Robert Petway
Robert Petway (born c. 1903, date of death unknown) was an American blues singer and guitarist. He recorded only 16 songs, but it has been said that he was an influence on many notable blues and rock musicians, including John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix. There is only one known picture of Petway, a publicity photo from 1941. His birth name may have been Pettyway, Pitway, Petaway, or similar. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Yazoo City (city in Mississippi, United States of America), Died May 1978 (Chicago (city and county seat of Cook County, and largest city in State of Illinois, United States of America) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1941 - 1942
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, guitar, composer
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-059476 | 10-in. | 3/28/1941 | Catfish blues | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and improvised string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-059477 | 10-in. | 3/28/1941 | Ride 'em on down | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and improvised string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-059478 | 10-in. | 3/28/1941 | Rockin' chair blues | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and improvised string bass | vocalist, composer, instrumentalist, guitar | |
| Victor | BS-059479 | 10-in. | 3/28/1941 | My little girl | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and improvised string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-059480 | 10-in. | 3/28/1941 | Let me be your boss | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and improvised string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-059481 | 10-in. | 3/28/1941 | Left my baby crying | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and improvised string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-059482 | 10-in. | 3/28/1941 | Sleepy woman blues | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and improvised string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-059483 | 10-in. | 3/28/1941 | Don't go down, baby | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and improvised string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-074108 | 10-in. | 2/20/1942 | Bertha Lee blues | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-074109 | 10-in. | 2/20/1942 | Hard working woman | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-074110 | 10-in. | 2/20/1942 | Ain't nobody's fool | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-074111 | 10-in. | 2/20/1942 | Boogie woogie woman | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-074112 | 10-in. | 2/20/1942 | Hollow log blues | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-074113 | 10-in. | 2/20/1942 | In the evening | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-074114 | 10-in. | 2/20/1942 | My baby left me | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer | |
| Victor | BS-074115 | 10-in. | 2/20/1942 | Cotton pickin' blues | Robert Petway | Male vocal solo, with guitar and string bass | vocalist, instrumentalist, guitar, composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Petway, Robert," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110212.
Petway, Robert. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110212.
"Petway, Robert." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Petway, Robert - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no96019701
Wikidata: Robert Petway - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q324424
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/347149294490780522880
MusicBrainz: Robert Petway - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4c94d44b-406d-4d12-8f2f-16166155af52
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