Perkins was born in Belzoni, Mississippi. He began his career as a guitarist, but then injured the tendons in his left arm in a fight with a chorus girl in Helena, Arkansas. Unable to play guitar, Perkins switched to the piano, and also switched from Robert Nighthawk's KFFA radio program to Sonny Boy Williamson's King Biscuit Time. He continued working with Nighthawk, however, accompanying him on 1950's "Jackson Town Gal".
In the 1950s, Perkins joined Earl Hooker and began touring. He recorded "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" (written by Pinetop Smith) at Sam Phillips' studio in Memphis, Tennessee. ("They used to call me Pinetop," he recalled, "because I played that song.") However, Perkins was only 15 years old in 1928, when Smith originally recorded "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie".
Perkins then relocated to Illinois and left the music business until Hooker convinced him to record again in 1968. Perkins replaced Otis Spann when he left the Muddy Waters band in 1969.[3] After ten years with that organization, he formed The Legendary Blues Band with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, recording through the late 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.
Perkins played a brief musical cameo on the street outside Aretha's Soul Food Cafe in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers, having an argument with John Lee Hooker over who wrote "Boom Boom." He also appeared in the 1987 movie Angel Heart as a member of guitarist Toots Sweet's band.
Although he appeared as a sideman on countless recordings, Perkins never had an album devoted solely to his artistry, until the release of After Hours on Blind Pig Records in 1988. The tour in support of the album also featured Jimmy Rogers and guitarist Hubert Sumlin. In 1998 Perkins released the album Legends featuring Sumlin.
Perkins was driving his automobile in 2004 in La Porte, Indiana when he was hit by a train. The car was wrecked but the 91-year-old driver was not seriously hurt. Until his death, Perkins lived in Austin, Texas. He usually performed a couple of nights a week at Nuno's on Sixth Street. In 2005, Perkins received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2008, Perkins received a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album for Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas together with Henry James Townsend, Robert Lockwood, Jr. and David Honeyboy Edwards. He was also nominated in the same category for his solo album, Pinetop Perkins on the 88's: Live in Chicago.
The song "Hey Mr. Pinetop Perkins", performed by Perkins and Angela Strehli, played on the common misconception that Perkins wrote "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie":
Hey Mr. Pinetop Perkins
I got a question for you
How'd you write that first boogie woogie
The one they named after you
At the age of 97, he won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album for Joined at the Hip, an album he recorded with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. Perkins thus became the oldest-ever Grammy winner, edging out comedian George Burns who had won in the spoken word category 21 years earlier (Perkins had tied with Burns, at the age of 90, in 2004).
A little more than a month later, Perkins died on 21 March 2011 at his home in Austin. At the time of his death, the musician had more than 20 performances booked for 2011. Shortly before that, while discussing his late career resurgence with an interviewer, he conceded, "I can't play piano like I used to either. I used to have bass rolling like thunder. I can't do that no more. But I ask the Lord, please forgive me for the stuff I done trying to make a nickel." Along with David "Honeyboy" Edwards, he was one of the last two original Mississippi Delta blues musicians, and also one of the last to have a personal knowledge of, and friendship with, Robert Johnson.
Selected discography
1976: Boogie Woogie King (recorded 1976, released 1992)
1977: Hard Again (Muddy Waters)
1988: After Hours
1992: Pinetop Perkins with the Blue Ice Band
1992: On Top
1993: Portrait of a Delta Bluesman
1995: Live Top (with the Blue Flames)
1996: Eye to Eye (with Ronnie Earl, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Calvin "Fuzz" Jones)[9]
1997: Born in the Delta
1998: Sweet Black Angel
1998: Legends (with Hubert Sumlin)
1998: Down In Mississippi
1999: Live at 85! (with George Kilby Jr)
2000: Back On Top
2003: Heritage of the Blues: The Complete Hightone Sessions
2003: All Star Blues Jam (with Bob Margolin et al.)
2003: 8 Hands on 88 Keys - Chicago Blues Piano Masters The Sirens Records
2004: Ladies Man
2007: 10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads (with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and the Muddy Waters Band—Live)
2008: Pinetop Perkins and Friends
2010: Joined At the Hip (with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith)
2012: Heaven (with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on one track and liner notes by Justin O'Brien)
I
Pinetop Perkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every day, every day I have the blues,
When you see me worried, baby, because it's you I hate to lose.
Nobody loves me, nobody seems to care,
Nobody loves me, nobody seems to care,
Speaking of bad luck and trouble will you know I,ve had my share.
I'm gonna pack my suit-case, moving down the line,
Well, there ain't nobody worryin' and there ain't nobody cryin'.
Seems to me every day, every day I have the blues,
Every day, every day I have the blues...
Pinetop Perkins's "Every Day I Have the Blues" is a classic blues song that speaks of the singer's struggles with loneliness and heartbreak. The song depicts the feeling of despair and anguish that fills the singer's soul every single day. The first verse sets the tone for the entirety of the song, with the repeated lyrics "Every day, every day I have the blues," giving the song a sense of consistency.
Perkins's lyrics convey the idea that despite the many challenges he has faced in life, it is the loss of his love that haunts him the most. The line "When you see me worried, baby, because it's you I hate to lose" reaffirms that it is the memories of his lost love that continue to torment him. The songwriter emphasizes how lonely he is and how he feels like no one cares for him with the lyric, "Nobody loves me, nobody seems to care."
The chorus follows with the repetition of the phrase "every day" which serves as a reminder of the singer's constant dissatisfaction and pain. He expresses his desire to move on from his current situation and pack his suitcase to leave town. He reasons that there is no longer anyone who is worried or saddened by his departure.
Overall, Perkins's "Every Day I Have the Blues" conveys a strong sense of despair, heartbreak, and loneliness. The song's lyrics explore the singer's feelings of loss and social isolation, which are common themes found throughout the blues genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Every day, every day I have the blues,
I feel sad and downhearted every day.
When you see me worried, baby, because it's you I hate to lose.
I am worried that I might lose you, and that makes me even more sad.
Nobody loves me, nobody seems to care,
I feel alone and unloved because nobody seems to care about me.
Speaking of bad luck and trouble will you know I,ve had my share.
I have had more than my fair share of bad luck and trouble.
I'm gonna pack my suit-case, move on down the line,
I am going to leave this place and start fresh somewhere else.
Well, there ain't nobody worryin' and there ain't nobody cryin'.
Nobody seems to care that I am leaving, and nobody is sad to see me go.
Seems to me every day, every day I have the blues,
My sadness and loneliness seem to be a constant part of my life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
audiophile man
I've said it once, and I'll say it again: jazz and the blues are at the heart of all great music. Can you feel it all the way down in the depths of your soul? I can!
Hugo Schulz
this is BLEUS !
M.S.G
So classical music isn’t great? Opera isn’t great?
audiophile man
@M.S.G Yes, they're great. When I said that jazz and blues are at the heart of all great music, I meant MODERN music.
Sam Brown
I agree you just feel this kind of music instantly in your whole body
Electric Tofu Muffins
Yes. We can use this to explain to the aliens who we are.
per bonde
Pinetop Perkins, saw him in Minneapolis back in 2006 at the prime age of 93, what an incredible performance, a true performer, gentleman, most of all incredible music that touched our soul to the core. Rest in peace, may your heavenly music play on and on and on, thank you for your contribution mate
Heather Lunergan
Pinetop played at the Fredericton Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in 1996. Our grand-daughter was born in Ontario as he was finishing his set. I was on the plane to Toronto with him on Sept. 15 as he returned to Chicago and I went to hold my new grandchild. It was an honour to share a plane ride with him. Fabulous musician and a truly humble human being.
Betsy Cawn
Grew up with friends and family hammering the piano -- our only family treasure -- and raising their voices in harmony for fun. This sweet intonation and lighthearted plea goes right into my heart, wish they were all here.
Blues Piano Sheets
What a wonderful comment Betsy, those were the best times when friends or family would gather around a piano. When I was young, every bar or pub had a piano and you could walk in and start playing and the next thing everyone gathered around. Now you hardly ever see a piano in bar. Merry Xmas