Peetie Wheatstraw (December 21, 1902 – December 21, 1941) was the name adop… Read Full Bio ↴Peetie Wheatstraw (December 21, 1902 – December 21, 1941) was the name adopted by singer William Bunch, a greatly influential figure among 1930s blues singers. Although the only known picture of Bunch shows him holding a National brand tricone resonator guitar, his primary instrument was the piano.

Wheatstraw was born William Bunch in Ripley, Tennessee but grew up in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, where his family relocated soon after his birth. Little is known of his early life, other than that he took up playing both the piano and guitar at a young age.

Bunch left Cotton Plant in 1927 and began living the life of an itinerant musician traveling throughout the Deep South. Like many African Americans of this time period, the great migration eventually drew his attention to the cities of the North. Places such as Chicago, Indianapolis and Detroit were favoured destinations, due to the wealth of employment in the factories located in these cities. St. Louis was another city that drew its share of uprooted individuals who sought a better life than that offered by the toil of sharecropping. It was in St. Louis that Bunch landed in 1929.

Having honed his musical talents while travelling, and influenced by the popularity of the Blues duet of pianist Leroy Carr and guitar player Scrapper Blackwell, Bunch found easy work in the clubs of both St. Louis and East St. Louis on the other side of the Mississippi River.

It was around this time Bunch decided to change his name to Peetie Wheatstraw. He also called himself "The Devil's Son-in-Law" and this title is under his name starting with his earliest recordings.

Wheatstraw's self-promotion swiftly paid off as he became a popular performer in East St. Louis, to the extent that he was asked to Chicago in 1930 to partake in recording sessions. He first entered the Vocalion Studios on August 13, 1930, and recorded a handful of numbers which included "Four O'Clock In The Morning" and "Tennessee Peaches Blues". Over the following decade, he would make several such treks, recording over 160 sides for the Vocalion, Decca and Bluebird labels.

Wheatstraw was known for his laid-back approach and adept singing and songwriting, though his instrumental talents were average at best. His songwriting appealed to working class minorities, due to their nature of the content—he often wrote about social issues such as unemployment and public assistance. There were also pieces about the immoral ways of loose women, and true to his own self-publicity, death and the supernatural. Almost all of his songs included his trademark "Ooh, well well", usually accentuated in the third verse, and this has been carried on by many subsequent Bluesmen, most noteworthy today being R.L. Burnside.

On his records Wheatstraw is occasionally heard playing guitar, but he usually took to the piano and required a guitarist to play with him—among his collaborators were Kokomo Arnold, Lonnie Johnson, Charlie Jordan, Charlie McCoy and Teddy Bunn, in addition to pianist Champion Jack Dupree. On some of his last dates, Peetie Wheatstraw recorded within a jazz inspired framework, collaborating with Lil Armstrong and trumpeter Jonah Jones.

Wheatstraw's influence was enormous during the 1930s. Perhaps the most obvious example of Wheatstraw's impact can be seen in the writings of Robert Johnson, often considered the most important Blues figure of the era. Many of Johnson's own recordings were actually re-workings of other popular artists of the time, and he drew heavily from Wheatstraw's repertoire.

Gangster's Blues
Peetie Wheatstraw Lyrics

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Gangster's Blues Trk 16 Disc 2 2:45
Peetie Wheatstraw (William Bunch)
(Luther, Williams)
Peetie Wheatstraw - vocal, pno, Jonah Jones - trp, Lil Armstrong - piano
Sid Catlett - drms.
August 28, 1940 Chicago, Decca 7815
Album: Peetie Wheatstraw Essentials Album
Allego Classic Blues CBL 200037

Last night buddy, I caught you kissin' my wife
Don't ya know I'm gonna take your life?
I've got the gangster blues
I've got the gangster blues
I've got the gangster blues
Boys, I am feelin' mean

I'm gon' take you for an easy ride
Drop you off on the riverside
I got the gangster blues
I've got the gangster's blues
I've got the gangster's blues
Boys, I am feelin' mean

I'm gonna bound yo' mouth so you can't talk
Tie yo' feet so you can't walk
I've got the gangster's blues
I've got the gangster's blues
I've got the gangster's blues
Boys, I am feelin' mean

You can start your screamin' but must give in
I'm gonna tear you a-pieces and put you back, again
I've got the gangster's blues
Now, I've got the gangster blues
I've got the gangster's blues
Boys, I am feelin' mean

Put up your hands and reach for the sky
Won't let you down before you bat an eye
I've got the gangster's blues
I've got the gangster's blues
I've got the gangster's blues
Boys, I am feelin' mean

I'm gonna bury you out on the lone prairie
Because I know you's bide'n on me
I've got the gangster's blues
I've got the gangster's blues
I've got the gangster blues
Boys, I am feelin' mean.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Peetie Wheatstraw's "Gangster's Blues" speak to the anger and jealousy of a man who has caught his friend kissing his wife. He declares that he has the "gangster blues" and that he is feeling "mean." This implies a violent desire for revenge, and he describes how he plans to take his friend for an "easy ride" before dropping him off on the riverside. He also threatens to bound his friend's mouth and tie his feet so that he cannot speak or walk.

As the song progresses, the man continues to express his anger and desire for revenge, stating that he will tear his friend to pieces and put him back together again. He commands his friend to put up his hands and reach for the sky, or else he will bury him on the lone prairie. The lyrics are a stark portrayal of the violence and brutality associated with gang life, and it is clear that the singer is willing to resort to extreme measures to protect his honor.

In addition to its dark subject matter, "Gangster's Blues" is notable for its use of traditional blues instrumentation, including a trumpet and piano, as well as the distinctive vocal style of Peetie Wheatstraw. The song was recorded in 1940 and has become a classic example of the blues genre, known for its raw emotion and poetic lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Last night buddy, I caught you kissin' my wife
I saw you kissing my wife last night

Don't ya know I'm gonna take your life?
You know I'm going to kill you, right?

I've got the gangster blues
I feel like a gangster

Boys, I am feelin' mean
I am feeling very angry

I'm gon' take you for an easy ride
I'm going to take you for a ride

Drop you off on the riverside
And drop you off by the river

I got the gangster blues
I feel like a gangster