_Life Of A Legend
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Pinetop Perkins was one of the Last Great Mississippi Bluesmen. He began playing the Blues in the late 1920's and is widely regarded as one of the best-and sertainly the most enduring- blues pianist. He has forged a style that has influenced three generations of piano players, and continues to be the yardstick by wich great blues pianist are measured. Pinetop started out playing guitar and piano at house parties and Honky-Tonks, but dropped the guitar in the 1940's after substaining a serious injury in his left arm.He worked primarily in the Mississippi Delta throughout the 1930's and 40's, spending three years with Sonny Boy Williamson on the King Buiscuit Time Radio Show on KFF Helena, Arkansas. Pinetop also toured extensively with slide guitar player Robert Nighthawk and backed him on an early chess session.
After breifly working with BB King in Memphis, Perkins barnstormed the South with Earl Hooker in the early 50's. The pair completed a session for Sam Phillips' famous Sun Records in 1953. It was at this session that he recorded his version of "Pinetop's Booggie Woogie," originally written and recorded by pianist Clarance "Pinetop" Smith. Willie Joe "Pinetop" Perkins secured this nickname after playing his sensational version of that song on the King Buiscuit Radio Station. |