Hezekiah and the House Rockers

Left to Right: James Backer, Leon “Peewee” Whittaker, Hezekiah Early. Hezekiah and the House Rockers, 1990. (Photograph by Don Sepulvado. Courtesy of the High Water Archive)

Left to Right: James Baker, Hezekiah Early, Leon “Peewee” Whittaker. Hezekiah and the House Rockers, On tour in Paris, France, 1986. (Courtesy of Dr. David Evans)

Described by Dr. David Evans as “one of the most unusual and interesting blues bands in existence,” Hezekiah and the House Rockers is the band formed by drummer and vocalist Hezekiah Early around 1959 as a partnership between himself and bass guitarist Jesse Ware. By 1963 they had permanently added Peewee Whittaker on trombone, and the band would play continuously throughout the Natchez, Mississippi, area until 1978, when Ware decided to leave music to join the church. In his place, they added guitarist James Baker, who would wholeheartedly take on Ware’s style to ensure the band kept as close to their original sound as possible.

The last addition to the band would be in 1979, when Hezekiah decided to add harmonica. In order to do so, he would tape a harmonica to his vocal microphone, thus allowing him to still play drums at the same time. This addition was actually inspired by famous boxer Muhammad Ali, whom Hezekiah had met following his successful audition for the film Freedom Road. During the filming, Ali noted that Hezekiah was “too good to lay the instrument aside.”

By the time of their Highwater album, the group had begun to mix all of their musical experiences. These ranged from ragtime to disco, with of course a large foundation of blues under it all. This variation comes from the various members, with Peewee (being the oldest member) having a long history in ragtime, minstrel and circus bands, as well as a strong jazz background. Hezekiah was raised into the country blues tradition, as well as the fife and drum music of his part of Mississippi. Finally, James Baker added in boogie woogie, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, country music, and disco.

The 1980’s would be highly productive for the band, with them recording their album for High Water Records, as well as several major concerts and tours. This included several folk festivals throughout the South, and culminated in two European tours in 1986. Sadly, though, Peewee’s health would decline in 1988, and Baker began to find the distance between himself and Hezekiah’s homes too far to regularly make it to gigs. Hezekiah would eventually replace the two and continue touring for some time.