[5] After his father died from the effects of mustard gas poisoning he suffered in World War I, and when Tigner was six years old, the family relocated to a mining camp in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.

He often travelled to Baltimore to transport Bill Kenny, one of the founding members of the Ink Spots, to perform on the army base at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

[7] Tigner's voice was too deep for lead vocal duties, but he ended up reciting the spoken monologues that often separated the song's verses.

[2] As a day job, Tigner worked in the kitchen at a local elementary school, and settled with his wife in a modest wooden house in Edgewood.

[5] Also on a local front, Cora Mae Bryant, the daughter of Curley Weaver, gradually became important on the Atlanta blues scene.

[8] Locally, Tigner started to appear regularly at both Fat Matt's Rib Shack, sometimes with Beverly Watkins,[5] and also at the Northside Tavern.

[5] Around that time Tigner noticed that he was forgetting things and after seeking medical advice found that the diagnosis was the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

[8] Nevertheless, two nights before his 89th birthday party, Tigner was in Durham, North Carolina, playing an outdoor concert alongside Albert White and other Music Maker acts.

[5] A Northside Tavern regular, Tigner continued each week to play a repertoire which included songs such as "Going Down Slow", "Help Me Make It Through the Night", and "Shake, Rattle and Roll".

[10] Despite lung troubles necessitating steering clear of smoke-filled venues, Tigner enjoyed singing and playing at his 92nd birthday at the Northside.

[8] Tigner's work also appears on various compilation albums including "After Hours" on Lucerne Blues Festival 2001 and "Route 66" on We Are the Music Makers!