Carl Perkins’ singing, songwriting and guitar playing made him a key architect of ’50s rock ’n’ roll as well as a major influence on multiple generations of rock and country artists. Born in 1932 in Tiptonville, Tennessee, he taught himself to play by listening to country music, and in the ’50s he was at the vanguard of Southern artists blending R&B, country and blues to create rockabilly on Sun Records. His 1956 hit “Blue Suede Shoes” would remain a rock ’n’ roll staple forevermore, and subsequent singles like “Dixie Fried” and “Boppin’ The Blues” cemented his legacy further. In the ’60s, covers of his songs “Matchbox”, “Honey Don’t” and “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” would help The Beatles achieve maximum velocity, and through them, Perkins’ sound became exponentially more influential. In the late ’60s, he was Johnny Cash’s guitarist, appearing on The Man in Black’s legendary live albums from Folsom Prison and San Quentin. Perkins kept on working up to the end of his life, dying after a series of strokes in 1998 at the age of 65.