Walter Gerhardt "Pee Wee" Hunt was an influential American jazz trombonist, vocalist, and bandleader born on May 10, 1907, in Mount Healthy, Ohio. He developed an early interest in music, influenced by his mother, Sadie, who played the banjo, and his father, Edgar C., who played the violin. Hunt initially played the banjo in a local band while attending Ohio State University, where he majored in Electrical Engineering. During his college years, he transitioned from the banjo to the trombone and later graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

In 1928, Hunt joined Jean Goldkette's Orchestra and went on to co-found the Casa Loma Orchestra, where he was the featured trombonist. He left the orchestra in 1943 to work as a Hollywood radio disc jockey and later joined the Merchant Marine near the end of World War II. Upon returning to the West Coast music scene in 1946, Hunt achieved significant success with his recording of "Twelfth Street Rag," which became a number-one hit in September 1948, selling three million copies. He also had another major hit with "Oh!" in 1953, which sold over a million copies and reached number three on the Billboard chart.

Hunt's influence extended into popular culture, as he was satirized as Pee Wee Runt in Tex Avery's animated MGM cartoon "Dixieland Droopy" in 1954. He passed away at the age of 72 on June 22, 1979, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a long illness. Pee Wee Hunt left behind a legacy as a prominent figure in the jazz genre, known for his trombone performances and leadership in the jazz music scene.