His parents and older siblings had all been born in Arkansas. As a teenager he was known as "Marty"; he was closest with his brother Graylon H. Pittman, known as "Smokey" who became a vaudeville performer in the southern and southwestern U.S.
His parents and older siblings were all born in Arkansas. As a teenager, he was known as "Marty"; his brother Graylon H. Pittman, who went by the nickname "Smokey," became a vaudeville performer in the southern and southwestern U.S.