“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;”>The blues lost another legend on Monday, March 21, 2011 with the passing of Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins at the age of 97 in Austin, Texas. Born near Belzoni, Mississippi on July 7, 1913, Perkins didn’t achieve widespread recognition as a musician until his mid-50s, when he replaced the great Otis Spann as the pianist in the band of blues great Muddy Waters.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> During his twenties, Perkins spent several years living and playing in St. Louis, before returning South to eventually work with famed bluesmen Robert Nighthawk and Sonny Boy Williamson in Helena, Arkansas in the 1940s – appearing with Nighthawk on regular broadcasts on radio station KFFA, then playing with Williamson on the “King Biscuit Time” broadcasts.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> Perkins returned to the St. Louis area once again in the 1950s, spending several years based in East St. Louis and also Cairo, Illinois, before moving to Chicago in 1958 and eventually working with slide guitarist Earl Hooker for several years, then joining Waters’ band from 1960 to 1980.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> Perkins gained the nickname of “Pinetop” thanks to his memorable rendition of the song, “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie,” originally written and recorded by Clarence “Pinetop” Smith in the 1920s. And thanks to his growing fame as a member of Water’s band – and his contributions to classic recordings such as
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>Hard Again “mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>I’m Ready Perkins finally had the chance to record as a leader.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> At the age of 75, Perkins finally recorded his first American album, After Hours, in 1988. Perkins went on to record several more releases as a leader, and participated in several tours with the Legendary Blues Band, sharing the stage with blues luminaries Jimmy Rogers, Hubert Sumlin, Snooky Pryor and Sam Lay.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> It was with that band that I first had the chance to hear Perkins perform live, and also had the chance to meet him. The Blues Legends were part of a six-day Blues Festival put together by famed music event producer George Wein (who started the Newport Jazz Festival) that rolled through St. Louis in October 1988.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> Headliners like Ray Charles, Albert King, Johnny Winter and Dr. John played at the Fox Theater, while a mix of national names such as James Cotton, Otis Rush, Albert Collins and the Blues Legends band shared the stage at Mississippi nights for three evenings with St. Louis blues greats Henry Townsend, Oliver Sain, Johnny Johnson and others.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> The Blues Legends closed the Saturday night show, following lengthy sets by Cotton, Rush, Ronnie Earl, Billy Peek and David Dee, and didn’t take the stage until after midnight. As a writer covering the festival, I was able to get access to the area reserved for the performers.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> The musician I remember most vividly was Pinetop. He wore his ever-present fedora, and sipped a drink while waiting patiently to finally get on stage. When he found out we shared the same last name, he made a joke about “distant cousins,” and we both laughed. Over the next half-hour he talked and told stories about touring with Muddy Waters, working as a mechanic to make ends meet in the 1950s, tutoring a young Ike Turner in Mississippi on the intricacies of blues piano playing, and reminiscing about a list of blues legends he had played with or heard that stretched back to the 1920s.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> I had the chance to hear Pinetop play several more times in St. Louis over the next few years – from an appearance at the 1993 Blues Heritage Festival to a performance with an all-star blues tour that played the Family Arena in St. Charles in 2004. Despite his years, he always brought energy and feeling to the keyboard every time he performed.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> Pinetop had won his third Grammy earlier this year for his 2010 recording with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith,
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>Joined at the Hip “mso-spacerun: yes;”> came onstage to play piano at a Bobby Rush concert that was part of Austin’s annual South By Southwest festival.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> When I heard Pinetop Perkins had passed away, I immediately thought of sitting with him at Mississippi Nights more than two decades ago. I was happy to learn that he was still playing music, almost up until the day he died.
“font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Verdana; color: black;”> Pinetop will be buried Saturday April 2 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Like St. Louis’ own Henry Townsend, his life reflected almost a century of blues music. He will be missed, but his music lives on.
