Paul Littlechief
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Paul Littlechief | |
|---|---|
 Littlechief in 1965 | |
| Born | June 25, 1935 Lawton, Oklahoma |
| Died | November 12, 1975 (aged 40) Anadarko, Oklahoma |
| Other names | Chief Little Chief |
| Citizenship | Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma and American |
Paul Kenyon Littlechief (June 25, 1935 – November 12, 1975) was a Native American nightclub performer and comedian, one of the first to play on the Las Vegas Strip.
Littlechief was born Lawton, Oklahoma to Tom Littlechief (Kiowa) and Merle Ruth Kosepeah (Comanche).[1] His great-grandfather was a war chief known only as Littlechief (K’yád̶áisàn)[2] who was killed by the U.S. Cavalry in 1874.[3] His mother was Comanche and his father was Kiowa.[4] He learned to play guitar and pedal steel when he was in his teens.[5] He graduated from Lawton High School in 1953 and trained to become a butcher. He toured with a country band in the 1950s, billing himself as Chief Little Chief. He moved to Hollywood, California in 1956 and started playing more rockabilly-style music and recorded two songs with 4 Star Records: Come On Darlin’ and It’s for Certain (That I’m Hurtin).[6]