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had subsided and we had gotten over our shock, we picked two of the men to take us to Howell. We rode about a mile past
Capitol Square, turned into a dirt road and pulled up in front of Howell's small and shabby house. Our guides were knocking loudly on the door when we heard the faint voice of a very old man telling us to come in. The house was dark and musty, but the moment I saw Howell sitting in his wheelchair in the back room, I recognized him from his pictures. He appeared to be very old, was unshaven, and had no legs. Just seconds after I introduced myself, he eagerly reached for the guitar I was holding. He took it in his large, worn hands and immediately began singing and playing."
311:. This arrangement was also known as "Peg Leg Howell and His Gang". They first recorded together on April 8, 1927, and recorded songs such as "New Jelly Roll Blues", "Beaver Slide Rag", "Sadie Lee Blues", and "Papa Stobb Blues". Howell also recorded with a mandolin player named Jim Hill on April 13, 1929, playing songs such as "Ball and Chain Blues", "Away From Home", "Monkey Man Blues," and "Chittlin' Supper". Altogether, Howell recorded a total of 28 sides for the record label, with his recorded repertoire including
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and Roger Brown. Mitchell noted, "When we stopped by
Shorter's Barber Shop, one of the oldest establishments on Decatur Street, we decided to ask about additional blues singers as well. After mentioning Peg Leg Howell, ten men gathered around us offering to lead us to him. Finally after the confusion
361:, 34 years after his last recorded sessions. It was one of Mitchell's first field-recording sessions in his long career. Howell revisited his old songs that he originally recorded in the 1920s, while also recording new material. The 10 songs that Howell recorded was compiled onto an album titled
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The economic depression affected record sales after 1930, so Howell and his band continued to play on the streets of
Atlanta. Howell also began selling bootleg liquor again. His best friend and guitar accompanist on many of his recordings, Eddie Anthony, died in 1934. After the mid-1930s, Howell
300:, which released "New Prison Blues", written while he was in prison; It was the first country blues record to be issued on the label. Howell received $ 50 plus biannual royalties from this record. He also recorded "Tishamingo Blues", "Coal Man Blues", and "Fo' Day Blues" during the same session.
249:, to Thomas Howell and Ruthie Myrick. During his childhood, he grew up around music, but did not take a serious interest in playing music until his early twenties. He completed school in the 9th grade, and went to work alongside his father as a farm hand.
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techniques. He continued working on the farm until 1916, when he was shot during an argument with his brother-in-law, as a result of which he lost his right leg, and had to wear a prosthetic afterwards.
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style. He was one of the first recorded artists of the
Atlanta blues scene during the pre-war period, and he was also one of the first blues musicians to ever make a
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performed only occasionally, usually whenever he was in a financial emergency. In 1952, at the age of 64, his left leg was removed as a result of complications of
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in 1966 for chronic nervous disease. He later died there on August 11 of that year at the age of 78, and was buried in
Chestnut Hill Cemetery, located in
264:. He worked there for a year before he moved back to Eatonton. He then took various jobs around the area, but did not work regularly. In 1923 he moved to
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In 1909, he reportedly stayed up one night and taught himself to play the guitar at the age of 21. He became skilled in pre-Piedmont fingerpicking and
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Over the next three years, Columbia recorded him on several occasions, often accompanied by a small group, with Henry
Williams on guitar and
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In 1926, shortly after he was released from prison, Howell was heard playing on the streets of
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In 1963, he was "rediscovered" in dire poverty in
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They recorded Howell on April 11, 1963, at the age of 75; the recordings were issued on LP by
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After his injury, Howell stopped working on the farm, and took a job at a fertilizer plant in
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Peg-Leg Howell (right) and his band on the streets of
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Joshua Barnes Howell was born on March 5, 1888, on a farm in
272:. In 1925, he was sent to River Camp Prison in Atlanta for
411:"Rock and Gravel Blues"//"Low-Down Rounder Blues" (1928)
423:"Broke and Hungry Blues"//"Rolling Mill Blues" (1929)
340:. "Low Down Rounder's Blues" by Howell was issued on
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singer-songwriter and guitarist, who connected early
390:"New Prison Blues"//"Fo' Day Blues" (Columbia, 1926)
216:(March 5, 1888 – August 11, 1966), was an American
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402:"Moanin' and Groanin' Blues"//"Hobo Blues" (1927)
396:"New Jelly Roll Blues"//"Beaver Slide Rag" (1927)
429:"Away From Home"//"Ball and Chain Blues" (1929)
789:East Coast Piedmont Blues website – Howell bio
623:The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray
420:"Monkey Man Blues"//"Chittlin' Supper" (1929)
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417:"Banjo Blues"//"Turkey Buzzard Blues" (1928)
399:"Papa Stobb Blues"//"Sadie Lee Blues" (1927)
426:"Turtle Dove Blues"//"Walkin' Blues" (1929)
393:"Coal Man Blues"//"Tishamingo Blues" (1926)
296:for the first time on November 8, 1926, by
869:20th-century African-American male singers
704:"Peg Leg Howell Guitar Keys and Positions"
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405:"Too Tight Blues"//"Peg Leg Stomp" (1927)
678:"Illustrated Peg Leg Howell discography"
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408:"Doin' Wrong"//"Skin Game Blues" (1927)
794:Illustrated Peg Leg Howell discography
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625:. Dubai: Carlton Books. p. 12.
414:"Please Ma'am"//"Fairy Blues" (1928)
874:20th-century American male singers
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754:Ankeny, Jason (August 11, 1966).
450:List of Piedmont blues musicians
445:List of country blues musicians
365:, which was released in 1964.
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879:20th-century American singers
859:People from Eatonton, Georgia
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363:The Legendary Peg Leg Howell
819:African-American guitarists
756:"Peg Leg Howell: Biography"
517:UK Disability History Month
336:, and he was confined to a
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844:American street performers
784:Cascadeblues.org Biography
513:"Peg Leg Howell 1888 1966"
473:. TheDeadRockStarsClub.com
327:Later life and rediscovery
824:American blues guitarists
548:Cascade Blues Association
544:"Joshua "Peg Leg" Howell"
499:January 19, 2008, at the
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854:Columbia Records artists
839:Piedmont blues musicians
829:American male guitarists
34:Advertisement photo for
864:20th-century guitarists
849:Country blues musicians
440:List of blues musicians
375:Grady Memorial Hospital
373:Howell was admitted to
262:Madison County, Georgia
163:1923 to mid-1930s, 1963
834:American blues singers
621:Russell, Tony (1997).
379:DeKalb County, Georgia
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51:Background information
584:Giles Oakley (1997).
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682:Wirz' American Music
323:, as well as blues.
210:Joshua Barnes Howell
61:Joshua Barnes Howell
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651:The Country Blues
607:978-0-306-80743-5
588:The Devil's Music
359:Testament Records
343:The Country Blues
247:Eatonton, Georgia
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763:. Retrieved
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254:slide guitar
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159:Years active
91:(1966-08-11)
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814:1966 deaths
809:1888 births
596:. pp.
471:"The 1960s"
385:Discography
274:bootlegging
230:race record
212:, known as
189:Formerly of
141:Instruments
124:Occupations
803:Categories
765:August 30,
739:August 18,
713:August 18,
687:August 19,
658:. p. 148.
558:August 18,
522:August 18,
477:August 30,
469:Doc Rock.
456:References
338:wheelchair
241:Early life
133:songwriter
72:1888-03-05
57:Birth name
346:in 1959.
236:Biography
180:Testament
760:AllMusic
648:(1975).
497:Archived
434:See also
334:diabetes
294:recorded
276:liquor.
175:Columbia
130:Musician
317:ragtime
313:ballads
266:Atlanta
96:Atlanta
81:, U. S.
662:
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319:, and
309:fiddle
280:Career
226:12-bar
168:Labels
150:guitar
147:Vocals
103:Genres
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598:126/8
369:Death
218:blues
767:2015
741:2022
715:2022
689:2022
660:ISBN
627:ISBN
602:ISBN
560:2022
524:2022
479:2015
321:jazz
86:Died
66:Born
45:1926
307:on
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
