Carl Perkins Interview with Tom Synder-Pt. 2

From the Late Late Show, aired in 1997.

[@ianjrivers]

What a wonderful man he was, so talented, yet so warm and sincere.....

[@robertbdesmond]

Carl Perkins, such a humble man he was.

[@Dontfeedthebears23]

Carl was a beautiful man. Still hasn't gotten the recognition he deserves, he will though :)

[@nelgstuart3442]

you are right

[@chrisyates8115]

Cool dude! Love the guitar part too!

[@JMSTiger]

Man, when Carl demonstrates the difference between bluegrass and rockabilly, that's as pure as it gets.

[@banjosforbreakfast6086]

He managed to slip a chord in that Bill Monroe didn’t use in the bluegrass demo👍

[@cooldaddy2877]

Great, but didnt answer the question.

[@SpaGuy]

Carl Perkins is Legend!!

[@kennethclaar922]

So are you Spa Guy .

[@myelvisworld]

He is a legend with a god gifted talent! Nobody can play guitar like Carl.

[@jimmyonus5478]

You obviously haven't heard Glen Campbell.

[@cooldaddy2877]

Scotty Moore. James Burton.

[@jennifersman]

Such a gentleman, great interview!

[@sarahgodwin-xd1wr]

I love Carl Perkins and what a nice Southern gentleman with so much class and kindness!!! He was humble and very sweet!!! I saw him in concert with June Carter and Johnny Cash!!! It is one of my greatest memories and such a thrill!!!

[@Slivings911]

A modest and gentle soul and a great artist. Thanks for posting this. ♥

[@rocky52a]

Carl was a class act

[@tabbyjamil2300]

I love this man he was the nicest rock n roller ever great music great guy .closely followed by Roy. Elvis .n Johnny cash .. probably others too but Carl was Carl.. rip

[@ronfowlermusic]

all I can say is "amen" to the previous comments. Carl Perkins was a great musician, and more importantly, a great man.

[@koko-pu5vn]

Thank you Carl for the music and memories. What a gentleman and all around fine human being!!

[@stevehughes1510]

Carl and the '50s, he made it happen with his songs and performance, the total package. God bless him.

[@ChuckWroste]

I always enjoyed Tom Snyder, I liked this clip because he wasn't faking it, he really enjoyed talking to Carl and it shows. I visited with Carl myself back in 1970, one of the great moments in my memories.

[@moviemagg]

Your welcome, and it is a great interview. I never get tired of watching it myself. I was only able to shake his hand once after a concert of his in Amherst Mass. in 1981 but never actually met or spoke to him. I wish I had. I've read that Carl was a super nice guy in person and as we all know a really Great Artist.

[@jimzaleta8560]

gracious and graceful

[@SIR46661]

I met Carl backstage with Ringo Starr in Passaic, NJ. He was so nice and asked me where I was from. I said Arkansas and Ringo laughed and said he had an Arkansas story and Carl said that he and Johnny Cash were at a show with Elvis in Bono, Arkansas and Cash told him about a fellow soldier and his shoes and that he should write a song about it. Soon after near Jackson, TN a guy scolded his date for stepping on his suede shoes and the rest is history! Carl was a man of excellence !

[@sarahgodwin-xd1wr]

I love Carl Perkins and what a nice Southern gentleman with so much class and kindness!!! He was humble and very sweet!!! I saw him in concert with June Carter and Johnny Cash!!!

[@CUTUBE66]

I remember watching this when it aired. Carl was such a genuine and humble guy a great talent. Tom knew how to conduct an interview with dignity and grace. I miss both of these gentleman. Celebrities of today should learn a thing or two from them.

[@paulietrev1]

carls respect for elvis is truley touching ..the respect was mutual ..elvis loved carl too xxx

[@tommypetersen2540]

The man beat the booze and never seemed bitter, jerry Lee lewis was not the heir apparent, this guy was! (Better writer) he did some great stuff with cash on unearthed which is great too. Can anyone imagine just how much talent they had at Sun? It is truly staggering.

[@waynemacfarlane]

Talant, humble,a real gentleman raised i poverty, and rose above it all. Always and I mean always had time for his fans. Miss you Carl

[@1950sTeddyboy]

Can anyone imagine todays "So Called Stars" Praising & Giving Credit To Contemporary Stars. As Carl Perkins is Here.. Great star himself & STILL admit he had nothing but admiration for Elvis. Diferent Breed of Stars Then !! Truely learnt there trade & humble with it : Never to be Replaced "TRUE STARS & NOW LEGENDS" The First & Forever UK TeddyBoy

[@lcar4000]

Always liked Carl Perkins. And Tom Snyder was a great interviewer.

[@1962gretsch]

Amazing talent,and a humble but great guy,from the 50's Cochrane perkins and jerry lee were my top 3 but there are so many other less known but great acts,great interview.

[@FoxRunMan]

This was excellent (as was Part I). It showed a side of Carl Perkins I never knew. Many thanks for posting these interviews.

[@cathygiuliana9089]

Carl Perkins was an amazing talent and also a saint amongst mankind! What a beautiful soul, and a kind and generous spirit!

[@georgemijatovic728]

Carl...thank you Sir....... Blue print of a True GENTLEMAN. AN Extremely talented GENTLEMAN!!!

[@JMSTiger]

I wish he had record an entire album like that, just him and his guitar.

[@EdVidz]

Carl once said he didn't know what Eric Clapton meant when he said Carl was one of his biggest influences. If you listen to the singing intonations when EC sings, you'll DEFINITELY hear Carl Perkins singing.

[@imperialfreek]

2 fantastic individuals here really loved this interview...

[@evanadams4393]

My favorite artist

[@yvetteheller1083]

Great, great interview of Carl!!! Love it 😀 😍 ❤️

[@tenniscollector]

At 3:42 "Was there any rivalry between Carl and Elvis ? Class response by Carl.

[@jimmyonus5478]

Carl Perkins,A wonderful human being.

[@davidhenrywall8619]

Great artist Carl perkin, s class act

[@theplayer2286]

"Go Cat Go" is a brilliant album. One of the best.

[@daved57]

Every talk show I've ever seen this man do the host insisted on talking at length about Elvis. Carl was a legend in his own right but was totally content and gracious to talk about Elvis. Nothing against Elvis but show some respect.

[@JMSTiger]

Carl, boy, you still the man!

[@moekontze116]

Carl Perkins, Elvis, Johnny cash etc, all these gentlemen's were humble, respectful and talented. May they all R I.P.

[@adrinathegreat3095]

I like the way he pretty much said the way Elvis looked and moved was why he made it. His brother said " he don't play lead guitar, he don't write like you do Carl and he wears makeup. Carl laughs and tells his brother in not so many words, That's what sells to the public. Not a great deal different than today really, in the industry you got to have the looks, the personality and the voice, no one thing alone is enough, Carl was very much aware his own looks and stage appearance held him back in the 50s as much as it would do today

[@henryfrost8542]

Sweet gentlemen. True Rocker 🎸

[@brianwilkinson9110]

Just a sweet man

[@bikersoncall]

2:55 I'm literally laughing out loud when Carl kicks up that Bill Monroe song into Rockabilly style, incredible. I love Bill Monroe's music, it's just that what he and Elvis did for music was really something special.

[@RafaelAlivtres]

Elvis did that change. Carl is just reproducing it.

[@walkertongdee]

broke the mould there will never be another.

[@Mr.Stines]

He liked to rock n roll no matter his age if he was still alive i bet you hed still be roxking and rolling

[@chadporter5907]

"Go Cat Go" is Carl's best album. Carl got better & better with time , like a fine wine really. Rockabilly music, with Paul Simon, My old friend with Paul MCcartney, & Distance makes no difference, with George Harrison. All gems. Rip Carl

[@Elvis2TheMax]

Wow, awesome!

[@uplaywithfire]

great stuff !

[@elvicare35]

Awesome!!!!!

[@TA07DRY]

Hes a man that was a genius in his own right ,and he could slate elvis for covering his song but instead hes humble and has no jealousy in his body ,nobody is as qualified to say elvis is the king as Carl perkins who else can argue that fact

[@ringbolt9]

what a real guy no put ons. and tom had these long interviews just one on one where the guest5 would be relaxed and open up.

[@neilphelan145]

A true original! He influenced just about everyone who came after him.

[@dublinrupepupkin]

Amazing.

[@ThomasBritz]

wauw what a great guy

[@chrisdangerfield4250]

He saw you brother..love you both.

[@pinkflamencolounge6320]

At 2:12, Carl demonstrates the difference between Old Timey and Rock-a-billy.

[@williamsherman1089]

Class act

[@primatejames]

Wow! A treasure!

[@dundaravewine2390]

What a heavy -duty dude this man is!

[@adrinathegreat3095]

Asked what's the difference between rock and roll and Rockabilly, carl then explains the difference between country and Rockabilly.

[@buzz120937]

Yes that was an American original music & he (Carl) played an important part in it. Let's not forget another VERY important music that is All American & going strong,Blue Grass by the father Bill Monroe.

[@kennygopal]

He can write songs better then any other songs writer

[@RockinEd]

died of a stroke a year later :(

[@JuniorFarquar]

A real man

[@EPSGplayer]

Goodness Carl aged a lot between Matchbox 86 and now… He doesn’t look well here. An absolute honor to hear this interview though

[@moviemagg]

Carl passed away just a few months after this interview.....

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

The trouble when he played the song was that the chair couldn't keep from rocking.

[@nelgstuart3442]

I remember as a child listening to The Beatles version of "Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby", and saw Carl's name somewhere as the writer. Again on "Honey Don't", and also "Matchbox". It was amazing to me that The Beatles recorded 3 of Carl's songs. I thought, who is this man, Carl Perkins? Terrible what happened to Carl, when he had that wreck that stalled his career. His big hit, "Blue Suede Shoes" was out and it was big, but then the wreck prevented him from using that momentum to further himself. God only knows how big Carl would have become if not for that wreck. So sad, really. Carl died a year after this interview.

[@moviemagg]

The car wreck had little to do with the momentum of Carls career. Actually he was only laid up for a total of 6-weeks after the car crash and then he was out on the road again performing. What really ruined Carls future success was the fact that his record producer Sam Phillips did not release Honey Don't as Carls follow-up single to Blue Suede Shoes. Instead he wasted it as the B-Side. Honey Don't would have surely been a top-10 hit at the very least. Several other songs should have been released as singles as well but were not. Such as Put Your Cat Clothes On, Tennessee and Right String Baby But The Wrong Yo Yo. It's quite evident that Phillips was very inept when it came to knowing which of Carls songs to release as the next potential A-side hit. Even before Blue Suede Shoes was ever recorded, songs like Gone Gone Gone and Perkins Wiggle were also wasted either as a B-side or not even released at all. When Carl left Sun Records in 1958 and moved to Columbia Records, he recorded a song called Rockin Record Hop. That song would have also been a top ten hit but it was never released. Nobody really knew how to manage Carls career. Thank goodness The Beatles recorded three of his songs or Carl might have been really washed up. And just as a foot note: The Beatles also recorded three songs by Larry Williams. Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Bad Boy and Slow Down.

[@nelgstuart3442]

@@moviemagg Great information. I did not know this. Yet, later on he did get a lot of recognition from his famous admirers, and the rock n roll community. He was made a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, and Rolling Stone declared him to be the 78th greatest musician of all time. His net worth at his death was estimated at 7 million, (not even close to other big stars but not too shabby either). I was so pleased when he did the Carl Perkins and Friends concert in London with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Dave Mason, and Ringo Starr. It looks like everybody loved him. To see the big stars come out to honor him was truly heart warming. I think they also made and album together. I'm sure that gave Carl a big shot in the arm. Yet, a lot of people failed Carl in the music industry, like Sam Phillips. I can't understand how it happened, because Carl was definitely doing HIS part. The talent and the songs were there. They failed to market him like they did for Cash, Orbison, Jerry Lee, Elvis, and the other great founders of rock n roll. Chuck Berry, who I consider a great song writer, wasn't much of a guitar player, though everyone talked about him being one. Carl Perkins could play circles around Chuck Berry, and write the hits too. In the final analysis, the way I see it, Carl Perkins' value as an artist transcended anything to do with money and success. Not only was he a humble genius from the humblest of beginnings, but look who he influenced. The Beatles? George Harrison considered him to be the best guitarist at the time he was coming up with The Beatles, not to mention Elvis, who adored Carl. I heard what Jerry Lee said about Carl too. He said that "Carl Perkins could STILL BE one of the greatest artists in the world, and he deserves it." The Perkins influence will live forever, no question about it. Even myself, who has been playing guitar for 40+ years, and writing songs, consider Carl Perkins a root influence, because of George Harrison, who I have idolized as a guitarist all my life.

[@moviemagg]

@@nelgstuart3442 Thanks for your reply and insight. However I have to disagree with some of what you said. I really doubt that Carl Perkins was ever worth anything close to 7 million dollars at the time of his passing. Im sure he was comfortable but definitely no millionaire. And also, Carl was a great guitarist with his own unique style but Chuck Berry was far superior in his guitar playing. Along with Danny Cedrone of Bill Haleys Comets, Scotty Moore and Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry was one of the greatest guitarist of the entire Rock and Roll era. Watch the new documentary on Chuck Berry to be aired on PBS on July 27th.

[@nelgstuart3442]

@@moviemagg Well, we will have to disagree on Chuck Berry. Chuck's style is what was great, it was a simple yet great style, but he often played live out of tune and missing a lot of notes. Sloppy playing live is a big no no. Pro's don't do that. That's what bothers me, but people overlook that because of his legacy. Also, being a guitar player myself for many years, I can tell you: when a guitarist plays a Chuck Berry song vs a Carl Perkins song... the difficulty level is much higher on the Perkins material. Carl's lead breaks, chords, genius, and professionalism as a guitarist were superior, in my opinion, but Chuck's style of rock n roll was more popular, which many people copied, and was easier to play. He also had more songs. Many more, and many more years to earn his respect. I'm not trying to diminish Chuck Berry's importance as a guitarist/stylist/artist. Not at all! But in my opinion, Carl was the better player. Much better. Chuck was the better writer. Chuck certainly made a bigger impact, and led the way for many artists of that time, but it wasn't just because of his guitar playing. Carl and Chuck both hit the music scene in 1955, and both their styles were similar, yet different. Chuck Berry is considered the father of Rock n Roll, and Carl Perkins the King of Rockabilly. Rock n Roll caught on much faster than Rockabilly, and Chuck was a big part of that. I would hesitate to say that Chuck is the Father of Rock n Roll, I think that title goes to Little Richard, but that is my opinion. As far as Carl's net worth at death, I got that information from the internet, so yeah, who knows, but I can imagine his royalties on Blue Suede Shoes alone is worth millions, (even though Sam Phillips retained the rights until Carl acquired them in 1977, along with the rights to all his other Sun Records). Even Eddie Cochran and Bill Hailey recorded Blue Suede Shoes, as did many, many other artists over the years. I don't think 7 million is an unimaginable figure for Carl, especially in his later years when he got his rights back to his songs from Sun. I also think his income got a big shot in the arm in 1985, when he did that concert in London with Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ringo Star, and Dave Mason. I think those guys all got together and helped Carl out quite a bit, financially. England LOVES Carl Perkins. I respect him a lot, obviously. He never got the recognition he deserved, but that doesn't mean he didn't deserve it.

[@gregc8670]

@@moviemagg What a great interview. Thanks for posting it. Thanks also for mentioning Perkins Wiggle and Rockin' Record Hop. I had not heard either of those songs, and they are excellent. As for Carl's career being less successful than one might expect, I think it was mostly because he was a little too twangy and country-ish for pop radio, but he rocked too much to be thought of as a country music performer. He did do some straight country songs, and he had some success with them, but rockabilly was his strong suit, and it was only in vogue for a few years. The few rockabilly performers who had ongoing success branched out into other kinds of music, but Carl didn't really do that.

[@grheeinhawaii]

Strike Force Five brought me here

[@JackTheSkunk]

Carl was a true Southern Gentleman. Elvis was great too but I don't necessarily agree that he was 100% original. I believe he was heavily influenced by the black performers by way of their moves and mannerisms. For someone with an untrained voice he was phenomenal. One of the greatest rock videos for rockabilly fans is a salute to Carl by George Harrison, Ringo, Dave Edmunds among others. They were all huge fans and it shows.

[@bikersoncall]

Tom Snyder was a great interviewer, I'm so glad this wasn't hosted by Dick Cavett.

[@davidleary823]

Nice rug so much nicer than Tom Snyders’.

[@brentclackson7009]

A totally underated musician and song writer in ROCK!