You’re listening to Peetie Wheatstraw on the keys, playing Crazy With the Blues from 1936. Wheatstraw left an indelible mark on the St. Louis blues scene. He was known for that trademark “woo woo boy”, and of course his rather laid-back policy towards proper word formation. In fact, fellow blues great Blind Teddy Darby once overheard an audience member yell out “Good God, why doesn’t that man yodel and be done with it?”

Wheatstraw billed himself as a bad dude, claiming association with the Dark Prince. He even named his records The Sheriff of Hell and The Devil’s Son in Law.