 By
Kim "Two-Dat" Welsh
 I have been blessed to have shared many lovely conversations with Pinetop and I will miss him deeply. I went to the last five homecomings for him at Hopson Plantation (now the Shack Up Inn) in Clarksdale, MS. He was the sweetest Southern gentleman I ever met.
The first time I saw him, I asked if he was going to tickle the ivories with the rest of the musicians who came to honor him. He said he wouldn't be playing because he promised his mother that he would "never play on the Sabbath." He told me all about the old days when he worked on the plantation (until they killed his dog) and about how he used to play guitar (until he got knifed by a woman!)
He couldn't read and I read him an article about himself in a blues magazine that I had. He lived the life of a blues man and was a living legend. He had no family, just a Jewish woman, Pat Morgan, who took great care of him like a mother hen.
At the Nine Lives book signing, Scott Aiges asked me who I thought they should get for the llineup for the CCBlues and BBQ. Without hesitation, I told him, "Pinetop!" I told him to listen to his new CD and that I had seen him recently at the King Biscuit and he still "had it." He emailed me a couple weeks later to excitedly tell me they had him coming to the Fest. After that, he became the oldest Grammy recipient for that CD, "Joined at the Hip" with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. I am so disappointed and sad that I will never see his smiling face again. He's gone on to that Heavenly All Star Blues Band; he always sang like an angel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/arts/music/pinetop-perkins-delta-boogie-woogie-master-dies-at-97.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
- publishers note: Pinetop was a mentor to countless, and his efforts at 'Blues School' brought the blues to thousands of kids, carrying on the legacy of the Blues
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Bob Corritore remembers Pinetop -
 RIP Pinetop Perkins July 7, 1915 to March 21, 2011. Nobody can live forever, but for a period of time in his long life of 97 years, the legendary Pinetop Perkins made us think it was possible. It is with tears that we say goodbye to one of the most loved and highly respected blues musicians of our time. Pinetop Perkins died today of heart failure at his home in Austin, Texas. We know that Pinetop led a rich and happy life, and that he understood the simple pleasures, which he enjoyed everyday. Pinetop Perkins was born in Belzoni, Mississippi. He began his career as a guitarist, but then injured the tendons in his left arm in a fight with a choir-girl in Helena, Arkansas. Unable to play guitar, Pinetop switched to the piano. He got his moniker from playing the popular "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie", a 1928 hit by pianist Pinetop Smith. Pinetop accompanied Sonny Boy Williamson II on the Helena based radio program King Biscuit Time on KFFA. He worked with Robert Nighthawk, accompanying him on the 1950 Aristocrat recording of "Jackson Town Gal". In the 1950s, Perkins joined Earl Hooker's band and began touring, stopping to record "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" at Sam Phillips' studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Pinetop was a major influence on the young Ike Turner, whom he taught piano. Pinetop joined the Muddy Waters Band in 1969, replacing Otis Spann, and playing in the band for over a decade. It is from his time with Muddy that Pinetop became a well known name in the blues. Pinetop would leave Muddy's band with other band members to form The Legendary Blues Band before restarting his solo career.
Along the way, Pinetop was helped by the confident direction provided by manager Patricia Morgan, who was a tireless and diplomatic advocate. Pinetop won three Grammy Awards, and so many Handy Awards that he gracefully took himself out of the running by changing the piano category award to his namesake. Though he rose to the highest of stature, Pinetop was always very accessible and appeared on numerous albums, and projects. He remained active, healthy and happy until the end, even with a daily habit of cigarettes, and McDonald's (double mac with cheese, medium sprite, and an apple pie). He spent his 97th birthday flying to Spain to play a blues festival, and this year he won his third Grammy for "Best Traditional Blues album" for Joined At The Hip, his collaboration with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on the Telarc label. We should also mention Barry Nowlin, Michael Freeman, Bob Margolin, Hugh Southard of Blue Mountain Artists, Onnie Heaney, Little Frank Krakowski, Bob Stroger, Diunna Greenleaf, and Pete Carlson for their support roles in Pinetop's life. We will miss Pinetop's distinctive voice and his elegant, interactive piano style. He has touched all of us with his charm, his talent, and his loving approach to life. Though we hate to say goodbye, we have to be thankful for the great joy that he brought us. God bless you Pinetop. To see some more great photos of Pinetop Perkins click here, and here!
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