1 - Take It Easy (with Jimmie Vaughan) - 3:12
2 - Got My Mojo Working (with Eric Sardinas) - 3:30
3 - Down In Mississippi (with B.B. King) - 3:56
4 - How Long Blues/Come Back Baby (with Eric Clapton & Nora Jean Bruso) - 5:22
5 - Hoochie Coochie Man (with Jimmy Vaughan) - 4:10
6 - Barefootin' - 3:06
7 - Look On Yonders Wall - 4:29
8 - Anna Lee (with Jimmie Vaughan) - 4:28
9 - Sweet Home Chicago (with Nora Jean Bruso) - 3:49
10 - Bad Luck Baby - 5:23

Eric Clapton - Guitar
Paul Diethelm - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm)
Willie Kent - Bass
B.B. King - Guitar, Vocals
Larry Millas - Vocals (Background)
Pinetop Perkins - Piano, Vocals
Eric Sardinas - Guitar, Vocals
Kester Smith - Drums
Leon Smith & The Basics - Drums
Bob Stroger - Bass
Jimmie Vaughan - Guitar, Vocals
Bill Willis - Organ (Hammond)

These superstar guest "friends" affairs can get awfully tiresome, but this one is better than most. It was recorded over a two and a half year period when the irrepressible Chicago blues and boogie pianist was 92-94 years old, yet he seems decades younger. The songs are generally Chicago blues standards such as "Got My Mojo Working," "Hoochie Coochie Man," "Look on Yonders Wall" and, Lord help us, "Sweet Home Chicago." Still, if anyone has earned the right to give these chestnuts another go-round it's Perkins. Even though he's played nearly all of them thousands of times, he's as enthusiastic and invigorated as if he'd just written these well-worn classics. The piano man is spry on the 88s, tinkling the ivories like he's half his age, especially on the jaunty "Take it Easy Baby," the lively opener. Even though producer Doug B. Nelson overdubbed many of the higher profile parts, the set sounds open and natural, avoiding the stiffness that usually results with projects such as this. Only Eric Clapton, Jimmie Vaughan, and B.B. King can be considered major stars with the rest of the "friends" lesser known blues stalwarts such as singer Nora Jean Brusco and bassist Willie Kent (Kent passed before this disc was finally released in June, 2008). Thankfully Perkins is in such bracing form that except for King, who trades quips with him on "Down in Mississippi," nobody overwhelms or even steals the spotlight from the album's star. On the slow blues "Anna Lee," Perkins sounds positively lascivious, but in a charming, non-threatening way. He's also inspired by "Hoochie Coochie Man," with Vaughan assisting, laughing at the end like a child. Hotshot slide guitarist Eric Sardinas redeems himself for his own over the top albums with zippy work here on "Barefootin'" and especially "Mojo..." Pinetop is so loose, upbeat, and cheerful for these sessions, you'd think he had another 94 years left in him. --- Hal Horowitz, Rovi

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01 – 44 Blues
02 – 4 O’clock in the Morning
03 – Relaxin’
04 – Sitting on Top of the World
05 – Just Keep on Drinking
06 – Since I Fell for You
07 – Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie		play
08 – Ida B		play
09 – Sweet Home Chicago
10 – Pinetop’s Blues
11 – Willow Weep for Me
12 – That’s All Right

Musicians:
Pinetop Perkins - piano, vocals
Otis Clay – vocals
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith – vocals
Brad Vickers – bass
Mike Markowitz – harmonica
Pete DeCoste – drums

Pinetop Perkins played piano until he was 97 years old, so this previously unreleased set featuring Perkins relaxed and nimble in both solo and small-combo studio sessions in 1986, when he was a young 73 years old, is really just a drop in the bucket of his long career (which began in 1969 when he replaced Otis Spann as Muddy Waters' piano player). But it is indeed a heavenly drop at that, since Perkins is so obviously comfortable here. Among the highlights are versions of "Sitting on Top of the World," with longtime friend Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on vocals, and "Since I Fell for You," featuring the soulful voice of Otis Clay. --- Steve Leggett, allmusic.com

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01. Chicken Shack 3:16                  play
02. After Hours 8:05
03. High Heel Sneakers 5:00
04. Hoochie Coochie Man 6:03
05. Murmur Low (aka Big Fat Mama) 5:50
06. Five Years 4:29
07. I Had My Fun 5:50
08. Down In Mississippi 3:16            play
09. Low Down Dirty Shame 7:26
10. Got My Mojo Working 4:58
11. Caledonia 6:18
12. I Almost Lost My Mind 8:26

Musicians:
Pinetop Perkins (vocals, guitar, piano);
David D.W. Gill (harmonica, background vocals); 
Dan Lacasse (harmonica); 
Jake Isaacson (piano); 
Jack Tukey (bass instrument); 
Bongo Bob Noyes (drums); 
Doug Wainoris; (guitar)

A very competent combo offers incendiary support behind the veteran Chicago pianist throughout the album, recorded live before an appreciative gathering. ~ Bill Dahl

Originally released on Deluge Records and out of print since 1995, Live Top has been reissued on New England based 95North Records with all new artwork and "vintage" era artwork and packaging. This brilliant set of live music began the night before on a warm autumn night in a blues club on the coastal town of Rockland Maine in 1994. The legendary Tradewinds lounge was electric. So in fact that the stage was set to record the "King of the 88's" ,Pinetop Perkins the following night at Bowdoin College in the quiet college town of Brunswick. The encore of that set at the Tradewinds appears on this Disc ...Track #12 "Almost Lost My Mind". It is preceded by the full set ecorded at Bowdoin , keeping with the spontaneous tradition of the blues,one entire set of live recorded music. Backed by the Blue Flames ,Pinetop is electrifying,gliding along the piano keys with fire and grace. Enjoy this slice of blues history the way you like it ...LIVE. Recorded live at Bowdoin College, Maine.

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01. Grown Up To Be A Man                   play
02. Cut That Out
03. Take Your Eyes Off My Woman
04. Walkin’ Down The Highway
05. Gambling Blues
06. I Would Like To Have A Girl Like You
07. Take My Hand, Precious Lord
08. You’d Better Slow Down
09. Minor Blues (Instrumental)
10. It Feels So Good                      play
11. Lord, Lord, Lord
12. Grindin’ Man
13. Eyesight To The Blind

Personnel:
Pinetop Perkins (vocals, piano)
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (vocals, harmonica)
Little Frank Krakowski, John Primer (guitar)
Bob Stroger (bass guitar)
Kenny Smith (drums)

Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith have been playing together on and off for more than four decades. Both played with Muddy Waters during his '70s resurgence and both continued on without the icon as part of the Legendary Blues Band. They been on record and onstage more times than they can count since but Joined At The Hip represents something of a first for the two and that's saying something considering the careers and ages of both men.

Age may be nothing but a number but the numbers in this case are noteworthy. Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, is the young whippersnapper of this duo at age 74. Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins was 96 at the time of this recording and will turn 97 next month, out on the road, touring with Smith in support of their new record. To put that in some kind of historical context, Perkins was born during the William Taft administration, meaning President Barack Obama is the 17th man to serve in the Oval Office during his life.

Now that makes for a great, great story and there is something inspiring about two men in their later years continuing to do what they love. Some fans, critics, and writers will stop right there and declare the album a success just because of how unlikely it is for there to be an album at all. Others will have their knives out for it, convinced these two long ago exhausted any new tricks these two old dogs might have learned.

It's hard not to admire two men who still want to do this and do it the right way and that spirit can be heard between the notes. That desire mixed with their collective experience, knowledge, and understanding of the music is so potent it almost becomes another instrument in the mix. Joining these two in the studio is 78-year old bassist Bob Stroger — winner this year's outstanding bass player award at the Blues Music Awards — and Smith's son, Kenny, on drums. John Primer, another Muddy Waters band alum, joins on lead guitar along with Frank Krakowski.

The album opens with the strutting "Grown Up To Be A Man," a pure Chicago blues number so good it's hard to believe this is its first recording and not the hundredth. Smith's vocals are warm and inviting, the character and blusiness of them coming not from grit or strain but from experience and age. What Perkins has lost in power and agility he makes up for with experience, laying down an elegant bridge when Smith throws it over to him. Perkins works in a couple bars of "Chicken Shack" into "Cut That Out" and later on "You'd Better Slow Down." "Shack" is a song Perkins has been playing for who knows how long and one he continues to play on tour, including in Memphis last month when I saw him. ---Josh Hathaway

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1. Got My Mojo Working (Foster) [4:45]
2. Nutcracker (Sumlin) [4:07]
3. Rock Me Baby (Josea, King) [3:30]                  play
4. (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man (Dixon) [7:27]
5. The Sky Is Crying (James, Lewis, Robinson) [6:06]
6. Pinto Beans and Blackeyed Peas (Sumlin) [5:20]
7. Take It Easy Baby (Perkins) [4:19]
8. Shame, Shame, Shame (Reed) [5:00]
9. Come Back Baby (Davis) [4:07]
10. Sunnyland Slim (Perkins) [7:02]
11. She Walks Right In (Brown) [3:37]                play

Musicians:
Pinetop Perkins (vocals, piano); 
Hubert Sumlin (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars); 
Doug Wainoris (acoustic & electric guitars, dobro, background vocals); 
Annie Raines (harmonica, background vocals); 
Rod Carey (acoustic & electric basses); 
Per Hansen (drums, percussion).

Primarily known as sidemen, pianist Pinetop Perkins and guitarist Hubert Sumlin, if not as widely recognized as the artists they've supported, do have something of a legendary status in the blues world. Thus, this CD where the two of them take the lead (providing vocals as well) is aptly titled. The material consists mainly of longtime standards such as "Got My Mojo Working," "Rock Me Baby," "Hoochie Coochie Man," and "The Sky Is Crying," all performed with the considerable skill attained through years of experience. If Perkins and Sumlin's approach to these tunes isn't exactly innovative, it is rock solid and energetic, with plenty of excellent lead work from them both. Also notable is Annie Raines's harmonica, which provides solid counterpoint to the two leads, and occasionally takes the lead on its own. --Genevieve William

CMJ (12/21/98, p.27) - "...When two living blues legends like Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin get together, blues fans are in for a real treat....Incredibly, after decades on the blues circuit, this album marks the first time the two have actually played together..."

LEGENDS was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

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01 - I'm Gonna Let You Go
02 - Take It Easy Baby
03 - Let Me Hold You
04 - High Heel Sneakers
05 - Driving Wheel
06 - Naptown
07 - Going Down Slow
08 - Call Me Easy Papa
09 - How Long
10 - You Put The Heart On Me
11 - Movin' Out

Billy Branch - Harmonica
Grace Brim - Drums
John Brim - Guitar, Vocals, Performer
John Primer - Guitar
Pinetop Perkins - Piano, Vocals, Performer
Willie Kent - Bass (Electric)

John Brim may be best-known for writing and cutting the original "Ice Cream Man" that David Lee Roth and Van Halen covered on their first album. That's a pity, for the seriously under-recorded Brim made some exceptionally hard-nosed waxings.

Brim picked up his early guitar licks from the 78s of Tampa Red and Big Bill Broonzy before venturing first to Indianapolis in 1941 and Chicago four years later. He met his wife Grace in 1947; fortuitously, she was a capable drummer who played on several of John's records. In fact, she was the vocalist on a 1950 single for Detroit-based Fortune Records that signaled the beginning of her hubby's discography.

John recorded for Random, JOB, Al Benson's Parrot logo (the socially aware "Tough Times"), and Chess ("Rattlesnake," his answer to Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog," was pulled from the shelves by Chess for fear of a plagiarism suit). Cut in 1953, the suggestive "Ice Cream Man" had to wait until 1969 to enjoy a very belated release. Brim's last Chess single, "I Would Hate to See You Go," was waxed in 1956 with a stellar combo consisting of harpist Little Walter, guitarist Robert Jr. Lockwood, bassist Willie Dixon, and drummer Fred Below (clearly, Chess had high hopes for Brim, but to no avail).

After a hiatus of a few decades, Brim made a welcome return to studio action with a set for Tone-Cool Records, The Ice Cream Man. Brim, who lived in Gary, IN, remained active on the Chicago blues scene until his passing on October 1, 2003 at the age of 81. ---Bill Dahl, Rovi

He admittedly wasn't the originator of the seminal piano piece "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie," but it's a safe bet that more people associate it nowadays with Pinetop Perkins than with the man who devised it in the first place, Clarence "Pinetop" Smith. Although it seems as though he was around Chicago forever, the Mississippi native actually got a relatively late start on his path to Windy City immortality. It was only when Muddy Waters took him on to replace Otis Spann in 1969 that Perkins' rolling mastery of the ivories began to assume outsized proportions.

Perkins began his blues existence primarily as a guitarist, but a mid-'40s encounter with an outraged chorus girl toting a knife at a Helena, Arkansas nightspot left him with severed tendons in his left arm. That dashed his guitar aspirations, but Joe Willie Perkins came back strong from the injury, concentrating solely on piano from that point on. Perkins had traveled to Helena with Robert Nighthawk in 1943, playing with the elegant slide guitarist on Nighthawk's KFFA radio program. Perkins soon switched over to rival Sonny Boy Williamson's beloved King Biscuit Time radio show in Helena, where he remained for an extended period. Perkins accompanied Nighthawk on a 1950 session for the Chess brothers that produced "Jackson Town Gal," but Chicago couldn't hold him at the time.

Nighthawk disciple Earl Hooker recruited Perkins during the early '50s. They hit the road, pausing at Sam Phillips' studios in Memphis long enough for Perkins to wax his first version of "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" in 1953. He settled in downstate Illinois for a spell, then relocated to Chicago. Music gradually was relegated to the back burner until Hooker coaxed him into working on an LP for Arhoolie in 1968. When Spann split from Muddy Waters, the stage was set for Pinetop Perkins' re-emergence.

After more than a decade with the Man, Perkins and his bandmates left en masse to form the Legendary Blues Band. Their early Rounder albums (Life of Ease, Red Hot 'n' Blue) prominently spotlighted Perkins' rippling 88s and rich vocals. He had previously waxed an album for the French Black & Blue logo in 1976 and four fine cuts for Alligator's Living Chicago Blues anthologies in 1978. Finally, in 1988, he cut his first domestic album for Blind Pig, After Hours. After that, Pinetop Perkins made up for precious lost time in the studio. Discs for Antone's, Omega (Portrait of a Delta Bluesman, a solo outing that includes fascinating interview segments), Deluge, Earwig, and several other firms ensured that his boogie legacy wouldn't be forgotten in the decades to come. In 2010 he collaborated with harmonica whiz Willie "Big Eyes" Smith for the album Joined at the Hip, which won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album, giving Perkins the status of oldest Grammy winner ever. On March 21, 2011, just over a month after the award ceremony, the legendary bluesman died from a heart attack at his home in Austin, Texas. Pinetop Perkins was 97 years old. ---Bill Dahl, allmusic.com

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01. Anna Lee
02. Down in Mississippi
03. Kansas City
04. Five Long Years
05. Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
06. Hi-Heel Sneakers
07. How Long Blues
08. Just a Little Bit
09. Thinks Like a Million
10. Pinetop's Blues

Personnel: 
Pinetop Perkins (vocals, piano); 
Corey Harris (acoustic, electric & steel guitars, woodblock); 
Denny Breau (acoustic & electric guitars); 
Sugar Ray Norcia (harmonica); 
Michael "Mudcat" Ward (bass); 
Per Hanson (drums).

Boogie-woogie pianist and Muddy Waters Band alumni Pinetop Perkins is in fine form on his second Telarc disc, Back on Top. These ten tunes cover familiar territory that most blues fans will know by heart, including "Hi-Heel Sneakers," "Kansas City," and "Down in Mississippi." Perkins' band, consisting of Denny Breau on guitar, Michael "Mudcat" Ward on bass, and Per Hanson on drums, helps breathe new life into the classic urban blues sound, and is joined sporadically by special guests Corey Harris and Sugar Ray Norcia. ---Al Campbell, Rovi

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01. Meanest Woman   3.21
02. Since I Lost My Baby   3.52
03. Big Fat Mama   4.38
04. He's Got Me Goin'   3.37
05. Chains of Love   6.32
06. Kansas City   4.45
07. Pinetop's New Boogie Woogie   4.28
08. How Long   4.53
09. Hey Mr Pinetop Perkins   3.31
10. Trouble In Mind   4.28
11. Careless Love   4.12
12. Chicken Shack   4.30

Personnel: 
Pinetop Perkins (vocals, piano); 
Pinetop Perkins; Miss Carmen Getit (guitar, background vocals); 
Jimmy Vivino (guitar); 
Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (harmonica, drums, background vocals); 
Jerry Vivino (saxophone); 
Lisa Otey (piano); 
Bob Stroger (bass guitar, background vocals); 
Kenny Smith , Mark Carpentieri, Willie Smith (drums); 
Deborah Coleman, Madeleine Peyroux, Susan Tedeschi (vocals, guitar); 
Odetta, Angela Strehli, Ruth Brown (vocals);
Elvin Bishop (slide guitar); 
Marcia Ball, Ann Rabson (piano).

By 2004, Pinetop Perkins may have entered his twilight years, and the fiery action he brought to the 88s in Muddy Waters's band in the 1960s may have mellowed to a smoother blues, but LADIES MAN proves he's still got the juice. The idea behind the album was to pair Perkins with an assortment of female musicians, all of whom have cited the elder statesman as an influence. The guest stars, including Ruth Brown, Marcia Ball, and Susan Tedeschi, add texture and flavor to Pinetop's well-worn vocals and still vital boogie-woogie stylings.

The tunes Pinetop sings on, from the laid-back "Chicken Shack" to the rollicking "Big Fat Mama," sound as warm and familiar as old friends. But when Madeleine Peyroux takes the mic on "He's Got Me Goin'," unleashing a butter-smooth croon, or when Odetta lays down her deep alto on "Trouble in Mind," the session takes off. Brown's sassy turn on "Chains of Love," one of the album's highlights, recalls the gutsy punch of the Chicago-blues heyday, amid more updated sounds and boogie throwbacks. Perkins's fine backing musicians (including Elvin Bishop, whose slide guitar graces "How Long") keep things simmering throughout this legendary pianist's late-period date. ---Rovi

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