RARE! Film Ukulele Blues Artist Harelip Sweet Pepper Hayes

I just found this in an old audio archive. This is footage of the great Ukulele Blues artists Harelip "Sweet Pepper" Hayes rehearsing before his performance at the 1968 River Falls Blues Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Enjoy! MORE:

Few videos of "Sweet Pepper" Hayes exist, due to his shyness regarding his harelip. The harelip helped Hayes create a unique vocal styling in which he whistled while he sang. The whistle was, in reality, a severe lisp due to his facial affliction, but it helped "Sweet Pepper" find a comfortable niche with tens of blues fans in the late '50s and '60s.

Harelip Hayes (that's his real name - he had a very cruel mother) floated from blues festival to blues festival until the summer of 1972. He disappeared after losing a drinking contest with his bassman, Lymphoma Key-Lime Jefferson. Although there have been no confirmed sightings of Harelip "Sweet Pepper" Hayes since, there are reports of an older Blues gentleman making the summer festival run who sings with a lisp. This man calls himself Myopia "Kumquat" Washington. We believe that may not be his real name.

If you have any information about Hayes or, for that matter, "Kumquat", contact UKISOCIETY immediately. Thank you!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• blues
• ukulele
• uke
• ウクレレ
• sweet
• pepper
• sweetpepper
• hayes
• hays
• louisville

[tori8984]

harelip also played with the legend Wally "halitosis" Pylesback's three man Quartet

[UKISOCIETY]

Now you're making stuff up.

[AXOhm]

didnt he play at the Honkey Tonk club with Silas Greenback...?

[ravenchevalier]

have you seen Jimbo scavoli playing the electric slide whistle ?

[tori8984]

Look up Washboard Bill aka William Cook there are some videos of him right here on YT. Perhaps further study will reveal the truth to these scoffers

[tori8984]

Perhaps it is a figment of my imagination, everyone knows that there is no such thing as a three man quartet.

[jcrowcroft]

LOL haha awesome playing and hilarious that people take it seriously enough to point out the story is a lie... a damn funny one :)

[topher38]

fake....Great playing but the story/history is all a lie.

[ynot6523]

Really great playing................BUT!...­I think the story is a scam!!!!! Really brilliant uke plaing whoever it is!

It looks like doctored video rather than vintage film from "68. Still love it though!

[paddleoc1]

Hey, maybe I can get my friend Ghiardia "Conch Chowder" Jones to track them down for you. He used to be a roadie for the Hairlip crew back in the day!