Pee Wee Kershaw- Your So Fine

                                              



Nelson “Pee Wee” Kershaw was born on July 20, 1930 in the bayou's of Lake Arthur, Louisiana. He lived on a houseboat with his father and mother, Jack and Rita Kershaw and his brothers, Edward, Doug, and Rusty . 

At the age of 13, Pee Wee’s father passed away, leaving the responsibility of supporting his mother and younger brother’s, Doug and Rusty, on his small shoulders. Fortunately, his musical talents were fully developed to meet the task.

He played at local clubs and Fa-Do-Do's until he formed his first band, Pee Wee and His Continentals, which included his two younger brothers, Rusty and Doug. Pee Wee played the drums and accordion, while his brother Doug played fiddle and Rusty played the guitar.


As their popularity grew, Doug began writing songs which were recorded through J.D. Miller under the name Rusty and Doug Kershaw. Pee Wee began managing his brothers and making bookings while playing in their band. 


Success brought them to The Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, LA. Pee Wee became the drummer for Jim Reeves, a well-known Country star at the Grand Ole Opry after his brothers went into the army. 

In 1961, he recorded for Eddie Shuler's Goldband label out of Lake Charles. Joining him on the recording is his brothers, Rusty and Doug. Together they recorded "Your So Fine" and "That's How It's Been" for Goldband 1118. It would be his sole recording for the label. 

Pee Wee recorded several songs, “Cajun Queen”, “Jole Blonde” and played the accordion on Rusty and Doug Kershaw’s recording of “The Cajun Stripper”.

                                      

PEE WEE KERSHAW
Nelson Kershaw (v/acdn), Doug Kershaw (fdl), Rusty Kershaw (g), st-g, d
Goldband Studio, Lake Charles LA; 1961
-1 That’s how it’s been Goldband 1118
-2 You’re so fine Goldband 1118

Resources
John Broven-South To Louisiana
with thanks to Wade Falcon

Ed Kershaw- La Lake Arthur

The Kershaw's were a family filled with Cajun musicians. They were originally from Tiel Ridge at the tip of Cameron Parish and were a family of trappers and fishermen. 

The father, Jack, played accordion and fiddle and mother Rita played almost any instrument. The boys, Nelson "Pee Wee" and older brother Edward learned the accordion by being around the music. In a short time Edward got a guitar and Pee Wee learned the drums and fiddle. Doug began playing the fiddle at the age of five with Rusty playing the guitar. 

Following their father's death in 1943 the family moved to Lake Arthur. The brothers scraped up money as they could. They shined shoes and played music to make a little money. In 1947 the brothers formed the Continentals playing throughout the area. Edward played the drums from time to time with them.

Not much is known about Edward's life after these years. But in 1962-1963, his brother Pee Wee recalls that Ed, who was living in Port Bolivar, Texas, at the time, recorded two songs at Huey Meaux's Sugar Hill studio in Houston. 

The two songs were "Mama and Papa Waltz" and "Big Ed's Special". Ed's brother recalls the same songs were released on Goldband as "Gran Pa and Grand Ma Waltz" and "La Lake Arthur," but no information is known on how this occurred. Rusty played the guitar, Doug was on fiddle, Pee Wee played the drums, and Ed played the accordion on this session.
















Resources
John Broven- South To Louisiana