Is Carl Perkins one of the Most Underrated Influential Artists of All Time?

His influence is overlooked,maybe because there were so many influential guitar players around at that time ,who were more household names. That's how it is.

Jerry Reed is another guitar player that is not given enough credit.

quote:

---

Is Carl Perkins one of the Most Underrated Influential Artists of All Time?

---

Alex, what is another statement for some reason posed as a question?

quote:

---

Pretty much created modern rock music

Really connected the blues, which became rockabilly, which became rock n roll.

---

whoa there hoss

I love Carl as much as anybody, but Elvis was already making rockabilly before Carl ever recorded

quote:

---

I love Carl as much as anybody, but Elvis was already making rockabilly before Carl ever recorded

---

Elvis is on record as being influenced by Perkins when he first saw him at the El Rancho in the late 40s. More specifically, Elvis saw Perkins perform Blue Moon of Kentucky, which then inspired Elvis' version. Yes, Elvis was recording first, but Perkins was playing the region's clubs first.

quote:

---

Elvis is on record as being influenced by Perkins when he first saw him at the El Rancho in the late 40s

---

Do have a quote, or a source besides Perkins himself? I find it hard to believe a 14 year old from a family on public assistance was traveling from Memphis to Jackson TN to go to a honky tonk.

I'm just going off of various articles, which as you say, may only be from Perkins talking shite. Who knows. Gene Vincent was on record saying something similar, but he and Perkins were good friends.

"During July 1954, Perkins and his wife heard a new release of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black on the radio and Valda told Carl that someone in Memphis understood what he was doing and he should go see him. Later, Presley told Perkins that he had traveled to Jackson and seen Perkins and his group playing at El Rancho. As "Blue Moon of Kentucky faded out, Carl said, "There's a man in Memphis who understands what we're doing. I need to go see him."

Years later fellow musician Gene Vincent told an interviewer that, rather than "Blue Moon of Kentucky" being a "new sound", "a lot of people were doing it before that, especially Carl Perkins."

LINK

Rockabilly Session With Carl Perkins and Friends

quote:

---

Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session was a televised concert that was held on 21 October 1985 in London, England, and featured rock n' roll pioneer Carl Perkins and his house band, along with friends as guest stars, including Eric Clapton, former Beatles George Harrison and Ringo Starr, as well as Dave Edmunds who acted as musical director for the show. Most of the repertoire performed in the concert consisted of Perkins' classic rockabilly songs from the 1950s. It was directed by Tom Gutteridge. The concert special was originally broadcast in 1985 on Channel 4 in the UK and on Cinemax in 1986 with introductory comments by Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis. The concert is a memorable highlight of Perkins' later career and has been highly praised by fans for the spirited performances delivered by Perkins and his famous guests. It was the first public performance by George Harrison in more than ten years.

---

Carl Perkins is the real deal. I think he may have been a bit too old and ugly for the teeny bopper crowd that made Elvis so huge. But my Dad, who grew up back then and saw Elvis, Cash, Jones, James Brown, etc in their prime always said none of them could carry Carl's Jock Strap.