Time: 41:24
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1976
Styles: Blues
Art: Front, back1, back2
1. Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho (3:23)
2. Navaho Trail (4:43)
3. John Henry (6:00)
4. Going Train Blues (3:17)
5. Mr. Ditty Wa Ditty (4:24)
6. Strollin' (4:56)
7. I Got A Home (4:44)
8. Dog Chase (3:04)
9. Early In The Morning (3:04)
10. Poor Boy (3:46)
Arthur Jackson, known as Peg Leg Sam, was an American country blues harmonizer, singer, and comedian. He recorded songs such as "Dog Chase," "John Henry," and "Early In The Morning," and worked in medical shows. He earned his nickname after an accident in 1930. Arthur Jackson was born in Jonesville, South Carolina, the fourth of six children of David Jackson, a farmer and Virginia native, and Emma Jackson. His paternal great-grandmother, Racheal Williams, was born in Virginia in 1810 and was commonly referred to as a mulatto. She may have had a white mother or father (more likely a white father, as would have been typical for the period).
Peg Leg Sam taught himself to play the harmonica as a small child. He left home at age 12 and never stopped wandering. He shined shoes, worked as a houseboy, cooked on ships, and played on street corners. He lost his leg in 1930 while trying to jump a train. He retrieved a pen from a fence post, tied it to his stump with a leather strap, and kept moving.
He joined the medicine show circuit in 1937, often performing with Pink Anderson. His ability to play two harmonicas simultaneously (while one went in and out of his mouth) made him a popular attraction; he could also play a harmonica with his nose.
Peg Leg Sam gave his last medicine show performance in 1972 in North Carolina, but continued to appear at music festivals in his final years. In 1973, his childhood friend, Henry "Rufe" Johnson, contributed a few songs to Peg Leg Sam's album Medicine Show Man, on both guitar and vocals. He died in Jonesville in October 1977 at the age of 65.
Going Train Blues MP3 (vinyl)
