Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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KING, Pee Wee

(b Julius Frank Kuczynski, 18 February 1914, Abrams WI; d 7 March 2000) Bandleader. Grew up in Milwaukee; his father led a polka band and he played fiddle and accordion and led his own band in his teens. He was heard on local radio in Racine, Green Bay and Milwaukee; he moved to Chicago and the WLS Barn Dance '34-6 and joined Gene Autry's show. When Autry went to Hollywood '36 King took over his band, renamed it the Golden West Cowboys and made it one of the most popular bands in the western swing style, appearing on the Grand Ole Opry and on a daily radio show in Knoxville. He brought the western style to the Opry, both in dress and music, was one of the first to use electric instruments and featured such vocalists as Ernest Tubb, Eddy Arnold, Cowboy Copas, and Redd Stewart (b 27 May 1921, Ashland City TN), who co-wrote with King such enormous country hits as 'Slow Poke', 'Tennessee Waltz' and 'Bonaparte's Retreat'. The band recorded for Bullet '45, King '45-6, RCA '46-61, Briar '62-4, Starday '64-6; the band's hits included 'Tennessee Tears' '49, 'Slow Poke' '50 (no. 1 country and pop), 'Silver And Gold' '52, 'Bimbo' '54. King was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974.