Newellton in Tensas Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)

"Pee Wee" Whittaker

1906-1993

— Northeast Louisiana Music Trail —

"Pee Wee" Whittaker Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Molly McCullar

1. "Pee Wee" Whittaker Marker

Inscription. "Pee Wee" Whittaker born in Newellton, LA. Pee Wee's early mentors were his mother, Kizzie & his grandfather, both accomplished musicians. As a child, he joined the family band, learned to read music, & played multiple instruments while mastering the trombone. As a teenager, he joined the Rabbit's Foot Minstrels, touring the Delta alongside legends like Louis Armstrong. After years of touring North America & Europe, Pee Wee moved back to Louisiana where he joined the band at Haney’s Big House. As a jazz, blues, rock & roll pioneer, he spent his later years with Delta favorites Hezekiah & The House Rockers. In 2002 Leon "Pee Wee" Whittaker was inducted into the first class of the Delta Music Museum & Hall of Fame in his adopted hometown of Ferriday, LA.

Erected 2025 by Northeast Louisiana Music Trail. (Marker Number 23.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical year for this entry is 2002.

Location. 32° 4.405′ N, 91° 14.029′ W. Marker is in Newellton, Louisiana, in Tensas Parish. It is at the intersection of Main Street (Louisiana

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Route 605) and Jacoby Ave on Main Street. The marker is located at the Newellton Town Gazebo. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 110 Main Street, Newellton LA 71357, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Louisiana.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Mississippi Delta.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Henry Watkins Allen (approx. 2.2 miles away); Franklin Plantation (approx. 2.2 miles away); Davis Plantations (approx. 3.1 miles away); Bridges Across Holt's Bayou and Bayou Du Rosset (approx. 3.1 miles away); Balmoral Mounds (approx. 4.1 miles away); Linwood Plantation (approx. 4.6 miles away); Winter Quarters Plantation (approx. 5½ miles

2. "Pee Wee" Whittaker Marker

away); Engagement At Choctaw Bayou (approx. 6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newellton.

More about this marker. The landmark sign unveiling was held on Saturday April 19, 2025 at the Newellton Town Gazebo.

Also see . . . Northeast Louisiana Music Trail. (Submitted on July 20, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2025, by Molly McCullar of West Monroe, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 250 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 18, 2025, by Molly McCullar of West Monroe, Louisiana. 2. submitted on July 18, 2025. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.