Laura Lee Perkins (July 20, 1939 – April 6, 2018) was a

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

musician. Though not commercially successful, Perkins gained popularity during the European rockabilly revival of the 1970-1990s. She was a member of the

Rockabilly Hall of Fame The original Rockabilly Hall of Fame was an organization and website launched on March 21, 1997, to present early rock and roll history and information relating to the artists and personalities involved in rockabilly. Headquartered in Nashville ...

Early life

Laura Lee Perkins was born Alice Faye Perkins in Killarney, West Virginia to Chester and Hazel Perkins. Alice Faye learned to play guitar and piano in her youth. She attended Stoco High School where she also learned to play the trumpe

Career

Perkins moved to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

in 1957 where she met a local

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

who sent her demos to his contacts at

Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to ...

. Perkins flew to California in February 1958 and recorded with Ricky Nelson's band during sessions at Imperial. The songs produced during these sessions include ''Don't Wait Up'' and ''Kiss Me Baby.'' The label changed her stage name to Laura Lee Perkins and referred to her as the “female Jerry Lee Lewis” while promoting her 1958 record. Perkins returned to Ohio and later moved to Detroit in 1959. She continued to perform and tour will several bands. Her early records were never commercially successful, but became highly collectable during the European rockabilly revival. She released the album ''I’m Back and Here We Go: Laura Lee Perkins, Rockabilly Legend'' in 2006. Perkins was a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Perkins married Neal Kitts in 1963. The couple had three sons.

Discography

Singles

Album

* 2006: ''I’m Back and Here We Go!''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Laura Lee American rockabilly musicians 1939 births 2018 deaths American women rock singers