Not every beloved artist strives to match The Beatles’ legendary status. Despite artists’ best efforts to break into the industry, factors such as the lack of a hit single or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time can cast them into obscurity, often through no fault of their own. While Tom Petty achieved great success and became one of the most famous names in rock and roll, he believed Carl Perkins deserved far more recognition than he received.
When considering Petty’s major influences, he appeared to be born nearly ten years too late. Although he grew up in the same rock scenes that gave birth to the punk movement and the latter half of psychedelia, Petty found himself drawn to the type of rock and roll that existed before The Beatles. He admired Elvis Presley’s music before The Beatles even crossed the pond.
Even though Perkins was already a fixture in the rock scene as a guitarist, his time as a hitmaker seemed fleeting. After securing the opportunity to appear on various TV shows, much of the glory seemed to steal away his name when Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ became one of his most popular hits.
Perkins spent the majority of his career as a guitarist. He also appeared to be the type of musician that only the most dedicated guitarists would recognise. Despite all of the big names that came after him, Perkins’ name was shining. George Harrison adopted his first name while The Beatles were touring Hamburg. Paul McCartney asked him to sit in with him on the song ‘Get It’ from Tug of War.
Despite efforts by rock stars to elevate Perkins, Tom Petty believed he often overlooked him. He told Rolling Stone, “Considering how important he is to rock history, many people don’t know about him… He did not get the breaks he deserve. Bad luck seemed to follow him around. He was in a terrible car accident on his way to The Ed Sullivan Show as ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ was breaking big. Elvis eventually covered the song and received a lot of credit for it.”
That didn’t stop Tom Petty from supporting Perkins whenever possible. Aside from inviting him to play with The Heartbreakers on several occasions, Petty would also feature Perkins on record. He delivered a fiery performance of the rockabilly romp ‘Cabin Down Below’ from his album Wildflowers.
According to those who worked on the session, Petty admitted to being completely starstruck. With studio manager Shivaun O’Brien he recalled in Sound City, “They get done. And Petty throws his hands down on the table and just says, ‘It’s Carl fucking Perkins. Can you believe it? However, Perkins’ spirit could be felt before the band even plugged him in during the session.”
Perkins’ work influenced the chemistry between Petty and guitarist Mike Campbell. It became evident by the signature hiccup in their performance. Perkins may still be regarded as an afterthought when compared to Little Richard and Elvis Presley, but for an entire generation of guitarists, he is one of the quietest legends to have ever lived.
