"Peg Leg" Howell

Joshua Barnes Howell

b. March 5th, 1888 in Eatonton (Georgia)

d. August 11th, 1966 in Atlanta (Georgia)

COMPLETE RECORDED WORKS

Document

Volume 1 (November 1926 - August 1928)

Volume 2 (October 1928 - April 1929)

Pionnier de la communauté blues d'Atlanta, il est autodidacte à la guitare. Amputé d'une jambe à la suite d'une altercation, il devient musicien ne pouvant plus travailler à la ferme. Il s'installe à Atlanta et joue aux coins des rues autour de Decatur Street. Pour augmenter ses revenus, il fait aussi un peu de contrebande d'alcool. Cette dernière activité le conduira d'ailleurs en prison en 1925 pour un an. A sa libération, "Peg Leg" Howell signe pour le label Columbia différents morceaux qui dépassent souvent le cadre strict du blues, très proche des string bands mais aussi du ragtime et du jazz : "Coal man blues", "New prison blues", "Beaver slide rag", "Too tight blues", "Skin game blues", "Rock and gravel blues", "New jelly roll blues". Howell est souvent accompagné d'Henry Williams (guitare), d'Eddie Anthony (violon) et parfois du mandoliniste Jim Hill. Après 1930, il disparait progressivement du circuit souffrant du diabète (il sera amputé de sa seconde jambe en 1952).

A pioneer of the Atlanta blues community, he is self-taught on guitar. A leg amputated following an altercation, he became a musician because he could no longer work on the farm. He moved to Atlanta and played on street corners around Decatur Street. To increase his income, he also bootlegged alcohol. This last activity will also take him to prison in 1925 for a year. On his release, "Peg Leg" Howell signed for the Columbia label different songs that often go beyond the strict framework of the blues, very close to string bands but also to ragtime and jazz : "Coal man blues", "New prison blues", "Beaver slide rag", "Too tight blues", "Skin game blues", "Rock and gravel blues", "New jelly roll blues". Howell is often accompanied by Henry Williams (guitar), Eddie Anthony (violin) and sometimes by the mandolinist Jim Hill. After 1930, he gradually disappeared from the circuit suffering from diabetes (he had his second leg amputated in 1952).

THE LEGENDARY PEG LEG HOWELL

Testament

Sutro Park

April 1963

Retrouvé en 1963 par George Mitchell, Roger Brown et Jack Boozer alors qu'Howell vivait dans une grande pauvreté, il trouve l'opportunité de graver un album complet. Le bluesman de 75 ans a malheureusement perdu beaucoup de ses automatismes à la guitare (malgré un entrainement d'un mois avant l'enregistrement) et sa voix est bien faible. Un album terne qui ne rend pas justice à ce pionnier du blues.

Rediscovered in 1963 by George Mitchell, Roger Brown and Jack Boozer while Howell lived in great poverty, he finds the opportunity to record a complete album. The 75-year-old bluesman unfortunately lost many of his automatisms on guitar (despite training a month before recording) and his voice is very weak. A dull album that does not do justice to this pioneer of the blues.