Pee Wee King: Difference between revisions
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King's other songs included "[[Slow Poke]]" and "[[You Belong to Me (1952 song)|You Belong to Me]]", both co-authored with [[Chilton Price]] and [[Redd Stewart]]. His songs introduced [[waltz]]es, polkas, and [[Cowboy music|cowboy songs]] to country music. |
King's other songs included "[[Slow Poke]]" and "[[You Belong to Me (1952 song)|You Belong to Me]]", both co-authored with [[Chilton Price]] and [[Redd Stewart]]. His songs introduced [[waltz]]es, polkas, and [[Cowboy music|cowboy songs]] to country music. |
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King was not permitted to use the drummer and trumpeter he featured on his stage shows when the band played at the [[Grand Ole Opry]], where both instruments were banned. He ignored that ban only once, appearing at the Ryman in April, 1945 following the death of [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]. The Opry had been canceled, but since a number of fans showed up, management decided to have King perform his stage show for them. He used his full band, with drums and trumpet. When confronted about it afterward, King told Opry emceed [[George D. Hay]] that he had done his stage show, as asked. Bob Wills, had defied the Opry ban on drums during a 1944 guest appearance,<ref>Kienzle, Richard. (2003). Southwest shuffle: pioneers of honky-tonk, Western swing, and country jazz. New York: Routledge. pp. 254-257.</ref> In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. |
King was not permitted to use the drummer and trumpeter he featured on his stage shows when the band played at the [[Grand Ole Opry]], where both instruments were banned. He ignored that ban only once, appearing at the Ryman in April, 1945 following the death of [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]]. The Opry had been canceled, but since a number of fans showed up, management decided to have King perform his stage show for them. He used his full band, with drums and trumpet. When confronted about it afterward, King told Opry emceed [[George D. Hay]] that he had done his stage show, as asked. Bob Wills, had defied the Opry ban on drums during a 1944 guest appearance,<ref>Kienzle, Richard. (2003). Southwest shuffle: pioneers of honky-tonk, Western swing, and country jazz. New York: Routledge. pp. 254-257.</ref> In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 80–81.</ref> His band also introduced on-stage dancing and [[Nudie Cohn]]'s customized 'rhinestone cowboy' outfits<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nudiesrodeotailor.com/gallery/galleryfashion06a.html |title=Nudies Rodeo Tailors official website of Nudies suits |publisher=Nudiesrodeotailor.com |date= |accessdate=2012-04-01 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329171929/http://www.nudiesrodeotailor.com/gallery/galleryfashion06a.html |archivedate=2012-03-29 |df= }}</ref> to the Opry which later became popular with Nashville and country musicians, including [[Elvis Presley]].<ref>[http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/inductees.aspx?cid=135# Countrymusichalloffame.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813041602/http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/inductees.aspx?cid=135 |date=August 13, 2007 }}</ref> |
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[[File:Pee Wee King Country Music Hall of Fame Plaque .jpg|alt=Pee Wee King's Country Music Hall of Fame Plaque located in the Hall of Fame Rotunda in Nashville, TN.|thumb|Pee Wee King's Country Music Hall of Fame Plaque located in the Hall of Fame Rotunda in Nashville, TN.]] |
[[File:Pee Wee King Country Music Hall of Fame Plaque .jpg|alt=Pee Wee King's Country Music Hall of Fame Plaque located in the Hall of Fame Rotunda in Nashville, TN.|thumb|Pee Wee King's Country Music Hall of Fame Plaque located in the Hall of Fame Rotunda in Nashville, TN.]] |
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He was inducted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1970 and the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] in 1974. |
He was inducted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1970 and the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]] in 1974. |
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{{1970s Country Music Hall of Fame}} |
{{1970s Country Music Hall of Fame}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:1914 births]] |
[[Category:1914 births]] |
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[[Category:American country fiddlers]] |
[[Category:American country fiddlers]] |
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[[Category:American people of Polish descent]] |
[[Category:American people of Polish descent]] |
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[[Category:American country singers]] |
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[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]] |
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]] |
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[[Category:Country musicians from Wisconsin]] |
[[Category:Country musicians from Wisconsin]] |
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Revision as of 22:14, 31 July 2019
Pee Wee King | |
|---|---|
 Pee Wee King c. 1944 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski |
| Born | February 18, 1914 Abrams, Wisconsin, United States |
| Died | March 7, 2000 (aged 86) Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Accordion, fiddle |
| Years active | 1948–1954 |
Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski (February 18, 1914 – March 7, 2000), known professionally as Pee Wee King, was an American country music songwriter and recording artist best known for co-writing "Tennessee Waltz".
Life and career
King was born in Abrams, Wisconsin to a Polish American family and lived in Abrams during his youth. He learned to play the accordion from his father, who was a professional polka musician. In the 1930s, he toured and made cowboy movies with Gene Autry.[1] King joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1937.
In 1946, while the bandleader of the Golden West Cowboys, King, together with the band's vocalist, Redd Stewart, composed "The Tennessee Waltz", inspired by "The Kentucky Waltz" by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe. King and Stewart first recorded "The Tennessee Waltz" in 1948, and it went on to become a country music standard, due, mainly, to the immense success of Patti Page's version of the song.
King's other songs included "Slow Poke" and "You Belong to Me", both co-authored with Chilton Price and Redd Stewart. His songs introduced waltzes, polkas, and cowboy songs to country music.
King was not permitted to use the drummer and trumpeter he featured on his stage shows when the band played at the Grand Ole Opry, where both instruments were banned. He ignored that ban only once, appearing at the Ryman in April, 1945 following the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The Opry had been canceled, but since a number of fans showed up, management decided to have King perform his stage show for them. He used his full band, with drums and trumpet. When confronted about it afterward, King told Opry emceed George D. Hay that he had done his stage show, as asked. Bob Wills, had defied the Opry ban on drums during a 1944 guest appearance,[2] In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 80–81.</ref> His band also introduced on-stage dancing and Nudie Cohn's customized 'rhinestone cowboy' outfits[3] to the Opry which later became popular with Nashville and country musicians, including Elvis Presley.[4]
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974.
He joined producers Randall Franks and Alan Autry for the In the Heat of the Night cast CD Christmas Time’s A Comin’ performing "Jingle Bells" with the cast released on Sonlite and MGM/UA for one of the most popular Christmas releases of 1991 and 1992 with Southern retailers.
He died of a heart attack in Louisville, Kentucky, at age 86.
Discography
Albums
- Pee Wee King, RCA Victor, 1954
- Waltzes, RCA Victor, 1955
- Swing West, RCA Victor, 1956
- Country Barn Dance, RCA Camden, 1965
- Ballroom King, Detour, 1982
- Hog Wild Too!, Zu Zazz, 1990
- Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys (6-CD box set), Bear Family, 1995
- Pee Wee King's Country Hoedown (live radio performances), Bloodshot, 1999
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | ||
| 1948 | "Tennessee Waltz" | 3 | |
| 1949 | "Tennessee Tears" | 12 | |
| "Tennessee Polka" | 3 | ||
| 1950 | "Bonaparte's Retreat" | 10 | |
| 1951 | "Tennessee Waltz" (re-release) | 6 | |
| "Slow Poke" | 1 | 1 | |
| 1952 | "Silver and Gold" | 5 | 18 |
| "Busybody" | 8 | 27 | |
| 1954 | "Changing Partners" | 4 | |
| "Bimbo" | 9 | ||
| "Backward, Turn Backward" | 15 | ||
Notes
- ^ Miller, James. Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977. Simon & Schuster (1999), pp. 44-45. ISBN 0-684-80873-0.
- ^ Kienzle, Richard. (2003). Southwest shuffle: pioneers of honky-tonk, Western swing, and country jazz. New York: Routledge. pp. 254-257.
- ^ "Nudies Rodeo Tailors official website of Nudies suits". Nudiesrodeotailor.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Countrymusichalloffame.com Archived August 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
References
- Hall, Wade. (1998). "Pee Wee King". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 283–4.
External links
- 1914 births
- 2000 deaths
- American country fiddlers
- American people of Polish descent
- American country singer-songwriters
- Country musicians from Wisconsin
- Country Music Hall of Fame inductees
- Singers from Wisconsin
- Musicians from Milwaukee
- Grand Ole Opry members
- Starday Records artists
- Apex Records artists
- RCA Victor artists
- Top Rank Records artists
- 20th-century American singers
- Songwriters from Wisconsin
- People from Abrams, Wisconsin