Talk about a fascinating life. Peg Leg was severely injured by a train-hop gone bad. His face was mutilated, his leg amputated, and his story...enriched.
The video, which you can see by clicking here, follows Peg Leg through the American South, as he sells snake oil and wins over hometowns with his insane harmonica jives and illegible speech.
I rave about this to Seth Holzman, harmonica virtuoso and music teacher here at Philadelphia Folksong Society and Seth informs me that Peg Leg came through the area, and even played our very own Philadelphia Folk Festival. Here is a shot, where you can see the man and the myth, and the classic homemade Philly Folk fence:
