Topic: Peg Leg Howell and His Gang

[JasO]

The latest installment my The Atlanta Bluesmen series is now online: Peg Leg Howell and His Gang, the city?s first important blues recording artists. Born in 1888, Howell was a generation older than most of the prewar Atlanta bluesmen. Like Lead Belly and old Henry Thomas in Texas, his repertoire extended to country reels, field hollers, ballads, and other pre-blues styles. He recorded in more open tunings than most other country bluesmen ? standard, Spanish, Vastopol, and open C ? and did some of his best recordings with fiddler Eddie Anthony at his side. Howell outlived most of his peers, and was ?rediscovered? in the early 1960s by George Mitchell, who has graciously allowed me to use his Howell interview and other materials for this article, which is posted here: http://jasobrecht.com/atlanta-bluesmen-peg-leg-howell-gang/

[uncle bud]

Thanks for that, JasO. Peg Leg is truly one of the neglected greats, IMO.

Was the George Mitchell interview with him published somewhere? In the notes to the Testament record?

[Parlor Picker]

Coalman Blues - a classic!

[Bunker Hill]

Was the George Mitchell interview with him published somewhere? In the notes to the Testament record?

There's an interview with Howell published in Blues Unlimited 10 (March 1964) which is credited to Pete Welding but I have a sneaking suspicion it's the same as the Testament liner notes. Can't verify this since I gave away my copy of the LP soon after buying it. Too sad/difficult to listen to.

Have we not discussed this in times past? Sorry no time to check.

[uncle bud]

We'd discussed the Testament recording, BH, but not the George Mitchell interview(s) as far as I can find. JohnM did mention them in the Peg Leg lyrics thread, but not the publication. Paul Oliver also quotes from them in his notes to the 2 Document CDs.

[JasO]

Thanks for that, JasO. Peg Leg is truly one of the neglected greats, IMO.

Was the George Mitchell interview with him published somewhere? In the notes to the Testament record?

I originally saw the Peg Leg Howell quotes in BU as well, but then as I dug deeper, I found the most complete version of them in Sam Charters' book The Blues Makers, in the section that reprints his 1977 book Sweet as the Showers of Rain. Charters attributes the Howell interview material to George Mitchell, writing, "As he told Mitchell," so that's what I went with. This morning I heard from Pete Lowry, who told me that George Mitchell and his friends were high school students when Charters' earlier book inspired them to find Howell and other old bluesmen, so I just added that info to the article. Pete's been really helpful. I also heard from Sam Charters, who has okayed my quoting his material about the various Atlanta bluesmen. Nice to be in touch with two of the writers and researchers I grew up admiring!

[Stefan Wirz]

... thought I should complement Jas' excellent writings with a little Peg Leg Howell discography
Additions/corrections - as always - most appreciated !

[JasO]

... thought I should complement Jas' excellent writings with a little Peg Leg Howell discography
Additions/corrections - as always - most appreciated !

Thanks for this, Stefan! Great work, as always. I've added a link from my article.

[Bunker Hill]

FWIW I've unearthed my BU scan of 2005 (I wonder who the hell I did it for if not here) and will post in the article section. OK?

[Bunker Hill]

... thought I should complement Jas' excellent writings with a little Peg Leg Howell discography
Additions/corrections - as always - most appreciated !

Nice one Stefan. I posted an OCR of the liner notes to Blues Fell This Morning LP some years back. You may like to create a link to it in your discography. This can be located via Peg Leg Howell TAG