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Topic: Planning Pee Wee Whitewing's Musical Celebration of Life |
Andie Whitewing
From:
Lafayette, LA now Bellingham, WA
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Posted 30 Jun 2021 1:58 pm |
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 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
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Andie Whitewing
Executive Producer
Whitewing Music
1050 Larrabee Ave
Suite 104, PMB 480
Bellingham, WA 98225
andie@whitewingmusic.com |
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Andie Whitewing
From:
Lafayette, LA now Bellingham, WA
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Posted 29 Jul 2021 8:47 pm Update - Date and Venue Secured
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Dear Folk,
I have booked the Rice Theatre in Crowley, Louisiana on Friday, February 11, 2022 for Pee Wee's celebration of life.
His band, Heart of Texas, including Roy Rosetta on keys who also played with Hank Thompson, have all signed on to play one last show for Pee Wee.
If anyone would either like to be included musically or sponsor an ad in the program to help with the costs of renting the hall (this will be a free to the public mostly volunteer event), please don't hesitate to be in touch. I will have the event recorded and posted online at a later time, as well as share the program on Pee Wee's website, www.peeweewhitewing.com.
Hoping you all are well.
With gratitude and love,
Andie Whitewing
andie@whitewingmusic.com
_________________
Andie Whitewing
Executive Producer
Whitewing Music
1050 Larrabee Ave
Suite 104, PMB 480
Bellingham, WA 98225
andie@whitewingmusic.com |
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Andie Whitewing
From:
Lafayette, LA now Bellingham, WA
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Posted 29 Nov 2021 3:21 pm Latest Update on Celebration of Life - On Hold
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Dear Folk,
I learned today that the State of Louisiana is under a "stay at home" order and all reservations for the Rice Theatre in Crowley and similar public events are not currently permitted. I am going to wait until January 1 to officially postpone the event, but for now, there is a good likelihood it will have to be reschedule. I still want to hear from interested parties, but there's a high degree of uncertainty on the exact timing at present.
Warmly,
Andie Whitewing
_________________
Andie Whitewing
Executive Producer
Whitewing Music
1050 Larrabee Ave
Suite 104, PMB 480
Bellingham, WA 98225
andie@whitewingmusic.com |
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J R Rose
From:
Keota, Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 25 Dec 2021 5:49 pm
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Sorry to hear that Andie. Maybe it will be turned around. It is a very trying time for everyone today. The virus of one kind or the other just keeps on coming around. I know everyone is tired of it and just want to get their lives back to normal. But everyone is going to have to follow the rules and just keep hanging in their. Only us as the general public can get this under control. Everyone has got to do their part. I see so many that are not. Good Luck with your program and I wish you all the luck. J.R. Rose
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NOTHING..Sold it all. J.R. Rose |
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