Search - Various Artists, Denzel Washington, B.B. King :: John Henry

Various Artists, Denzel Washington, B.B. King
John Henry
Genres: Blues, Special Interest, Pop, R&B, Children's Music

CD Details

All Artists: Various Artists, Denzel Washington, B.B. King
Title: John Henry
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Madacy Records
Release Date: 10/12/1999
Genres: Blues, Special Interest, Pop, R&B, Children's Music
Styles: Regional Blues, Memphis Blues, Electric Blues, Modern Blues, Stories
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 056775183028

Synopsis

Amazon.com

Against a driving blues back beat provided by B.B. King, Denzel Washington tells the story of legendary African American worker John Henry. As the story goes, Henry is born with a hammer in his hand and begins to talk at a mere two hours old--and asks for enormous amounts of soul food, no less! Rising out of the cotton fields of the southeast as a strapping young man, Henry strikes out to see the world around him, stumbling upon his destiny: the railroad. John Henry, with "arms big as oak stumps" and a chest "big as a barrel," joins the multiracial crew, singing and hammering his way into American lore. Washington, his voice rising and falling in the pleasing vernacular of the American South, is a terrific storyteller, whether detailing the lay of the land, our hero's love for song, or his winning competition against the steam drill. An uplifting celebration of human physicality and spirit, John Henry is fine entertainment for kids of all ethnicities. --Paige La Grone

CD Reviews

Wonderfully entertaining and engaging!

06/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My husband and I recently went on a 12 hour road trip with our kids ages 5 and 6 and I was scrambling for diversions. On a whim I picked up this CD and it was the hit of the road trip. We listened to it over and over again and after a few times everyone could recite their favorite lines by heart-even my husband! Denzel Washington gives a great performance on CD just as in the movies and BB King's music was very cool! I look forward to purchasing more Rabbit Ears stories on disc. Not only does it provide great music but the kids remember a great classic story they might not have wanted to sit still and read."

Steel-driving man

Orrin C. Judd | Hanover, NH USA | 11/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Rabbit Ears series of radio teleplays of classic folk tales, which I believe was originally produced
for NPR, is uniformly terrific. Besides presenting literate and accessible versions of these stories for
kids, Rabbit Ears uses famous narrators, mostly actors and comedians, and popular musicians to
accompany them, enabling adults to thoroughly enjoy them too.Among the best is John Henry, the great legend of the steel-driving hero who battled and beat a steam
drill before dying "with a hammer in his hand", as told by Denzel Washington with music by B.B.
King. It goes almost without saying that Washington and King do a great job, but, of course, the real
magic lies in the story itself. Based on a purportedly historical figure, who worked on digging the Big
Bend Tunnel in West Virginia for the C & O Railroad, the legend of John Henry stands for the
quintessential American value of the indomitability of the human spirit and the capacity of the
individual to accomplish the extraordinary. It also highlights the undercurrent of Luddism that has
characterized the West's uneasy relationship with machines and our recurring fear that they will make
humankind obsolete.But heck, kids won't care about any of that stuff and the cultural import won't even be at the forefront
of adult minds. Listeners will simply be enthralled by an amusing tall tale brilliantly told. Highly
recommended for car rides.GRADE : A+"