A well-respected country blues artist despite his limited output,
Robert Petway was a blues guitarist who recorded eight sides for Bluebird Records in 1941 and followed those up with eight more in 1942 (of which six were issued). Little biographical information is available on
Petway, although it is known that he lived and played in Mississippi. The only surviving image of him shows him in overalls, holding a metal-bodied National resonator guitar. His song "Catfish Blues" gained some notoriety when it was recorded by
Muddy Waters, who renamed it "Rollin' Stone," providing the inspiration years later for the name of the rock band,
the Rolling Stones. ~ Stacia Proefrock