![]() The Jamboree was broadcast from the Dallas Sportatorium, with about 4,000 seats, and it sold out for each of Perkins’ performances. Perkins made four appearances on the radio program Big D Jamboree on station KRLD (AM) in Dallas, where he played the song every Saturday night and was booked on a string of one-nighters in the Southwest. On February 11 it was the number two single on Memphis charts it was number one the next week and remained there for the next three months. “Shoes” became the side of choice throughout the South and Southwest. In Jackson (where Perkins lived) and Memphis, radio stations were playing the flip side of the record, “ Honey Don’t.” In Cleveland, Ohio, however, disc jockey Bill Randle was featuring “Blue Suede Shoes” prominently on his nightly show, and before January was over the Cleveland distributor of the record asked Phillips for an additional 25,000 copies. He soon discovered that the song was available in the newer 7-inch microgrooved 45-rpm format and was disappointed that he didn’t have a copy in the older, more substantial 78-rpm format. Two copies of the song on 78-rpm records were sent to Perkins but arrived broken. Perkins’ recording of “Blue Suede Shoes” was released on January 1, 1956, as Sun 234. Sun’s producer, Sam Phillips, suggested that the lyric “go cat go” be changed to “go man go”, but the suggestion was not taken. I recorded it on December 19,” for Sun Records, which released the second take of the song. According to Perkins, “On December 17, 1955, I wrote ‘Blue Suede Shoes’. He quickly grabbed a brown paper potato sack and wrote the song down, writing the title out as “Blue Swade” “S-W-A-D-E – I couldn’t even spell it right,” he later said. After playing five chords while singing “Well, it’s one for the money … Two for the show … Three to get ready … Now go, man, go!” he broke into a boogie rhythm. He considered, and quickly discarded “Little Jack Horner … ” and “See a spider going up the wall …”, then settled on “One for the money …” Leaving his bed and working with his Les Paul guitar, he started with an A chord. His first thought was to frame it with a nursery rhyme. That night Perkins began working on a song based on the incident. “Good gracious, a pretty little thing like that and all he can think about is his blue suede shoes”, thought Carl. ![]() Between songs, he heard a stern, forceful voice say, “Uh-uh, don’t step on my suedes!” He looked down and noted that the boy was wearing blue suede shoes and one had a scuff mark. When Perkins played a dance on December 4, 1955, he noticed a couple dancing near the stage. Carl replied, “I don’t know anything about shoes. White, who he had met when serving in the military in Germany, who had referred to his military regulation airmen’s shoes as “blue suede shoes.” Cash suggested that Carl write a song about the shoes. Cash told Perkins of a black airman, C.V. Johnny Cash planted the seed for the song in the fall of 1955, while Perkins, Cash, Elvis Presley and other Louisiana Hayride acts toured throughout the South. It was also recorded by Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran, among many others. Elvis Presley performed his version of the song three different times on national television. Perkins’ original version of the song was on the Cashbox Best Selling Singles list for 16 weeks and spent two weeks in the number two position. It is considered one of the first rockabilly (rock-and-roll) records, incorporating elements of blues, country and pop music of the time. “Blue Suede Shoes” is a rock-and-roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955.
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