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.
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.
Shake That Thing
Peetie Wheatstraw Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Shake That Thing' by these artists:
A.G. Weinberger Uh yeah, Bad Boy baby Ralph Tresvant Biggie Smalls Listen U…
Bedük Son, ki, üç, go! Oh no, she's coming after me This time…
Big Al Anderson & The Balls Yeah...uhh J.E., Eightball and MJG Yeah, yeah [Chorus: Repe…
Cassidy and the Orleans Kids It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that…
DC & the Marvels Working it out baby I really do believe I've seen…
De La Ghetto Me gusta como tu Shake that thing, you getting close i…
Eddy Davis; Eddy Davis The Manhattan Minstrel; Greg Cohen; Woody Allen It don't mean a thing If it ain't got that swing (doo…
Ethel Waters Down in Georgia, got a dance that's new, Ain't nothin'…
Fun-K Shake that ass for me bitch like you got no…
Jim Cullum Jazz Band It don't mean a thing If it ain't got that swing (doo…
Jumpin'up Oh, shake that thing, babe Well down in Georgia, they got…
Kokomo Arnold Now down in Georgia they got a dance that's new There…
Leventina Shake that thing Miss Kana Kana Shake that thing Miss Annabe…
Lightnin' Hopkins Wow baby, I don't know your name But I do believe,…
Papa Charlie Jackson Now down in Georgia they got a dance that's new There…
Preservation Hall Jazz Band Here I am, the Jelly Roll King Got a hump in…
R.O.B.B Sometimes I feel like I'm juggling Like I'm chasing two rabb…
R.O.B.B. Gyrate it till you had your fill Just like a pneumatic…
Schwarz & Funk Driving down the road to get to your house For the…
Sean Paul Yeah! Well dem hav some bwoy a gwaan like dem a…
St. Louis Ragtimers Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah Woah I have'nt been this up i…
Taj Mahal Down in Georgia, got a dance that's new, Ain't nothin'…
Teddy & The Finger Poppers There was a day That I wished would never end I made…
The Georgia Satellites Well billy was hip with the time to tip He said…
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band Crying out loud said a face in the crowd Can you…
Various Artists Finally, Friday night Got to get, feeling right Low cut, tan…
Waters Ethel Down in Georgia, got a dance that's new, Ain't nothin'…
Wingy Manone & His Orchestra Must be jelly 'cause jam don't shake like that Must be…
Woody Allen It don't mean a thing If it ain't got that swing (doo…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Peetie Wheatstraw:
All Night Long Blues Stay out all night long Now just to keep you off…
Beer Tavern How many mo' years Baby, now will I be your slave? I…
Bring Me Flowers While I'm Living Bring me flowers while I′m living Please don't bring them wh…
Cocktail Man Blues Cocktail Man Blues Trk 7 Disc 2 2:44 Peetie Wheatstraw (Will…
Coon Can Shorty Well now, they call me Coon Can Shorty The man from…
Crapshooter's Blues Crapshooters Blues Trk 1 Disc 1 3: 09 Peetie Wheatstraw (Wil…
Crapshooters Blues Crapshooters Blues Trk 1 Disc 1 3:09 Peetie Wheatstraw (Will…
Crazy With The Blues I waked up this mornin' Just crazy with the blues I waked…
Cut Out Blues I'm going cut out my way of living, and I'm…
Don't Hang My Clothes On No Barb Wire Line I don't want my clothes Hung on no barb wire line I…
Drinking Man Blues The evening sun is beginning to sing low The evening sun…
Gangster's Blues Gangster's Blues Trk 16 Disc 2 2:45 Peetie Wheatstraw (Willi…
Good Whiskey Blues Whiskey Head Blues Trk 7 Disc 1 2: 44 Peetie Wheatstraw…
Jungle Man Blues I ain't nothin' but a hobo Want somebody to help me…
King of Spades I′m the king of spades, and the women takes on…
King Spider Blues Let me be your king spider, want to build my…
Little House Little House (I'm Gonna Chase These Peppers) Trk 12 Disc…
Long Time Ago Blues This very mornin', long time ago Um-hm-well-well Been a long…
Machine Gun Blues Machine Gun Blues Trk 8 Disc 2 2: 47 (Peetie Wheatstraw) Pee…
Peetie Wheatstraw Stomp Peetie Wheatstraw Stomp Trk 8 Disc 1 2:28 Peetie Wheatstraw …
Pete Wheatstraw Now this is Peetie Wheatstraw, remember People wanna know w…
Police Station Blues Well-oh-well Mama, now on some old rainy day Hoo-hoo-um-mm…
Poor Millionaire Poor Millionaire Trk 13 Disc 1 2: 54 Peetie Wheatstraw (Smit…
Poor Millionaire Blues When a man is down He's lucky he ain't got no…
Shack Bully Stomp Shack Bully Stomp Trk 4 Disc 1 2:32 Peetie Wheatstraw (Willi…
Sinking Sun Blues The evening sun is beginning to sing low The evening sun…
Slave Man Blues How many mo' years Baby, now will I be your slave? I…
Sleepless Night Blues Now, let me tell you I'd like to see my baby,…
Tennessee Peaches Blues Tennessee Peaches Blues Trk 2 Disc 1 3: 00 Peetie Wheatstraw…
The Good Lawd's Children The Good Lawd's Children Trk 13 Disc 2: 45 Peetie Wheatstraw…
The Last Dime The Last Dime Trk 6 Disc 1 3:18 Peetie Wheatstraw (William…
Third Street's Going Down Third Street's Going Down Trk 4 Disc 2 3:04 Peetie Wheatstra…
Throw Me in the Alley Throw Me In The Alley Trk 15 Disc 2 2:48 Peetie…
What More Can a Man Do? What More Can A Man Do Trk 5 Disc 2…
When I Get My Bonus When I was broke, didn't have a dime You hinkty women,…
Whiskey Head Blues Whiskey Head Blues Trk 7 Disc 1 2: 44 Peetie Wheatstraw…
Working On the Project Working On The Project Trk 15 Disc 1 3:02 Peetie Wheatstraw…
You Can't Stop Me From Drinking You Can't Stop Me From Drinking Trk 9 Disc 2…
You Got to Tell Me Something You Got To Tell Me Something Trk 14 Disc 2 Peetie…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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