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.
Third Street's Going Down
Peetie Wheatstraw Lyrics
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Peetie Wheatstraw (William Bunch)
(Jordan)
Peetie Wheatstraw - vocal. unk acc
Sept 7, 1934 Chicago, Vocalion 02810
Album: Peetie Wheatstraw Essentials Album
Allego Classic Blues CBL 200037
We used to have luck in the valley
But the little girl had to move way out of town
We used to have luck in the valley
But the girl had to move way out of town
Some moved in the alley
Ooo-well-well, because Third Street is going down
I had a girl on St. Louis Avenue
But Third Street she hung around
I had a girl on St. Louis Avenue
But Third Street she hung around
But the law got so hot
Ooo-well-well, until Third Street is going down
I waked up one mornin'
My face all full of frowns
Waked up one mornin'
My face all full of frowns
I heard nothin' about my baby
Ooo-well-well, Third Street is goin' down
(piano
'Play it, let her hear it now'
'Tore down highway sounds'
(piano continues)
The city hired Mr. Keeler
To put a highway through that part of town
I said, the city hired Mr. Keeler
To put a highway through that part of town
The law told the girls to move
Ooo-well-well, why because we're tearing Third Street down.
~
The lyrics to Peetie Wheatstraw's song "Third Street's Going Down" are a poignant commentary on the rapid change happening in a certain area of town. The song talks about how the neighborhood used to be an area flourishing with luck and opportunity but the character's girl had to move out of town, causing a shift in luck. The singer also mentions how Third street is going down because people are moving to the alley since there is no longer any sense of community or prosperity. The singer had a girl on St. Louis Avenue, but she was lured away by the promise of a better life on Third Street. However, as the law got hot, Third Street is going down. Finally, the song reveals that the whole area is about to be destroyed as the city hired Mr. Keeler to put a highway through that part of town, forcing everyone to leave.
The song talks about the destruction of a neighborhood due to change, leaving people to stare hopelessly at their future. Poverty, unemployment, and destruction are some of the themes addressed in this song. The singer is calling attention to the city's plan to destroy the area, leaving everyone helpless as they see their way of life destroyed. As the government uses eminent domain to acquire land for infrastructure projects, the song indicates that it is often the marginalized people who are the most affected. This is a powerful message that still resonates today, as many communities around the world face destruction and gentrification.
Line by Line Meaning
We used to have luck in the valley
We had good fortune in our community
But the little girl had to move way out of town
But unfortunately, a young woman had to leave our town
We used to have luck in the valley
We had good fortune in our community
But the girl had to move way out of town
But the young woman had no choice but to relocate far from here
Some moved in the alley
Some people had no choice but to move into the backstreets of the town
Ooo-well-well, because Third Street is going down
This occurred because the authorities planned to demolish Third Street
I had a girl on St. Louis Avenue
I had a girlfriend living on St. Louis Avenue
But Third Street she hung around
But she often visited Third Street instead
I had a girl on St. Louis Avenue
I had a girlfriend living on St. Louis Avenue
But Third Street she hung around
But she often visited Third Street instead
But the law got so hot
But then the police became more vigilant
Ooo-well-well, until Third Street is going down
Until, unfortunately, the authorities decided to demolish Third Street
I waked up one mornin'
One morning, I woke up
My face all full of frowns
I felt very unhappy and downcast
Waked up one mornin'
I woke up one morning
My face all full of frowns
I felt very unhappy and downcast
I heard nothin' about my baby
I did not receive any news about my girlfriend
Ooo-well-well, Third Street is goin' down
Unfortunately, Third Street is being demolished
'Play it, let her hear it now'
Play some music now, let her enjoy it
'Tore down highway sounds'
The sound of the highway construction work was loud and destructive
(piano continues)
The piano playing continued
The city hired Mr. Keeler
The city authorities employed Mr. Keeler
To put a highway through that part of town
To construct a highway through our neighbourhood
I said, the city hired Mr. Keeler
I remarked that the authorities employed Mr. Keeler
To put a highway through that part of town
To construct a highway through our neighbourhood
The law told the girls to move
The police instructed the women to leave their homes
Ooo-well-well, why because we're tearing Third Street down.
Unfortunately, this was necessary because Third Street was being demolished
Contributed by David H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.