Luther Perkins

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Luther Perkins


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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Luther Monroe Perkins
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Born = birth date|1928|1|8|mf=y
Memphis, Tennessee
Died = death date and age|1968|8|5|1928|1|8
Nashville, Tennessee
Instrument = Guitar
Genre = Country, Rockabilly
Occupation = Musician
Years_active = 1954-1968
Label =
Associated_acts = Johnny Cash, Tennessee Three
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Notable_instruments = Fender Esquire

Luther Monroe Perkins (January 8, 1928 – August 5, 1968) was an American country music guitarist renowned for his work as a member of the Tennessee Three with Johnny Cash and their "boom-chicka" rhythmic style.

Early life

Luther Perkins was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 8, 1928. His family soon moved to Como, Mississippi, where it is assumed that Perkins grew up. Perkins's brother, Thomas Wayne Perkins, had a briefly successful career in music. As a young boy, Perkins had a dream that there was a rainbow with a pot of gold at the end buried somewhere nearby. When he woke up, he believed that he knew the area in which the pot of gold was. He set out to the location with a shovel and upon arrival, began digging. Much to Perkins' disappointment, all that was found was some old bricks. Perkins took the bricks and sold them to a local construction company for two cents apiece and with the money earned bought his first guitar.

Once reaching adulthood, Perkins returned to Memphis and worked as an auto mechanic. It is unknown where Perkins got the qualification to be an auto mechanic. Two of his co-workers would radically change his life; Marshall Grant and Roy Cash.

Humble beginnings

In 1954, Roy Cash's brother, Johnny Cash, arrived in Memphis and was introduced to Perkins and Grant. As it turned out, all three of them enjoyed playing guitar, so they decided to get together and pick a bit.

All three of the men had the same upbringing, and all enjoyed the same music. They would sit on Luther or Marshall's porch and pick their guitars and sing. Often their neighbors would sit down in the yard and listen. Johnny was often reluctant to play his own songs.

The trio decided if there were to form a band that would play professionally, they needed to change their line-up. At the time, all three of them were playing rhythm guitar, so it was obvious they needed something different. Johnny, who sang the most, was going to stick to playing rhythm and singing.

Marshall said he knew where he could get a bass fiddle for around 25 dollars. Marshall found the bass and bought it. He had a friend who played bass professionally and asked him for directions on how to tune it. The directions were quite complicated, but the three men finally got it tuned. Since the bass had no frets, Marshall put tape on it where ever he found certain notes like E, A, and B.

Luther was selected to play lead guitar. A friend of his father's told him where he could buy a Fender Esquire for a low price. He bought it despite it being very badly damaged. The condition of the wood wasn't the best and the volume knob was stuck on full. Luther then bought a Sears Silvertone 1300 amplifier to go along with his electric.

When the group got together with their new line-up, Marshall said, "Let's play something." Luther asked him, "In what key?". Marshall said, " I don't know. Let me look at this thing for a minute. E looks pretty good but...don't change no chords on me!". So they began playing away. And so with the "Boom, Boom" on Marshall's Bass, the steady "Chicka" of Johnny's rhythm, and the "Click, Clack" of Luther's guitar, the "Boom-Chicka-Boom" sound was born quickly.

By September 1954, and after about four months of regular picking sessions, they played their first public performance at Galloway United Methodist Church on the corner of Cooper and Young in Memphis (still there today). Due to fading memories and virtually no documentary evidence, the details about this performance are unclear. All agree that the performance was indeed at Galloway, but the nature of the performance differs between Marshall and Johnny. Both agree that they were invited to perform by a neighbor of either Luther or Marshall who had attended one of their regular picking sessions and asked if they would be willing to do the concert. Allen Caldwell, who was a member of Galloway at this time and still is to this day, claims he was the one who invited the trio. Johnny says they performed as a part of the church's regular Sunday service. Marshall recalls a mid-week basement performance, drawing no more than ten elderly ladies. He recalls they set up in about five minutes, near an electric outlet, so Luther could plug his amplifier in, and played "everything they knew" for about twenty minutes. Also note, Marshall's recollection is more consistent, while Johnny's seems to vary among different accounts.

The band's second performance was a fund-raiser at Bob's Barbecue on Summer Avenue. The cause was for a friend of Marshall's, Ralph Johnson, who had been injured in a powerboat collision while racing in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Johnson's racing buddies got together and organized the event to help pay for the expensive hospital bills.

The third public performance could be dubbed their first "professional" performance. The trio got paid fifty dollars by the Hurst Motor Company (next to Automobile Sales) to cruise up and down Union Avenue in the back of a flatbed truck all Saturday afternoon. There was no means of electricity for Luther's amp, so Luther and Johnny played rhythm while Marshall played bass. Marshall, looking back, said , "We were on the move all the time. Nobody paid any attention to us. Nobody knew who we were. We laughed about it. But we got paid."

Johnny wasn't content with being a part-time picker. He wanted to be a professional musician. By Late 1954, Johnny had already contacted Sam Phillips, of Sun Records, twice by phone about an audition. The first time, he told Phillips he was a gospel singer, but was turned down since gospel was too hard to market. The second time, he said he was a country singer, but was again declined. So Johnny decided he would confront Phillips face-to-face. He arrived at the Memphis Sun Recording Studio early one morning, before any employees arrived, with his guitar. Sam Phillips was the first to arrive that morning. Johnny approached him and said, "Mr. Phillips, sir, if you listen to me, you'll be glad you did." Phillips replied, "Well, I like to hear a boy with confidence in him. Come on in!" Johnny auditioned for Phillips. After hearing some of his gospel songs Phillips stopped him and told John to, "Go out and sin then come back".

John soon came back with Luther and Marshall in tow. Phillips did not like what they were playing but was fascinated by their simple and effective sound. John realized that it wasn't working as he thought, so he 'shifted gears'. He played some of his songs such as 'Folsom Prison Blues', 'Hey Porter' and 'Cry, Cry, Cry'. Phillips felt he had something very marketable, because they started recording on the spot, and Phillips signed them to his record label.

Touring with Johnny

As with most Rock N' Roll artists of the time, the band primarily toured the South Eastern United States, Going only as far west as Texas, and only as far north as West Virginia. The boys were soon putting many, many miles on Johnny's Plymouth. Marshall later said that if he and Luther hadn't been auto mechanics, they wouldn't have gotten half of the miles out of that car. Soon Johnny traded the car with one of his in-laws and they never had any major trouble with automobiles again.

Soon the trio was playing professionally more than they were working back home in Memphis. Johnny had quit his job as soon as he signed onto Sun. Luther and Marshall each took a 6 month leave of absence. They never returned.

Then with the time to do larger tours, the trio encountered a new enemy: sleep. They had to drive late at night, exhausted, and that can be dangerous. Johnny and many of the people on tour started taking amphetamines so that they'd be alert and prepared for driving. It is not known whether or not Luther took any kind of stimulant while on tour, but he probably didn't. Marshall and Johnny often said that Luther was a clean slate except for his smoking habit. In Marshall Grant's book, he states that Luther used amphetamines as did Johnny Cash, but that Luther did not do all of the 'crazy' things like Cash. He didn't let the problem escape his control.

Johnny's problems grew when he and June Carter began having feelings for each other sometime in the late 50's or early 60's. Luther's and Marshall's problems grew too, because they had to make sure Johnny didn't wind up hurting or killing himself. Things got even more hectic when Johnny switched from Sun to Columbia Records in 1958 and drummer W.S. Holland joined the group in 1960.

When Johnny was working in Nashville, he'd stay with Gene Ferguson and his family, but there were times when Cash's behavior was so unacceptable that Ferguson would make him stay in his office downstairs. There were a couple of times when Gene went to wake him and he didn't respond, and Ferguson couldn't feel a heartbeat. Once, Ferguson called Luther to ask him what he should do, and Luther said, "Well, he'll either wake up or die."

When asked about Luther's feelings towards Johnny Cash's drug problem, Marshall and Luther's wife both stated that it was not like Luther to turn his back on anyone, including someone who was having problems like Cash was having. Johnny Western once said that Luther seemed to almost be amazed, if not amused, by the many weird things Cash would do during his mood altering days though he never encouraged the troubled singer. Luther worried about Cash but realized (according to Marshall) that a man can only help himself when and if he wants to be helped and he remained always supportive.

In "Johnny Cash: The Autobiography", Johnny recalls "In my very worst times, Luther's house was one of the ports in my storm. I could go over there at any hour of the night and, and Luther and his wife, Margie, would get up and make coffee, listen to me, and try to make me feel okay."

During the tours, the guys would often pull pranks on each other and at the hotels in which they stayed. One time John and Marshall had cut a hole through the walls of two rooms because they didn't have a door. Luther looked at the 'doorway' and said, "Well I'll be damned, I'll just be damned." One time before a show in 1962, Cash found an old dog on the streets that was about as dirty as anything he had ever seen...Cash somehow got the dog into Luther's room while he was out and returning to the hotel restaurant for dinner. Cash proceeded to order room service for the dog (about two dozen hamburgers) before giving him a bath. After the damp dog gobbled up the burgers Cash pulled down the sheets so the dog could get into bed and sleep. When Luther got back to his room he saw the damp dog sleeping there in a saturated bed and went about sleeping right alongside the dog for the night, never once griping the next morning about sharing his room and bed with the dog. Rayovac Batteries had a big show called the Rayovac Country and Western Road Show. Howard Crockett and guitarist Cecil Manco played the road show along with Johnny Cash, Bob Luman and others. After the show, Marshall, Luther, and Cecil were playing cards in the motel. Johnny was in the other room trying to sleep. Apparently the three were noisy and Johnny hollered, "Hey you all - knock it off!" They said "Just one more hand Johnny and we'll be through." The next sound they heard was a WHAM!!!!!! Johnny shot the light out with a real pistol! They quit right then and went to bed. Next day he got up and paid for the hole in the ceiling and that was it.

In 1967, John finally cleaned up his act with help from June, Luther, Marshall, and a local doctor. Luther helped with Johnny's detoxification and they were soon touring again.

Live at Folsom Prison

The highest point in Luther's career occurred on January 13, 1968. On that day Johnny Cash and The Tennessee Three, along with the Statler Brothers and (unrelated) Carl Perkins performed two shows live at Folsom Prison at Repressa, California. One of the shows was taped. All through the show, Luther's guitar work was dead on and the Album went on to be one of the greatest in history.

The album is the clearest example of Luther's guitar work in existence. Luther's last recordings were made shortly afterward, on "The Holy Land" album.

Final days

In the spring of 1968, Luther and Margie began to make plans to buy a new split-level house overlooking Old Hickory Lake on Riverwood Drive in Hendersonville, Tennessee, not too far from Johnny's house. However, the Johnny Cash Show had a tour booked in England from May 4-19, delaying the plans. Meanwhile in England, the news of the tour swept through the country and his concerts drew phenomenal crowds and press attention. Along with an already hectic schedule, they had to make it to London on May 10 for a taping which would broadcast live on the BBC, consisting of two sets, as did most of these concerts. Immediately following the taping, Luther came down with a serious case of bronchitis. The condition continued to worsen and he eventually had to be hospitalized. The tour would go on without him, with Carl Perkins filling Luther's duties as lead guitarist. Carl had been with the Cash Show for a few years and knew Luther's licks very well. However, the British press made constant note of Luther's absence from the show and expressed how disappointed the fans were that Luther could not play. When the tour was over and the Cash troupe returned back to the United States, Luther was still receiving medical care in a London hospital. A few days later, he was released and was able to return home.

However, when he returned home, he was exhausted. Doctors predicted it would take several months for Luther to regain his strength and energy fully. They recommended that he take a break from touring and rest for a few months. They also said he should strongly consider quitting his cigarette habit. In spite of the doctors recommendations, Luther went ahead and moved into his new split-level home and completed a series of numerous shows that were booked during the summer coinciding with the release of "At Folsom Prison", taped a television show with Cash and the Tennessee Three called The Smothers Brothers Hour (July 25-28) that would be broadcast on August 28, 1968, and during July 29-31, wrapped up a grueling three days of recording at Columbia Studios in Nashville for "The Holy Land" album. By the end of July, everyone noticed how drained and exhausted Luther was. He kept telling everyone how much he wanted to sleep.

As he drove home on from the final day, July 31,of the recording sessions, he talked with Cash about how anxious he was to be able to go home and relax by doing a little fishing and catching up on some much needed sleep. The both discussed a show at Carnegie Hall that manager Saul Holiff was trying to book for October and also returning back to the UK for a second tour there which would have them playing the famed London Palladium, which Columbia planned on recording for a future album release. Luther was genuinely excited about it all - especially plans by either CBS or ABC for a possible television series sometime in the spring of 1969 and an upcoming documentary that was planned to begin filming later in August - but his need for serious rest was more than noticeable over the last month.

However, a final July 28, 1968 concert at Buck Lake Ranch in Angola, Indiana would be the last time a live audience would hear the legendary sound of Luther Perkins on the guitar.

Death

Sometime during the early evening hours of Friday, August 2, Columbia representative and good friend of Luther, Gene Ferguson, called the Perkins home in Hendersonville, Tennessee to ask if Luther would be joining their regular Friday-night card game, usually extending well into the next morning. Luther always participated in the card game, but this time turned down Ferguson's invitation, saying he was really tired and wanted to finish filling out some tax papers he needed to submit dealing with a publishing company/artist agency that he planned on starting in Nashville to help promote undiscovered local talent. This would give performers the same break he was given back in 1955, and one artist he planned to work with was Columbia Studios janitor, Kris Kristofferson, who was also very close to Luther. Ferguson was unable to persuade Luther to come over. He later stated that even though he knew that the last few months had been draining for Luther, he regrets not pushing the issue harder, as Luther usually gave when card-playing was involved.

The next morning, Saturday August 3, Luther awoke much earlier than usual, probably between 3:00-5:00 a.m. Careful not to wake Margie or Kathy, he first went out back and walked down to the banks of Old Hickory Lake. Sometime earlier, Luther ran a trotline out into the lake, hoping to take advantage of the great catfishing the lake has to offer. When he checked the line, he found a catfish awaiting him. He then cleaned it and brought it back up to the house. When he got inside, he laid it in the kitchen sink with a note he had written to Margie saying, "See I told you I could catch a catfish."Fact|date=November 2007

Luther then sat down at the kitchen table and began to fill out the tax papers. At some point within the next hour or so, he decided to take a break. He lit up a cigarette and went into the den and laid down on the couch. He drifted off to sleep with that cigarette in his hand. When the burning cigarette hit the floor, the room was filled with smoke and flames within minutes. Luther woke and attempted to flee to the sliding glass doors which led outside, but was overcome by the smoke and heat and collapsed on the floor.

A little before 6:00 a.m., his little daughter Kathy found most of the den and kitchen in flames. She saw her dad lying on the floor, propped up against the sliding glass doors, surrounded by smoke and flames. Immediately, she went to wake Margie who called the fire department. She was then met by a neighbor, who with Margie's help, dragged Luther's body from the blaze that was consuming the den.

Hendersonville Fire Department received a call about a house fire on Riverwood Drive at 6:05 a.m. The blaze, resulting in $30,000-40,000 of damage, was extinguished within twenty-five minutes. Meanwhile, Luther was rushed to ICU at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, unconscious with severe second and third degree burns covering almost fifty percent of his body. Margie called Johnny Cash as soon as she could. Cash came down with Marshall Grant and Carl Perkins. They were told by doctors that Luther seemed to be doing just fine, though he was still unconscious. Cash later stated that when they went into the room to see Luther, it immediately hit him that his friend was not going to wake up.Fact|date=November 2007

The Saturday night Grand Ole Opry show had a moment of prayer for Luther before the regular show. Fact|date=November 2007

Perkins never regained consciousness and died at the age of 40 as a result of severe burns and smoke inhalation. He was buried on August 7 at Hendersonville Memory Gardens in Hendersonville, Tennessee. His pallbearers were Marshall Grant, WS Holland, Roger Miller, Billy Graves, Gene Ferguson, Charlie Dick (Patsy Cline's husband), and Johnny Cash. At the burial, before Luther's casket was lowered into the ground, the mourners stepped back to let Cash have a moment by himself. Tommy Cash recalls over-hearing Johnny say, "Thank you Luther."Fact|date=November 2007

Awards and recognitions

Perkins' pioneering contribution to the rockabilly genre has been recognized in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Guitar style

Luther was known for his simple and effective guitar style. For the verses of songs Luther would simply put his hand of the bridge of his guitar to muffle the strings while playing a root-harmony-root pattern. Luther enjoyed using slapback delay and later spring reverb on his guitars to get a distinct 'cavernous/water dropping' like sound.

Luther was extremely partial to Fender and its guitars. He had several Esquires, Jaguars, and a Jazzmaster. He used Fender Amplifiers which included The Fender Champ, the Fender Bassman, The Fender Pro, The Fender concert, and finally the Fender Blackface Super Reverb.

"Walk the Line"

In the 2005 biopic of Johnny Cash, Luther is portrayed by Dan John Miller. He is shown exactly as he was in real life. Miller copied many of Perkins's characteristics such as his simple way of talking and his extreme concentration and emotionlessness onstage.

The cause of Perkins' death is alluded to in the film. On a late night bus ride to a performance, Cash passes Perkins asleep with a lit cigarette in his mouth and puts it out.

Also in the film he is seen playing a Fender Telecaster. This is inaccurate, for Perkins was never known to use or own a Telecaster, but a Fender Esquire, which has the same body shape but only one pick-up, as opposed to the Telecaster's two. [ [http://www.250r.us/luther/pics.html Luther Perkins.com ] ]

References

External links

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