Blues pianist Pinetop Perkins has died at age 97. At 97, he still performed regularly and toured, including a trip to Spain last year. He smoked and thrived on fast food. In his early 90s he managed to get hit by a train while driving... the car was smashed, but he was hardly injured. Back in his twenties he had been stabbed in the left arm, and tendon injuries from that made him switch from guitar to piano. But he seemed indestructible. He played right up to the end, which was on March 21, 2011, from heart failure. Joseph William Perkins, better known as Pinetop Perkins, had a long career before he ever made a full album under his own name, playing in the Muddy Waters Band and later the Legendary Blues Band. The native of Belzoni, Mississippi was regularly featured on two famed radio shows, "King Biscuit Time" hosted by Sonny Boy Williamson and another hosted by Robert Nighthawk.  In 1950 he accompanied Robert Nighthawk on several sides for the Aristocrat label (the forerunner of Chess Records), and in 1953 recorded his own version of the song that launched boogie woogie in 1928, "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie," originally recorded by Clarence "Pinetop" Smith. When Joe Willie Perkins became known as Pinetop Perkins, many people thought it was his song as well.

Pinetop Perkins was tapped by Muddy Waters to replace the great Otis Spann on piano in 1969; the drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith became a lifelong friend and musical partner. Muddy chose Pinetop as much for his ensmeble sensibility as his solo work. He was an adroit accompanist behind guitar solos. Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith left the Muddy Waters Band in the early 1980s and formed The Legendary Blues Band. Pinetop sang lead on many of their songs but didn't stay with the band long.

Pinetop finally started making albums under his own name in the late 1980s. His "Live At 85!" album in 1999 revealed a youthful octogenarian. On it he performed one of his signature songs about his home Belzoni MS-- the song was called "Down In Mississippi." In 2010, Pinetop and Willie recorded "Joined At The Hip." It won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album this year, making Pinetop Perkins the oldest person to ever win a Grammy. He had previously won so many of the Blues Foundation's W. C. Handy Awards for blues piano that they named the award after him, to get him out of the running for it.

Pinetop performed right up till the end, and died peacefully of heart failure on March 21st. He wasn't indestructible after all, but his legacy may well be.

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Blues pianist Pinetop Perkins has died at age 97. At 97, he still performed regularly and toured, including a trip to Spain last year. He smoked and thrived on fast food. In his early 90s he managed to get hit by a train while driving... the car was smashed, but he was hardly injured. Back in his twenties he had been stabbed in the left arm, and tendon injuries from that made him switch from guitar to piano. But he seemed indestructible. He played right up to the end, which was on March 21, 2011, from heart failure. Joseph William Perkins, better known as Pinetop Perkins, had a long career before he ever made a full album under his own name, playing in the Muddy Waters Band and later the Legendary Blues Band. The native of Belzoni, Mississippi was regularly featured on two famed radio shows, "King Biscuit Time" hosted by Sonny Boy Williamson and another hosted by Robert Nighthawk.  In 1950 he accompanied Robert Nighthawk on several sides for the Aristocrat label (the forerunner of Chess Records), and in 1953 recorded his own version of the song that launched boogie woogie in 1928, "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie," originally recorded by Clarence "Pinetop" Smith. When Joe Willie Perkins became known as Pinetop Perkins, many people thought it was his song as well.

Pinetop Perkins was tapped by Muddy Waters to replace the great Otis Spann on piano in 1969; the drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith became a lifelong friend and musical partner. Muddy chose Pinetop as much for his ensmeble sensibility as his solo work. He was an adroit accompanist behind guitar solos. Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith left the Muddy Waters Band in the early 1980s and formed The Legendary Blues Band. Pinetop sang lead on many of their songs but didn't stay with the band long.

Pinetop finally started making albums under his own name in the late 1980s. His "Live At 85!" album in 1999 revealed a youthful octogenarian. On it he performed one of his signature songs about his home Belzoni MS-- the song was called "Down In Mississippi." In 2010, Pinetop and Willie recorded "Joined At The Hip." It won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album this year, making Pinetop Perkins the oldest person to ever win a Grammy. He had previously won so many of the Blues Foundation's W. C. Handy Awards for blues piano that they named the award after him, to get him out of the running for it.

Pinetop performed right up till the end, and died peacefully of heart failure on March 21st. He wasn't indestructible after all, but his legacy may well be.

promo included: promo247