Pee Wee King and His Golden West Cowboys

Born Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski in Abrams, Wisconsin, Pee Wee King led the Golden West Cowboys, one of the most stylistically adventurous bands ever to work the Grand Ole Opry — he pushed waltzes, polkas and cowboy material into country music, and his band brought stage dancing and rhinestone tailoring to the Opry stage. He wrote or co-wrote more than 400 songs and cut more than 150 singles. His Golden West Cowboys recorded “Tennessee Waltz” on 2 December 1947 for RCA Victor; the single reached No. 3 on the country chart and sold some 300,000 copies. King was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1974.