Editing Carl Perkins

{{short description|American guitarist (1932–1998)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background        = person
| name              = Carl Perkins
| image             = Carl Perkins 1977.jpg
| alt               = Carl Perkins on the Johnny Cash Christmas Special (1977)
| caption           = Perkins in 1977
| birth_name        = Carl Lee Perkins
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1932|4|9|mf=yes}}
| birth_place       = [[Tiptonville, Tennessee|Tiptonville]], [[Tennessee]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|1998|1|19|1932|4|9|mf=yes}}
| death_place       = [[Jackson, Tennessee|Jackson]], [[Tennessee]], U.S.
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Rockabilly]]
* [[rock and roll]]
* [[Country music|country]]
}}
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
* Guitarist
* singer
* songwriter
}}
| instrument        = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* guitar
}}
| years_active      = 1946–1997
| label             = {{flatlist|
* [[Sun Records|Sun]]
* [[London Records|London]]
* [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
* [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
}}
| associated_acts   = {{flatlist|
* [[Perkins Brothers Band]]
* [[Million Dollar Quartet]]
* [[Johnny Cash]]
* [[Jerry Lee Lewis]]
* [[Elvis Presley]]
* [[Roy Orbison]]
* [[Class of '55]]
* [[Waylon Jennings]]
* [[Willie Nelson]]
* [[Ringo Starr]]
* [[George Harrison]]
* [[Eric Clapton]]
* [[The Carter Family]]
* [[Charlie Daniels]]
}}
}}

'''Carl Lee Perkins''' (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)<ref>{{cite web |title=Carl Perkins – American musician and songwriter |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carl-Perkins |website=britannica.com |access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref><ref name="nytimesobit">[[#nytimesobit|Pareles.]]</ref> was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.  A [[rockabilly]] great and pioneer of [[rock and roll]], he began his recording career at the [[Sun Studio]], in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] in 1954. Among his best known songs are "[[Blue Suede Shoes]]", "[[Honey Don't]]", "[[Matchbox (song)|Matchbox]]" and "[[Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby]]".

According to fellow musician [[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."<ref name="naylor118">[[#legends|Naylor, p. 118.]]</ref> Perkins's songs were recorded by artists (and friends) as influential as [[Elvis Presley]], [[the Beatles]], [[Jimi Hendrix]], [[Johnny Cash]], [[Ricky Nelson]], and [[Eric Clapton]] which further cemented his prominent place in the history of popular music.

Nicknamed the "[[Honorific nicknames in popular music|King of Rockabilly]]", Perkins was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]], the [[Memphis Music Hall of Fame]], and the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]]. His recording of "Blue Suede Shoes" was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]].

==Biography==
===Early life===
Carl Lee Perkins was born on April 9, 1932, in [[Tiptonville, Tennessee]], the son of poor [[sharecropper]]s Louise and Buck Perkins (misspelled on his birth certificate as "Perkings").<ref name="autogenerated2">[https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/carlperkins/biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226181247/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/carlperkins/biography|date=February 26, 2010}}</ref> He had two brothers, Jay and Clayton.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 8–9.]]</ref> From the age of six, he worked long hours in the cotton fields with his family whether school was in session or not. The boys grew up hearing [[Southern gospel]] music sung by white friends in church and by black field workers and sharecroppers in the cotton fields.<ref name=pc8>{{Pop Chronicles|8|3}}</ref> On Saturday nights Perkins would listen to the ''[[Grand Ole Opry]]'', broadcast from [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] on his father's radio.

[[Roy Acuff]]'s broadcasts from the Opry inspired Perkins to ask his parents for a guitar.<ref>[[#legends|Naylor.]]</ref> Since they could not afford to buy one, his father made one from a [[cigar box guitar|cigar box]] and a broomstick. Eventually, a neighbor sold his father a worn-out [[Gene Autry]] guitar. Perkins could not afford new strings, and when they broke, he had to retie them. The knots cut his fingers when he would slide to another note, so he began bending the notes, stumbling onto a type of [[blue note]].<ref name="naylor118" /><ref name=":0">[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 13–14.]]</ref>

Perkins taught himself parts of Acuff's [[The Great Speckled Bird (song)|Great Speckled Bird]] and [[The Wabash Cannonball]] having heard them played on the ''Opry''. He also has cited [[Bill Monroe]]'s fast playing and vocals as an early influence.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 11–12.]]</ref> Perkins also learned from John Westbrook, an African-American field worker in his sixties who played blues and gospel music on an old acoustic guitar. Westbrook advised Perkins to "Get down close to it. You can feel it travel down the strangs, come through your head and down to your soul where you live. You can feel it. Let it vib-a-rate."<ref name="naylor118" /><ref name=":0" />

In January 1947, the Perkins family moved from [[Lake County, Tennessee]], to [[Madison County, Tennessee|Madison County]], 70 miles from [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], the largest city in West Tennessee and a center of a great variety of music played by both black and white artists.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 30, 55.]]</ref> At age fourteen, Perkins wrote a country song called Let Me Take You to the Movie, Magg. [[Sam Phillips]] was later persuaded by the quality of that song to sign Perkins to his [[Sun Records]] label.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 30, 68.]]</ref>

===Beginnings as a performer===
Perkins and his brother Jay had their first paying job (in tips) as entertainers during late 1946 at the Cotton Boll tavern on Highway 45, twelve miles south of Jackson, Tennessee, starting on Wednesday nights. Perkins was 14 years old. One of the songs they played was an up-tempo country blues shuffle version of [[Bill Monroe]]'s [[Blue Moon of Kentucky]]. Free drinks were one of the perks of playing in a tavern, and Perkins drank four beers that first night. Within a month, Carl and Jay began playing Friday and Saturday nights at the Sand Ditch tavern near Jackson's western border. Both places were the scene of occasional fights and both of the Perkins brothers gained a reputation as fighters.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 36–41.]]</ref>

During the next couple of years, as they became better known, the Perkins brothers began playing other taverns around Bemis and Jackson, including El Rancho, the Roadside Inn, and the Hilltop. Carl persuaded his brother Clayton to join them and play the [[upright bass]], to complete the sound of the band.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, p. 48.]]</ref>

Perkins began performing regularly on [[WTJF (AM)|WTJS]] in Jackson during the late 1940s as a sometime member of the [[Tennessee Ramblers (Tennessee band)|Tennessee Ramblers]]. He appeared on the radio program ''Hayloft Frolic'' on which he performed two songs. One was "Talking Blues" as done by Robert Lunn on the ''Grand Ole Opry''. Perkins and his brothers began appearing on ''The Early Morning Farm and Home Hour''. Positive listener response earned them a 15-minute segment sponsored by Mother's Best Flour. By the end of the 1940s, the Perkins Brothers were the best known band in the Jackson area.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 48–49.]]</ref> Perkins had day jobs during most of these early years including picking cotton, working at various factories and plants and as a pan greaser for the Colonial Baking Company.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 32, 70–71.]]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://rockabillytennessee.com/legend_carl_perkins.htm |title=The Legend Carl Perkins |publisher=Rockabillytennessee.com |date=1998-01-19 |access-date=2011-11-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117221958/http://www.rockabillytennessee.com/legend_carl_perkins.htm |archive-date=November 17, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> His brothers had similar pick up jobs.

In January 1953, Perkins married Valda Crider, whom he had known for a number of years. When his job at the bakery was reduced to part-time, Valda, who had her own job, encouraged Perkins to begin working the taverns full-time. He began playing six nights a week. Later the same year, he added [[W. S. Holland|W.S. "Fluke" Holland]] to the band as a drummer. Holland had no previous experience as a musician but had a good sense of rhythm.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 70–71.]]</ref>

[[Malcolm Yelvington]], who remembered the Perkins Brothers when they played in [[Covington, Tennessee]] in 1953, noted that Carl had an unusual blues-like style all his own.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, p. 77.]]</ref> By 1955, Perkins had made tapes of his material on a borrowed tape recorder and sent them to record companies such as Columbia and RCA. But he used addresses such as Columbia Records, New York City and seemed dismayed at the lack of response. "I had sent tapes to RCA and [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] and had never heard a thing from 'em."<ref name="Top Beats Bottom"/>

In July 1954, Perkins and his wife heard a new release of "[[Blue Moon of Kentucky]]" by [[Elvis Presley]], [[Scotty Moore]] and [[Bill Black]] on the radio.<ref>[http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/pics/d03/3318.htm]{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref> As the song faded out, Perkins said, "There's a man in Memphis who understands what we're doing. I need to go see him."<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 79–90.]]</ref> According to another telling of the story, it was Valda who said that he should go to Memphis.<ref>''Rockabilly Legends''. Naler. p. 121.</ref> Later, Presley told Perkins he had traveled to Jackson and had seen Perkins and his group playing at the El Rancho.<ref name="Top Beats Bottom">"The Top Beats the Bottom: Carl Perkins and his Music". ''The Atlantic''. December 1970. p. 100.</ref>

Years later, the rockabilly singer [[Gene Vincent]] told an interviewer that, rather than Elvis's version of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" being a "new sound", "a lot of people were doing it before that, especially Carl Perkins."<ref>VanHecke, Susan (2000). ''Race with the Devil''. St. Martin's Press. p. 219. {{ISBN|0-312-26222-1}}.</ref>

=== Sun Records ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Carl perkins 1956.jpg|thumb|Perkins in 1956]] -->
Perkins successfully auditioned for [[Sam Phillips]] at [[Sun Records]] in early October 1954. "[[Movie Magg]]" and "Turn Around" were released on the Phillips-owned Flip label (151) on March 19, 1955.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/labels/f/f461.htm |title=Flip (Tenn.) (RCS Label Listing) |access-date=2014-05-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713180341/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/labels/f/f461.htm |archive-date=July 13, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> "Turn Around" became a regional success, and Perkins was booked to appear along with Elvis Presley at theaters in [[Marianna, Arkansas|Marianna]] and [[West Memphis, Arkansas]].<ref name="nytimesobit"/><ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 106–108.]]</ref> [[Johnny Cash]] and the [[Tennessee Two]] were the next Sun musicians to be added to the shows. During the summer of 1955 they had junkets to [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] and [[Forrest City, Arkansas]], and to [[Corinth, Mississippi|Corinth]] and [[Tupelo, Mississippi]]. Again performing at El Rancho, the Perkins brothers were involved in an automobile accident in Woodside, Delaware. A friend who was driving was pinned by the steering wheel. Perkins  dragged him from the burning car. Clayton was thrown from the car but was not seriously injured.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 122–124.]]</ref>

Sun released another Perkins song, "Gone Gone Gone",<ref>[http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/pics/d03/3234.htm]{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/ss/03/ss3287.mp3 |format=MP3 |title=MP3 recording |publisher=Rcs-discography.com |access-date=2015-08-17}}</ref> in October 1955,<ref name="rcs-discography1">{{cite web |url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/p/perk1000.htm |title=Perkins, Carl (RCS Artist Discography) |access-date=2014-05-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717234900/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/p/perk1000.htm |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> which also became a regional success. It was a "bounce blues in flavorsome combined country and R&B idioms".<ref>''Billboard'', October 22, 1955. "Reviews of New C&W Records." p. 44.</ref> The A-side was the more traditional country song "[[Let the Jukebox Keep On Playing]]".<ref>[http://www.boija.com/skivor/sun_carl.htm The Carl Perkins Sun collection.]</ref>

Commenting on Perkins's playing, Sam Phillips has been quoted as saying

<blockquote>I knew that Carl could rock and in fact he told me right from the start that he had been playing that music before Elvis came out on record&nbsp;... I wanted to see whether this was someone who could revolutionize the country end of the business.<ref>[[Colin Escott|Escott, Colin]]; Hawkins, Martin. ''Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll''. Google eBook. Retrieved 10.11.2011.</ref></blockquote>

Also in the autumn of 1955, Perkins wrote "[[Blue Suede Shoes]]" <ref name=pc8/> inspired by seeing a dancer get angry with his date for scuffing up his shoes.<ref>Perkins, Carl; McGee, David (1996). ''Go, Cat, Go!'' Hyperion Press. p. 129. {{ISBN|0-7868-6073-1}}.</ref> Several weeks later, on December 19, 1955, Perkins and his band recorded the song during a session at Sun Studio in Memphis. Phillips suggested changes to the lyrics ("Go, cat, go"), and the band changed the end of the song to a "[[boogie-woogie|boogie]] [[vamp (music)|vamp]]".<ref name=miller>Miller, James (1999). ''Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947–1977''. Simon & Schuster. pp. 124–25. {{ISBN|0-684-80873-0}}.</ref>

After Sun records headliner Presley left for [[RCA Records|RCA]] in November 1955, Phillips told Perkins, "You're my rockabilly cat now."<ref>[[#legends|Naylor, p. 135.]]</ref> Sun released "Blue Suede Shoes" on January 1, 1956 and it became a massive chart success. In the United States, it reached number one on [[Billboard magazine]]'s [[country music]] chart (the only number one success he would have) and number two on the Billboard Best Sellers popular music chart. On February 11, Presley performed it on CBS-TV's ''[[Stage Show]]''. On March 17, Perkins became the first country artist to reach number three on the [[rhythm and blues]] charts.<ref name=miller/><ref name="naylor137">[[#legends|Naylor, p. 137.]]</ref> That night, he performed the song on ABC-TV's [[Ozark Jubilee]] and Presley reprised his performance on Stage Show.

In the [[United Kingdom]], Perkins's song reached number 10 on the British charts. It was the first record by a Sun artist to sell a million copies.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs|edition=2nd
|publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd|location=London|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/84]|isbn=0-214-20512-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/84}}</ref> The Beatles covered the B side, [[Honey Don't]],<ref name=pc8/> [[Wanda Jackson]] and in the 1970s, [[T. Rex (band)|T. Rex]]. [[John Lennon]] originally sang the song when the Beatles performed it.  Later it was given to [[Ringo Starr]], one of his few leads during his time with the band. Lennon also performed the song on the ''Lost Lennon Tapes''.<ref name="naylor137"/>{{when|date=November 2022}}

===Road crash===
After playing a show in [[Norfolk, Virginia]], on March 21, 1956, the Perkins Brothers Band headed to [[New York City]] for a March 24 appearance on [[NBC|NBC-TV's]] ''[[The Perry Como Show|Perry Como Show]]''. Shortly before sunrise on March 22, on Route 13 between [[Dover, Delaware|Dover]] and [[Woodside, Delaware]], their vehicle hit the back of a pickup truck and went into a ditch containing about 12 inches of water. Holland had to pull Perkins, unconscious, from the water. Perkins had sustained three fractured vertebrae in his neck, a severe concussion, a broken collar bone, and lacerations all over his body. Perkins remained unconscious for an entire day. The driver of the pickup truck, Thomas Phillips, a 40-year-old farmer, died when he was thrown into the steering wheel.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 178, 180.]]</ref> Jay Perkins had a fractured neck and severe internal injuries. Later he developed a malignant brain tumor, and died in 1958.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Morrison|first=Craig|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qAHvUO5GknMC&q=%22jay+perkins%22+1958&pg=PA83|title=Go Cat Go!: Rockabilly Music and Its Makers|date=1999|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=978-0-252-06538-5|pages=83|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&q=%22jay+perkins%22+1958|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|date=2011-05-27|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-595-8|pages=1988|language=en}}</ref>

On March 23, Presley's band members [[Bill Black]], [[Scotty Moore]] and [[D.J. Fontana]] visited Perkins on their way to New York to appear with Presley. Fontana recalled Perkins saying, "You looked like a bunch of angels coming to see me."<ref>Burke, Ken; Griffin, Dan (2006). ''The Blue Moon Boys: The Story of Elvis Presley's Band''. Chicago Review Press. p. 88. {{ISBN|1-55652-614-8}}.</ref> Black told him, "Hey man, Elvis sends his love", and lit a cigarette for him, even though the patient in the next bed was in an [[oxygen tent]].<ref name=":1" /> Presley also telegraphed Perkins his well wishes.<ref name=":1">[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 182, 184.]]</ref>

"Blue Suede Shoes" had sold more than 500,000 copies by March 22, and Sam Philips had planned to celebrate by presenting Perkins with a [[Gold Record|gold record]] on ''The Perry Como Show''.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, p. 173.]]</ref> While Perkins recuperated from his injuries, "Blue Suede Shoes" reached number one on regional pop, R&B, and country charts. It also reached number two on the Billboard pop and country charts, below Elvis Presley's "[[Heartbreak Hotel]]". By mid-April, more than one million copies of "Blue Suede Shoes" had sold.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, p. 187.]]</ref> On April 3, while still recuperating in Jackson, Perkins watched Presley perform "Blue Suede Shoes" in his first appearance on ''[[The Milton Berle Show]]''. This was the third time he performed the song on national television.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, p. 184.]]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kki.pl/elvisal/elvis_tv.htm |title=Elvis's Television Appearances 1956–1973 |publisher=Kki.pl |access-date=2011-11-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718225753/http://www.kki.pl/elvisal/elvis_tv.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref>

===Return to recording and touring===
{{listen
| filename     = Dixiefried.ogg
| title        = "Dixie Fried"
| description  = The rockabilly song "[[Dixie Fried]]" performed by Carl Perkins
| format       = [[ogg]]
}}
Perkins returned to live performances on April 21, 1956 beginning with an appearance in [[Beaumont, Texas]], with the Big D Jamboree tour.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, p. 191.]]</ref> Before he resumed touring, Sam Phillips arranged a recording session at Sun with Ed Cisco filling in for the still-recuperating Jay. By mid-April, they recorded [[Dixie Fried]], Put Your Cat Clothes On, Wrong Yo-Yo, You Can't Make Love to Somebody, [[Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby]], and That Don't Move Me.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, p. 198.]]</ref> On May 26, Perkins and his band (with Jay Perkins performing wearing a visible neck brace), finally appeared on ''The Perry Como Show'' to perform "Blue Suede Shoes".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRNyvO4QouY Youtube: "Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes - Perry Como Show -1956"]</ref>

[[File:Jamboree Carl Perkins.jpg|thumb|250 px|Perkins (front) performing "[[Glad All Over (Carl Perkins song)|Glad All Over]]" with (left to right) Clayton Perkins, W.S. "Fluke" Holland, and Jay Perkins in the 1957 movie ''[[Jamboree (1957 film)|Jamboree]]'']]

Beginning early that summer, Perkins was paid $1,000 to play two songs a night on the extended tour of Top Stars of '56. Other performers on the tour were [[Chuck Berry]] and [[Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers]]. When Perkins and the group entered the stage in [[Columbia, South Carolina]], he was shocked to see a teenager with a bleeding chin pressed against the stage by the massed crowd. During the first guitar intermission of Honey Don't, they were waved offstage and into a vacant dressing room behind a double line of police officers. Appalled by what he had seen and felt, Perkins left the tour.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 188, 210, 212.]]</ref> Appearing with [[Gene Vincent]] and [[Lillian Briggs]] in a rock 'n' roll show, he helped attract 39,872 people to the Reading Fair in Pennsylvania on a Tuesday night in late September. Soon after, a full grandstand and one thousand people stood in a heavy rain to hear Perkins and Briggs at the Brockton Fair in Massachusetts.<ref>''Billboard'', September 29, 1956. pages 73, 78.</ref>

Sun issued more Perkins songs in 1956: [[Boppin' the Blues]] / All Mama's Children (Sun 243), the B side co-written with Johnny Cash; and [[Dixie Fried]] / I'm Sorry, I'm Not Sorry (Sun 249). [[Matchbox (song)|Matchbox]] / [[Your True Love]] (Sun 261)<ref>[http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/pics/d03/3238.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205180927/http://rcs.law.emory.edu/rcs/pics/d03/3238.htm|date=February 5, 2009}}</ref> came out in February, 1957.<ref name="rcs-discography1"/> [[Boppin' the Blues]] reached number 47 on the ''Cashbox'' pop singles chart, number nine on the ''Billboard'' country and western chart, and number 70 on the ''Billboard'' Top 100 chart.

Matchbox became a rockabilly classic. It was recorded with Perkins on lead guitar and vocals, and then Sun studio piano player, [[Jerry Lee Lewis]].  Later that day, there was an impromptu session with Perkins, Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis informally referred to as the [[Million Dollar Quartet]].<ref name=pc8/> Sun released the full recordings from this jam session, a selection of gospel, country, and R&B songs in 1990.<ref name="nytimesobit"/>

On February 2, 1957, Perkins again appeared on ''Ozark Jubilee'', singing Matchbox and Blue Suede Shoes. He also made at least two appearances on ''[[Town Hall Party]]'' in [[Compton, California]], in 1957,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hillbilly-music.com/programs/story/index.php?prog=170 |title=Town Hall Party |publisher=hillbilly-music.com |access-date=2011-11-25}}</ref> singing both songs. Those performances were included in the ''Western Ranch Dance Party'' series filmed and distributed by Screen Gems.

He released [[That's Right (Carl Perkins song)|That's Right]], co-written with Johnny Cash, backed with the ballad Forever Yours, as Sun single 274 in August, 1957. Neither side made it onto the charts.

The 1957 film ''[[Jamboree (1957 film)|Jamboree]]'' included Perkins performing [[Glad All Over (Carl Perkins song)|Glad All Over]]. The song was written by [[Aaron Schroeder]], [[Sid Tepper]], and [[Roy C. Bennett]],<ref>[http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/pics/d03/3240.htm]{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref> Sun released it in January, 1958.<ref>[http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/p/perk1000.htm#l2w] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120717234900/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/p/perk1000.htm|date=July 17, 2012}}</ref>

===Life after Sun===
In 1958, Perkins moved to [[Columbia Records]] for which he recorded "Jive After Five", "Rockin' Record Hop", "Levi Jacket (And a Long Tail Shirt)", "Pop, Let Me Have the Car", "Pink Pedal Pushers", "Any Way the Wind Blows", "Hambone", "Pointed Toe Shoes", "Sister Twister", "L-O-V-E-V-I-L-L-E" and other songs.<ref name="rcs-discography1"/>

In 1959, he wrote the [[country & western]] song [[The Ballad of Boot Hill]] for Johnny Cash who recorded it on an [[extended play|EP]] for Columbia Records. That same year, Perkins was cast in a Filipino movie produced by People's Pictures, ''Hawaiian Boy'' in which he sang Blue Suede Shoes.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}

He performed often at the [[Golden Nugget Las Vegas|Golden Nugget Casino]] in Las Vegas in 1962 and 1963.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} During this time, he toured nine Midwestern states and made a tour in Germany.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} In 1962, [[Patsy Cline]] recorded [[So Wrong]], which Carl wrote with [[Mel Tillis]] and [[Danny Dill]], and had a #14 hit on the Country charts.

In May 1964, Perkins toured [[UK|Britain]] with [[Chuck Berry]] with the popular, young rock group, [[The Animals]] backing them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chuckberry.de/tour1964.htm#Chuck%20Berry |title=Tour Information 1964 |publisher=Chuckberry.de |access-date=2011-11-25}}</ref> Perkins had been reluctant to undertake the tour, convinced that as forgotten as he had become in America, he would be even more obscure in the U.K. and did not want to be humiliated by drawing meager audiences. Berry assured him that they had remained much more popular in Britain since the 1950s than they had in the United States and that there would be large crowds of fans at every show. On the last night of the tour, Perkins attended a party where he sat on the floor sharing stories, playing guitar, and singing songs while surrounded by the [[The Beatles|Beatles]]. Ringo Starr asked if he could record Honey Don't. Perkins answered, "Man, go ahead, have at it."<ref>[[#legends|Naylor, p. 142.]]</ref> The Beatles later recorded covers of [[Matchbox (song)|Matchbox]], [[Honey Don't]] and [[Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby]] which Perkins adapted from a song originally recorded in 1936 by [[Rex Griffin]] which he added new music to. (A song with the same title was recorded by Roy Newman in 1938). Ringo sang the lead on the first two, [[George Harrison]] sang a rare lead on the third. The Beatles also recorded two versions of Glad All Over in 1963.<ref>{{cite web|author=The Beatles "Glad All Over" |url=http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_beatles/glad_all_over.html |title=The Beatles Lyrics - Glad All Over |publisher=Oldielyrics.com |access-date=2011-11-25}}</ref> Another tour to Germany followed in the autumn.

He released Big Bad Blues backed with Lonely Heart as a single on Brunswick Records with [[the Nashville Teens]] in June, 1964.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/05909 |title=Carl Perkins - Big Bad Blues / Lonely Heart - Brunswick - UK - 05909 |publisher=45cat |access-date=2015-08-17}}</ref>

In 1966, Perkins signed with Dollie Records and released as his first single for them, Country Boy's Dream, which reached #22 in the country charts. That same year [[Bob Luman]] had a Top 40 Country hit with Carl's song Poor Boy Blues.

While on tour with the Johnny Cash show in 1968, Perkins went on a four day drinking binge that ended with him hallucinating floridly and passing out. When he regained consciousness, he went out to the beach with his last bottle of alcohol. In his autobiography, he described falling to his knees and declaring, "Lord,&nbsp;... I'm gonna throw this bottle. I'm gonna show You that I believe in you" before hurling the bottle into the sea and vowing to remain sober. Perkins and Cash, who had his own substance-abuse issues, supported each other in their bids to remain sober.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, pp. 309–310.]]</ref>

In 1968, Cash recorded the Perkins-written [[Daddy Sang Bass]] which incorporates parts of the gospel standard [[Can the Circle Be Unbroken (Bye and Bye)|Will the Circle Be Unbroken]]. It rose to the top of the country music charts where it stayed for six weeks. It was a [[Country Music Association]] nominee for Song of the Year the next year. Perkins also played lead guitar on Cash's single [[A Boy Named Sue]], recorded live at [[San Quentin]] prison. It went to number one for five weeks on the country chart and number two on the pop chart. (The performance was also filmed by [[Granada Television]] for broadcast).

Perkins spent a decade in Cash's touring revue, often as an opening act for Cash as at the Folsom and San Quentin prison concerts where he was recorded singing Blue Suede Shoes and Matchbox before Cash took the stage. These performances were not released until the 2000s. He also appeared on the television series ''[[The Johnny Cash Show (TV series)|The Johnny Cash Show]]''. On the television program ''[[Kraft Music Hall]]'' on April 16, 1969, which Cash hosted, Perkins performed his song [[Restless (Carl Perkins song)|Restless]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockabillyeurope.com/lyrics3/r0051.htm |title=Restless - Carl Perkins |publisher=Rockabillyeurope.com |access-date=2011-11-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929222820/http://www.rockabillyeurope.com/lyrics3/r0051.htm |archive-date=September 29, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/kraft-music-hall/johnny-cash...on-the-road/episode/170681/summary.html |title=Kraft Music Hall: Johnny Cash&nbsp;... On The Road Episode Summary |publisher=TV.com |access-date=2011-11-25 |archive-date=January 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101144225/http://www.tv.com/kraft-music-hall/johnny-cash...on-the-road/episode/170681/summary.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Perkins and [[Bob Dylan]] wrote "Champaign, Illinois" in 1969. Dylan was in Nashville from February 12 to February 21  recording his album ''[[Nashville Skyline]]'', a crossover into country. He met Perkins when he appeared on ''The Johnny Cash Show'' on June 7.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/the-johnny-cash-show/show/8950/episode.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabssh&tag=tabs;episodes |title=The Johnny Cash Show Season 2 Episode Guide |publisher=TV.com |access-date=2011-11-25 |archive-date=June 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601094808/http://www.tv.com/the-johnny-cash-show/show/8950/episode.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabssh&tag=tabs;episodes |url-status=dead }}</ref> Dylan had [[writer's block]] and was unable to complete the song until Perkins contributed the rhythm and some lyrics upon which Dylan said to him, "Your song. Take it. Finish it."<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins.]]</ref> Perkins registered the song as co-authored and recorded it on his 1969 album ''On Top''.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.rockabillyhall.com/CarlPerkins.html | title=RAB Hall of Fame: Carl Perkins | access-date= 2007-01-18 | publisher= Rockabilly Hall of Fame}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= http://music.aol.com/album/on-top/12282 | archive-url= https://archive.today/20120717200303/http://music.aol.com/album/on-top/12282 | url-status= dead | archive-date= 2012-07-17 | title= On Top: Carl Perkins | access-date= 2007-01-18 | publisher= AOL Music }}</ref>

Also in 1969, Columbia's Murray Krugman placed Perkins with the [[New Rhythm and Blues Quartet]], the NRBQ, a rockabilly group based in New York's Hudson Valley. With the group backing him, he recorded two of his staples, ''Boppin' the Blues'' and ''Turn Around'' plus songs they sang separately.<ref>''Boppin' the Blues''. Columbia CS9981 (1969).</ref>

[[Tommy Cash]] (brother of Johnny Cash) had a Top Ten country gospel hit in 1970 with the song "Rise and Shine" which Perkins wrote. It reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' country chart and number eight on the Canadian country chart. [[Arlene Harden]] had a Top 40 country hit in 1971 with the Perkins composition True Love Is Greater Than Friendship, from the film ''[[Little Fauss and Big Halsy]]'' (1971). That same year, [[Al Martino]]'s cover of the song reached number 22 on the ''Billboard'' country chart and number 33 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart. Perkins appeared with Cash on the popular TV country series ''[[Hee Haw]]'' on February 16, 1974.

After a long legal struggle with Sam Phillips over [[royalties]], Perkins gained ownership of his songs in the 1970s and, in 2003, his widow, who by then owned the catalog, entered into an administration contract with Paul McCartney's [[MPL Communications]].<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |author=Mike Kovacich |url=http://www.macca-central.com/macca-news/morenews.php?id=1157 |title=MACCA-News: McCartney to Administer Perkins's Music |publisher=Macca-central.com |date=April 17, 2003 |access-date=2011-11-25 |archive-date=February 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090213055837/http://www.macca-central.com/macca-news/morenews.php?id=1157 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Later years===
The rockabilly revival of the 1980s helped bring Perkins back into the limelight. In 1981, Perkins recorded the song "Get It" with [[Paul McCartney]]. According to one source, he fully co-wrote the song with McCartney.<ref>[[#legends|Naylor, p. 145.]]</ref> This recording was included on the chart-topping album ''[[Tug of War (Paul McCartney album)|Tug of War]]'', released in 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpgr.co.uk/pctc259.html |title=Tug Of War |publisher=Jpgr.co.uk |access-date=2011-11-25}}</ref>  During 1985, Perkins re-recorded "Blue Suede Shoes" with [[Lee Rocker]] and [[Slim Jim Phantom]] of the [[Stray Cats]] as part of the soundtrack for the film ''[[Porky's Revenge]]''.

In October 1985, Perkins performed on stage in [[London]] for a television special, ''[[Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session]]'', with [[George Harrison]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Dave Edmunds]], Lee Rocker, [[Rosanne Cash]] and [[Ringo Starr]]. The show was taped live at the [[Limehouse Studios]]. It was broadcast on [[Channel 4]] on January 1, 1986. Perkins sang 16 songs plus two encores, in an extraordinary performance. He and his friends ended the session by singing "Blue Suede Shoes", his most famous song, 30 years after its writing, which brought Perkins to tears. The concert special was a highlight of his later career. Fans praised it for Perkins and his guests' spirited performances. The concert was released for DVD by Snapper Music in 2006.<ref>DVD ''Carl Perkins & Friends''. Released by Graham Nolder/Snapper Music. 2006. Cat:SDVD514</ref>

Perkins was inducted into the [[Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame]] in 1985. Wider recognition of his contributions to music came with his induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1987. The Hall chose "Blue Suede Shoes" as one of its [[500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll|500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll]]. The song also received a [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award]]. Perkins was inducted into the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]] in recognition of his pioneering contributions to the genre.

Perkins's only notable film performance as an actor was in [[John Landis]]'s 1985 film ''[[Into the Night (1985 film)|Into the Night]]''. The cameo-laden film includes a scene in which characters played by Perkins and [[David Bowie]] die by each other's hand.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089346/fullcredits#cast|title=Into the Night (1985): Full Cast & Crew|publisher=IMDb.com|access-date=2015-08-17}}</ref>

Perkins returned to the Sun Studio in Memphis in 1986, joining Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and [[Roy Orbison]] on the album ''[[Class of '55]]''. The record was a tribute to their early years at Sun and, specifically, the Million Dollar Quartet [[jam session]] involving Perkins, Presley, Cash, and Lewis in 1956.

In 1989, Perkins co-wrote and played lead guitar on [[the Judds]]' number-one country hit, "[[Let Me Tell You About Love]]".<ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=River of Time |others=The Judds |year=1989 |type=cassette liner |publisher=RCA/Curb |id=9595-2-R}}</ref>  That same year, he signed a record deal with Platinum Records for the album ''Friends, Family, and Legends'', featuring performances by [[Chet Atkins]], [[Travis Tritt]], [[Steve Wariner]], [[Joan Jett]], and [[Charlie Daniels]], along with [[Paul Shaffer]] and [[Will Lee (bassist)|Will Lee]]. The song "Wild Texas Wind" became the title track to a made-for-TV [[Wild Texas Wind|movie]] featuring [[Dolly Parton]] and [[Gary Busey]].  In 1996, [[Willie Nelson]], who also appeared in that movie, would join Carl in a duet version of the song. During the production of this album, Perkins was diagnosed with [[Esophageal cancer|throat cancer]]. 

Dolly Parton had a Top 20 Country hit in 1991 with [[Silver and Gold (Dolly Parton song)|"Silver and Gold"]] which she and Perkins co-wrote.  [[Mark O'Connor]] recorded a version of the Perkins classic [[Restless (Carl Perkins song)|"Restless"]] in 1991 and had a #25 Country hit with it in the US, (#19 in Canada).

Perkins again returned to Sun Studio to record with Scotty Moore, Presley's first guitar player, for the album ''706 ReUNION'', released by Belle Meade Records which also featured [[D. J. Fontana]], Marcus Van Storey, and [[the Jordanaires]]. In 1993, Perkins performed with the [[Kentucky Headhunters]] in the music video for a re-recording of his song "Dixie Fried" filmed in [[Glasgow, Kentucky]]. In 1994, he teamed up with [[Duane Eddy]] and [[the Mavericks]] to contribute Matchbox to the [[AIDS]] benefit album ''[[Red Hot + Country]]'', produced by the [[Red Hot Organization]].

His last album, ''[[Go Cat Go!]]'', released by the independent Dinosaur Records label in 1996 showcases Perkins singing duets with [[Bono]], Johnny Cash, [[John Fogerty]], George Harrison, Paul McCartney, [[Willie Nelson]], [[Tom Petty]], [[Paul Simon]], and [[Ringo Starr]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theband.hiof.no/albums/go_cat_go.html |title=Carl Perkins/Various Artists: Go Cat Go! |publisher=Theband.hiof.no |access-date=2011-11-25}}</ref><ref>[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Carl Perkins|chart=all}} ]{{dead link|date=November 2011}}</ref>

His last major concert performance was the [[Music for Montserrat]] all-star charity concert at London's [[Royal Albert Hall]] on September 15, 1997, four months before his death.

==Personal life==
A strong advocate for child welfare, Perkins worked with the Jackson Exchange Club to establish the first center in Tennessee  for the prevention of child abuse, the fourth in the nation. Proceeds from a concert which he planned were combined with a grant from the [[National Exchange Club]] to establish the Prevention of Child Abuse in October 1981. For years, its annual Circle of Hope Telethon generated one quarter of the center's annual operating budget.<ref>Tennessee Historical Commission</ref>

Perkins had one daughter, Debbie, and three sons, Stan, Greg, and Steve.  Stan, Perkins' firstborn son, is also a recording artist. In 2010, he joined forces with [[Jerry Naylor]] to record a duet tribute, "To Carl: Let It Vibrate". Stan has been inducted into the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]].  Greg played bass on stage alongside his father at the 1985 ''[[Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session]]'' concert in London and co-wrote "Birth of Rock and Roll" with his father.<ref name="GregPerkinsObituary">{{cite web |title=Greg Jaye Perkins: Greg Perkins Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/jacksonsun/name/greg-perkins-obituary?id=48587406 |website=Legacy.com |publisher=The Jackson Sun |access-date=June 17, 2024 |date=November 20, 2005}}</ref>  In 1983, a jury in Jackson, Tennessee found Greg Perkins "innocent on two felony counts of vehicular homicide, and guilty on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol."<ref name="GregPerkinsDUI">{{cite web |last1=Hopkins |first1=Gwen |title=Perkins cleared of death charge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-jackson-sun-gregory-perkins-cleared/14086294/ |website=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Jackson Sun |access-date=June 17, 2024 |location=Jackson, Tennessee |pages=1 |date=December 23, 1983}}</ref>  In 1997, Perkins' wife Valda was "recovering from a yearlong illness,"<ref name="GregPerkinsIllness">{{cite web |last1=Galipault |first1=Gerry |title=Carl Perkins faces another challenge |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/04/04/carl-perkins-faces-another-challenge/ |website=Tampa Bay Times |access-date=June 17, 2024 |orig-date=April 4, 1997 |date=October 1, 2005}}</ref> and his son Greg collapsed as a result of liver damage that may have resulted in a liver transplant.<ref name="GregPerkinsIllness" />

Perkins died on January 19, 1998, at the age of 65 at Jackson-Madison County Hospital in [[Jackson, Tennessee]], from complications from several minor [[stroke]]s the previous month. Among the mourners at his standing room only funeral at [[Lambuth University]] were [[George Harrison]], [[Johnny Cash]] and [[June Carter Cash]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], [[Wynonna Judd]], [[Sam Phillips]], [[Ricky Skaggs]], [[Brian Setzer]], [[Garth Brooks]], and [[Billy Ray Cyrus]]. During the service, Cyrus and Skaggs sang and the funeral ended with George Harrison singing an acoustic version of "[[Your True Love]]".<ref name=MTV>{{cite news|publisher=[[MTV]]|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/pf17rv/stars-turn-out-for-rockabilly-king-carl-perkins-funeral|date=1998-01-26|last=McGee|first=David|title=Stars Turn Out For Rockabilly King Carl Perkins' Funeral|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830181215/https://www.mtv.com/news/pf17rv/stars-turn-out-for-rockabilly-king-carl-perkins-funeral|archive-date=2023-08-30|url-status=dead|access-date=2023-08-30}}</ref> Perkins was buried at Ridgecrest Cemetery in Jackson.

Perkins' widow, Valda deVere Perkins, died on November 15, 2005, in Jackson.  Carl and Valda Perkins' son Greg (born January 15, 1959) died three days later at the age of 46 on November 18, 2005.<ref name="GregPerkinsObituary" />
<!-- Singer-guitarist [[Luther Perkins]], who was also a member of Cash's touring show, was not related to Perkins. -->

==Technique==
As a guitarist, Perkins used finger picking, imitations of the pedal steel guitar, [[palm mute|palm muting]], [[arpeggios]],  open strings, single and double [[string bending]], [[chromaticism]], country and blues licks, and [[tritone]] and other tonality clashing licks (short phrases that include notes from other keys and move in logical, often symmetric patterns).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paul-clark.com/pages/tutorial/Pentatonics.pdf |title=Pentatonics |publisher=Paul-clark.com |access-date=2015-08-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160116091707/http://www.paul-clark.com/pages/tutorial/Pentatonics.pdf |archive-date=January 16, 2016 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> A rich vocabulary of chords including sixth and thirteenth chords, ninth and added ninth chords, and suspensions show up in his rhythm parts and solos. Free use of syncopations, chord anticipations (arriving at a chord change before the other players, often by an eighth-note) and [[crosspicking]] (repeating a three eighth-note pattern so that an accent falls variously on the upbeat or downbeat) were also in his bag of tricks.<ref>[[#gocatgo|Perkins, p. 78.]]</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Casey Jones Village Jackson TN 011.jpg|thumb|230px|Historic marker commemorating Perkins alongside other famous peers]] [[File:Casey Jones Village Jackson TN 012.jpg|thumb|230px|Continuation of the historic placard in tribute to Perkins]]
Perkins wrote his autobiography, ''Go, Cat, Go'', published in 1996, in collaboration with music writer David McGee in 1996. Plans for a biographical film were announced by Santa Monica-based production company Fastlane Entertainment;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/2007/8/prweb549339.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413072953/http://www.billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/2007/8/prweb549339.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-04-13 |title=''The Carl Perkins Story'' |publisher=Billboardpublicitywire.com |access-date=2011-11-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title = Rock 'N Roll Legend Carl Perkins's Much Anticipated Story To Come To The Big Screen| publisher = Billboard Publicity Wire| url = http://www.billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/2007/8/prweb549339.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080413072953/http://www.billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/2007/8/prweb549339.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2008-04-13}}</ref> it was slated for release in 2009.

In 2004, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Perkins number 99 on its [[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time]].<ref>{{cite magazine| title = The Immortals: The First Fifty| issue=946| magazine = Rolling Stone| url =https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20060316103016/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty/| url-status =dead| archive-date =March 16, 2006}}</ref>

The [[National Recording Preservation Board]] included his version of "Blue Suede Shoes" in its [[List of recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry|National Recording Registry]] of the [[Library of Congress]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/nrpb-2006reg.html |title=2006 National Recording Registry choices |publisher=Loc.gov |date=2011-05-13 |access-date=2011-11-25}}</ref>

The Perkins family still owns his songs.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

[[Ricky Nelson]] covered Perkins's Boppin' the Blues and Your True Love on his 1957 debut album, ''[[Ricky (album)|Ricky]]''.

Many of the Beatles' live shows had rock 'n' roll covers of Carl Perkins's songs such as Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby, Matchbox and Honey Don't.

[[Drive-By Truckers]], on their album ''[[The Dirty South (album)|The Dirty South]]'', recorded a song about him, "[[Carl Perkins' Cadillac]]".
The Carl Perkins Arena in Jackson, Tennessee, is named in his honor.

''[[George Thorogood and the Destroyers (album)|George Thorogood and the Destroyers]]'' covered Dixie Fried on their 1985 album ''Maverick''. The Kentucky Headhunters also covered the song, as did Keith de Groot on his 1968 album ''No Introduction Necessary'' with [[Jimmy Page]] on lead guitar and John Paul Jones on bass.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.softshoe-slim.com/lists/t/thorogood.html |title=George Thorogood & The Destroyers Albums |publisher=Softshoe-slim.com |access-date=2011-11-25 |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927004127/http://www.softshoe-slim.com/lists/t/thorogood.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Johnny "Kid Memphis" Holiday portrayed Perkins by in the 2005 [[Johnny Cash]] biopic ''[[Walk the Line]]''.

Perkins was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award during the Tennessee Music Awards event in 2018 at the University of Memphis Lambuth in Jackson, Tennessee.

There's a bridge that connects from South Portsmouth, Ky to West Portsmouth, Ohio named after Perkins. It's called the Carl Perkins Bridge.

==Awards==
{{expand section|date=August 2014}}
The following recording by Carl Perkins was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award|Grammy Hall of Fame]], which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance".

{| class=wikitable
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;"| '''Carl Perkins: Grammy Hall of Fame Awards'''<ref name="www.grammy.org hall-of-fame">{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |title=Grammy Hall Of Fame |publisher=Grammy.org |access-date=2015-08-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122042616/http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/awards/hall-of-fame |archive-date=January 22, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref>
|-
! Year Released
! Title
! Genre
! Label
! Year Inducted
! Notes
|- align=center
| 1956
| "[[Blue Suede Shoes]]"
| Rock and Roll (single)
| Sun Records
| 1986
|
|}

==Discography==

===Original albums===
* ''Dance Album'' (1957)
* ''Whole Lotta Shakin''' (1958)
* ''Country Boy's Dream'' (1967)
* ''Original Golden Hits'' (1969)
* ''On Top'' (Columbia, 1969)
* ''Carl Perkins' Greatest Hits'' (1969, re-recordings)
* ''Boppin' the Blues'' (1970, with [[NRBQ]])
* ''My Kind of Country'' (Mercury, 1973)
* ''The Carl Perkins Show'' (1976)
* ''Mr. Country Rock'' (Demand, 1977)
* ''Ol' Blue Suede's Back'' (1978)
* ''Country Soul'' (1979)
* ''Rock 'N Gospel'' (1979)
* ''Cane Creek Glory Church'' (1979)
* ''Live at Austin City Limits'' (1981)
* ''That Rockin' Guitar Man'' (1981)
* ''The [[Million Dollar Quartet]]'' (with [[Elvis Presley]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], and [[Johnny Cash]]) (1981)
* ''[[The Survivors (album)|The Survivors]]'' (with Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash) (1982)
* ''Presenting Carl Perkins'' (Accord, 1982)
* ''Every Road'' (Joker, 1982)
* ''Goin' Back to Memphis'' (Joker, 1982)
* ''Boppin' the New Bleus'' (1982)
* ''Born to Boogie'' (O'Hara Records, 1982)
* ''This Ole House'' (1982)
* ''Presenting'' (1982)
* ''The Heart and Soul of Carl Perkins'' (Allegiance, 1983)
* ''Disciple in Blue Suede Shoes'' (1984)
* ''Gospel'' (1984)
* ''Carl Perkins'' (Dot, 1985)
* ''[[Class of '55]]'' (with [[Roy Orbison]], Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash) (1986)
* ''Original Sun Greatest Hits'' (1986)
* ''[[Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session]]'' (1986)
* ''Up Through the Years 1954–57'' (1986)
* ''[[Born to Rock (album)|Born to Rock]]'' (1989)
* ''706 Re-Union'' (with [[Scotty Moore]]) (1990)
* ''Country Boy's Dream – The Dollie Masters'' (Bear Family, 1991)
* ''Friends, Family & Legends'' (1992)
* ''Carl Perkins & Sons'' (with Greg Perkins and Stan Perkins) (1993)
* ''Take Me Back'' (1993)
* ''[[Go Cat Go!]]'' (with various guest stars) (1996)
* ''The Silver Eagle Cross Country: Carl Perkins Live'' (1997)
* ''Live at Gilley's'' (1999)
* ''Live'' (2000)
* ''Back on Top'' – (Bear Family, 2000; 4 CDs, comprising 1968–1975)

===Guest appearances===
* ''Judds: Greatest Hits Volume II'' (1991)
* ''Philip Claypool: Perfect World'' (1999)

===Charted albums===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Album
! colspan="3" |Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2" | Label
|-
|-
! scope="col" style-"width:2em;font-size:90%;" | [[Billboard 200|US]] <br/><ref name="BB 1959- info">{{cite web |title=Carl Perkins: Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/carl-perkins/chart-history/hsi/ |website=Billboard.com |publisher=Billboard |access-date=January 13, 2024}}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" | [[Top Country Albums|US Country]] <br/><ref name="BB 1959- info"/>
! scope="col" style="width:2em;font-size:90%;" | UK <br/><ref name="UK OCC chart info 2024">{{cite web |title=Official Charts: Artists: Carl Perkins |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/3424/carl-perkins/ |website=OfficialCharts.com |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=January 13, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1969
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Carl Perkins' Greatest Hits'' (re-recordings)
| —
| 32
| —
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Columbia
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| ''On Top''
| —
| 42
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Original Golden Hits''
| —
| 43
| —
| style="text-align:left; | Sun
|-
| 1973
| style="text-align:left;"| ''My Kind of Country''
| —
| 48
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| Mercury
|-
| 1978
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Ol' Blue Suede's Back''
| —
| —
| 38
| style="text-align:left;"| Columbia
|-
| 1982
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[The Survivors Live]]''<br /><small>(with [[Johnny Cash]] and [[Jerry Lee Lewis]])</small>
| —
| 21
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| Columbia
|-
| 1986
| style="text-align:left;"| ''[[Class of '55]]''<br /><small>(with Jerry Lee Lewis, [[Roy Orbison]] and Johnny Cash)</small>
| 87
| 15
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| America/Mercury
|}

===Charted singles===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="6"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! style="width:45px;"| [[Hot Country Songs|US Billboard Country]]<br/><ref name="BB 1959- info"/> <!-- excludes 1956-October 1958 -->
! style="width:45px;"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US Billboard]]<!-- excludes 1956-August/October 1958 -->
! style="width:45px;"| [[Cashbox (magazine)|US Cashbox]]
! style="width:45px;"| [[Cashbox (magazine)|US Cashbox Country]]
! style="width:45px;"| [[RPM (magazine)|CAN Country]]
! style="width:45px;"| UK <br/><ref name="UK OCC chart info 2024"/>
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1956
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Blue Suede Shoes]]"
| 1
| 2
| 2<ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB peak week 1">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Top Singles 4/28/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives/50s_files/19560428.html |website=Cashbox Archives |publisher=Cashbox |access-date=June 14, 2024 |date=April 28, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB peak week 2">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Top Singles 5/05/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives/50s_files/19560428.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 14, 2024 |date=May 5, 1956}}</ref>
| 2{{refn|group=nb|"Blue Suede Shoes" peaked at #2 for 9 weeks.<ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB Country peak week 1">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 03/31/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560331C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=March 31, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB Country peak week 2">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 04/07/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560407C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=April 7, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB Country peak week 3">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 04/14/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560414C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=April 14, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB Country peak week 4">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 04/21/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560421C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=April 21, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB Country peak week 5">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 04/28/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560428C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=April 28, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB Country peak week 6">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 05/05/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560505C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=May 5, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB Country peak week 7">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 05/12/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560512C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=May 12, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB Country peak week 8">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 05/19/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560519C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=May 19, 2024 |date=May 19, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Blue Suede Shoes CB Country peak week 9">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 06/02/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560602C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=June 2, 1956}}</ref>}}
| —
| 10
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| ''Dance Album of&nbsp;... Carl Perkins''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Boppin' the Blues]]"
| 7
| 70
| 47<ref name="Boppin' the Blues CB peak">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Top Singles 6/30/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives/50s_files/19560630.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 14, 2024 |date=June 30, 1956}}</ref>
| 12<ref name="Boppin' the Blues CB Country peak">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 8/04/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19560804C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 15, 2024 |date=August 4, 1956}}</ref>
| —
| —
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Dixie Fried]]"
| 10
| —
| —
| 15{{refn|group=nb|"Dixie Fried" peaked at #15 for 3 weeks.<ref name="Dixie Fried CB Country peak week 1">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 10/13/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19561013C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=October 13, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Dixie Fried CB Country peak week 2">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 10/20/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19561020C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=October 20, 1956}}</ref><ref name="Dixie Fried CB Country peak week 3">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 10/27/56 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19561027C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 16, 2024 |date=October 27, 1956}}</ref>}}
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Original Golden Hits''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "I'm Sorry, I'm Not Sorry"
| flip
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Blue Suede Shoes''
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1957
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Your True Love]]"
| 13
| 67
| —
| 15<ref name="YourTrueLove CB Country peak">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 03/23/1957 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19570323C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 22, 2024 |date=March 23, 1957}}</ref>
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Dance Album of&nbsp;... Carl Perkins''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Lend Me Your Comb"
| —
| —
| 60<ref name="Lend Me Your Comb CB peak">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Top Singles 1/25/58 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives/50s_files/19580125.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 14, 2024 |date=January 25, 1958}}</ref>
| —
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| 
|-
| 1958
| style="text-align:left;"| "Pink Pedal Pushers"
| 17
| 91
| —
| 17<ref name="Pink Pedal Pushers CB Country peak">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 05/31/1958 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/50s_files/19580531C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 22, 2024 |date=May 31, 1958}}</ref>
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| ''The King of Rock''
|-
| 1959
| style="text-align:left;"| "Pointed Toe Shoes"
| —
| 93<ref name="BB 1959- info"/>
| 86<ref name="Pointed Toe Shoes CB peak">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Top Singles 5/23/59 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives/50s_files/19590523.html |website=Cashbox Archives |access-date=June 14, 2024 |date=May 23, 1959}}</ref>
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1966
| style="text-align:left;"| "Country Boy's Dream"
| 22
| —
| —
| 28<ref name="Country Boy's Dream CB Country peak">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 2/18/67 |url=https://cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/60s_files/19670218C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |publisher=Cashbox Magazine |access-date=July 1, 2024 |date=February 18, 1967}}</ref>
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| ''Country Boy's Dream''
|-
| 1967
| style="text-align:left;"| "Shine, Shine, Shine"
| 40
| —
| —
| 41<ref name="Shine, Shine, Shine CB Country peak">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 6/17/67 |url=https://www.cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/60s_files/19670617C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |publisher=Cashbox Magazine |access-date=December 22, 2024 |date=June 17, 1967}}</ref>
| —
| —
|-
| 1969
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Restless (Carl Perkins song)|Restless]]"
| 20
| —
| —
| 30<ref name="Restless CB Country peak">{{cite web |title=Cash Box Country Singles 3/01/69 |url=https://cashboxarchives.com/archives-c/60s_files/19690301C.html |website=Cashbox Archives |publisher=Cashbox Magazine |access-date=July 5, 2024 |date=March 1, 1969}}</ref>
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Carl Perkins' Greatest Hits''
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1971
| style="text-align:left;"| "Me Without You"
| 65
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| ''The Man Behind Johnny Cash''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| "Cotton Top"
| 53
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1972
| style="text-align:left;"| "High on Love"
| 60
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| Single only
|-
| 1973
| style="text-align:left;"| "(Let's Get) Dixiefried" <small>(1973 version)</small>
| 61
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| ''My Kind of Country''
|-
| 1986
| style="text-align:left;"| "[[Birth of Rock and Roll]]"
| 31
| —
| —
| —
| 44
| —
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| ''Class of '55''
|-
| 1987
| style="text-align:left;"| "Class of '55"
| 83
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|-
| 1989
| style="text-align:left;"| "Charlene"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 74
| —
| style="text-align:left;"| ''Born to Rock''
|}

===''Billboard'' Year-end performances===
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! Year
! Song
! Year-end<br>Position
|-
| scope="row" | [[Billboard year-end top 50 singles of 1956|1956]]
| "[[Blue Suede Shoes]]"
| 18
|-
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== General and cited references ==
* Guterman, Jimmy (1998). "Carl Perkins". ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp.&nbsp;412–413.
* {{cite book |first1=Jerry |last1=Naylor |first2=Steve |last2=Halliday |author-link1=Jerry Naylor |isbn=978-1-4234-2042-2 |oclc=71812792 |location=Milwaukee, Wisc. |publisher=Hal Leonard |ref=legends |title=The Rockabilly Legends: They Called It Rockabilly Long Before They Called It Rock and Roll|year=2007 }}
* {{cite news |title=Carl Perkins Dies at 65; Rockabilly Pioneer Wrote 'Blue Suede Shoes' |first=Jon |last=Pareles |author-link=Jon Pareles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/20/arts/carl-perkins-dies-at-65-rockabilly-pioneer-wrote-blue-suede-shoes.html |newspaper=New York Times |date=January 20, 1998 |page=B12 |access-date=December 4, 2009 |ref=nytimesobit}}
* {{Cite book|first1=Carl|last1=Perkins|first2=David|last2=McGee|title=Go, Cat, Go!|publisher=Hyperion Press|year=1996|isbn=0-7868-6073-1 |location=New York |oclc=32895064 |ref=gocatgo}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Carl Perkins}}
* {{IMDb title|1092632|The Carl Perkins Story}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080606014316/http://www.worldguitarists.com/Biographies-in-C/Carl-Perkins.html Carl Perkins biography]
* [http://www.rockabillyhall.com/CarlPerkins.html Perkins's page at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070409051922/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/carlperkins/biography Carl Perkins bio at Rolling Stone]
* [http://history-of-rock.com/perkins.htm Carl Perkins Biography at The History of Rock]
* {{Find a Grave|2438|Carl Perkins}}
{{Carl Perkins}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Carl Perkins
| list =
{{Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album 1980s}}
{{1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Carl}}
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