Retro Dee is a regular contributor to The Grooveyard’s website, writing about music, fashion and other trends of the 1950s. Check out her blog, Retro Dee’s Guide to the Best Era Ever here, and her column here every week.
Hi folks. For this installment of “Today We Remember” we’re going to have a look at three famous Rockabilly classics by a Mr. Carl Perkins who was born in Tiptonville, TN on April 9, 1932.
“Blue Suede Shoes”
This song might be associated best with Elvis Presley, but “Blue Suede Shoes” was actually written by Carl Perkins who first recorded it at Sun Records on December 19, 1955.
Perkins’ inspiration for the song is said to be when he was playing in a club one night and a couple was dancing close to the stage. He overheard the young man telling his gal “Uh-uh don’t step on my suedes!” at which point, Perkins noticed the young man was wearing blue shoes.
And so, a classic was born.
Many other artists have covered “Blue Suede Shoes” including Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Eddie Cochran. Whatever version you prefer, there’s no denying the Rockabilly genius of Carl Perkins and his original “Blue Suede Shoes.”
“Honey Don’t”
Another song made famous by Presley, this too is a Carl Perkins-penned original. “Honey Don’t” was the B-Side to “Blue Suede Shoes” and was released on January 1, 1956. This song was also famously covered by The Beatles.
“Matchbox”
This song was also written by Carl Perkins and was recorded on December 4, 1956. Jerry Lee Lewis played piano on the original track. “Matchbox” has some of the same lyrics as the 1920s blues songs by Ma Rainey and Blind Lemon Jefferson, however with different music.
Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox” was released in 1957 by Sun Records, with “Your True Love” on the B Side.
Thank you for reading my post on Carl. If you like, you can read my mini-bio on Mr. Perkins HERE.
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