought for the Union is convicted of a petty theft...Nelson's reconstruction of John Henry's identity from prison records, railroad archives, and census data is fascinating, a remarkable feat of historical sleuthing."--Henry Louis Gates, Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University [in speech for the Anisfield-Wolf award]

Book Description

Part detective story, part marvelous cultural history--a brilliant full-length account of the real life and enduring legacy of John Henry

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 1st edition (August 4, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195341198
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195341195
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.48 x 0.56 x 8.55 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 87 ratings

About the author

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Scott Reynolds Nelson

Scott Reynolds Nelson

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Scott Reynolds Nelson has been an opera supernumerary, dishwasher, and network engineer. He found his calling in his twenties and now writes about African American history, railroad history, and the history of commodities. He has taught at William & Mary and the University of Leiden, and has been a research fellow at the EHESS in Paris, Harvard's Warren Center, and at the Newberry Library in Chicago. A Guggenheim Fellow in 2019-2020, he now teaches history at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. He has been known to annoy his family by singing too loudly or muttering complaints to dogs that have long since died.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
87 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the history fascinating and exciting to recognize places. They describe the book as readable and one of the best they have ever read. Readers also appreciate the interesting narrative and well-told folk story. Additionally, they say the author has done a great job uncovering the true story and providing a compelling description of the immediate post-Civil War period.

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Enthralling historyReading levelStorytelling
5 customers mention "Enthralling history"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the history fascinating and readable. They also love the topic and how the author keeps the thread traveling through Southern Virginia. Readers mention it's exciting to recognize the places where the real John Henry lived.

"I loved this short, new history of the John Henry of folk song fame. The author is an academic but his approach is anything but dry...." Read more

"I loved the topic and how the author kept the thread traveling though history and time. Required reading for all." Read more

"...As a resident of southern Virginia, it was very exciting to recognize the places that the real live John Henry's life touched." Read more

"Excellent piece of history." Read more

4 customers mention "Reading level"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and fascinating.

"...The book is very short and readable. In fact, I would even call it a "page turner"!..." Read more

"...Required reading for all." Read more

"Great Book!" Read more

"One of the best books I have ever read...." Read more

4 customers mention "Storytelling"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the narrative interesting, well-told, and compelling. They say the author did a great job uncovering the true story and grim details.

"...This is an engaging story that I recommend to just about anyone...." Read more

"...The author has done a great job uncovering the true story, and presented the story in the context...." Read more

"...engaging writing style despite the grim details, and this is a compelling description of the immediate post-Civil War era...." Read more

"Very interesting narrative that brings a song and myth of late CivilWar and antebellum African American experience to life...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Matthew Sabatella
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2013
Verified Purchase
In "Steel Drivin' Man" (2008), Scott Reynolds Nelson solves many of the mysteries surrounding the man at the center of the most recorded folk song in American history - John Henry. Using secondary literature and a multitude of primary sources, including railroad company reports, penitentiary reports and census data, he pieces together the life of John Henry while painting a vivid picture of the post Civil War South. He also traces the evolution of many songs in their ballad, blues, country, and work song forms from the late 19th century through today - the songs that made John Henry an American legend.

The book starts as a first person narrative, and Reynolds' passions as a historian and for John Henry songs are evident. The first chapter is a travelogue in which the reader rides along with Reynolds as he follows the route of the C&O Railroad in his car from Virginia's Tidewater into the West Virginia mountains. It is a detective story in which Reynolds seeks answers to the many unanswered questions about the man behind the legend. Using railroad reports and his own physical evaluation of the site, Reynolds dispels the commonly-held belief that the famous race with the steam drill occurred at the Big Bend Tunnel, as many song versions claim. After locating the C&O's engineering reports, thought by previous scholars to be lost forever, he identifies what he believes to be the true location as the nearby Lewis Tunnel.

Reynolds discovers John Henry to be one of the thousands of convicts in southern penitentiaries who were contracted to do the dangerous, and often deadly, work of building the southern railway octopus in the years following the Civil War. Reynolds' "years of perseverance" at the Library of Virginia yields a breathtaking discovery - the Virginia Penitentiary record identifying John William Henry (#497), five feet one and one-quarter inches tall, born in New Jersey, sentenced to 10 years for housebreak and larceny. Reynolds eventually identifies the cause of John Henry's death, and that of many other convicts leased to railroad companies in the Southern mountains, as inhalation of silica dust in the tunnels.

The last three chapters of the book follow the trails of the songs, from the coal miner ballads to the convicts' blues and the bragging songs of the trackliners. In the 1930s, John Henry is appropriated by American Communists and the movement of folk songs for revolutionary change is born. Finally, John Henry is absorbed by school songbooks and children's books. Reynolds illustrates the story content with relevant lines from John Henry songs, suggesting how different participants and observers have interpreted the meaning of events and made them relevant for their own lives and occupations.

Somewhat disappointingly, the first person narrative approach which propelled the beginning of the book dissipates by the third chapter as historical revelations about John Henry outpace the also-fascinating story of Reynolds' quest to uncover them. For folk music enthusiasts, reading Steel Drivin' Man feels like finding the Rosetta Stone, but enough mystery is left intact to keep the legend of John Henry intriguing for generations.
4 people found this helpful
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Ellen S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and readable
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2014
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I loved this short, new history of the John Henry of folk song fame. The author is an academic but his approach is anything but dry. In fact, he brings himself and his son into the book, sharing his process of discovery and how he felt about the story he was uncovering. The book is very short and readable. In fact, I would even call it a "page turner"! I learned so much about the historical John Henry (he was under five feet tall, and prison for something he probably didn't do), about the social and legal situation for Blacks after the Civil War, about the building of the railroads, and more. I read this book three years ago and still think about it sometimes. Most members of my family are into traditional music and I have bought multiple copies of this book to give as gifts.
One person found this helpful
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Robert Sanger
5.0 out of 5 stars A well told folk story presented by a scholarly press
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2014
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The story of John Henry -- a real person, a victim of race and economics, yet a tragic hero -- is unearthed through original research and what appears to be a bit of serendipity. But that is only a mall part of what Professor Nelson does in a scholarly but entirely unassuming fashion. After telling the story of the actual John Henry, he explores the musicology of the folk story that became the ballad and hammer song of John Henry, tying its use and development into the history of late nineteenth and twentieth century America.

This is an engaging story that I recommend to just about anyone. Who does not know one version or another -- or at least a verse or two -- of the song? Students of American history, politics, the railroads, critical race studies, music or just anyone who wants to read a good story will not be disappointed. Colloquial as the author's style may be, it is published by the Oxford University Press and the scholarship is substantial.
3 people found this helpful
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Donald Mason
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I have ever read.
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2014
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it is hard to write a review of a book that you have loved so much. I have read others by Dr. Nelson and enjoyed them as well.
I grew up in the South during Jim Crow and segregation. I ultimately became a civil rights lawyer in the rural south for over twenty years. I learned about John Henry in an all white school, but heard different versions later as I moved from rural black community to community.
Dr. Nelson's ability to connect events and themes with his subject matter is astounding. he does the same in his other books. I'm a pretty fast reader, but I spent three weeks reading this book because I didn't want it to end.
Any historian that connects John Henry to Captain America is priceless. please read this book and his others.
2 people found this helpful
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David
5.0 out of 5 stars The author has done a great job uncovering the true story
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2017
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I heard the story of John Henry back when I was in grade school. Forty years later I was wondering about the true story. The author has done a great job uncovering the true story, and presented the story in the context. The book also explains how the legend of John Henry has influenced society in many ways, including music. I learned a lot more than I expected.
One person found this helpful
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Eloi
4.0 out of 5 stars Reconstruction history
Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2009
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Bit of a con here. The actual details of the John Henry candidate Nelson offers are sparse. Could Nelson's choice of a same name Richmond prisoner born in Elizabeth City, New Jersey, be the real man on whom the legend is based? Maybe. But the details he offers about the use of convict labor in the construction of Huntington Beach's C&O railway are chilling. Nelson has an engaging writing style despite the grim details, and this is a compelling description of the immediate post-Civil War era.

I'll give Lewis credit for correcting one of my misunderstanding when listening to to many versions of this classic folk ballad: I always puzzled about the refs to "The White House" thinking it meant 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Turns out to be the jail in Richmond, all white in contrast to its neighbors.

Like so much history of post-Civil War reconstruction, it sounds more and more like post-Iraq. No wonder it took Black people 150 years to sort of get integrated into the country's economic life.
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LaBimmer
5.0 out of 5 stars Best History Book I've Ever Read
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2016
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I loved the topic and how the author kept the thread traveling though history and time. Required reading for all.
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