Connie Curtis Crayton (December 18, 1914 – June 25, 1985), also known as Pee Wee Crayton, was an American R&B and blues musician who played the guitar and sang songs.

Career

Crayton was born in Rockdale, Texas. He started playing the guitar seriously after moving to California in 1935 and later settled in Oakland. In Oakland, he learned from T-Bone Walker, who taught him the basics of playing the electric guitar. Crayton developed his own unique style.

In 1948, he signed a recording contract with Modern Records. One of his first recordings was the instrumental song "Blues After Hours," which reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart later that year. The B-side of this recording, the pop ballad "I'm Still in Love with You," and the faster-paced song "Texas Hop" are examples of his work.

In 1950, Crayton and his Orchestra performed at the sixth Cavalcade of Jazz concert, held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles on June 25. Leon Hefflin, Sr. produced the concert. Other performers that day included Lionel Hampton, Roy Milton's Orchestra, Dinah Washington, Tiny Davis and Her Hell Divers, and other artists. Approximately 16,000 people attended the event. The concert ended early due to a dispute that occurred while Lionel Hampton played "Flying High."

In the 1950s, Crayton recorded for several other record labels, including Imperial in New Orleans, Vee-Jay in Chicago, and Jamie in Philadelphia. It is believed he was the first blues guitarist to use a Fender Stratocaster, which was given to him by Leo Fender.

The opening guitar riff on his 1954 single "Do Unto Others" was used by John Lennon in the beginning of the B-side version of "Revolution," a song released by The Beatles on Apple Records in 1968.

Crayton’s album Things I Used to Do was released by Vanguard Records in 1971. He continued to tour and record in the years that followed.

A longtime resident of Los Angeles, California, Crayton died there from a heart attack in 1985. He was buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery.

Legacy

On May 8, 2019, Crayton was added to the Blues Hall of Fame after he passed away. His long-time friend, Doug MacLeod, performed the induction during a ceremony in Memphis, Tennessee. The event was organized by the Blues Foundation.

Discography

• "After Hours' Boogie" / "Why Did You Go", 4 Star 1304 (1947, released 1949)
• "Don't Ever Fall in Love" / "Pee Wee Special", Gru-V-Tone 217 (1947, released 1949)
• "Blues After Hours" / "I'm Still in Love with You", Modern 20-624 (1948)
• "Texas Hop" / "Central Avenue Blues", Modern 20-643 (1948)
• "Boogie Woogie Basement" / "Boogie Woogie Upstairs", credited as Al "Cake" Wichard Trio, with Pee Wee Crayton on guitar, Modern 20-657 (1949)
• "When Darkness Falls" / "Rock Island Blues", Modern 20-658 (1949)
• "The Bop Hop" / "I Love You So", Modern 20-675 (1949)
• "Long After Hours" / "Brand New Woman", Modern 20-707 (1949)
• "Old Fashioned Baby" / "Bounce Pee Wee", Modern 20-719 (1949)
• "Please Come Back" / "Rockin' the Blues", Modern 20-732 (1950)
• "Some Rainy Day" / "Huckle Boogie", Modern 20-742 (1950)
• "Answer to Blues After Hours" / "Louella Brown", Modern 20-763 (1950)
• "Good Little Woman" / "Dedicating the Blues", Modern 20-774 (1950)
• "Change Your Way of Lovin'" / "Tired of Travelin'", Modern 20-796 (1951)
• "Poppa Stoppa" / "Thinkin' of You", Modern 20-816 (1951)
• "When It Rains, It Pours" / "Daybreak", Aladdin 3112 (1951)
• "Cool Evening" / "Have You Lost Your Love for Me", Modern 20-892 (1952)
• "Crying and Walking" / "Pappy's Blues", RIH (Recorded in Hollywood) 408 (1953)
• "I'm Your Prisoner" / "Baby, Pat the Floor", RIH (Recorded in Hollywood) 426 (1953)
• "Steppin' Out" / "Hey Little Dreamboat", Hollywood 1055 (1953, released 1956)
• "Do Unto Others" / "Every Dog Has A Day", Imperial 5288 (1954)
• "Wino-O" / "Hurry, Hurry", Imperial 5297 (1954)
• "I Need Your Love" / "You Know, Yeah", Imperial 5321 (1954)
• "My Idea About You" / "I Got News for You", Imperial 5338 (1955)
• "Eyes Full of Tears" / "Runnin' Wild", Imperial 5345 (1954, released 1955)
• "Yours Truly" / "Be Faithful", Imperial 5353 (1955)
• "Don't Go" / "I Must Go On", Post (Imperial subsidiary) 2007 (1955, released 1956)
• "The Telephone Is Ringing" / "A Frosty Night", Vee Jay 214 (1956)
• "I Don't Care" / "I Found My Peace of Mind", with the El Dorados, Vee Jay 252 (1957)
• "Is This the Price I Pay" / "Fiddle De Dee", Vee Jay 266 (1957)
• "Look Up and Live" / "Give Me One More Chance", with the Four Temps, Fox 102 (1959)
• "Tain't Nobody's Biz-Ness If I Do" / "Little Bitty Things", Jamie 1190 (1960, released 1961)
• "I'm Still in Love with You" / "Time on My Hands", Guyden 2048 (1961)
• "Git to Gittin'" / "Hillbilly Blues", Smash 1774 (1962)

• Pee Wee Crayton, Crown LP CLP-5175 (1960), P-Vine LP PLP-6625 (1991)
• Things I Used to Do, Vanguard 6566 (1971)
• Great Rhythm & Blues Oldies, Volume 5: Pee Wee Crayton, Blues Spectrum (Johnny Otis's label) LP BS-105 (1974)
• Everyday I Have the Blues, Big Joe Turner with Crayton and Sonny Stitt, Pablo LP 2310-818 (1978)
• Have No Fear Joe Turner Is Here, Big Joe Turner and Crayton, Pablo LP 2310-863 (1981)
• Peace of Mind, Charly R&B LP CFM-601 (1982), 10" vinyl LP containing all 10 tracks that Crayton recorded for Vee Jay Records in 1956–1957
• Blues Guitar Genius: Pee Wee Crayton, Volume 1, Ace LP CH-23 (1982), 10" vinyl LP containing tracks recorded for Modern Records, 1949–1952
• Rocking Down on Central Avenue: Pee Wee Crayton, Volume Two, Ace LP CHA-61 (1982), tracks recorded for Modern Records
• Make Room for Pee Wee, Murray Brothers LP MB-1005 (recorded August 1983)
• Early Hour Blues, Murray Brothers LP MB-1007 (record