" I ' M

Intorview Interview
The follovnng remarks were transcribed ver-
b8tim from a tope·recording between Peg Leg
Howell and George Mi tcholl. Only Howell's
answers to Nutche~ils questioning arc cout-
oined here.

liMy friends call me Pog, •• Pog Leg Howoll. I was born on the fifth of M8rch. in
1888. 1 was born in Eatonton, Putnom. County, Georgia. I am 75 yosrs old •
• • 0 11y f8ther Has £! fornor. iJhen I vies <1 child I went to school in Putnam
•••

County; I wont os far 8S tho ninth grade bofore I stopped. After thnt I work-
ed on my father's farm with him ••• plowed. \vorkod on the form until 1916, whon
I vms ehout 28 •
...... 'i'hen I worked at a fertilizer plant in Ikdison, Ge., on tho Georgj}a road
to Augusta. I l:.ad lost my leg in 1916 and hod to quit ferm work. I got shot by
my brother-in-law; ho got m£!d at me end shot mo. Thf1t's how I lost my leg. I
wo:~od at the fertilizer plant for a year. After tnot I didn't do much, just
messed eround town (Eatonton). I come to Atlanta when I was about '35 years old.
'-
I just got tired of living in 8 8j'li.:~11 town. I didn't do much of anything when
I camo to Atlanta oithor •
•••••• 1 learnod how to ploy the guitar about 1909. I learnt myself - didn't
tako long to le8rn. I just st[1';Tod up one night and learnt myself •
•••••• The mon from Columbia Records found me there in Atl&nta. A 1tt. Brawn-
he worked for Columbia - he asked me to make 0 record for them. I was out ser-
enading, playing on Decotur Street Gnd he heard me playing and token me up to
his office and I playod up thore. He first hoard me playing out on the street.
This wes around 1927, I think, but it could have been earlier. (The actuol
recording dote was ~'Tov. 8th 1926, when "Coal men bluos 17 , ilTishamingo blues li t
"New Prison bluos ll and ;1]'0 clGy bluos<l were recorded. - G.B.)
•• " •• ~Vfhcn thoy first nsked me to rocord I VIOS with another follow, boy called.
:C:ugonc - he's dead now - Eugene Podin. He plsyed mendolin. He didn't play on
my first records; I vJOS by mys elf. He nevor recordod - "Ji th me or by himself,
as far ss I know •
••••• •My first recorc1. wes .II-Tow Prison blues;; (coupled with liFo doy blues ll on
Columbio 14177D). In 1925 I had been in prison for s oIling whisky· snd I heard
tho song thore. I don't know who r~do it up. As for selling tho Whisky, I
would sell it to anybody who COT.ie to the :lOuse. I bought the moonshine from
peoPle who ron it and I sold it. I ~onft know how they caught mo; they just
ron down on mo one day •
•••••• 1 got paid fifty dollars for my first rocord. And I got royaltios too -
they como in tvnco a yeur. After tho record cnme out, I used to sing different
places around AtlGnto t different placos where I wont. I mostly played elong
tho streets •
••••• •:!!:ddio Anthony recorded wi th mo. He played violin. And Henry :Jilliams; he
pleyed gUitar. Wo colled the group Peg Log Howell and His Gang. iwdo quite a
fov! records with them too. Put out theoil-Tew Jelly Roll blues l ' end "Too tight ll •
(Boaver slide rag, Pape Stobb bl., MOQnin~ and groaning bl., Hobo bl., Gnd Peg
Lo~ Stomp wero the other selections the trio recorded at two sessions tn 1927,
April 8th and Pov. 7th. At the first session Howell also recorded a solo, Sadie
Loo blues, end two more solo performances, Doin' ~~ong end Skin Game blues,
followecl. Inter in tho year, on lTovember 9th.)
...... rrhe~ "Jelly Roll blues l ; - I heard Q fellow named Eli j6h Lawrence singing
it. Ho didn't mE;!co records; I heLrd him singing it in the country. I learned
many of FlY songs round tho country. I pi ckod thcr.'l up from anybody - no s peci81
person. FiOstly they (the people in the country around Atlontd just sorig, did
not play anything •
••••• •Somo of the songs I made up. ;'Too tight ll WAS one j lIRocks and grovel 11 was
another. Thot's roally about tliQ blues, thet BRocks and grsvel l ' . Just made 'em
up end played 'em. I1Coal man blues" - wrote that too. ;;Skin game blues;l - th8t's
about gambling. Skin gome is a c~rd game •
••••••After my last record, I just stopped recording. Didn't moke no more. After
I stopped recordine. I just plcyod around town. I wont bflck to selling liquor.
Thon I ran Q woodyord for obout two YC8ra oround 1940. I lost my other leg in
1952. Through sugar diabotes •
•••••• Through the years I hove lived ell over the city, moved allover. I have
nIt done much playing over the years until rccently. Aftor Eddie Anthony died,
I just didn't foel like playing ony moro. Not till now.
(PID LOO HOWELL - TESrrAMENT RECORDS '1'-204). --R.eter J. ~ieldiP.B.

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