Label: Matchbox Recordings, Document Records.
Release Date: February 15, 1994.
Releases: September 6, 2000.
Recording Time: 66 minutes.
Recording Date: August 13, 1928 - December 9, 1930.
Styles: Acoustic Blues, Country Blues.
Featured Artists: Tampa Joe, Brothers Wright and Williams, Peg Leg Howell, 'Sloppy' Henry, Eddie Anthony (Macon Ed), Macon Ed and Tampa Red, Tampa Red and Macon Ed, Wright and Williams Brothers.
Atlanta street singer Joshua "Joe" Howell got the moniker Peg Leg following a shotgun mishap in 1919 (he lost his other leg to diabetes in 1952), and, unable to perform manual labor, he turned to music, recording several tracks in the late '20s under his own name and several tracks in various configurations with fellow street performers Henry Williams and Eddie Anthony. Anthony's fiddle (and occasional accordion) playing gave these pieces a kind of string band feel, and with Howell's loose, greasy blues lyrics, they created, at times, a fascinating hybrid, as evidenced by "Rolling Mill Blues," included here. When his recording career faded, Howell returned to street singing, working Atlanta's rough Decatur Street district until his re-discovery in 1963. He recorded some late tracks for Testament Records before dying in 1966. ~ Steve Leggett
Credits: Eddie Anthony - accordion, violin, vocals; Barbecue Bob - guitar, spoken word; Brothers William - vocals; Brothers Wright and Williams - primary artist; Macon Ed - accordion, primary artist, vocals; Ollie Griffin - violin; Jim E. Hill - mandolin, spoken word, vocals; Peg Leg Howell - composer, guitar, primary artist, spoken word, vocals; Blind Willie McTell - guitar, spoken word; Paul Oliver - liner notes; Johnny Parth - producer; Tampa Joe - guitar, primary artist, spoken word; Traditional - composer.
Tracks: 1) Long, Tall, Disconnected Mama - 'Sloppy' Henry; 2) Royal Palm Special Blues - 'Sloppy' Henry; 3) Banjo Blues - Peg Leg Howell; 4) Turkey Buzzard Blues - Peg Leg Howell; 5) Turtle Dove Blues - Peg Leg Howell; 6) Walkin' Blues - Peg Leg Howell; 7) Wringing That Thing - Tampa Red And Macon Ed; 8) Worrying Blues - Tampa Red And Macon Ed; 9) Broke And Hungry Blues - Peg Leg Howell; 10) Rolling Mill Blues - Peg Leg Howell; 11) Ball And Chain Blues - Peg Leg Howell; 12) Monkey Man Blues - Peg Leg Howell; 13) Chittlin' Supper - Peg Leg Howell; 14) Away From Home - Peg Leg Howell; 15) Everything's Coming My Way - Macon Ed And Tampa Red; 16) Mean Florida Blues - Macon Ed And Tampa Red; 17) Try That Thing - Macon Ed And Tampa Red; 18) Tickle Britches - Macon Ed And Tampa Red; 19) Tantalizing Bootblack - Macon Ed And Tampa Red; 20) Warm Wipe Stomp - Macon Ed And Tampa Red; 21) I'll Play My Harp In Beulah Land - Brothers Wright And Williams.