Carl Perkins

CARL PERKINS
 
 
Carl Perkins  (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998) was an American singer-songwriter who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning in 1954.  His best-known song is “Blue Suede Shoes”.  According to Charlie Daniels, “Carl Perkins’ songs personified the rockabilly era, and Carl Perkins’ sound personifies the rockabilly sound more so than anybody involved in it, because he never changed.”  Perkins’ songs were recorded by artists (and friends) as influential as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Johnny Cash, which further cemented his place in the history of popular music.  Paul McCartney even claimed that “if there were no Carl Perkins, there would be no Beatles”.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
The term “rockabilly” – the word is an amalgamation of rock and hillbilly (an early term for country music) – was thrilling to me even before I actually knew what it meant.  It was one of the earliest forms of rock and roll and the first to be played primarily by white musicians, going all the way back to “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets.  The roster of rockabilly stars over the years starts of course with The King, Elvis Presley, along with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and most of the other artists at Sun Records in the 1950’s, plus Wanda Jackson, Eddie Cochran and others.  There was also a rockabilly revival in the early 1980’s led by the Blasters and the Stray Cats.  To this day, when a band wants a rawer sound, they will incorporate rockabilly into their music.
 
In 1956, Sun Records was able to show off by hosting an impromptu jam session by the Million Dollar Quartet, having a genuinely stupendous line-up:  Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis (Sun-signed artists all, though Elvis was by now at RCA).  
 
As to the Quartet, Carl Perkins was beginning to slip into obscurity and was in danger of being known only as the songwriter and original performer of one of Elvis’ signature songs, “Blue Suede Shoes” (though I prefer Carl’s version of “Blue Suede Shoes” myself).  However, the Beatles gave Perkins’ career new life when they covered several of his songs early on, notably “Honey, Don’t”.
 
(May 2011)
 
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Items:    Carl Perkins