He continued working on the farm until 1916, when he was shot during an argument with his brother-in-law, as a result of which he lost his right leg, and had to wear a prosthetic afterwards.

[2][5] After his injury, Howell stopped working on the farm, and took a job at a fertilizer plant in Madison County, Georgia.

Over the next three years, Columbia recorded him on several occasions, often accompanied by a small group, with Henry Williams on guitar and Eddie Anthony on fiddle.

[5][9] The economic depression affected record sales after 1930, so Howell and his band continued to play on the streets of Atlanta.

[5] Mitchell noted, "When we stopped by Shorter's Barber Shop, one of the oldest establishments on Decatur Street, we decided to ask about additional blues singers as well.

We rode about a mile past Capitol Square, turned into a dirt road and pulled up in front of Howell's small and shabby house.

The house was dark and musty, but the moment I saw Howell sitting in his wheelchair in the back room, I recognized him from his pictures.

He later died there on August 11 of that year at the age of 78, and was buried in Chestnut Hill Cemetery, located in DeKalb County, Georgia.