Pinetop Perkins was one of the last great
Mississippi bluesmen. He began playing
blues in the late 1920s, and is widely regarded as one of
the best – and certainly most enduring – blues pianists. He
has forged a style that has influenced three generations of
piano players, and continues to be the yardstick by which
great blues pianists are measured.
Born Willie Perkins in Belzoni, Mississippi in 1913, Pinetop started out playing guitar and piano at house parties and honky-tonks, but dropped the guitar in the 1940s after sustaining a serious injury in his left arm. He worked primarily in the Mississippi Delta throughout the 1930s and ‘40s, spending three years with Sonny Boy Williamson on the King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. Pinetop also toured extensively with slide guitar player Robert Nighthawk and backed him on an early Chess session. After briefly working with B.B. King in Memphis, Perkins barnstormed the South with Earl Hooker during the early ‘50s. The pair completed a session for Sam Phillips’ famous Sun Records in 1953. It was at this session that he recorded his version of “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie,” a song originally written and recorded by pianist Clarence “Pinetop” Smith – the influential blues pianist who had died from a gunshot wound at age 24 in 1929. Although referred to as “Pinetop” when he played on King Biscuit in the 40s, it was his sensational version of this song that secured his lifelong nickname.
Although he enjoyed success as a solo artist since the 1980s, Pinetop was known for holding down the piano chair in the great Muddy Waters Band for twelve years during the pinnacle of Muddy’s career. Replacing Otis Spann in 1969, Pinetop helped shape the Waters sound and anchored Muddy’s memorable combo throughout the seventies with his brilliant piano solos. In 1980, Pinetop and other members of Muddy’s crew struck out on their own and formed the Legendary Blues Band – a group that recorded two records for Rounder and toured extensively, culling several GRAMMY® nominations.
Born Willie Perkins in Belzoni, Mississippi in 1913, Pinetop started out playing guitar and piano at house parties and honky-tonks, but dropped the guitar in the 1940s after sustaining a serious injury in his left arm. He worked primarily in the Mississippi Delta throughout the 1930s and ‘40s, spending three years with Sonny Boy Williamson on the King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. Pinetop also toured extensively with slide guitar player Robert Nighthawk and backed him on an early Chess session. After briefly working with B.B. King in Memphis, Perkins barnstormed the South with Earl Hooker during the early ‘50s. The pair completed a session for Sam Phillips’ famous Sun Records in 1953. It was at this session that he recorded his version of “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie,” a song originally written and recorded by pianist Clarence “Pinetop” Smith – the influential blues pianist who had died from a gunshot wound at age 24 in 1929. Although referred to as “Pinetop” when he played on King Biscuit in the 40s, it was his sensational version of this song that secured his lifelong nickname.
Although he enjoyed success as a solo artist since the 1980s, Pinetop was known for holding down the piano chair in the great Muddy Waters Band for twelve years during the pinnacle of Muddy’s career. Replacing Otis Spann in 1969, Pinetop helped shape the Waters sound and anchored Muddy’s memorable combo throughout the seventies with his brilliant piano solos. In 1980, Pinetop and other members of Muddy’s crew struck out on their own and formed the Legendary Blues Band – a group that recorded two records for Rounder and toured extensively, culling several GRAMMY® nominations.
Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins
July 7, 1913 - March 21, 2011
July 7, 1913 - March 21, 2011
Please consider honoring
Pinetop's legacy by donating to The Pinetop
Perkins Foundation. Donations can be made
by check or through PayPal.
The Pinetop Perkins
Foundation is a tax exempt non-profit
organization. It's mission is to provide
encouragement and support for youth and young
people at the beginning of their musical career;
and help provide care and safety for elderly
musicians at the twilight of their career.
Setlist :
Set 1:
01 Opening (:18)
02 Instrumental
Opening (4:29)
03 Instrumental Band
Intro (2:38)
04 Instrumental
Pinetop Intro (6:57)
05 High Heeled
Sneakers (5:51)
06 Goin' Down Slow
(6:40)
07 For You, My Love
(4:54)
08 Song For Sunnyland
Slim (8:24)
09 Kansas City (4:15)
10 Hoochie Coochie
Man (7:09)
11 Sweet Home Chicago
(7:49)
Set 2 - Disc 1:
01 Let Me Love You
Baby (5:03)
02 Instrumental
(4:29)
03 Blow Wind Blow
(5:22)
04 You Don't Have To
Go (7:23)
05 Caldonia (6:06)
06 Low Down Dirty
Shame (6:49)
07 Instrumental
(4:22)
08 Take Your Eyes Off
My Woman (6:46)
09 Hold Yourself
(4:33)
10 Miss Ida B. (7:21)
11 Just A Little Bit
(4:39)
12 How Long (6:46)
Set 2 - Disc 2:
01 I Keep On Drinkin'
(To Drive My Blues Away) (6:45)
02 Big Fat Mama
(3:33)
03 I Almost Lost My
Mind (6:50)
04 Got My Mojo
Working (4:48)
05 Outro (2:36)
06 Instrumental
(7:05)
07 Baby, What You
Want Me To Do (7:42)
08 Kidney Stew (7:03)
09 Chains of Love
(7:54)
10 Got My Mojo
Working (5:00)
over 3 hours here !!
Ill call quality of the recording a 8/10
Pinetop Perkins :
electric piano
Tony O : guitar
Matt Turnbull :
harmonica
Danny Spidudo : drums
Jimmy Quinn : bass
LINKS: all zippy
1 comment:
simplemente extraordinario
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