- Al Perkins
Al Perkins (Born
January 18 ,1944 ) is aTexas -born Americanguitarist . The Gibson guitar company called Perkins "the world's most influentialDobro player", and even began producing an "Al Perkins Signature" Dobro in 2001 - designed and autographed by Perkins.After some time in the US Army, Perkins moved to
California where he began playing with the bandShiloh . He went on to record and tour with bands likethe Flying Burrito Brothers ,Richie Furay ,Stephen Stills ,Leonard Cohen ,Gram Parsons ,Roy Orbison ,Bob Dylan ,Daniel Amos ,The Rolling Stones ,Joe Walsh ,Michael Nesmith ,Randy Newman ,James Taylor ,Debby Boone ,Tori Amos ,The Eagles , Bethlehem, andMcGuinn and Hillman . In 1971, Perkins became a member ofSteven Stills band,Manassas . In 1984 and 1985, Al can be heard playing steel guitar on contemporary Christian singerDon Francisco 's "Holiness" and "One Heart at a Time" albums.Perkins began producing records in the mid 1970s. In the 1980s, Perkins joined
Chris Hillman inthe Desert Rose Band . Perkins started touring withDolly Parton in 1986. Also that year, Perkins played Dobro onBob Dylan 's "Knocked Out Loaded ". In 1988, Perkins moved toNashville , and the following year, he joinedEmmylou Harris ' newGrammy Award winning group calledthe Nash Ramblers .By the mid 1990s, Perkins began to work almost exclusively as a
record producer and session guitarist, recording with artists likeTori Amos ("From the Choirgirl Hotel "),Owen Temple ,Garth Brooks ("Sevens"),Wynonna Judd ,Buddy Miller , andCher .In 2003, Perkins joined forces with Terry Talbot and other original members: Bruce “Creeper” Kurnow on keyboard and harmonica and original bassist Tim Ayres to resurrect the legendary country rock band
Mason Proffit . Al's electric and acoustic guitar, steel guitar, banjo, lap slide guitar, Dobro and vocal range bring an exciting dimension to this already exciting and legendary band.Perkins has also toured with
Kevin Montgomery , a country singer from Nashville, Tennessee.
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