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Memories - Pee Wee King "He was a longtime board member of the Country Music Foundation as well as a member of the hall," Young said. "The way we'll remember Pee Wee around here is he came religiously to our board meetings, and I remember him sitting around before our board meetings and here was this real sharp-witted guy ... very, very passionate. "I just loved the guy." Fellow Hall-of-Famer Eddy Arnold told the Associated Press: "I had a great admiration for him. I worked for him at one time (in the 1940s) ... and I will miss him greatly. I learned a lot about showmanship from him. "He was a good friend." King's manager and father-in-law, J.L. Frank, brought the 5-foot-6 accordion player and his band to the attention of radio station WSM's general manager, Harry Stone, who hired the act for the Grand Ole Opry. King began an Opry tradition that remains to this day when he outfitted his band in dazzling Western costumes designed by Hollywood tailor Nudie. Born Julius Frank Anthony Kuczynski in Abrams, Wis., King chose his professional surname from one of his favorite performers, Wayne King, then picked up the nickname "Pee Wee" from his manager. Kuczynski liked the combination so well that he had his name legally changed to Frank "Pee Wee" King. The popularity of the Golden West Cowboys rose after they made appearances on the WLS Barn Dance in Chicago and singer-actor Gene Autry's Melody Ranch show on CBS. On the invitation of Autry's sidekick, Smiley Burnett, they went to Hollywood and were in several of Autry's movies, as well as Westerns with Charles Starret, the Durango Kid and Johnny Mack Brown. His four screen credits include Gold Mine in the Sky with Autry, Flame of the West with Brown, Ridin' the Outlaw Trail and The Rough, Tough West. King and the band were written into the screenplays so they could perform the smooth, Western swing music that was their trademark. The Golden West Cowboys had their own show on WAVE-TV in Louisville during the late 1940s. He and the band went on to regional and national TV offerings through the '50s and '60s, with broadcasts coming out of Cincinnati, Cleveland and Chicago. The Pee Wee King Show had a six-year run on ABC television.
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