Morris Pejoe

A name that shows up on trivia tests among blues scholars, Morris Pejoe was a performer with heavy traces of both the country and the city, as well as a bit of outer space. The quality of many of his recordings proves the old adage that it is sometimes not the most famous performers who produce the greatest music in a genre. While the Chicago blues style normally more than holds it own in terms of interesting influences, Pejoe was one of the few performers in Chicago who brought in a strong Louisiana cajun and zydeco influence decades before this became a typical part of a touring houserocking band's repertoire. This was because he actually was from Louisiana, where he was born Morris Pejas, beginning his music career on the violin. In the late 40's he moved to Beaumont, Texas, where he switched to guitar. Fellow Louisiana pianist Henry Gray remained his musical sidekick through these years, and in the early 50's the two relocated to Chicago together, rightfully seeing the big city as a much better opportunity for regular blues employment. Gray was one of two important blues pianists who mentored under Pejoe--the other was Otis Spann, who worked in the Louisiana man's band in the early 50's prior to beginning the pianist's seemingly endless tenure with the great Muddy Waters. Pejoe's recording career began within a year of hitting the Windy City. During 1952 and 1953 he cut sides for Checker, accompanied by Gray among others. The following year he recorded for United, this time really emphasizing a New Orleans rhythm and blues sound in a band again with Gray plus the unpleasant Stanley Grim on alto sax, an unknown tenor man and the superb rhythm section of Milton Rector on electric bass and Earl Phillips on drums. The Pejoe discography continued on practically every...