Al Perkins

Al Perkins is listed in the credits for the following albums:

Year Artist Album Role
1974 Love Song Final Touch Steel & Slide Guitars
1975 Karen Lafferty Bird in a Golden Sky Steel Guitar
1975 The Way Can It Be? Producer
1975 Jamie Owens-Collins Growing Pains Producer, Guitars
1975 Mustard Seed Faith Sail On Sailor Mixed, Banjo
1976 Fred Field Fred Field and Friends Steel Guitar
1976 Becky Ugartechea House Between Two Rivers Producer, Arrangements, Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel, Hand Claps
1976 Barry McGuire C'mon Along Pedal Steel, Dobro, Electric Guitar
1976 Gentle Faith Gentle Faith Production Assistance
1976 Pat Terry Songs of the South Producer
1976 Daniel Amos Daniel Amos Producer, Mixed, Pedal Steel Guitar, Banjo
1976 Andraé Crouch & The Disciples This is Another Day Steel Guitar
1976 Bob Ayala Joy By Surprise Pedal Steel, Electric Guitar
1977 Children of the Light Come On In Producer, Engineer
1977 Salvation Air Force Strangers In A Strange Land Pedal Steel Guitar
1977 Pam Mark Hall This is Not a Dream Steel Guitar
1977 Albrecht Roley & Moore Gently Flowing Feeling Pedal Steel Guitar
1977 Jim Gill United Saints of America Mastered
1977 Pat Terry Sweet Music Producer, Steel Guitar
1977 Keith Green For Him Who Has Ears to Hear Engineer
1977 John Fischer Inside Guitars, Steel Guitar
1978 Karen Lafferty Sweet Communion Steel Guitar
1978 Jamie Owens-Collins Love Eyes Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Dobro, Steel Guitar
1978 Barry McGuire Cosmic Cowboy Pedal Steel
1978 Kelly Willard Blame It On The One I Love! Steel Guitar
1978 Keith Green No Compromise Steel & Acoustic Guitars
1978 Richie Furay Dance a Little Light Guitar Solo
1978 Bethlehem Bethlehem Engineer, Mixed
1978 Bob Ayala Wood Between the Worlds Electric Guitars
1979 Becky Ugartechea Look By Faith Producer, Steel Guitar
1979 Wendell Burton Shinin' Thru the Rain Guitars
1979 'Ark ...The Angels Come Producer, Engineer, Lead Guitar
1979 Mark Heard Appalachian Melody Pedal Steel, Dobro
1979 Bob Bennett First Things First Guitars
1980 Jamie Owens-Collins Straight Ahead Steel Guitar
1980 Pat Terry Best of the Pat Terry Group Producer, Steel Guitar
1980 Bob Ayala Journey Electric Guitars, Lap and Pedal Steel
1980 Albrecht Roley & Moore Take It to the People Producer, Rhythm Arrangements, Pedal Steel
1981 Passage Passage Steel Guitar
1981 Nancy Honeytree Growing Up: Honeytree's Best Producer
1981 Maranatha! Music God Loves Country Music Producer, Guitars, Steel Guitar, Dobro, Background Vocals
1981 Kelly Willard Willing Heart Steel Guitar
1982 Keith Green Songs for the Shepherd Steel Guitar
1982 Richie Furay Seasons of Change Pedal Steel Guitar
1982 Harry Browning Sweet Harmony Guitars
1982 Laury Boone Browning Sweet Harmony Guitars
1983 Mark Heard Eye of the Storm Pedal Steel
1984 Daniel McClenaghan Winning The West Producer, Pedal Steel
1985 Mark Heard Acoustic Pedal Steel
1986 Kelly Willard Message From a King Steel Guitar
1987 Don Francisco The Power Producer, Recorded, Mixed
1988 Scott Wesley Brown To the Ends of the Earth Steel Pedal Guitar
1988 Steve Camp Justice Pedal Steel
1991 Bruce Carroll Sometimes Miracles Hide Steel Guitar
1995 Russ Taff Winds of Change Steel Guitar
1995 Brian Barrett Nailed in Stone Lap & Pedal Steel, Dobro
1997 Bruce Carroll For The Record Steel Guitar
2005 Bruce Carroll Big World Steel Guitar
2013 Blues Counsel Muscle Shoals Sessions Lap Steel

Al Perkins

Al Perkins has been a member of:

AL PERKINS today is equally at home in the studio adding his timeless pedal steel to albums by Nashville's elite band of artists, as he is adding white hot snarling lap steel to the dynamic live appearances of alt.country acts, or complementing Chris Hillman's traditional bluegrass sound with his signature dobro playing.

This legend of popular music was born and raised in Texas , and learned to play Hawaiian steel guitar at the age of 9. Playing in West Texas bands throughout the sixties, it wasn't until his release from the US Army Reserves in the early seventies that his musical career took off with California Country Rockers Shiloh. Perkins found himself hired to play in the new incarnation of The Flying Burrito Brothers and recorded the seminal live album The Last of the Red Hot Burritos in 1972. The band splintered, and Perkins along with former Byrd Chris Hillman joined Manassas. Led by Stephen Stills, they were one of the most talented units in music at the time. Equally at home with Latin jams, rock, blues, country, folk, and bluegrass, they were one of the most versatile outfits in rock history.

As the second album was released and Stills was being drawn more towards his work with Crosby Stills and Nash, Perkins and Hillman found themselves joining up with Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield and Poco founding member) and J.D. Souther in the Souther Hillman Furay band. Perkins moved into producing records in the mid 70s, but did tour again with Michael Nesmith, Debby Boone and McGuinn & Hillman. He somehow managed to also continue working as a session player, and found himself contributing to many of the notable albums of that time, including the Eagles' On The Border . Continuing his production work into the 80s, Perkins also toured with Chris Hillman as a duo which later developed into the Desert Rose Band, before joining Dolly Parton in 1986, touring and recording with her for several years before moving to Nashville .

It was in Nashville he reunited with Emmylou Harris on a new project, the Nash Ramblers, having previously worked with Emmylou and playing on the two solo albums of the late, great Gram Parsons. (It was his association with Parsons that led to Perkins being called in to play on the sessions for the Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street ). For the Live at the Ryman album, Emmylou and her band, obviously inspired by the history of the famous auditorium, responded by putting together a stunning live set spanning the history of country music. The album was to win a Grammy award in 1992.

Al Perkins continues to tour and record, and is highly regarded for taking time to help develop new musical ventures with up-and-coming artists. He has played and toured with artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Cher, Rita Coolidge, Dan Fogelberg and Dwight Yoakam yet he manages to share around his time, appearing with long-time associate Chris Hillman and with veteran country singer Michael Martin Murphey. A highlight of Perkins' long career was his appearance on stage alongside James Burton and Keith Richards and a host of stars at the Gram Parsons tribute show in California in the summer of 2004.

Somehow in his busy schedule, Perkins managed to find enough time to put together a collection of studio outtakes and rare recordings spanning the breadth of his career. Snapshots chronicled his associations with many of his previous musical buddies, and featured long lost or forgotten recordings by the Nash Ramblers and the Burritos amongst others for a fascinating album.

Triple Play was Perkins' first solo album of his own music, and effortlessly swings through blues, country, bluegrass gospel and even Cajun influences. The enjoyment of being able to cut loose on his own self-penned material is clear, as Al Perkins comes up trumps with an infectious set of studio and live cuts.

Today Al Perkins is involved in many projects, including the Hi Power Band - a group of seasoned professionals playing R&B and rock in and around his native Nashville, and fronting Big Dog 3. A 'Power Trio' including Emmylou Harris band members past and present, Brady Blade and Chris Donohue, Big Dog 3's self-titled debut album, released in July 2009, features a range of self-penned and classic material, given an extra dimension with the help of some very special musical guests.

Al Perkins Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2014, from Al Perkins website: http://www.alperkinsmusic.com/al-perkins-biography.php

Created by: siremidor on 26-July-2010 - Last Edited by admin on 07-January-2016
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