The Master at Work

The late Cory Pearson, union organizer and blues DJ, took this photo of Mr. Satan at work at a street fair in 1989 or 1990--"kicking and stomping," as he was fond of saying. Cory showed up one day and pulled out a 45 rpm single from the mid-1960s: Sterling Magee's "Oh She Was Pretty." "Are you Sterling Magee?" he asked Mr. Satan, who murmured Yes. It was the first time I'd heard him acknowledge that name. Cory, who knew the earlier material, had recognized Mr. Satan's harsh rasp.