Steel Hammer was based on which African American folk hero who worked as a "steel-driving man"?
Steel Hammer: Steel Hammer is a 2009 composition for three sopranos and chamber ensemble by the American composer Julia Wolfe. Steel Hammer:  The piece is based on the ballad of the African-American tall tale John Henry. John Henry (folklore): John Henry is an African American folk hero. John Henry (folklore):  He is said to have worked as a "steel-driving man"—a man tasked with hammering a steel drill into rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock in constructing a railroad tunnel.
John Henry