Featured In
ALBUMMatchbox - SingleCarl Perkins & The Brains
Albums by Carl Perkins
ALBUMBorn To RockCarl Perkins
ALBUMClass of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll HomecomingRoy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins
ALBUMLittle Fauss and Big Halsy (Original Soundtrack Recording)Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins & The Tennessee Three
ALBUMBlue Suede Shoes (Remastered 2022)Carl Perkins
ALBUMOriginal Golden HitsCarl Perkins
ALBUMOn TopCarl Perkins
ALBUMWhole Lotta Shakin'Carl Perkins
ALBUMThe Dance AlbumCarl Perkins
Carl Perkins's Popular Music Videos
Blue Suede Shoes (Live in Denmark)
Carl Perkins
Matchbox (Live in Denmark)
Carl Perkins
Artist Playlists
Carl Perkins Essentials
Artist Biography
Carl Perkins’ singing, songwriting, and guitar playing made him a key architect of ’50s rock ’n’ roll as well as a major influence on multiple generations of rock and country artists. Born in 1932 in Tiptonville, TN, he taught himself to play by listening to country music, and in the ’50s he was at the vanguard of Southern artists blending R&B, country, and blues to create rockabilly on Sun Records. His 1956 hit “Blue Suede Shoes” would remain a rock ’n’ roll staple forevermore, and subsequent singles like “Dixie Fried” and “Boppin’ The Blues” cemented his legacy further. In the ’60s, covers of his songs “Matchbox,” “Honey Don’t,” and “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” would help The Beatles achieve maximum velocity, and through them, Perkins’ sound became exponentially more influential. In the late ’60s, he was Johnny Cash’s guitarist, appearing on The Man in Black’s legendary live albums from Folsom Prison and San Quentin. Perkins kept on working up to the end of his life, dying after a series of strokes in 1998 at the age of 65.
Hometown
Tiptonville, TN, United States
Genre
Rock