Rachell grew up in
Brownsville, Tennessee. His gravestone marks his birth year as 1920. However, researchers Bob Eagle and Eric LeBlanc conclude, on the basis of a
1920 census entry, that Rachell was probably born in 1903. "
She Caught the Katy," which he wrote with
Taj Mahal, is considered a
blues standard. By the mid-1990s, Rachell and
Henry Townsend were the only blues musicians still active whose careers started in the 1920s.{{cite book ==Film==