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Jerry Little Kattawar

Date of birth: March 25,1943
Place of Birth: Greenville Mississippi
Current Residence Greenville, Mississippi

Musical genres: Mud Bottom Boogie and Blues

I was born in the Mississippi Delta and started playing the piano at 12yrs of age. I played in all the regional clubs in Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee. In 1961 I hooked up with Charlie Halbert of Helena, Arkansas and started doing shows with all the Arkansas boys...Jimmie Ray Paulman (Luke), Lefty Evens, Will Pop Jones, Harold Jenkins(Conway Twitty), Ronnie Hawkins, Joe Lewis, Tommy "Pork Chops" Markam.

I lived at Charlie's hotel "Rainbow Inn" and played for Charlie. After traveling everywhere and spending a few years with the Shades in Peoria Illinois; I got married and went to work with the Pacers back in Arkansas. We lived in Newport, Arkansas for a few years then moved to Little Rock from there I decided it was time to move back home. By then my wife and I had a son.

Jerry and Mike Kattawar

I continued to play some with my brothers, Mike and Ted Kattawar. After a few years of that I decided to put all my efforts into my day job; managing a trucking compay (Consolidated Freightways) I still manage for them. I didn't play the piano for several years and then suddenly I started getting calls from everywhere to do festivals. My brother Mike, a drummer (who is now a district manager for Sherwin Williams) came up with the idea of a two piece piano and drums. So we meet when called and do a wild boogie/blues two man show that people say can't be done with two instruments and no electronics. It's great fun.

Some of the bands I have placed with are

Allen Pace and the Bad Habits
Jimmie Luke (Jimmie Ray Paulman) and the C RIFFS
The Shades
The Pacers
The Wanderers
Mike and Jerry (the Kattawar Brothers)

Harold Smith President of Baldwin piano awarded Mike and me a Baldwin Time Piece. I have had the honor of opening the Delta Blues Festival in Greenville, Mississippi for the last 5 years. I feel that my biggest achievement is that I have developed a style of playing the piano that allows me to entertain without a large group of musicians for back up. Just piano and drums no electronics, no gimmicks, all acoustic. Its very challenging and very rewarding. It took a lot of years and a lot of bands.

Visit The Kattawar Brothers Web Page

Email Jerry Kattawar

River Shows, Blues, Ragtime, Jazz and Country Music - Beale Street

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