Had it not been for a near-fatal car accident, Elvis Presley might not be the rockstar we most closely associate with "Blue Suede Shoes".

This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. Let's continue our week of interviews from our archive with R&B, rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll musicians and songwriters. Up next, we have Carl Perkins, one of ...

As far as rock ‘n’ roll standards go, “Blue Suede Shoes” is a shoo-in. So much so that Paul McCartney‘s music publishing company, MPL Communications, has owned the rights to it, along with a number of ...

One of the many signature songs of Elvis Presley is “Blue Suede Shoes”. Though, like many of his signature songs, it was a cover. Originally written and performed by Carl Perkins in 1956, Elvis ...

"CARL PERKINS: THE KING OF ROCKABILLY" by Jeff Apter (Citadel, 240 pages, $29). Carl Perkins is an unexpected choice of subject for the prolific musician biographer Jeff Apter, who lays out the life ...

CARL PERKINS: The King of Rockabilly. By Jeff Apter. Citadel Press. 240 pages. $29. Carl Perkins, the future king of rockabilly music, was the son of sharecroppers. He and his brothers grew up picking ...

Up next, we have Carl Perkins, one of the originators of rockabilly. Perkins' singing, guitar playing and songwriting brought together country and rock 'n' roll. He recorded at Sun Records, the label ...

As far as rock ‘n’ roll standards go, “Blue Suede Shoes” is a shoo-in. Back then, rockabilly music was just coming into fashion, with “Blue Suede Shoes” being one of the first highly successful ...

CARL PERKINS: (Singing) Well it's one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready. Now go, cat, go. But don't you step on my blue suede shoes. You can do anything but lay off my blue suede ...