A gospel song recorded by Mississippi John Hurt in 1928. John Hurt was born in 1895 in Mississippi and included many folksongs in his repertoire along with blues. Hurt, an excellent African-American guitarist, was associated with a white fiddler, Willie Narmour, who recorded Caroll County Blues, a tune that is still popular with old-time fiddlers. Narmour was responsible for getting John Hurt to record 13 tunes (one was not issued) for Okeh in 1928. After making these few recordings Hurt remained in Mississippi, where he lived in poverty. He was re-discovered in the 1950s when the value of his recordings was recognized by record collectors and younger musicians, such as Doc Watson, who began to include his songs in their performances. By the 1960s, Hurt was a professional musician, appearing at Folk Music festivals, such as the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, and recording for the Vanguard label.

Mississippi John Hurt had an individual style, which was different from other Mississippi Delta bluesmen, such as Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton and Son House. Although he rarely performed hymns, Blessed Be The Name appealed to me and I decided to record it, giving it more of a Gospel treatment.

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