Joshua Barnes Howell, known as Peg Leg Howell (March 5, 1888 - August 11, 1… Read Full Bio ↴Joshua Barnes Howell, known as Peg Leg Howell (March 5, 1888 - August 11, 1966) was an African American blues singer and guitarist, who connected early country blues and the later 12-bar style. He had the strong delivery and ear-catching repertoire of the professional street-singer.
He was born on a farm in Eatonton, Georgia, United States, and taught himself guitar at the age of 21. Over time he became skilled in pre-Piedmont finger picking and slide guitar techniques. He continued working on the farm until he was shot in a fight, as a result of which he lost his right leg and began working full-time as a musician. In 1923 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia and began playing on street corners, but also served a period in prison for bootlegging liquor.
In 1926, he was heard playing on the streets of Atlanta and was recorded for the first time by Columbia Records. They released "New Prison Blues", written while in prison and the first country blues to be issued on the label. Over the next three years Columbia recorded him on several occasions, often accompanied by a small group including Henry Williams on guitar and Eddie Anthony on fiddle. His recorded repertoire covered ballads, ragtime, and jazz, as well as blues. Anthony's vigorous dance playing gives us a rare view of the black string-band music that was almost obliterated by the craze for recording blues guitarists.
Howell continued to play around the Atlanta area for several years, but also began selling bootleg liquor again. After the mid 1930s he only performed occasionally and, in 1952, his left leg was removed as a result of diabetes, confining him to a wheelchair. A single track by Howell was issued on The Country Blues in 1959, and in 1963 he was "rediscovered" in dire poverty in Atlanta by folklorist and field researcher George Mitchell and his high-school class-mate, Roger Brown. They recorded Howell at the age of 75 with the results issued on LP by Testament Records thirty-four years after his last recorded sessions, one of Mitchell's first field-recording sessions in his long career. Howell died in Atlanta in 1966.
He was born on a farm in Eatonton, Georgia, United States, and taught himself guitar at the age of 21. Over time he became skilled in pre-Piedmont finger picking and slide guitar techniques. He continued working on the farm until he was shot in a fight, as a result of which he lost his right leg and began working full-time as a musician. In 1923 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia and began playing on street corners, but also served a period in prison for bootlegging liquor.
In 1926, he was heard playing on the streets of Atlanta and was recorded for the first time by Columbia Records. They released "New Prison Blues", written while in prison and the first country blues to be issued on the label. Over the next three years Columbia recorded him on several occasions, often accompanied by a small group including Henry Williams on guitar and Eddie Anthony on fiddle. His recorded repertoire covered ballads, ragtime, and jazz, as well as blues. Anthony's vigorous dance playing gives us a rare view of the black string-band music that was almost obliterated by the craze for recording blues guitarists.
Howell continued to play around the Atlanta area for several years, but also began selling bootleg liquor again. After the mid 1930s he only performed occasionally and, in 1952, his left leg was removed as a result of diabetes, confining him to a wheelchair. A single track by Howell was issued on The Country Blues in 1959, and in 1963 he was "rediscovered" in dire poverty in Atlanta by folklorist and field researcher George Mitchell and his high-school class-mate, Roger Brown. They recorded Howell at the age of 75 with the results issued on LP by Testament Records thirty-four years after his last recorded sessions, one of Mitchell's first field-recording sessions in his long career. Howell died in Atlanta in 1966.
Peg Leg Stomp
Peg Leg Howell Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Peg Leg Howell:
Broke and Hungry Blues Says, I'm sick, broke and hungry, good gal done drove…
Low Down Rounder Blues Just a worried old rambler, with a troublesome mind Just a…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Dan Howell
Love the R. Crumb drawing. And I like that we share that last name, somewhere way back there.
Dennis Rash
These fellows have absolutely phenomenal synchronization
Nicole Holford Lockney
I’m so glad this recording exists!
JUAN JOSE GONZALEZ
De Atlanta (Georgia,USA) EDDIE ANTHONY, violín (del trío de PEG LEG HOWELL: 1927: Blues rural primitivo : PEG LEG HOWELL (cantante y guitarrista,- es el de la derecha en la foto.Peg Leg Howell, voc, g; Henry Williams, g; Eddie Anthony, violin, voc;
¡¡Tres decenios antes de la aparición del Rock and Roll !!
Los multimillonarios rockeros :¡¡A vivir de lo que tomaron de gente como estos pobres, y del boogie woogie !!
25cows
gotta, GOTTA be good for the soul...
MusicGeek1990 mcgrath
Thank you so much for the post 🙂
Hugh McFadden
My old buddy, Shay McGonagle, ace cartoonist & journalist in Dublin used to sing this blues ...
Stewart2240
Was that a touch of Bugle Call Rag I heard ?
acerb45666555
he wuz good!
Josh Pettibone
I share his first name "Josh" not Peg Leg