[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 136 (Tuesday, October 16, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING MR. JOE WILLIE ``PINETOP'' PERKINS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 16, 2012

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one 
of the best blues pianists known, Mr. Joe Willie ``Pinetop'' Perkins.
  Pinetop was born Joe Willie Perkins in Belzoni, Mississippi, on July 
7, 1913. Pinetop dropped out of school after the third grade. He taught 
himself the rudiments of blues guitar on a homemade instrument called a 
diddley bow: a length of wire stretched between nails driven into a 
wall. He began entertaining at dances and house parties at age 10 and 
soon learned to play the piano as well. While still in his teens he 
left Mississippi and traveled to Chicago. But he came back to 
Mississippi and didn't decide to make Chicago his home until the 1950s.
  He worked primarily in the Mississippi Delta throughout the 1930s and 
'40s, spending three years with Sonny Boy Williamson on the King 
Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. Pinetop also 
toured extensively with slide guitar player Robert Nighthawk. After 
briefly working with B.B. King in Memphis, Pinetop ``barnstormed'' the 
South with Earl Hooker during the early '50s. The pair completed a 
session for Sam Phillips' famous Sun Records in 1953. It was at this 
session that he recorded his version of ``Pinetop's Boogie Woogie,'' a 
song originally written and recorded by pianist Clarence ``Pinetop'' 
Smith--the influential blues pianist who died from a gunshot wound at 
age 24 in 1929. Willie Perkins was already being referred to as 
``Pinetop'' when he played on King Biscuit in the '40s, but it was his 
sensational version of this song that secured him the lifelong nickname 
of ``Pinetop.''
  Pinetop Perkins started out playing guitar and piano at house parties 
and honky-tonks. In the 1940s, he had to drop the guitar due to an 
encounter with an outraged chorus girl in a Helena, Arkansas, nightspot 
when she knifed him, leaving him with severed tendons in his left arm. 
That dashed his guitar aspirations, but Pinetop came back strong from 
the injury, concentrating solely on piano from that point on.
  Pinetop is known for holding down the piano chair in the great Muddy 
Waters Band for twelve years during the pinnacle of Muddy's career. 
Replacing Otis Spann in 1969, Pinetop helped shape the Waters sound and 
anchored Muddy's memorable combo throughout the '70s with his brilliant 
piano solos. In 1980, Pinetop and other members of Muddy's crew struck 
out on their own and formed the Legendary Blues Band--a group that 
recorded two records for Rounder and toured extensively, culling 
several Grammy nominations.
  After being labeled a sideman for most of his career, Pinetop 
eventually left the Legendary Blues Band to concentrate on solo work. 
Within two years, he had cut his first domestic record as a frontman 
and pursued an ambitious tour schedule. He was featured on several 
nationally syndicated news and music programs, and appeared in numerous 
movie productions and TV and radio ads.
  The great irony of Pinetop's career is that he didn't blossom as a 
headliner until his eighth decade on the blues scene--a phenomenon that 
resulted in the release of 15 solo records in 15 years, beginning in 
1992. On his 1998 release, ``Legends,'' Pinetop collaborated with 
master blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin. Together, they blended the 
traditional Delta blues sound with modern electric blues rock, 
showcasing the spirit and energy of the music. ``Born in the Delta'' 
and ``Legends'' were both nominated for Grammy Awards--in 1997 and 2000 
respectively. This was followed by a 2005 Grammy nomination for 
``Ladies Man,'' released by MC Records. That same year, he was also 
presented with a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys.
  Aside from his well-deserved Grammy recognition, Pinetop also 
received a National Heritage Fellowship in 2000 from the National 
Endowment for the Arts. He has been featured in the documentary ``Piano 
Blues,'' directed by Clint Eastwood for the Martin Scorsese PBS series, 
``The Blues.'' In addition, he continued to win the Blues Music Award 
for best blues piano every year until 2003, when he was retired from 
the running and the award was renamed the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player 
of the Year.
  In 2007, he was still on the road at 94 years old; Pinetop Perkins' 
unique life was chronicled in Peter Carlson's biographical documentary 
DVD, ``Born in the Honey,'' which includes a live CD with a rare studio 
outtake track.
  ``Pinetop Perkins and Friends'' released on Telarc, an independent 
classical recording company that crosses over to include blues and even 
jazz music. In that release by Telarc in the summer of 2008, Pinetop 
was positioned in the midst of several high-profile guests--all of whom 
have been influenced by his music in some way or another over the past 
several decades. Included on Pinetop's list of Friends were such 
luminaries as Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Jimmy Vaughan.
  His latest recording is ``Joined at the Hip,'' a collaborative 
project with Willie ``Big Eyes'' Smith, released in June 2010. Pinetop 
also received a Grammy in 2010 for this collaborative project with 
Willie ``Big Eyes'' Smith for Best Traditional Blues CD.
  Pinetop passed away on March 21, 2011, at the age of 97. When he 
passed away, he still had performances lined up for the year.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. Joseph 
Willie ``Pinetop'' Perkins, a great blues legend from Mississippi's 
Second Congressional District.

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