diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index 645913e7c46..fef8e09b753 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ answer newbie questions, and generally made Django that much better:
     serbaut@gmail.com
     Pete Shinners <pete@shinners.org>
     SmileyChris <smileychris@gmail.com>
+    smurf@smurf.noris.de
     sopel
     Thomas Steinacher <tom@eggdrop.ch>
     nowell strite
diff --git a/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py b/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
index e7e060e6c25..28c5b1c6830 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/mysql/base.py
@@ -98,9 +98,11 @@ class DatabaseWrapper(local):
                 kwargs['port'] = int(settings.DATABASE_PORT)
             kwargs.update(self.options)
             self.connection = Database.connect(**kwargs)
-        cursor = self.connection.cursor()
-        if self.connection.get_server_info() >= '4.1':
-            cursor.execute("SET NAMES 'utf8'")
+            cursor = self.connection.cursor()
+            if self.connection.get_server_info() >= '4.1':
+                cursor.execute("SET NAMES 'utf8'")
+        else:
+            cursor = self.connection.cursor()
         if settings.DEBUG:
             return util.CursorDebugWrapper(MysqlDebugWrapper(cursor), self)
         return cursor