John Henry (folklore)

John Henry is an American folk hero and tall tale. Henry worked as a "steel-driver"—a man tasked with hammering and chiseling rock in the construction of tunnels for railroad tracks. In the legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer, which he won only to die in victory with his hammer in his hand. The story of John Henry has been the subject of numerous songs, stories, plays, and novelsThe legend of John Henry has been compared to other American "Big Men" folklore heroes, such as Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill. John Henry's heroism is associated with several elements: his strength and grit as a working class common man, his status as a hero to African American laborers, and his allegorical depiction of the "the tragedy of man versus machine" and other aspects of modernization.The historicity of any aspects of the John Henry legend is subject to wide debate. It is commonly stated that Henry's rail work, including his race against the steam hammer, occurred while working along the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. In particular, Henry is claimed to have raced the steam hammer during the construction of Big Bend tunnel near Talcott, West Virginia between 1869 and 1871. Talcott holds a yearly festival named for Henry and a statue and memorial plaque have been placed along a highway south of Talcott as it crosses over the Big Bend tunnelStop-motion animator George Pal's 7-minute short film John Henry and the Inky-Poo was nominated for an Academy Award in 1947 for Best Animated Short Film.
In 1973, Nick Bosustow and David Adams co-produced an 11-minute animated short, The Legend of John Henry for Paramount Pictures. The film featured narration by Roberta Flack, who also sings a song detailing the legend of John Henry, and was nominated for an Academy Award in 1974 for Best Animated Short Film.
John Henry was played by Roger Aaron Brown in the 1995 live-action Disney movie Tall Tale; in this film, Henry is depicted as losing the battle with the steam powered hammer.
In 2000, Walt Disney Animation Studios released John Henry, a short subject film directed by Mark Henn, with music from Sounds of Blackness and voice acting from Alfre Woodard, Geoffrey Jones and Tim Hodge. The film won a 2000 Giffoni Film Festival award and was nominated at the 2000 Annie Awards. An edited version was released as part of a video compilation entitled Disney's American Legends in 2002.In 1996, the U.S. Post Office issued a John Henry 32-cent postage stamp. It was part of a set honoring American folk heroes that included Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and Casey at the Bat.
The American race horse John Henry was named after the legendary figure.