Biographies: Willie George King, 1940, Winn Parish, LA.
Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483
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From: November 1, 1940 Winnfield News-American

Local Negress Sings Folk Songs For Library of Congress Records

Willie George King Composes Negro Songs

In the music department of the Library of Congress, Washington, D. C., two
recordings of American folk song were recently added, with the credit going
to Willie George King, Winnfield, La.

Willie George King''s records, in dialect and philosophy of the southern
negro, made "well worthwhile" the trip of a special representative from the
Congressional Library to Winnfield two weeks ago. These records will add to
the library's collection of folks songs from which a radio program is 
broadcast weekly, and which are being preserved for the future use of
musicians.

Answering a card sent to the director of the radio program telling about her
song "There Ain't Nothin' In The Jungle No Better Than Me," a title which made
the director feel he was on something good.  John A. Lomax came to Winnfield
to see the negress.

With the aid of Mrs. Roy Taylor at the parish welfare department office, Mr.
Lomax located Willie George, and made two recordings of a number of songs, an
impromptu prayer and sermon, and an account of incidents in her life.

Willie George was born in Jamaica, one of the West Indies Islands, south of
Cuba.  When eight years old, she related, she ran away from home.  Getting
hungry, she went to a home to ask for something to eat.  The lady gave her
some bread "for God's sake."  Willie George then said "put some butter on it
for Jesus' sake."  After she ate the buttered bread, she sand the lady a song,
and got the idea of doing this for a living.

Later Willie George joined a minstrel show in the United States and traveled 
around.  About ten years ago the show came to Winnfield, and she stopped here,
where she has been living ever since.  Her house is in the T. & G. Quarters. 
She lives alone, and occasionally does housework.  Her age appears to be
between 35 and 40, though she claims to be 101, an age she has stuck with for
the past 10 years.

Another of her songs is "Married Women Better Keep Your Man At Home."  One of
those recorded was about the boll weevil, but it was one picked up form the
minstrel days, and she did not claim to be its composer.