Leon "PeeWee" Whittaker
1906-1993

Leon "PeeWee" Whittaker was born about 35 miles North of Ferriday, in Newellton, Louisiana. He studied music as a child and received instruction on clarinet, trombone, guitar, string bass, and mandolin. From 1919 until his death in 1993, Whittaker performed with minstrel shows, carnival bands, swing orchestras, and rhythm-and-blues groups. He played alongside some of the top musicians in the country, including Louis Armstrong, Louis Jordan, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

From 1935 until 1950, PeeWee was a member of F. S. Wolcott's Rabbit Foot Minstrels. This popular traveling show was made up of black performers who played an important part in the development of many musical styles, including blues, jazz, and rock-and-roll. During the last 20 years of his life, PeeWee lived in Ferriday and was a key member of the great Natchez blues band, Hezekiah and the Houserockers.