Carl Lee Perkins (9 April 1932 – 19 January 1998) was an American pioneer of rockabilly music, a mix of rhythm and blues and country music that evolved at Sun Records in Memphis in the early 1950s.

Considered by many to be one of the best rockabilly singers of all-time, Carl Perkins provided ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ for Elvis after he himself had had a Top Ten hit with it; indeed, Elvis’ version itself only reached #20 in the chart. Therefore, on the strength of this, it is believed by many that, if it had not been for a car accident and the time spent recuperating, Carl Perkins may have become as big as Elvis. Instead, he had only that one Top 40 hit. His early recordings show how heavily influenced by Hank Williams.

However, at the same time, Carl might in any case have always had a drawback in any attempt he made to reach superstardom: his rock ‘n’ roll was the real thing and not watered down for the masses. His reference to ‘drink my ... read more »