Many of you knew or at least knew of Pee Wee Whitewing, who was not only a legendary pioneer of the pedal steel guitar, but a generous and loving man who mentored many in his lifetime. Some of you know that he died of frontal lobe dementia and a possible (but unconfirmed) exposure to COVID in late March of 2020, at the outset of the pandemic. It has been very difficult for our family to be unable to be with him at the time of his death due to the restrictions in place at nursing facilities at that time, and we have also been unable to plan a memorial service or celebration of life for him until now for obvious reasons.
The time has come to plan his musical celebration of life. Pee Wee was known and loved by many, far beyond SOLA, across the Gulf Coast and even the country. I would like to produce an event worthy of this great man, and am hoping to have it at the Rice Theatre in Crowley, Louisiana, which he helped to revive in the early ‘90s with his Whitewing All-Star Showcase, a Branson-style show that he put together year for over a decade.
Being a musician, and the child, grandchild, and great-grandchild of professional musicians, I know how hard life can be for musicians, especially financially. I know that all of your talent, time, and hard work are worthy of remuneration. Because of the financial difficulties presented by providing care for Pee Wee throughout his waning years of struggling with dementia, the family is unable to offer monetary compensation.
I ask instead that any of you who was touched by his love and generosity to his community who would like to offer up the gift of your time and talent to help celebrate his life musically step forward. If you feel so moved, please be in contact with me directly either here or at andie@whitewingmusic.com, so I can add you to an interest list as I begin to work on the planning. I’d like to have it on what would have been his 88th birthday – February 11, 2022 – a Friday evening. While all genres are welcome, Pee Wee’s love was “swingâ€, whether it was Western Swing or Jazz, and of course, the pedal steel guitar his primary instrument. The most important part is the love in your heart for Pee Wee and his place in the fabric of our musical history.
Thank you all for your thoughts, love, and consideration of this humble request. This celebration of life will be free and open to the public, and so it will include and be a gift to us all. I will be inviting many of Pee Wee’s long-time musical collaborators from across the country and throughout his life, and hope some of them will join us as well.
With love and respect, and gratitude,
Andie Whitewing
