Carl Perkins

In 1954. Sam Phillips knew he had something hot, something new, a heart-pounding blend of Southern black boogie rhythm and country/western pluck.

Carl Perkins further developed the sound he'd created for the next year, playing honky-tonks and dance halls throughout the south, and in December 1955 he came back to the Sun studios with a couple more songs, Honey Don't and one written on a brown paper bag called Blue Suede Shoes. His electric guitar was rocking, and Blue Suede Shoes quickly became Sun's first million seller in 1956. Not only that, it topped all charts: pop, country and R&B, the first record to accomplish the feat.

Carl was primed for national stardom, but on the road to New York for an appearance on television's Perry Como Show, the automobile Carl and his band rode in slammed into the back of a truck, seriously injuring all of them. Carl's skull was fractured, and while he laid for many months in the hospital, Elvis Presley, who'd left Sun and signed with RCA Victor, picked up and recorded Blue Suede Shoes. Carl's chance of fame was taken from him, the song for many years indentified with Elvis, not its creator, Carl Perkins.

Not until 1964 did he get his second chance at stardom, not in the U.S., but in England. There, his guitar style and songs were cherished and mimicked by the Beatles, who were the new sensations in Britain at the time. Carl's tour was a huge success, as he met and hung out with members of the band. Carl's music was reintroduced to American audiences when the Beatles toured the states. The Beatles recorded more Carl Perkins songs than they did any other songwriters' other than themselves, including Honey Don't, Everybody's Tryin' to Be My Baby and Matchbox.

He never achieved the superstar status of Elvis, but Carl Perkins' contributions are rightly recognized and he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame mid-1980's. His funeral in 1998 saw a who's-who list of the famous in attendance, such as George Harrison, Wynona Judd, Garth Brooks and Jerry Lee Lewis. The building was so packed other stars watched the services on moniters in an adjacent building: Eric Clapton and Elton John, along with video tributes sent by Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan.

Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes - go HERE and scroll down to today's date.