Life Piano Red

perryman born on farm near hampton, georgia, parents, ada , henry perryman, sharecroppers. part of large family, though sources differ on how many brothers , sisters had. perryman albino african american, older brother rufus, had blues piano career speckled red .

when perryman 6 years old, father gave farming , moved family atlanta, worked in factory. not known perryman s education or life, recalled mother bought piano 2 albino sons. both brothers had poor vision, effect of albinism, neither took formal music lessons, developed barrelhouse style through playing ear. perryman recalled imitating rufus s style after watching him play, doubtful brother major influence. rufus, nineteen years older perryman, left georgia in 1925 , did not return until 1960 visit. influence perryman cited in interviews fats waller, records mother brought home. other influences local blues pianists playing @ house or rent parties, common community fund-raisers of era.

by 1930s, perryman playing @ house parties, juke joints, , barrelhouses in georgia, alabama, , tennessee. developed percussive playing style , harsh singing style compensate lack of sound systems , overcome noise of people talking in venues. worked these circuits other georgia bluesmen, including barbecue bob, charlie hicks, curley weaver, , blind willie mctell.

perryman married in 1930s, , , wife, flora, had 2 daughters. obtained seasonal employment performing in brevard, north carolina, mountain resort town, , commuted , forth between there , atlanta. brevard job brought him before white audiences; 1934 had begun play @ white clubs in atlanta. in atlanta play @ white club until midnight , head on african-american club, play until 4 a.m. perryman developed repertoire of pop standards, more popular among white audiences, while continuing blues sets in african-american clubs.

around 1936 began billed piano red . made first recordings mctell in augusta vocalion records, never released. began working upholsterer, trade maintained through later years.

in 1950, after spending previous 14 years upholstering , playing music on weekends, perryman recorded rockin red , red s boogie @ wgst radio studios in atlanta rca victor. both songs became national hits, reaching numbers 5 , three, respectively, on billboard r&b chart, , rockin red has since been covered many times under many titles. success, along further hits wrong yo yo (allegedly written speckled red), laying boogie , right bounce , allowed him resume active performing schedule. recorded sessions in new york city , nashville during 1950s.

red played white teenagers high school parties in people s homes in atlanta. patrons arrange him picked @ home , returned , provide bottle of booze him , modest fee.

during mid-1950s, perryman worked disc jockey on radio stations wgst , waok in atlanta, broadcasting piano red show (later dr. feelgood show) directly shack in yard. young james brown made appearance on show in late 1950s. perryman s involvement had him appearing on flatbed truck in many parades, led song peachtree parade . mid-1950s until late 1960s, recorded several record labels, including columbia, made several records; checker, recorded 8 sides willie dixon on bass; , groove records, subsidiary of rca victor, producing first hit label.

signed okeh records in 1961, perryman began using name dr. feelgood , interns, releasing several hits, including much-covered doctor feelgood . persona 1 had adopted on radio shows. new career short-lived, though, , never able regain former stature. in 1963, merseybeats recorded cover of b-side of doctor feelgood, entitled mr. moonlight (written roy lee johnson) b-side of uk top 5 hit think of . recorded beatles , appeared on album beatles sale in united kingdom , on album beatles 65 in united states. in 1966, lovin spoonful recorded song bald headed lena on second album, daydream.

perryman continued popular performer in underground atlanta. made several european tours late in career, including appearances @ montreux jazz festival, berlin jazz festival, , inauguration of chancellor helmut schmidt, , performed on bbc radio. during time, befriended bill wyman, keith richards, mick jagger, eric clapton, , paul mccartney, , pete ham of badfinger wrote song in honor.

muhlenbrink s saloon closed in 1979, , perryman found himself without regular job. lasted until 1981, when hired perform 5 nights week @ excelsior mill in atlanta. in 1984, asked co-owner michael reeves arrange live recording, , reeves arranged mobile recording in october of year.

in 1985, perryman recorded song yo yo , duet danny shirley, later lead singer of band confederate railroad. record reached national chart in year.

perryman diagnosed cancer same year. died in july 1985 @ dekalb general hospital in decatur, georgia. among attended funeral governor of georgia , mayor of atlanta.

the tapes excelsior mill remained in reeves s possession twenty-five years. in april 2010, formed partnership writer , producer david fulmer release cd of recording under title lost atlanta tapes. cd released landslide records on august 17, 2010.