Carl Perkins

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The definitive biography of the musical trailblazer who launched the rockabilly craze with his  classic “Blue Suede Shoes,” was the influence behind countless other legendary hits, and who became a rock and roll legend in his own right, the original rockabilly cat—Carl Perkins.

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. His influence is enormous. As Paul McCartney said, “If there were no Carl Perkins, there would be no Beatles.” One Beatle was such a fan that he gave himself the stage name Carl Harrison. 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 rough and 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, Presley, Cash, and countless other artists from The Beatles, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan to Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix 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 “Mr. Blue Suede Shoes” and his one-of-a-kind legacy.Praise for Keith Urban by Jeff Apter
 
“Keith Urban has done just about everything in country music that anyone could ever imagine. This biography by Jeff Apter reveals the highlights and struggles in getting there. I loved looking at the pictures, not just the celebrations that he’s had, but the pictures of his youth really caught my attention. The look in his eyes had the look of destiny. To use one of Keith’s quotes, ‘Nashville’s not my dream. It’s my destiny.’” —Ricky Skaggs, 15-time Grammy Award-winning musician
 
“Jeff Apter’s Keith Urban had dreamed of Nashville stardom ever since he was a young, guitar-pickin’ boy from a working class home in Australia. It didn’t happen easily or quickly, but came through hard work and tenaciousness. In lively prose, Apter takes us on every happy twist and frustrating turn that Urban faced on his way to the top.” —Elizabeth J. Rosenthal, author of Master of Drums: Gene Krupa and the Music He Gave the World
 
“He ain’t just that Aussie cowboy with the golden locks and godly good looks who seemingly came out of nowhere in the early 2000s, set the country and pop charts ablaze with his honey-sweet songs, and married a movie star. No, ma’am. There’s more than that to Keith Urban—much more. From his humble beginnings in blue-collar Brisbane to crooning for swooning swarms in rhinestone-studded Nashville, overcoming addiction, and filling stadiums and tabloid covers around the world, Urban has ridden a long, rocky road to the top, a road full of breathtaking highs, heartbreaking lows, and everything in between. Jeff Apter’s long-awaited biography of this beloved modern troubadour is a riveting read that no music fan will want to miss.” —Peter Aaron, author of The Band FAQ and coauthor of Richie Ramone’s autobiography, I Know Better Now: My Life Before, During and After the Ramones
 
“Jeff Apter’s perceptive biography is an ideal homage to one of our era’s most seminal country musicians. It tells a tale much like the wild and free genre of country music, and the land down under that Keith Urban came from: natural and raw, full of true spirit, and steeped in authenticity.” —Jude Warne, author of America, the Band: An Authorized Biography and Boz Scaggs
 
“A detailed chronicle of the multi-decade, winding path that has made Keith Urban a Nashville superstar and household name . . . veritable who’s who of Australian and international Country music names, specifying those who contributed and collaborated with Keith to ensure his dream was made reality.” —GLAM AdelaideJeff Apter is the author of more than thirty books about music and musicians. His subjects include AC/DC’s Bon Scott and the Young brothers, Daniel Johns of Silverchair, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Cure, Dave Grohl, Jeff Buckley, and many others.As a ghostwriter and co-author, he’s worked with Kasey Chambers, Mark Evans (of AC/DC) and Richard Clapton, and while on staff at Rolling Stone he wrote about legends such as Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith, Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan, Chrissie Hynde and Lucinda Williams. He lives in the New South Whales South Coast with his wife, two children, and enough pets to fill a small zoo. Visit him online at jeffapter.com.au.US

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