Pee Wee King, was born Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski in Abrams, WI on February 18, 1914. He was best known as the man that brought the accordion into country music, and the man who wrote the classic Tennessee Waltz. He is credited by historians as one of the first "true" professionals in Country Music, and one who brought a new level of style to the Opry.
One of the first stars not to come from the South or Southwest, he grew up in Wisconsin, where his father led a local polka band. After receiving his first accordion, he began to expand his repertoire into cowboy songs and Pop songs on local radio stations. It was there that cowboy star, Gene Autry heard him and hired his band to back him on his radio show on WLS. Autry was also the man to give him his nickname, "Pee Wee," due to his diminutive size of 5'7" in height; the smallest member of the band. Pee Wee chose King after a popular Pop bandleader, Wayne King.
Pee Wee was more of an organizer and bandleader than a singer, so his band became a major training ground for vocalists in the 1940's; one being a young Eddy Arnold.
In 1970, Pee Wee King was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In October of the following year, the Governor of Kentucky proclaimed "Pee Wee King Day." In 1974, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He later retired to Louisville in the 1990's.
Pee Wee suffered a heart attack on February 28th, and passed away on March 7th. Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday, March 11th. He is survived by his wife Lydia and four children.
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