Blue Suede Shoes

Song composer(s)

Perkins, Carl

Grateful Dead Recordings

Not recorded by the Dead

Dead Related Recordings

No Dead related recordings entered

Other Recordings

Single : Carl Perkins (1955)
Single : Pee Wee King (1956)
EP : Elvis Presley (1956)
Single : Boyd Bennett & His Rockets (1956)
Dance with Carl Perkins : Carl Perkins (1957)
C'mon Everybody : Eddie Cochran (1959)
Freddy Cannon Sings Happy Shades of Blue : Freddy Cannon (1960)
Teen Beat - The Best of Carl Perkins : Carl Perkins (1961)
Castaway Strings Play The Elvis Presley Song Book : Castaway Strings (1964)
Original Golden Hits : Carl Perkins (1969)
Blue Suede Shoes : Carl Perkins (1969)
Live Peace In Toronto : Plastic Ono Band (1969) )
Sweet Toronto Soundtrack : Various Artists (John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band) (1970)
Blues For Elvis - Albert King Does The King's Thing : Albert King (1970)
Elvis, That's The Way It Is Soundtrack : Elvis Presley (1970)
Sleazy Roadside Stories : Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen (1973)
Blue Suede Shoes : Johnny Rivers (1973)
King of Rock N' Roll : Mack Allen Smith (1975)
Rockin' Guitar Man : Carl Perkins (1975)
Together : Edgar & Johnny Winter (1976)
Narvel The Marvel : Narvel Felts (1976)
My Farewell To Elvis : Merle Haggard (1977)
Don't You Step on My Blue Suede Shoes : Various Artists (Carl Perkins) (1977)
The Longhorn Jamboree Presents Willie Nelson and His Friends : Various Artists (1977)
Sunset Soul: The Roots of Rock, Volume 6 - Various Artists (Tony Austin) (1977)
The Original Carl Perkins : Carl Perkins (1978)
Elvis! Soundtrack : Elvis Presley (1979)
The Last Detail : Warren Smith (1981)
Slide Area : Ry Cooder (1982)
The Sun Years : Carl Perkins (1982)
(Recorded Live) At the Picketts Lock : Crazy Cavan 'N' The Rhythm Rockers (1983)
Killer, The Mercury Years Vol. 2 (1969-1972) : Jerry Lee Lewis (1989)
King Of Rock 'n' Roll - The Complete 50s Masters : Elvis Presley (1992)
Remembering Merle : Doc Watson (1992)
Crossroads - Southern Routes--Music of the American South : Various Artists (Carl Perkins) (1996)

Notes

Lead vocals - Garcia.

According to a number of sources the genesis of Blue Suede Shoes was roughly as follows. In late 1955 Johnny Cash and Perkins were playing a show in Amory, Mississippi. Cash suggested to Perkins that he write a song based on a phrase he'd heard in the food line in the army - Don't step on my shoes. A few nights later Perkins was playing in Jackson, Tennessee and saw a dancer at the front of the crowd trying to keep his partner away from his blue suede shoes. At 3.00 am the next morning Perkins woke with the song taking form. He went downstairs and wrote the lyrics out on an empty potato bag. It was then worked up by Perkins and his brothers before being auditioned for Sun in early December 1955.

Three versions of the song were recorded in early December and one of these released in late December (possibly 1st January 1956) with Honey, Don't as the b-side (Sun 234).

It was the first single to reach the top 5 in the Country, R & B and pop charts.