Blues legend Pinetop Perkins Dead at 97

Blues legend Pinetop Perkins Dead at 97
March 22, 2011
Rhetta Akamatsu
Examiner.com

Atlanta blues fans join the blues community worldwide in honoring the life and work of Pinetop Perkins, who died yesterday, March 21, at age 97. He died at home in Austin, Texas.

PInetop Perkins was born Joe Willie Perkins in 1913 in Belzoni, Mississippi. He started out his musical career playing guitar and piano in juke joints and at house parties, but sustained a serious injury to his arm in a fight in the 1940's, after which he dropped the guitar. He went on to become one of the greatest blues paino players in the music business.

In the last 1960's, Perkins joined Muddy Water's band and played with them for 12 years. In 1980 he and other members of the band struck out on their own as the Legendary Blues Band. They played together into the 1990's, after which Perkins continued performing and recording as a solo artist. Between 1988 and 2011, he played on 16 albums, including several collaborations with other blues legends like Hubert Sumlin and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith.

In 2005, Pinetop Perkins received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his seven decades in the blues. He also won a Grammy in 2008 for Best Traditional Blues Album and just a little over a month ago, he won for his collaboration with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Joined at the Hip.

Pinetop Perkins lived his life as a blues man, and he died a blues man. At the time of his death, he had at least 20 more performances already scheduled for 2011.

Here's hoping that in the afterlife, Mr. Perkins has a fine honky tonk piano to play on when he wants to, and a fine place to rest when he doesn't. EIther way, rest assured you'll be remembered down here, Pinetop Perkins.

Information in this article is from the Pinetop Perkins Official Website. The website requests that fans consider honoring Pinetop Perkins with a donation to the Pinetop Perkins Foundation, whose mission is to support and encouragement young musicians and provide support and aid to older musicians who need it. Please visit the website to make donations by Paypal, or mail contributions to The Pinetop Perkins Foundation, P.O. Box 1916, Clarksdale, MS 36614.