This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. Let's continue our week of interviews from our archive with R&B, rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll musicians and songwriters. Up next, we have Carl Perkins, one of ...

As far as rock ‘n’ roll standards go, “Blue Suede Shoes” is a shoo-in. So much so that Paul McCartney‘s music publishing company, MPL Communications, has owned the rights to it, along with a number of ...

CARL PERKINS: The King of Rockabilly. By Jeff Apter. Citadel Press. 240 pages. $29. Carl Perkins, the future king of rockabilly music, was the son of sharecroppers. He and his brothers grew up picking ...

For all of the perks of being a career musician, there are plenty of worksite hazards to consider. Electric instruments, amplifiers, and a venue’s wiring don’t always mix. Constant travel ...

Perkins, who died in 1998, wrote "Blue Suede Shoes," the hit song sung by Elvis Presley, which became the first Sun label record to sell over a million copies. He spoke to Fresh Air in 1996. This is ...