George Higgs Album Notes

George Higgs was born in 1930 in a farming community in Edgecombe County near Speed, North Carolina ("a slow town with a fast name" as he is fond of saying). His father Jesse Higgs taught his young son the harp by playing spirituals and folk songs. The family used to tune in Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry to await the performance of Deford Bailey, the famed African American country music pioneer and harp virtuoso. During tobacco market George witnessed medicine showman and harpist Peg Leg Sam perform in nearby Rocky Mount and this made a lasting impression on the young musician. As a teenager he was attracted to the guitar. He reluctantly sold a favorite squirrel dog to a neighbor to raise funds to purchase his first. As a result of their close proximity the dog spent more time at George’s home than at his new owner’s, so he got to have the guitar and enjoy the company of his dog.