Kate O'Neil Peters Sturgill was born and raised in Wise County, Virginia. She learned to play the organ at age seven and the guitar in her teens. She was also a singer and songwriter, playing with both "The Lonesome Pine Trailers" and "The Cumberland Valley Girls." In the thirties, she helped her cousin, A.P. Carter, collect songs from the mountains of their native Virginia. During the depression, she worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), teaching guitar and giving performances in local schools. She was well-known for her performances on WNVA radio in Norton, Virginia, from 1947-1954. She performed throughout her life at local events and festivals. She recorded one song for the Library of Congress Archive of Folksong as well as various other recordings. Sturgill performed many traditional songs and ballads of the mountains. A popular tune of hers was "My Stone Mountain Home."