BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " PEG LEG SAM JOSHUA " WAS A COUNTRY BLUES HARMONICIST, SINGER AND COMEDIAN : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

  BLACK            SOCIAL            HISTORY                                                                                                                                        Peg Leg Sam

Peg Leg Sam (December 18, 1911 – October 27, 1977)^[1] was an American country blues harmonicist, singer and comedian.^[2] He recorded "Fox Chase" and "John Henry", and worked in medicine shows.^[1] He gained his nickname following an accident whilst hoboing in 1930.^[3]

Biography

Born Arthur Jackson in Jonesville, South Carolina, United States, to David Jackson, a farmer and native of Virginia, and Emma Jackson, Arthur was the fourth of six children. His fraternal great-grandmother, Racheal Williams, was born 1810 in Colonial Virginia, and was commonly referred to as a mulatto. She may have had a Caucasian mother or father, most likely, a caucasian father, as this would have been typical for the time period. Arthur went on to marry Theo S. Jackson, who was 18 years older than him, and the mother of Herbert Miller and Katherine Miller, both natives of Tennessee. In South Carolina, Peg Leg Sam made his living busking on the street and performing in patent-medicine shows. 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.^[3]

He died in Jonesville in October 1977, at the age of 65.^[1]

Documentary

A biography of Peg Leg Sam, Born for Hard Luck was released by Tom Davenport in 1976. An excerpt of the documentary appears in the French film, Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain.

Discography

• Medicine Show Man
• Early in the Morning (featuring Louisiana Red)
• Joshua (also featuring Louisiana Red)
• Kickin' It