Pee Wee Crayton

Biography

Connie Curtis Crayton, known as Pee Wee Crayton, was born on December 18, 1914, in Rockdale, Texas (raised in Austin or nearby Liberty Hill), where he began his musical journey playing a cigar box guitar, ukulele, and trumpet in school before seriously taking up guitar after moving to California in 1935. Settling in Oakland and later Los Angeles, he worked various jobs including as a janitor, chauffeur, and shipyard worker during World War II, while immersing himself in the Bay Area blues scene. There, he received direct tutelage from T-Bone Walker and jazz guitarist John Collins, developing a distinctive style that blended smooth jazz sophistication with hard-edged blues phrasing, aggressive picking, string bending, and innovative amplification techniques.[1][2][3][5][6][7]

Fun Facts

• His 1948 instrumental "Blues After Hours" was the only guitarist-led instrumental to reach No. 1 on Billboard's R&B chart (then 'race records').[2][5]
• Leo Fender personally gave him a prototype Fender Stratocaster and amp, making him possibly the first blues guitarist to use one.[2][3][5]
• He supplemented income by teaching guitar and winning money on the golf course during lean years.[2]
• Died on June 25, 1985, shortly after a triumphant hometown return to Austin's Antone’s, honored by a 'Battle of the Blues Guitars' tribute.[2]

Associated Acts

• The Sunset Blues Band

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• T-Bone Walker - primary guitar teacher and stylistic influence (taught basics of electric guitar; Crayton absorbed Walker's sophistication but added harder edge) [1940s]
• John Collins - jazz guitar tutelage contributing to sophisticated phrasing (influenced smooth, soulful tone in Bay Area scene) [1940s]

Key Collaborators

• Ivory Joe Hunter - provided guitar on hit records ("Pretty Mama Blues" (No. 1 hit in 1948)) [1948]
• Count Otis Mathews’ House Rockers - early band member (played in group started by Johnny Otis) [early 1940s]
• Joe Turner, Red Callender, Gatemouth Brown - performed with in blues clubs and tours (Pacific Coast clubs and national tours) [1940s-1950s]

Artists Influenced

• Lowell Fulson - cited as guitar inspiration (general style influence) [post-1940s]
• Johnny Heartsman - cited as guitar inspiration (general style influence) [post-1940s]
• Mickey Baker - cited as guitar inspiration (general style influence) [post-1940s]
• Doug MacLeod - cited as guitar inspiration (general style influence) [post-1940s]
• Billy “The Kid” Emerson - claimed Elvis Presley copied moves after seeing Crayton perform (Memphis performance influencing Elvis) [1950s]
• John Lennon / The Beatles - quoted Crayton's guitar riff in recording ("Do Unto Others" riff in "Revolution" B-side (1968)) [1968]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #blues, #electric-texas-blues, #r&b