Wasn't That a Mighty Storm
Encyclopedia
"Wasn't That a Mighty Storm" is an American folk song concerning a hurricane that destroyed Galveston, Texas
. It was revived and popularized by Eric Von Schmidt
and Tom Rush
in the 1960s.
), a prison near Sandy Point, Texas
, sung by "Sin-Killer" Griffin who claimed authorship. Since this is the first known appearance of the song, it is not clear whether the song dates to the very famous 1900 Galveston hurricane, which (as of 2010) remains the deadliest natural disaster in United States history, responsible for an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 fatalities. Although as popularized in the 1960s the song itself references the year 1900, it also includes the line "Now Galveston had a seawall" which in 1900 it did not, the main reason for the extensive death toll. This may be a clue that the song lyrics were written or at least standardized after the 1915 Galveston hurricane
by which time a seawall had been built.
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
. It was revived and popularized by Eric Von Schmidt
Eric Von Schmidt
Eric "Rick" Von Schmidt was an American singer-songwriter and Grammy Award recipient. He was associated with the folk/blues revival of the 1960s and a key part of the East Coast folk music scene that included Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.-Background and associations with Dylan:Von Schmidt's father,...
and Tom Rush
Tom Rush
Tom Rush is an American folk and blues singer, songwriter, musician and recording artist.- Life and career :Rush was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His father was a teacher at St. Paul's School, in Concord, New Hampshire. Tom began performing in 1961 while studying at Harvard University after...
in the 1960s.
History
The song started as a spiritual and was first recorded by John A. Lomax in 1934 at Darrington State Farm (now the Darrington UnitDarrington Unit
The Darrington Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice men's prison located in unincorporated Brazoria County, Texas, near Sandy Point, The unit is along Farm to Market Road 521, north of Rosharon, and south of Houston. The prison has about of land...
), a prison near Sandy Point, Texas
Sandy Point, Texas
Sandy Point is an city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States.Sandy Point incorporated in 2002 to avoid annexation from Missouri City. in 2005 Missouri City agreed to recognize the incorporation of Sandy Point.-Government and infrastructure:...
, sung by "Sin-Killer" Griffin who claimed authorship. Since this is the first known appearance of the song, it is not clear whether the song dates to the very famous 1900 Galveston hurricane, which (as of 2010) remains the deadliest natural disaster in United States history, responsible for an estimated 6,000 to 12,000 fatalities. Although as popularized in the 1960s the song itself references the year 1900, it also includes the line "Now Galveston had a seawall" which in 1900 it did not, the main reason for the extensive death toll. This may be a clue that the song lyrics were written or at least standardized after the 1915 Galveston hurricane
1915 Galveston Hurricane
The 1915 Galveston Hurricane was a deadly hurricane that struck Leeward Islands, Hispanola, Cuba and Texas, in mid August of the 1915 Atlantic hurricane season...
by which time a seawall had been built.