He recalls the unison-bend ostinato in compressed form over F#7 in 9 and ends the chorus with a return to home base, the minor-pentatonic blues sound in 10-11.īihari and his brothers were responsible for recording much of the West Coast blues out of Hollywood. Check out his use of idiomatic arpeggios (E9 and B7) and stepwise melody in this passage, strengthening the swing-jazz connection of early electric blues.
Here, distinctive elements from Charlie Christian surface. Contrast comes in the form of jazzier eighth-note lines in 5-8.
Note the rhythmic displacement in bar 3, where Pee Wee nudges each theme to land on alternating strong and weak beats – a simple but effective device. The unison-bend figures are identical in feeling and intent to those later favored by Chuck Berry and other rockers in the ’50 and ’60s, along with their descendants to the present. This excerpt finds him doling out inspired improvisations as he harnesses the power of repetition and short theme motifs a la T-Bone in bars 1-3 with an ostinato that presages similar tactics in early rock. Pee Wee’s solo in “Texas Hop” marked a milestone in blues guitar. In ’48, he led a trio with stellar pianist David Lee Johnson and bassist Candy Johnson, and was spotted in a San Francisco club by Tony Vallero, who recommended him to producer/entrepreneur Jules Bihari. In ’47, he made his debut as leader, though his four tracks were shelved until ’49, when they were issued by 4-Star and Gruv-V-Tone.
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Steering his career toward blues, by ’46, Crayton secured his first pro gig with pianist Count Otis Matthews’ House Rockers and recorded with Ivory Joe Hunter. He later moved to Oakland, learned basics from local Eddie Taylor, and in 1944 befriended (and was tutored by) T-Bone Walker, then later by jazz guitarist John Collins. Like Wes Montgomery and scores of other guitarists, the tune prompted Crayton to acquire a used instrument and begin decoding its licks. He didn’t pick up guitar until he was 20, after relocating to Los Angeles, his interest piqued by Charlie Christian’s “Solo Flight” with Benny Goodman’s band. As a child, he sang in a gospel group then learned to play ukulele and trumpet. himself, and many others.Ĭonnie Curtis “Pee Wee” Crayton was born December 18, 1914, in Liberty Hill, Texas, near Austin. Though his legacy could rest solely on the guitar break in 1954’s “Do Unto Others” (the first significant recording made with a Stratocaster, quoted outright by John Lennon in the opening riff of “Revolution”), he also influenced Chuck Berry, Lowell Fulson, Mickey Baker, Gatemouth Brown, Elvis Presley, Steve Ray Vaughan, B.B. “The little man with a big sound” dominated the charts briefly in the years between T-Bone Walker and B.B. Though he is today largely forgotten, blues aficionados recognize Pee Wee Crayton as a legend.
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