John Hardy was hanged in the McDowell County seat of Welch on January 19, 1894.
The black railroad worker had been convicted of murdering a man in a gambling dispute at present-day Eckman.
Hardy was just one of tens of thousands of African Americans who poured into southern West Virginia in the late 1800s and early 1900s to work in the coal and railroad industries.
Hardy’s hanging probably would have been the end of the story if not for a ballad written about the event. The song circulated by word of mouth, with the details changing over time.
Today, “John Hardy” is considered a standard in folk and bluegrass circles and has been performed by everyone from the Carter Family to Béla Fleck.
Longstanding Mountain Stage alums Justin Townes Earle and Loudon Wainwright III are releasing new records this week, so it only seems right to open up the Mountain Stage archives to reminisce over their past performances with the help of “Mountain Stage After Midnight.” Broadcast from 1am-5am Saturday and Sunday mornings here on West Virginia Public Radio, “Mountain Stage After Midnight” takes the best episodes from the show’s 31 year history and shares their memories and songs with our late-night listeners. Each week we’ll hand-pick two of our favorite episodes and they’ll alternate order each night.
We’ve got some great performances from 2010 and 2013, so stop on by West Virginia Public Radio this Saturday September 6 and Sunday September 7 on “Mountain Stage After Midnight.”
First you’ll hear an August 2010 performance from the birthplace of country music (aka Bristol, Tennessee). At the show was singer-songerwriter Bob Livingston, acclaimed string-performers Laura Boosinger & Josh Goforth, traditional Irish musician John Doyle, hard rock’n singer Justin Townes Earle (who’s releasing “Single Mothers” this week), musical storyteller David Holt, and legendary Appalachian artist Doc Watson. See the playlist.
Next a March 2013 performance from good ol’ #CWV featuring harmony-driven band The Sea The Sea (featuring the daughter of Mountain Stage house band leader Ron Sowell), Americana group The Overmountain Men, folk anarchist Paleface, Grammy-winning pop singer (and “Dawson’s Creek” theme crooner) Paula Cole, and the ever-fascinating Loudon Wainwright III (who’s new record, “Haven’t Got the Blues (Yet),” is coming out this week). See the playlist.
There’s more where that came from! For more Mountain Stage news, make sure to follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fo more music, make sure to subscribe to The Mountain Stage Podcast to hear why Mountain Stage remains the home of live music on public radio
