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Pinetop Perkins Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins ( 1913 in Belzoni, MS)) was a blues pianist. He began his career as a guitarist but then injured the tendons in his left arm. Unable to play the guitar, he switched to the piano.   In the 1950s, Perkins joined Earl Hooker and began touring. He recorded "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie". The tune was written by Pinetop Smith. As Perkins recalled, "They used to call me 'Pinetop' because I played that song."   Perkins then relocated to Illinois and left the music business until Hooker persuaded him to record again in 1968. Perkins replaced Otis Spann in the Muddy Waters band when Spann left the band in 1969. After ten years with that organization, he formed the Legendary Blues Band with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, recording from the late 1970s to the early 1990s.   Perkins played a brief musical cameo on the street outside Aretha's Soul Food Cafe in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers, having an argument with John Lee Hooker over who wrote "Boom Boom". He also appeared in the 1987 movie Angel Heart as a member of guitarist Toots Sweet's band.   Perkins was a sideman on countless recordings but never had an album devoted solely to his artistry until After Hours, released by Blind Pig Records in 1988. The tour in support of the album featured Jimmy Rogers and guitarist Hubert Sumlin.   The death of Perkins's common law wife, Sara Lewis, in 1995, triggered a depression and periods of drinking. In 1998, he released the album Legends, featuring Sumlin. In 2001, Perkins performed at the Chicago Blues Festival with Ike Turner.   Perkins was driving his automobile in 2004 in La Porte, Indiana, when his car was hit by a train. The car was wrecked, but the 91-year-old driver was not seriously hurt. Until his death, Perkins lived in Austin, TX, where he died in 2011.   from Wikipedia

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