"Pigmeat" was born as Dewey Markham in Durham, North Carolina. He was sometimes creditied in movies as David "Pigmeat" Markham. Markham began his career in traveling African American music and burlesque shows. For a time he was a member of Bessie Smith's traveling review.
Markham became better known in Vaudeville in the 1920s. He said he originated the Truckin' dance which became nationally popular at the start of the 1930s. In the 1940s he started making film appearances.
Starting in the 1950s Pigmeat Markham began appearing on television, making multiple apperances on the Ed Sullivan Show.
His Here Comes The Judge routine became a hit comedy record in the 1960s and became a catch phrase on the Laugh-In television show, as did Pigmeat's phrase Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls.