Carl Perkins: Spreading That Blue Suede All Around the World

Carl Perkins: Spreading That Blue Suede All Around the World

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Rockabilly King Carl Perkins? Yes, "Blue Suede Shoes." Congratulations. I hope no one out there thinks that Elvis wrote this rockin' ditty. His version seems to be the one everybody remembers. Chalk it up to hair and hips. But it was the El's buddy Carl, the poor 'ol sharecropper's son from Tennessee, who wrote and first recorded it. Since its release in January 1956, there's never been a shortage of blue suede in the world of rock. The song has been covered by everyone from The Beatles and Buddy Holly to Bill Haley and Pat Boone. But I'll bet you didn't know that some rather unlikely artists have also recorded and performed this most sacred of rock tunes. Here's a smathering of some rather outré Blue Suede renditions, plus covers of other Perkins classics.

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Thank you, Elvis (and Radio Luxembourg)

Thank you, Elvis (and Radio Luxembourg)

Way back in drab, post-war England, teenaged boys with bad teeth and sun-starved skin - bored to tears with BBC Radio's unflinching policy of airing nothing but show tunes and classical music - were stringing wires around their small, government-built "council houses" so they could tune in to the one radio station that gave them a reason to live. What they found - from across the English channel - was the infamous "pirate station," Radio Luxembourg. What they heard was a black-sounding white man named Elvis Presley. And what changed their lives was a moody little tune called "Heartbreak Hotel." Here's a tribute to Elvis, on what would have been his 80th birthday.

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Happy Birthday, Scotty Moore: Rock’s First Lead Guitarist

Happy Birthday, Scotty Moore: Rock’s First Lead Guitarist

"Everyone else wanted to be Elvis; I wanted to be Scotty," Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards once told music writer James L. Dickerson. He's referring, of course, to Scotty Moore, the finger-picking phenomenon who has long been considered rock's first lead guitarist. Mr. Moore, who turns 83 today, was Elvis Presley's sizzling sideman from 1954 through the mid-'60s. He combined elements of country, western, blues and R&B to create the signature sounds you've heard on countless classic recordings: "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "That's All Right," "Good Rockin' Tonight," and "Mystery Train," to name a few.

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Let the Jukebox Keep on Playing

Let the Jukebox Keep on Playing

December 19, 1980: That was the last time I dropped a quarter into a jukebox and had the pleasure of hearing THREE songs. I'm thinking they were "Brass in Pocket," "Emotional Rescue" and "Romeo's Tune." Why would I recollect those kinds of details? Because they relate to a memorable first date, that's why. In my heyday, jukeboxes and romance went together like woofers and tweeters. On this date in 1889, the world's first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. The majestic music boxes would go on to provide the soundtrack to many a 20th century romantic rendezvous.

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Scott Joplin and the Meaning of ‘Ragtime’

Scott Joplin and the Meaning of ‘Ragtime’

Composer and pianist Scott Joplin, The King of Ragtime, was born on November 24, 1868. Most people know his music from the 1973 movie "The Sting," which featured his tunes as interpreted by the late pianist Marvin Hamlisch. The film created a resurgence in the popularity of Ragtime music. But do you know how the genre got its name?

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