Overview

He was the King of Rockabilly, and one of rock and roll's true pioneers. A groundbreaking guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Carl Perkins inspired countless musicians in country, rock, and pop music. Now acclaimed music writer Jeff Apter recounts Carl Perkins's remarkable life story--the triumphs, tragedies, and career highlights that include some of the most pivotal moments in music history. Born in Tennessee to poor sharecroppers, Carl grew up listening to gospel and country music, learned blues guitar from a fellow field hand, and started writing songs at age fourteen. He plied his trade in rowdy honky-tonks, performing with his brothers before beginning his recording career at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis. It was there that Carl became a member of the fabled Million Dollar Quartet, alongside Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1955, he wrote and recorded ""Blue Suede Shoes,"" the first record by a Sun artist to sell over a million copies. But then a fateful car crash stalled his career, one of many tragedies in Carl's life. Over the following decades, countless artists performed and recorded his songs and became Carl's friends, collaborators, and champions. Rich with insider detail and background into Carl's private battles, humanitarian work, and personal inspirations, this is a fascinating, in-depth look at his one-of-a-kind legacy.

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Jeff Apter is the author of more than thirty books about music and musicians, and his work has been published all around the world. His subjects include Keith Urban, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, AC/DC's Bon Scott and the Young brothers, the Bee Gees, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Cure, and Dave Grohl. He was on staff at Australian Rolling Stone for several years. He lives on the NSW South Coast with his wife and two children, and enough pets to fill a small zoo. Alex Knox is a classically trained actor, equally comfortable as a leading man and a comedic character performer. In addition to a long list of theater credits, he has appeared in commercials, hosted a web series (""Science Talks with Alex Knox""), and, as an improv performer, entertained thousands of guests at Southern California's theme parks. Alex wrote No Static at All, a one-man play about seeking spiritual enlightenment through the music of Steely Dan, and has performed the show to sold-out houses in New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and the Yale School of Drama. Alex Knox is a classically trained actor, equally comfortable as a leading man and a comedic character performer. In addition to a long list of theater credits, he has appeared in commercials, hosted a web series (""Science Talks with Alex Knox""), and, as an improv performer, entertained thousands of guests at Southern California's theme parks. Alex wrote No Static at All, a one-man play about seeking spiritual enlightenment through the music of Steely Dan, and has performed the show to sold-out houses in New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and the Yale School of Drama.

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