Pee Wee Crayton | |
---|---|
Birth name | Connie Curtis Crayton |
Born |
Rockdale, Texas, United States |
December 18, 1914
Died | June 25, 1985 Los Angeles, California, United States |
(aged 70)
Genres | Rhythm and blues, blues |
Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer |
Instruments | Guitar |
Years active | 1940s–1985 |
Labels | Various |
Connie Curtis Crayton (December 18, 1914 – June 25, 1985), known as Pee Wee Crayton, was an American R&B and blues guitarist and singer.
Crayton was born in Rockdale, Texas. He began playing guitar seriously after moving to California in 1935, later settling in San Francisco. While there he absorbed the music of T-Bone Walker but developed his own unique approach. His aggressive playing contrasted with his smooth vocal style and was copied by many later blues guitarists.
In 1948 he signed a recording contract with Modern Records. One of his first recordings was the instrumental "Blues After Hours", which reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart late that year. Its B-side, the pop ballad "I'm Still in Love with You", and the quicker "Texas Hop" are good examples of his work.
He went on to record for many other record labels in the 1950s, including Imperial in New Orleans, Vee-Jay in Chicago and Jamie in Philadelphia. It is thought he was the first blues guitarist to use a , playing an instrument given to him by Leo Fender. His album Things I Used to Do was released by Vanguard Records in 1971. He continued to tour and record in the following years.