Old-time bluesman and long-time partner of harp-player Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee (he also went by the names Blind Boy Williams, Spider Sam, or Big Tom Collins) had a loose affiliation with films that began in 1972 when he wrote and performed a few tunes for Buck and the Preacher. In 1979, he played one of Steve Martin's adoptive family in The Jerk and had a small role as Toots Sweet in Angel Heart (1987).