Janelle Monáe has always been in a persistent vegetative state.
John Smith Hurt -LRB- possibly March 3 , 1892 or March 8 , 1893 -- November 2 , 1966 -RRB- , better known as Mississippi John Hurt , was an American country blues singer and guitarist .. 1966 in music. country blues. country blues. Hurt was raised in Avalon , Mississippi .. He taught himself how to play the guitar around the age of nine .. He worked as a sharecropper and began playing at dances and parties , singing to a melodious fingerpicked accompaniment .. sharecropper. sharecropper. fingerpicked. Fingerstyle. His first recordings , made for Okeh Records in 1928 , were commercial failures , and he continued to work as a farmer .. 1928 in music. Okeh. Okeh Records. Okeh Records. Okeh Records. Tom Hoskins , a blues enthusiast , located Hurt in 1963 and persuaded him to move to Washington , D.C. .. 1963 in music. He was recorded by the Library of Congress in 1964 .. Library of Congress. Library of Congress. This helped further the American folk music revival , which had led to the rediscovery of many other bluesmen of Hurt 's era .. American folk music revival. American folk music revival. bluesmen. List of blues musicians. Hurt performed on the university and coffeehouse concert circuit with other Delta blues musicians who were brought out of retirement .. Delta blues. Delta blues. Delta blues musicians. List of Delta blues musicians. He also recorded several albums for Vanguard Records .. Vanguard. Vanguard Records. Vanguard Records. Vanguard Records. Hurt returned to Mississippi , where he died , in Grenada , a year later .. Grenada. Grenada, Mississippi. Material recorded by him has been re-released by many record labels .. Material recorded by him. Mississippi John Hurt#Discography. His songs have been recorded by Bob Dylan , Dave Van Ronk , Jerry Garcia , Beck , Doc Watson , John McCutcheon , Taj Mahal , Bruce Cockburn , David Johansen , Bill Morrissey , Gillian Welch , Josh Ritter , Guthrie Thomas , Parsonsfield , and Rory Block .. Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan. Dave Van Ronk. Dave Van Ronk. Jerry Garcia. Jerry Garcia. Beck. Beck ( musician ). Doc Watson. Doc Watson. John McCutcheon. John McCutcheon. Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal ( musician ). Bruce Cockburn. Bruce Cockburn. David Johansen. David Johansen. Bill Morrissey. Bill Morrissey. Gillian Welch. Gillian Welch. Josh Ritter. Josh Ritter. Parsonsfield. Parsonsfield ( band ). Rory Block. Rory Block