Pete Welding
Encyclopedia
Pete Welding was an American
blues
historian
, archivist and record producer
.
Born Peter J. Welding in Philadelphia, he worked as a journalist for Down Beat
magazine
and occasionally freelanced for other publications including Rolling Stone
. In 1962 he moved to Chicago
and, inspired by Bob Koester
at Delmark Records
, founded Testament Records in 1963 to issue recordings
of blues and black folk song. Starting with singers Bill Jackson
and Connie Williams, he moved on to record Big Joe Williams
, Robert Nighthawk, Peg Leg Howell
, Doctor Ross
, Fred McDowell
, J. B. Hutto and many others.
As a producer, Pete Welding was known for discovering talent in unusual places. In 1961, while doing research for a prospective album on Philadelphia street singers, he found blues singer Doug Quattlebaum "driving a "Mister Softee" ice cream truck -- with his guitar plugged into the truck's amplification system, entertaining the kids with his blues!" resulting in an album eventually titled "Softee Man Blues"
In 1993 he was nominated for a Grammy with Lawrence Cohn
for the liner notes to "Roots 'n' Blues the Retrospective (1925-1950)" (Various). Cohn and Welding also produced Leadbelly (Live in Concert), nominated for a Grammy in 1973.
Photographer Raeburn Flerlage who worked closely with Welding on Down Beat, remembered Welding as unassuming but assertive with a formidable vocabulary and an "outlandish" sense of humor.
He also contributed sleeve notes to a wide variety of album
s. He died in Altaloma, California, following a heart attack
, in November 1995. He was posthumously inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame
in 1996.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, archivist and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Born Peter J. Welding in Philadelphia, he worked as a journalist for Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
and occasionally freelanced for other publications including Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. In 1962 he moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and, inspired by Bob Koester
Bob Koester
Robert Gregg "Bob" Koester is the American founder and owner of Delmark Records, one of the oldest independent record labels in the United States, and one of jazz's best-known imprints...
at Delmark Records
Delmark Records
Delmark Records is an independent American jazz and blues record label, based in Chicago since 1958. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when owner Bob Koester released a recording of the Windy City Six, a traditional jazz group, under the "Delmar" imprint.-History:Born in 1932 in...
, founded Testament Records in 1963 to issue recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
of blues and black folk song. Starting with singers Bill Jackson
Bill Jackson
Bill Jackson is an American television personality, cartoonist and educator. He is best known for having hosted the children's programs The BJ and Dirty Dragon Show and Gigglesnort Hotel.-Early life and career:...
and Connie Williams, he moved on to record Big Joe Williams
Big Joe Williams
Joseph Lee Williams , billed throughout his career as Big Joe Williams, was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar...
, Robert Nighthawk, Peg Leg Howell
Peg Leg Howell
Joshua Barnes Howell, known as Peg Leg Howell , was an African American blues singer and guitarist, who connected early country blues and the later 12-bar style...
, Doctor Ross
Doctor Ross
Doctor Ross , aka Doctor Ross, the harmonica boss, was an American blues singer, guitarist, harmonica player and drummer — a one-man band— who was born Charles Isaiah Ross, in Tunica, Mississippi....
, Fred McDowell
Fred McDowell
Fred McDowell known by his stage name; Mississippi Fred McDowell, was an American Hill country blues singer and guitar player.-Career:...
, J. B. Hutto and many others.
As a producer, Pete Welding was known for discovering talent in unusual places. In 1961, while doing research for a prospective album on Philadelphia street singers, he found blues singer Doug Quattlebaum "driving a "Mister Softee" ice cream truck -- with his guitar plugged into the truck's amplification system, entertaining the kids with his blues!" resulting in an album eventually titled "Softee Man Blues"
In 1993 he was nominated for a Grammy with Lawrence Cohn
Lawrence Cohn
Lawrence Cohn is best known as head of Legacy Recordings, a branch of Sony Music Entertainment and as creator and producer of the Roots 'n' Blues series....
for the liner notes to "Roots 'n' Blues the Retrospective (1925-1950)" (Various). Cohn and Welding also produced Leadbelly (Live in Concert), nominated for a Grammy in 1973.
Photographer Raeburn Flerlage who worked closely with Welding on Down Beat, remembered Welding as unassuming but assertive with a formidable vocabulary and an "outlandish" sense of humor.
He also contributed sleeve notes to a wide variety of album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s. He died in Altaloma, California, following a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, in November 1995. He was posthumously inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame
Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues.-1980:*Big Bill Broonzy*Willie Dixon*John Lee Hooker...
in 1996.