Peetie Wheatstraw – Complete Recorded Works In Chronological Order – Volume 1 – Document DOCD-5241 

His given name was William Bunch, and he was born in 1902 in Ripley, TN, a location in the far midwestern part of the state.  Early on, Wheatstraw assumed the identity of “The Devil’s Son-In-Law (The High Sheriff From Hell)”.  His influence was large, and the renowned bluesman Robert Johnson was one of his great admirers, even using lyrics from certain of Wheatstraw’s blues songs.  It has been said that Wheatstraw didn’t achieve the fame of Johnson because, while Johnson’s songs were often dark and quire serious, Wheatstraw enjoyed the persona he created, and was quite clearly having more fun with his tunes than Johnson.  Wheatstraw appeared to be a joker, and certainly came off as self-mocking.  Common and popular in his music was the oft-repeated line, “Ooh, well, well.”  On the subject of Wheatstraw’s blues lyrics, they often centered upon sexual, political, and supernatural themes.

Wheatstraw settled in St. Louis, MO, and while piano was his main instrument, the only known photo of him shows a guitar in his hands.   He was not an infrequent visitor in the recording studio, and over the course of his 11-year recording career he was there very few months.  True, his capabilities were somewhat limited, but his singular singing skills and the aforementioned lyrical subject matter made his blues good sellers.  Wheatstraw had a swooping falsetto vocal delivery, utilizing a vast range and significant impact. 

There are seven total CDs in the Document Records Wheatstraw series, and in this Volume 1, which includes 22 superb cuts, he is found in a solo format, and in partnership with guitarists Charlie McCoy (also a great mandolin player), Charley Jordan, and J.D. Short (also a fine harmonica player), displaying both his piano and guitar skills, along with his affecting vocal efforts.  He recorded over 160 blues songs during the course of his fruitful musical career, and these initial cuts from mid-1930 to early 1932 are amongst his best output. 

Song Titles

• Tennessee Peaches Blues
• Four O’ Clock In The Morning
• Don’t Feel Welcome Blues
• Strange Man Blues
• School Days
• So Soon
• So Long Blues
• Mama’s Advice
• Ain’t It A Pity And A Shame?
• Don’t Hang My Clothes On No Barb Wire Line
• C And A Blues
• Six Weeks Old Blues
• Devil’s Son-In-Law
• Pete Wheatstraw
• Creeping Blues
• Ice And Snow Blues
• The Break I’m Getting’ (Pretty Boy Walker, vcl)
• Hog-Love Blues (Pretty Boy Walker, vcl)
• Police Station Blues
• All Alone Blues
• Can’t See Blues
• Sleepless Nights Blues

Due to Wheatstraw’s broad influence and unique blues contributions, this is a recorded document you will want in your blues collection.  Seek this out!  Highly-essential, without dispute!