Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry: the Untold Story of an American Legend

by Scott Reynolds Nelson

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. But for over a century, no one knew who the original John Henry was--or even if there was a real John Henry.
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. Nelson even confirms the legendary contest between John Henry and the steam drill (there was indeed a steam drill used to dig the Lewis Tunnel and the convicts in fact drilled faster).
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. We see how the American Communist Party appropriated the image of John Henry as the idealized American worker, and even how John Henry became the precursor of such comic book super heroes as Superman or Captain America.
Attractively illustrated with numerous images, Steel Drivin' Man offers a marvelous portrait of a beloved folk song--and a true American legend.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Music, Biography, Folklore, Historical

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

SCOTT REYNOLDS NELSON is the author of Steel Drivin' Man, which won the National Award for Arts Writing, the Anisfield-Wolf Literary Prize, the Merle Curti Prize for best book in U.S. history, and the Virginia Literary Award for Nonfiction. His young adult book, Ain't Nothing But a Man (written with Marc Aronson) won seven national awards, including the Jane Addams Prize for best book on social justice.

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Disclaimer: Scott was my advisor in grad school*

It still impresses me, even after my third time reading Steel Drivin' Man, how solid this book is. Centered on the John Henry of both reality and legend, it is a political, cultural, and social history that covers a lot of ground in under two hundred pages.

Nelson takes you along on his journey of discovering the prisoner/worker John Henry, placing the five-foot, one-inch teenager squarely in the context of the Redemption South's reliance on convict labor to expand its "railroad octopus" in the pursuit of greater speeds, efficiencies, and profits. Just as importantly, he shows how "infinitely mutable" the song and legend of John Henry have been over time. A chant/song regulating trackliners' work tempo that eventually influenced blues, country, and folk performers of various stripes, the myth of John Henry became a touchstone for Depression-era public art, leftist radicals, and beyond.

This tension between a human worker and his larger-than-life legacy is striking and makes for great reading, but I think Nelson is right when he closes the book: if anything, John Henry would want us all to slow down.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for history class. Steel Drivin Man tells the story behind the well known figure of John Henry. When the curtain is pulled aside, we see parts that are shown in pop culture but also deep roots of injustice that are hidden. I would’ve never known such historical value and understanding could be derived from a folk tale and workers song.

[Lisa K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nelson ably weaves folklore, Reconstruction, 19th century prisons, and labor history into a readable whole. Good, but not gorgeous writing; it's the way the topics were made clear and charged me up that makes it 5 stars. Also: good use of illustrations! I would have stayed at W&M's history grad program if he'd been teaching when I was there.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I am not surprised to discover that the real John Henry was nothing at all like the legendary John Henry, it is interesting to learn just how different the two men were. I mean, how did a guy who was 5’1 from the north that was a prison convict become the hero he was. This book tries to answer that, though it spends a lot of time discussing what an historian has to go through to get a decent story.
A good book, but honestly speaking, only a small portion of it is about John Henry. The rest of it is about how people have viewed Henry, changed him over time, and why.

[Phobean · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I was researching for a picture book manuscript, I discovered on YouTube, the author of a John Henry (folk legend) book I'd already read, Scott Reynolds Nelson, being interviewed by the person who is the narrator of the audio book version, Panama Jackson. It was curious discovery, and when I saw the delight with which Scott Reynolds Nelson received questions and comments from Panama Jackson, I was moved to listen to (instead of read) Steel Drivin' Man.

MAN, this book goes deep. I'm now a believer that JH was a real person, not just a legend, and a doomed Jersey-born straight-talkin' powerhouse. I particularly appreciated how Reynolds illustrates history repeating itself, straight to today with how Black men are consistently locked away from the rest of society for so-described wrongs done (including men in my family) and then put to work, behind bars, largely out-of-sight, intended to be forgotten.

Unlike when I read Reynold's Ain't Nothing But A Man, a more simplified take for young readers, which focuses on the process of conducting research, Steel Drivin' Man launched me into a deep Wiki-hole of reading about the folk legends of my childhood (and earlier), like Pete Seeger, Odetta, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, and others who have sung the historical blues-folk-country-bluegrass-rock'n'roll tune: The Ballad of John Henry. So much to think on here, and I'm grateful for Nelson's dedication to the topic.

[Elsa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Folktales, folksongs, and other bits of oral traditions may transmit facts more than one might think. This author set out to discover whether the legendary John Henry was a real person; it seems likely that he succeed. The case is circumstantial but compelling.

He then traces how a small man, a felon leased to a railway developer for pennies, turned into the musclebound colossus of a mid-century Disney short. He covers a lot of ground. The history of railways. The history of blues. The history of labor and unions. Reconstruction. Communism. Jim Crow. Oliver Otis Howard (my favorite Arizona history player) even makes an appearance, doing exactly O.O. Howard things.

Retracing the author's steps through the documentary trail is a fascinating process. The lack of a smoking gun drops one star, and another for some minor mechanical problems: the editor dropped the ball a few times and the author has a tendency to tack an almost-relevant fact to the end of paragraphs and leave it suspended, unexplained and disconnected from what comes both before and after. Still, readable and entertaining

[Azar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a steam engine pulling cars uphill from a cold start, this small but mighty book starts out slow. Don't put it down -- because as this "train" gains speed, you will NOT want to put it down.
Yes a John Henry (possibly THE John Henry of legend) DID exist - his photo graces these pages. His betrayal as a black man in Richmond VA during the early days of Reconstruction, his imprisonment, his work laying track, and his ultimate burial near "the White House" amounts to a fascinating story of hard work, brutal treatment of Henry and his fellow man (and women) -- convicts (many wrongfully convicted) who were forced to build the railroads, lay track, and sleep in miserable little huts.
John's demise is described. The songs that honor him are also in this book (some of which can be heard on You Tube), the beautiful yet sad and bleak painting of "the Gandy Dancer's Gal" and the actual location of "the White House" with a mass grave -- bring more mystery, tragedy and sadness to this excellent narrative

[Vernin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique and creative interweaving of myth, history, social analysis, and cultural critique. I had no idea how much the story/legend of John Henry has been appropriated, convolved, misappropriated, re-appropriated, and given new life throughout the last 200 years of US history. Yet, I know of the story like it is my own, unaware that it is Americana in a way that, perhaps, no other legend is or can be. This book told that story and it is one that I would recommend to anyone invoking John Henry, John Henry-ism, comic-book superheroes, the evolution of American folklore, and many other relics of the cultural development of the US since reconstruction. On top of all of that, it was a fun read!

[Marissa Dillon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great and interesting read! A bit repetitive at times and I do wish it was bit more connected/chronological. It is research and history, so it makes sense to be put together and there are some great writing/ creative choices, but I wish the transitions would be stronger and more connected. I highly recommend it if you are interested in the history of John Henry, folktales, or working class stories!

[James Tidd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ballad 'John Henry' is the most recorded folk song in American history, and John Henry, who could blast through rock faster than a stream drill, is a towering figure in American culture. But for over a century, no one knew who the original John Henry was - or even if there was a John Henry.

The author recounts the true story of the man behind the iconic American hero.

[Emma Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for an Appalachian cultural and social history class. I found the narrative of John Henry as both a literal person and the focal point of an entire narrative of a people’s history to be very well written and described in a new way. Highly recommend for those interested in the sociological contexts of pop culture.

[Jonathan Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly impressive work of scholarship bringing to life an old folk / blues/ country song while uncovering unconscionable crimes perpetrated by the commonwealth of Virginia under the guise of law in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. A great read.

[Lucy Stallworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressive scholarship. Nelson proves that John Henry was a real man and not just a myth. By looking at John Henry, Nelson also explains the inception of the convict lease system in the U.S., a system that started with the 13th amendment and enslaves American citizens still.

[Astrid De Beer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected to know more about John Henry when I finished the book but sadly I didn’t.

[Karaline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! I liked the historical aspects of the legend too!

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a light read, but rather a history book.

[Sidik Fofana · Rating 4 out of 5]

SIX WORD REVIEW: Apparently a real chain gang worker.

[Melissa Loucks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this for my 2022 Reading Challenge and the prompt was an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award Winner. I was not a big fan of this book.

[Brett Bosley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent instance of historian as detective. Proves the existence of John Henry, and tracks him from flesh and blood man to folk tale and kid's songs.

[Syd Logsdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immediately after the Civil War, white southerners found a way to get back some of their power and some of their slaves. They simply arrested and imprisoned newly freed blacks, then rented them out. They invented the chain gang.
What does this have to do with John Henry? In searching for the man behind the legend, writer Scott Reynolds Nelson demonstrated this pattern of abuse as he came to believe that the real John Henry was one of these convict-slaves.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natural man to man of steel
Nelson does the near impossible: He finds the real, documented man in the folk song, places him in his actual geographical setting (not where all the roadside markers are by the way) and tells us his history in life and death.

I was surprised to learn that John Henry did actually exist, and did actually compete against a steam drill in demonstrating the value of human labor over the mechanized variety in digging railroad tunnels through the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia and its newly-named neighbor West Virginia in the decade after the Civil War., This part of the story reads like a cold-case mystery as Nelson tracks down old government archives, railroad engineering studies and project documentation, Civil War records, and archeological findings that helped him find the living John Henry--and the site of his death and burial after that famous contest.

Then Nelson brings John Henry the legend up to date, showing how the legend became song, spread across the country (and oceans during World War I), was co-opted into early "folk" entertainment and then politics, and finally even became part of the stream (through the graphic-arts work of the Depression-era WPA) that became comic-book superheros like the "Man of Steel" Superman.

Unlike some books in this genre, Nelson sticks to his sources, letting them tell the story without trying to make it seem mystical or hip. This gives this short history a true power and makes it worthy of five stars.

Another book in this genre that I found similarly worthy and maybe of interest to readers who liked Steel Drivin' Man: Chasing the Rising Sun: The Journey of an American Song

[Daniel Silliman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This in an excellent, excellent book.

[Pen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really loved this book when I started it, because it sets out to be both about the historical John Henry and about the way historians "do" history in a way that captured the puzzle-solving feel of it and the click when things fit together quite well.

But the second half of the book was sort of a different book, one about the legacy of John Henry, or the story of his legend, perhaps, written with a much broader brush. I know, they're related, and they sound like they should go together, but they're very different flavors and approaches. Not that the legacy story isn't a perfectly legitimate history book, it just wasn't the one I started reading.

As a whole, though, this is a very approachable book that traces an American tall tale both directions: back to its roots and forward to see how it's been appropriated, and by whom, and to what purpose, for the last 140 years. Worth reading if you're interested in the history of folk lore, race relations, railroads, convict labor, music, the WPA, art deco, Communism, superheroes, or any combination thereof.

[Yasmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The untold story is also one that is not familiar to me. As a child I was familiar with Casey Jones, the song I've Been Workin' On the Railroad and a few others, but oddly John Henry the Steel Drivin' Man wasn't one of them. This was a very interesting book about the real life and legends of John Henry and how the songs about him inspired and created new things in peoples lives and cultures around them. It was said that John Henry was 5 foot and 1/4 inch in height, over the years he grew to epic portions in height and body mass. The original incredible hulk perhaps, but without the green pigmentation! Waht ever the reason out of countless other men John Henry became the lasting known figure in song history and then into visual history. On the back flap of the book it said that Cott Reynolds Nelson was going to appear on a PBS documentary about John Henry, I don't know if the documentary was made or not. I hope it was for as well as an interesting read the basis would make for tremendous viewing.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating work of real-life detection, showing an expert historian at work. Nelson makes a strong and persuasive case for having discovered the identity of the real John Henry. He sets this tale of personal tragedy against the backdrop of the Reconstruction-era South - and then traces the evolution of the song (in its many permutations) through the 20th century as it came to hold different meanings in radically different communities. Full of interesting tidbits, such as the influence of old Welsh mining songs on John Henry and Nelson's own personal background and connection to the legend, this is a book worth reading for those interested in the American South, African American history, civil rights, and the study of folklore. I also highly recommend the young people's version of this book, "Ain't Nothing But A Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry," for shattering the misconception that history is a dull pursuit.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reynolds using the John Henry American Myth to unite American industrial, social and ethical consciousness in one brilliant study. This book is about more than trying to unearth a man behind a legend -- although Reynolds asserts to literally do just that -- it explains how the nexus of reconstruction, railroad construction, and southern resurrection affected American culture and stratified the nation in several ways: ultimately giving birth to the industrial revolution, the civil rights conflicts and perhaps rock and roll. John Henry is a microcosm of American History -- with a theme song. Fantastic book.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nelson does a pretty good job of convincing the reader that he is gotten to the root of the John Henry question - who was he really.

This is a rather enjoyable and very quick read that examines not only what Nelson believes to be story behind the legend but also a study of how the story was used in America.

Nelson's writing is engaging, and he talks not only about John Henry but about American ballads and folklife. Admittly, Nelson seems to go into too much detail about trains, but it is John Henry we're talking about.

Though, Nelson, you could've mentioned he had a racehorse, a very famous one, named after him. John Henry, the horse, was great too.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts with a story the author's academic hunt for The Real John Henry: the truth behind the man, and the circumstances that brought him to the famous steam drill battle and death. The reader gets a slice of life look at trackliners, how they used song in their work, and the initial dirgelike, cautionary tone of 'John Henry' -- a tale of a man working too hard, and the impending danger of machines.

Next, the author traces the groups and individuals along with their motivations (social, political, business, personal) that brought the song and the mythic figure to widespread cultural popularity--and how John Henry's legend evolved into what it is today.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author attempts to track dwon the "real" John Henry, and presents some intriguing evidence of what the song "really" means. Along the way, you read about everything from the the technology of blasting railroad tunnels, Appalachian African American culture, and iconic image of John Henry used by Communists, comic book artists and folksingers. This book gives a good look into the lives of the working class who really made steam and railroads the catalysts for dramatic economic and social change in 1800s America.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

He does an excellent job reconstructing the life of John Henry (really, the lives of black convict laborers and their exploitation in the New South); he loses me with his last two chapters, especially the one tracing the visual image of John Henry into comic books. However, his description of how John Henry became an important iconic image in print and song for the Left during the 1930s was new to me. Surprised he didn't talk about John Henry in children's books and films (isn't there a Disney cartoon from the 1950s?) in the post-war era.