This was written by Dorsey and Howard Dixon who performed under the name “The Dixon Brothers.” They were born and raised in South Carolina and lived the life of ‘hillbilly mill workers.’ Many of their songs reflected the poor conditions of the southern mills, particularly during the Depression. From 1936 to 1940 they recorded 60 songs for Victor Records. They retired from music as World War II began although Dorsey did make an appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1961.
They were heavily influenced by southern blues, mostly earned from a black coworker in the mills named Jimmy Tarleton. They worked together for many years and exchanged a great deal of music.
One of their most popular songs was “Sales Tax on the Women.” During the Depression states sought alternative sources of revenue in the form of a sales tax. The tax was wildly unpopular.
Did you mean “learned” instead of “earned from Jimmy Tarleton? By the way, Tarleton was white. And I believe it was 1963 that Dorsey Dixon played the Newport Festival.