Search - Pee Wee King :: Pee Wee King & His Golden West Cowboys

Nice tribute to a giant of early country music . . .

aliled | Shawnee, Kansas United States | 09/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Pee Wee King was a Polish-American kid in Wisconsin who picked up the accordion and more or less lucked into the field of country music. That said, he was worthy of the genre. This box set compiles all of Pee Wee's recorded work, aside from some radio transcriptions issued as a double CD by Bloodshot. Pee Wee's sound was a little Western swing, a bit of straight country and a smidge of cowboy, with many accordion-led songs that add a jaunty and interesting touch to the music. His big claim to fame was co-writing one of the most successful songs of all time, "The Tennessee Waltz", which is here along with all of his hits, like "Slow Poke" and "Bonaparte's Retreat". This is a great box set, remarkably consistent and with enough variety to make it listenable from start to finish - there's even a small square dance set and a "phonobiography". The booklet is loaded with photos and a history of the entire band, their career and entire discography. The sound is great. Should you have an interest in Pee Wee, this is the way to go! I'm a harsh critic, so this didn't get a fifth star simply because I don't quite put Pee Wee in the same league as Bill Monroe or Bob Wills or the Carter Family or Hank Williams . . . but he's close!"