Now, he went to Cincinnati with him and he said that all these meetings that they had at the convention, he was there. And any time there was a speaker come up, you know, to address the bunch of delegates, they'd always call him up to play for 'em. John L. Lewis was there. He had one song he called "The John L. Lewis Blues" and he said it just tickled old John L. to death to get him up there singing that. And he stayed there, he said, 14 days he was in Cincinnati. He said he attended every one of their meetings and all the big dinners they had, he was a guest at it. And he came back home and said he counted 270-some dollars, you know, where they'd take the hat around and they'd throw in and donate. And he said he made a lot more money on the trip. Said he slept in the very best bed, drink the very best liquor.

RM Did he ever stop working in the mines to play music?

MJ No.

RM How often did you play? You all played right often at the union meetings didn't you?

MJ Yeah

RM Maybe once a week?

MJ No, maybe it'd be once a month or maybe it'd go six months. Just whenever we got together. And whenever there'd be a dance, or anything like that, we'd play. That's all.

RM You say you wrote many of the songs also?

MJ Yeah, oh, yeah.

RM Who wrote "Dying Brakeman Blues?"

MJ Oh, I don't know as either one of us wrote that song. You're talkin' about "The Motorman Song."

RM Uh-huh, "The Motorman Song."

MJ Orville might have done it. I wouldn't say he didn't. But that happened right around here, not two miles from here-in the mines. Now that happened right around here.

I knowed the boy well. The boy's name was Hiram Hall, that got killed. And the man that was runnin' the motor that killed him was Charlie Landrum. I broke for him a many day. And nipped for him a many day. As you know, a nipper takes care of the cable, you see-where the motor has to go where there ain't no trolley wire, he used a nip and a cable. There was a stirrup on the motor, the nipper has to stay in that stirrup. In case the cable hangs up he's got to get it loose, you see. And I've nipped for Charlie and I broke for him. He was a good motorman. But this boy got killed braking for Charlie. And that's what the song was made-up of, and I don't know whether Orville made the song up or not. I know I didn't have nothing to do with it.

RM If Orville didn't, is there anyone else?

MJ Not as I know of.

RM Well, do you remember many of the songs that you all made up together and used to sing?

MJ Not too many that we made up together. But I have my own, and then I have some that we made up together.