b. Andrew Hogg, 27 January 1914, Westconnie, Texas, USA, d. 1 May 1960, McKinney, Texas. USA. Born in north-east Texas, Smokey came from a clan that included blues singers Lightnin' Hopkins and John Hogg. He learned to play the guitar and piano early in life under the instruction of his father, Frank. One of seven children, he looked upon music as a means of escape from labor in the fields. He sang around Dallas and Greenville and was popular enough to be known as Little Peetie Wheatstraw after his idol. He played in clubs with men such as B.K. Turner (Black Aces) and D.C. Ben...