Country bandleader and twang-swing accordionist Pee Wee King (ne Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski, 1914-2000) was born in rural Abrams, Wisconsin just north of Green Bay, and although he's often seen as part of the postwar western swing scene, he also brought a lot of the regional "old-time" (polka) dance music of his youth into his jaunty country repertoire. King broke into show business working in singing cowboy films with western star Gene Autry back in the 1930s, although his biggest success came after World War Two when he and singer Redd Stewart co-wrote "The Tennessee Waltz," an irresistibly wistful song that became a huge postwar hit, both in the country world and -- more significantly -- as a pop standard after it was recorded by Patti Page.
Riding the success of that smash, King and Stewart relocated to Louisville, Kentucky, where King hosted his own radio show, The Pee Wee King Show, which aired for the first half of the 1950s and was briefly nationally syndicated. King cultivated a flashy, professionalized image and was one of the first country stars to wear the ornate, over-the-top "Nudie suits" built by western tailor Nudie Cohen. His career slackened in the late 'Fifties, with his recording gigs becoming less frequent, and more regionally-based. Here's a quick look at his work..
Discography -- Albums
Pee Wee King "Country Classics" (RCA Victor, 1952) (LP) (10")
Pee Wee King "Pee Wee King's Western Hits" (RCA Victor, 1952) (LP) (10")
Pee Wee King "Country Classics, Volume Two: Waltzes" (RCA Victor, 1953) (LP)
Pee Wee King "Swing West" (RCA Victor, 1955/1956) (LP)
Originally issued as a ten-inch, eight-song album, this was expanded into a full 12" LP the following year, with four "extra tracks to fill things out.
Pee Wee King "Golden Olde-Time Dances" (Briar Records, 1962) (LP)
Though modern country fans say "old-time music" to refer to pre-bluegrass mountain music, in the upper Midwest and around the Great Lakes region and New England, the phrase often used to refer to polka, waltzes, Bohemian dance music and other regional styles. As the son of a polka bandleader, Pee Wee King was intimately familiar with these styles, and dipped into that cultural reservoir throughout his long career.
Pee Wee King & Redd Stewart "Back Again!" (Starday Records, 1964) (LP)
Pee Wee King "Country Music Polkas" (Cuca Records, 1964) (LP)
Pee Wee King "Pee Wee King's Country-Western Hoedown" (Cuca Records, 1967) (LP)
Pee Wee King "Tennessee Waltz And Slowpoke" (Starday/Nashville Records, 1967) (LP)
Discography -- Best-Ofs
Pee Wee King "...And His Golden West Cowboys" (Bear Family Records, 1994)
This super-duper, 6-CD box set might be too much for the average listener, but if you're a western swing fanatic, then this is a real find. King coasts back and forth between swing and '40s style honkytonk, and vocalist Redd Stewart was definitely among the best. Pricey, but recommended!
Pee Wee King "Pee Wee King's Country Hoedown" (Bloodshot Records/Soundies, 1999)
So far, this is the most ambitious of the Soundies releases... this 2-CD set unleashes 51 tracks by one of the most sprightly (and prolific) of the western swing bandleaders... These early '50s transcriptions caught him at the height of his commercial success -- Patti Page's 1951 version of King's "Tennessee Waltz" was one of the biggest pop hits of the postwar era, and suddenly his name was a household word. What we get here is a pretty swinging, cool country sound, but with plenty of the hayloft square dance influences left intact. King just passed away in March of 2000, and there couldn't have been a more fitting tribute to him than this collection, which demonstrates his live sound at its best. Recommended!
Pee Wee King "Blue Suede Shoes: Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight" (Bear Family Records, 2006)
A more economical package, but still with the lavish Bear Family attention to detail and fine sound quality. That being said, I gotta admit, I found this manic, novelty-oriented set to be somewhat taxing... A little bit goes a long way, and perhaps these hyperactive accordion tunes are best taken in small doses. Still, fans will be psyched, especially those of us unlikely to shell out a gazillion bucks for the full-on Bear Family box set...
Pee Wee King "Western Swing Get Together" (Jasmine Records, 2001)
Pee Wee King "Biggest Hits/Barn Dance" (Collectables Records, 2004)
An odd "twofer" reissue that combines tracks from two old LPs. One was on RCA and was (I think) stereo remasters of classic, vintage Pee Wee King recordings; the other, Barn Dance, looks like it's of much later vintage, possibly from the 1960s... I haven't heard the CD, though, so I'm not sure.
Pee Wee King "Kentucky Waltz" (BACM, 2005)
Links
Hick Music Index
