First Grammy Award winner and blues great 'Pinetop' Perkins dies in Texas
Grammy-winning blues pianist Willie "Pinetop" Perkins died at his home in Austin, Texas, Monday, his official website said.
He was 97.
"It is with deep sadness that we announce Pinetop Perkins passed away," the web page said.
The Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award winner scored solo success late in his seven-decade-long career, releasing 14 albums between 1988 and 2010. He was the oldest person ever awarded a Grammy.
Before Perkins stepped into the spotlight, he played in Muddy Waters' band for 12 years, starting in the late 1960s.
"In 1980, Pinetop and other members of Muddy's crew struck out on their own and formed the Legendary Blues Band," according to his online biography.
He was born Joe Willie Perkins in Belzoni, Mississippi, on July 7, 1913....
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He was 97.
"It is with deep sadness that we announce Pinetop Perkins passed away," the web page said.
The Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award winner scored solo success late in his seven-decade-long career, releasing 14 albums between 1988 and 2010. He was the oldest person ever awarded a Grammy.
Before Perkins stepped into the spotlight, he played in Muddy Waters' band for 12 years, starting in the late 1960s.
"In 1980, Pinetop and other members of Muddy's crew struck out on their own and formed the Legendary Blues Band," according to his online biography.
He was born Joe Willie Perkins in Belzoni, Mississippi, on July 7, 1913....