Luther Perkins

Luther Monroe Perkins ( born January 8, 1928 in Memphis ( Tennessee); † August 5, 1968 in Nashville ) was an American guitarist and member of Johnny Cash's Tennessee Three band.

Life

Career

Perkins, who was not related to the musician Carl Perkins, worked as a car mechanic in Memphis, Tennessee. At night he played guitar in clubs; together with his friend, bassist Marshall Grant they called themselves " Tennessee Two". The two got to know in 1955 the then unknown Johnny Cash and got together with him a record deal with the record label, Sun Records.

Since Cash's band at that time did not have a drummer, Cash shoved a piece of paper between the strings of his rhythm guitar to imitate the sound of a snare drum; this percussive buzz was a characteristic element of the famous "boom - chicka - boom" sound. The name is an onomatopoeic description for the fast, pounding sound similar to a moving train. As 1960 WS Holland joined as the drummer for the two, called the band " Tennessee Three". Perkins began with a guitar type Esquire (predecessor of the model Telecaster ) the Fender. In 1959, he moved briefly to the newly released Jazz Master, he got passed by his friend Leo Fender personally ( Perkins was one of Fender's favorite guitarist ), but always returned to Esquire, which he also played the recording of the concert At Folsom Prison yet.

Death

Perkins worked together with cash until he came in 1968 at the age of 40 years in the fire of his house died. The fire department suspected that Perkins had fallen asleep with a lit cigarette; but this was found never doubt. This circumstance was also taken up in the cinematic cash biography Walk the Line. During a night bus ride to a concert cash noticed a burning cigarette in the mouth of the sleeping Perkins and expresses it.

Luther Perkins was buried in the cemetery " Memory Gardens " in Hendersonville (Tennessee), on the Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash were buried later.

Award

For his services to the genre Luther Perkins was honored in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.