Just heard on WSM that Pee Wee King passed away today. I'm glad I had the chance to know and work with this man.
God bless you PEE WEE.
So long Golden West Cowboy
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Billy Johnson
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Smiley Roberts
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Same here,Billy. PeeWee & I were very good friends. Broke bread w/ him at his house.He showed me all of his awards & trophies,which were,all,very well deserved.I shared some of my mother's homemade Polish food w/ him. Had quite a time visiting w/ him. A wonderful man that will,truly,be missed,by all.
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‘<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Smiley Roberts on 07 March 2000 at 02:40 PM.]</p></FONT>
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Janice Brooks
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Just found this news release on the net. Note the reference to the "electric steel guitar" & the Grand Ole Opry:
Pee Wee King, the diminutive country music hall of famer who scored a giant hit with his "Tennessee Waltz" and revolutionized the Grande Ole Opry, died today of complications from a heart attack. He was 86.
King had been hospitalized in his adopted hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, since suffering a heart attack last week.
He was the unlikeliest of country stars. The son of a Polish-American polka bandleader, he was born Julius Frank Kuczynski in Wisconsin, far from the
fertile country-music breeding grounds of the south and southwest.
He took up the accordion as a youngster and managed to land local radio gigs playing polka, pop and country standards. One performance so wowed Gene Autry that the singing cowboy signed him up for his backing band. It was Autry who dubbed his new five-foot-seven sideman "Pee Wee" (the "King" part
came from Wayne King, a popular bandleader of the day).
In 1934, Autry relocated his band to Louisville for a local radio show. But when he left soon after to launch his Hollywood movie career, King formed his own country-and-western swing combo, the Golden West Cowboys, a group specializing in intricately arranged numbers and a polished, thorougly
choreographed stage show--a first for country music.
King joined Nashville's Grand Ole Opry in 1937, bringing such novelties as electric instruments (the Opry's first electric steel guitar), horns and his trademark accordion to the venue. The band's fancy steps and well-oiled shows also revolutionized the genre.
"I learned a lot about showmanship from him," country-music singer Eddy Arnold, a singer with the Golden West Cowboys in the 1940s, said Tuesday.
The same year his group joined the Opry, King and bandmate Redd Stewart penned a tune inspired by bluegrass god Bill Monroe's "Kentucky Waltz" that would soon become their signature: "Tennessee Waltz." The Golden West Cowboys' rendition of the song hit No. 3 on the country charts, but that was nothing compared to Patti Page's version, which became a No. 1 crossover pop smash.
"Tennessee Waltz" was a mini-industry for King and crew, spawning the inevitable, less-successful sequel tunes ("Tennessee Tears," "Tennesse Polka")
and eventually being recorded more than 300 times and selling more than 40 million records. In 1965, then Tennessee Governor Frank Clement declared it the state song.
King also scored hits with recordings of "Slow Poke" (his biggest seller), "Silver and Gold" and "You Belong to Me." He and his band also had cameos in several Westerns, including a couple Gene Autry films.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and
the Country Music Hall of Fame four years later.
Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday.
Pee Wee King, the diminutive country music hall of famer who scored a giant hit with his "Tennessee Waltz" and revolutionized the Grande Ole Opry, died today of complications from a heart attack. He was 86.
King had been hospitalized in his adopted hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, since suffering a heart attack last week.
He was the unlikeliest of country stars. The son of a Polish-American polka bandleader, he was born Julius Frank Kuczynski in Wisconsin, far from the
fertile country-music breeding grounds of the south and southwest.
He took up the accordion as a youngster and managed to land local radio gigs playing polka, pop and country standards. One performance so wowed Gene Autry that the singing cowboy signed him up for his backing band. It was Autry who dubbed his new five-foot-seven sideman "Pee Wee" (the "King" part
came from Wayne King, a popular bandleader of the day).
In 1934, Autry relocated his band to Louisville for a local radio show. But when he left soon after to launch his Hollywood movie career, King formed his own country-and-western swing combo, the Golden West Cowboys, a group specializing in intricately arranged numbers and a polished, thorougly
choreographed stage show--a first for country music.
King joined Nashville's Grand Ole Opry in 1937, bringing such novelties as electric instruments (the Opry's first electric steel guitar), horns and his trademark accordion to the venue. The band's fancy steps and well-oiled shows also revolutionized the genre.
"I learned a lot about showmanship from him," country-music singer Eddy Arnold, a singer with the Golden West Cowboys in the 1940s, said Tuesday.
The same year his group joined the Opry, King and bandmate Redd Stewart penned a tune inspired by bluegrass god Bill Monroe's "Kentucky Waltz" that would soon become their signature: "Tennessee Waltz." The Golden West Cowboys' rendition of the song hit No. 3 on the country charts, but that was nothing compared to Patti Page's version, which became a No. 1 crossover pop smash.
"Tennessee Waltz" was a mini-industry for King and crew, spawning the inevitable, less-successful sequel tunes ("Tennessee Tears," "Tennesse Polka")
and eventually being recorded more than 300 times and selling more than 40 million records. In 1965, then Tennessee Governor Frank Clement declared it the state song.
King also scored hits with recordings of "Slow Poke" (his biggest seller), "Silver and Gold" and "You Belong to Me." He and his band also had cameos in several Westerns, including a couple Gene Autry films.
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and
the Country Music Hall of Fame four years later.
Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday.
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Mike Dennis
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Garryharris
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"You Belong to Me" sung by Jo Stafford, a serious pop tune. I've never heard a country version of that song.
One line goes, "See the market place in old Algiers." I did see that very market place that is mentioned in 1952. The country of Algeria was governed by France at that time.
I flew in there with other Air Force personnel in a C-47 from Wiesbaden, Germany.
On the flight line was a P-47 "Jug".
One line goes, "See the market place in old Algiers." I did see that very market place that is mentioned in 1952. The country of Algeria was governed by France at that time.
I flew in there with other Air Force personnel in a C-47 from Wiesbaden, Germany.
On the flight line was a P-47 "Jug".
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Janice Brooks
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