RIP Pinetop Perkins

He was one of the last great bluesmen, if not the very last one of 'em. He started playing professionally in the 1920s, and played in Muddy Waters' band. He moved to Austin a few years ago and started playing and touring again. He played at a SXSW show Saturday night. He was 97.

http://www.austin360.com/music/an-original-mississippi-delta-bluesman-pinetop-perkins-played-1338308.html

 

Indeed, one of the all-time greats. Man, do I loves me some "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie", a pretty cool version of which, featuring the great man his own bad self, can be seen here:

RIP

 

When I was a freshman at Ohio Wesleyan, February of 1979, we put on a Muddy Waters concert, and a few hours before the show, Muddy's piano player sat down at the grand piano on stage in an empty Gray Chapel Hall and started playing the most amazing barrelhouse, boogie-woogie and blues piano I've ever heard for an audience of about three or four of us who were setting up stuff. He sat there and played with a big smile on his face for about 15 or 20 minutes and I was just mesmerized. I tried to tell him how amazing his playing was, and he just laughed and gave me a dismissive, "This? Nah, I'm just messing around." What a nice man and a humble man. It wasn't until years later that I realized exactly who Pinetop Perkins was and was able to put into perspective what I'd seen and heard that day -- Feb. 24, 1979. An absolutely unforgettable experience. RIP to a true gentleman.

 

Great talent that transcended eras. That he kept playing at a world-class level into his 90s is absolutely astonishing.

 

Reuben said it perfectly. The blues legends are dying off. There are some youngsters trying to keep it going but the times have changed.