23 Facts About Peetie Wheatstraw

William Bunch, known as Peetie Wheatstraw, was an American musician, an influential figure among 1930s blues singers.

The earliest biographical facts come from the musicians Henry Townsend and Teddy Darby, who remember Peetie Wheatstraw moving to East St Louis, Illinois, in the late 1920s.

Peetie Wheatstraw was already a proficient guitarist but a limited pianist.

Peetie Wheatstraw often performed at a club called Lovejoy in the East St Louis area and at a juke joint over a barbershop on West Biddle Street.

Peetie Wheatstraw began recording in 1930 and was so popular that he continued to record through the Great Depression, when the number of blues records issued was drastically reduced.

The blues musician Charlie Jordan introduced Peetie Wheatstraw to recording, setting him up with both Vocalion Records and Decca Records.

Peetie Wheatstraw recorded "Tennessee Peaches Blues" in a duet with an artist called Neckbones, in August 1930.

Peetie Wheatstraw made no records between March 1932 and March 1934, a period in which he perfected his mature style.

The name "Peetie Wheatstraw" was described by the blues scholar Paul Oliver as one that had well-rooted folk associations.

Peetie Wheatstraw composed several "stomps" with lyrics projecting a boastful demonic persona to match these sobriquets.

Peetie Wheatstraw's hardened attitude and egotism have given contemporary authors grounds for comparing him to modern-day rap artists.

Peetie Wheatstraw recorded 161 sides on 78-RPM records for 1930 to the end of 1941.

Peetie Wheatstraw operated in a community of musicians in St Louis and East St Louis who knew and performed with each other.

Peetie Wheatstraw was a recording star subject to the demands of record producers and the challenges of other stars.

Against this generic style Peetie Wheatstraw had some instantly recognizable characteristics.

Peetie Wheatstraw first entered the Vocalion Records studios on August 13,1930, and recorded a handful of songs, including "Four o'Clock in the Morning" and "Tennessee Peaches Blues".

Peetie Wheatstraw was known for his laid-back approach and adept singing and songwriting.

On his records Peetie Wheatstraw occasionally played the guitar, but he usually played the piano, accompanied by a guitarist; among his collaborators were the guitarists Kokomo Arnold, Lonnie Johnson, Charley Jordan, Papa Charlie McCoy and Teddy Bunn and the pianist Champion Jack Dupree.

On some of his last dates, Peetie Wheatstraw recorded music in a jazz-inspired framework, collaborating with Lil Hardin Armstrong and the trumpeter Jonah Jones.

Peetie Wheatstraw made many recordings with the influential Kokomo Arnold, who wrote the blues standard "Milk Cow Blues".

Peetie Wheatstraw was riding the crest of his success at the time of his premature death.

Peetie Wheatstraw got into the car with Big Joe Williams and two other friends, one of whom was driving.

Peetie Wheatstraw was buried in Crowder Cemetery, near Cotton Plant, Arkansas.