The Tribute Sessions – We really let it Viberate for Carl
For almost a year, Carl Stanley Perkins and I worked, planned, wrote, recorded, produced and created a passionate tribute to Stan’s dad, Carl Perkins.
Where do you start on a project like this? “Wellll,” and we used this word to kick off almost all of the songs we recorded for our Carl Perkins tribute. That’s Carl’s Rockabilly signature word, and we certainly couldn’t start without it.
Stan played drums behind his dad for over twenty years. He knew every move of his body and every phrase of his delivery — each move and phrase mandated by Carl Perkins’ unique, pushy lead guitar style. What an experience! And, to our blessing, we quickly learned that Stan could perfectly execute his daddy’s licks and the push of the Carl Perkins wild-ride guitar rhythm through every inch of these historic songs. It was truly like standing beside Carl, himself, and what a wonderful experience God allowed me to have.
The songs, “welllll,” as Carl says, they just came as easy as honey. There are the obvious Carl Perkins giants, and then Stan and I found some other less obvious, but very passionate and meaningful selections which fit just like a fashioned glove.
Billy Burnette’s “Can’t Stop, Got a Rock in My Shoe” is Carl Perkins through and through, and Carl would have recorded this recently written song in a minute. The Johnny Cash/Carl Perkins song, “All Mama’s Children,” jumps off the CD and right into your heart, no surgery needed. What a great creation from two giants who were the closest of friends. How could we lose with “Mama’s Children?” “One More Shot at Loving You” could easily be a #1 country hit today for Carl, and it gave Stan and me a chance to reach down deep into our Rockabilly country soul for this special performance. “Rock and Roll Rhythm” gives everyone a chance to realize that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and that Stan Perkins is swimming well within the family gene pool. Stan’s creation is pure Carl Perkins and a great tribute to a magic Rockabilly era. “Rockabilly Fever” has become our theme song for life. And friends, yes, they did call it Rockabilly LONG before they called it Rock and Roll!
If all of this is not enough, and I trust is isn’t as there are many more great tracks to bask in, the bonus surprise at the end of this disc–the pièce de résistance–is a very rare, passionate performance from Carl Perkins himself. We invite you to sit back, dim the lights and prepare yourself for an intimate visit with the Godfather of Rockabilly. I’ll guarantee it’s as if Carl Perkins just stopped by your home for a private, never-before-seen or heard acoustic performance. In a word, AMAZING!
Jerry Naylor
