Carl Perkins

Carl Lee Perkins was a rockabilly pioneer and guitarist whose 1956 recording of 'Blue Suede Shoes' for Sun Records was one of the first records to top the pop, country, and R&B charts simultaneously. Born to poor cotton sharecroppers in western Tennessee, he learned guitar from an African American field worker named 'Uncle John' Westbrook, and the blues influence in his playing and singing was unmistakable. His guitar style, which combined country fingerpicking with blues bending and rhythmic drive, directly influenced George Harrison, Keith Richards, and the entire first generation of rock guitarists. He continued performing and recording as a respected elder statesman of rockabilly and country music.