Carl Perkins

Carl Perkins was the first artist to score a Top 10 rockabilly hit in the States. The first artist to chart in the pop, R&B and Country charts with the same record - Blue Suede Shoes.. Major pioneer of rockabilly and rock'n'roll whose guitar playing was an integral part of his success and who inspired George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Dave Edmunds and countless other aspiring guitarists. A car crash on the way to New York to appear on the Perry Como Show, robbed Carl of national exposure and laid him up in hospital with multiple injuries when he should have been cashing in on the success of Blue Suede Shoes. Glad All Over, written by Elvis tunesmiths, Schroeder, Tepper and Bennett was featured in the film Jamboree and covered by The Beatles in 1963 on their BBC radio sessions. A successful song writer (he penned eight of the tracks on this release), he also wrote hits for the likes of Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and The Judds. This release contains a previously unissued version of Sweethearts Or Strangers. Matchbox is one of several of Carl's songs covered by the Beatles. Put Your Cat Clothes On, a classic Perkins track that wasn't released until the 1970s, was covered by Brian Setzer of The Stray Cats. These sides, all recorded in 1957, highlight Carl at his finest, be it on country numbers like Your True Love or down home rockers like Dixie Fried and That's Right. The latter had one verse edited out on the British London-American release because of the use of the word "bugger". Carl subsequently moved to Columbia Records but never quite recaptured the magic of his timeless Sun recordings.