With Good Reason

The song “John Henry” is one of the most popular in American history but, for years, nobody knew whether the legendary railroad tunneler was a real person or simply a tall tale. Recently, Scott Reynolds Nelson (College of William and Mary) discovered a historic record of a railroad worker named John Henry, who was buried [...]

Scott Nelson on the ‘usefulness’ of songs like “John Henry”:[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

The song “John Henry” is one of the most popular in American history but, for years, nobody knew whether the legendary railroad tunneler was a real person or simply a tall tale.  Recently, Scott Reynolds Nelson (College of William and Mary) discovered a historic record of a railroad worker named John Henry, who was buried [...]