There are many reasons that Carl Perkins never became a superstar of the highest order…the most important element was the presence of label mate Elvis Presley who embraced the same style, and one of Carl’s biggest songs to become a superstar based on great talent and incredible looks and voice…but Carl continued on and was the biggest influence on such as a young George Harrison…here’s a really early clip to show you just how good he was…
Greg Simpson firmly believes his career in the music industry officially began on March 14, 1965 when a band gave him ten dollars as commission for helping them find a gig. He hasn’t looked back since then and looks forward to celebrating his fiftieth in 2015 with an enormous party paid for by the hundreds of dollars he’s made since then. His career has covered all aspects from radio for many years, and including working for record labels, artists and, since 1992, Canadian Music Week where he programs the radio stream and manages all conference streams and events in real time annually. He also attends half a dozen conferences a year doing research for CMW and is generally accepted as a knowledgeable cat with a few stories to tell. At the root of it all, though, is his undying love for music and musicians.
Greg Simpson is the author of ‘Today’s Almost Forgotten Track’ (TAFT)
Email Greg:
gr*************@sh**.ca
Greg’s Website: http://www.mindbenders.ca
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Single-engine airplane crashes and motor vehicle crashes were ever-present risks for musicians in the ’50s and ’60s. Carl almost bought it in a car accident and his subsequent long and painful recovery was often cited as a reason he didn’t become a much bigger star. For years I mistakenly thought he was related to Luther Perkins of Johnny Cash’s Tennessee Two because Carl subbed for him. (Luther avoided car crashes, but died in a 1968 housefire after falling asleep with a lit cigarette.)
Still, I’m sure they never had to have a tag day for Carl after those Beatles cover versions began a never-ending flow of royalties. If memory serves, Carl was performing a duet called Get It with Paul McCartney in 1981. Back in his hotel room, he reflected on his long relationship with the Fab Four, put pen to paper, fingers to guitar and wrote My Old Friend.
When he played it the next day, he was stunned when Macca burst into tears. It had triggered deep feelings in Paul about John’s death a year earlier. Paul did his own version which, along with Get It, appeared on Tug of War the following year.