September 13, 1889 – July 9, 1942
Harrell was born in Draper's Valley, Wythe County, Virginia and from his early teens worked in various textile mills. In early 1925, when Harrell was already 35 years old, he went to New York City and recorded four tracks for Victor Records, among them New River Train (made famous by Bill Monroe) and The Roving Gambler. He recorded for OKeh later that year, including a version of The Wreck of the Old 97 and I Was Born 10,000 Year Ago (the latter often known as The Bragging Song.

He made more records for Victor in 1925, 1926, 1927 and 1929. The Butcher's Boy and I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again on Victor 19563 on 1925-01-07. The Dying Hobo (1926) is a variant of the traditional English folk song George Collins. My Name Is John Johannah was recorded in 1927 at RCA Victor's studios in Camden, NJ, with Posey Rorer on fiddle, Alfred Steagal on guitar and R.D. Hundley on banjo.

After 1929, his recording career came to a halt, owing to his inability to play an instrument; Harrell always required backing by other musicians, and the Great Depression had so damaged the recording business that Victor was unwilling to pay the cost of hiring backup musicians. He died of a heart attack in 1942.