Connie “Pee Wee” Crayton
December 18, 1914 – May 18, 1985
Pee Wee Crayton was a brilliant Texas blues guitarist stylistically similar to T-Bone Walker but a bit more soul leaning. One of his first recordings landed at the top of the Billboard R&B charts in 1948. Crayton continued to record and tour well into the ’70s. In recent years, Morgana Kennedy at Vanguard Records exposed Crayton’s music to new fans around the world. He died of a heart attack on May 18, 1985.
Robert Lucas was one of four lead singers to front Canned Heat since its inception in 1965. Popular for it’s boogie blues rock anthems like “Going Up The Country” and “On The Road Again,” the band never stopped after the early deaths of it’s co-founders, Al Wilsonand Bob Hite. Lucas fronted the band twice during recent years, first in 1994 for about six years, and then again in 2005 for three years. He left the group to further a solo career which saw the recording of seven albums. Throughout his career, Lucas lent his guitar and harmonica skills to such legends as Big Joe Turner, Pee Wee Crayton, and Lowell Fulson. On November 23, 2008, Robert Lucas, 46, died of an apparent drug overdose.