April 9 Program Will Feature a Performance by Chuck Mead

Panel Discussion Moderated by Dr. Mark Crawford Will Include Peter Guralnick, Naomi Judd, David McGee and Stan Perkins

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – March 17, 2016 – The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will present a special panel discussion and performance to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes.” The program is set for Saturday, April 9, at 2 p.m. in the museum’s Ford Theater. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the creation and first recording of the rockabilly classic “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins. In 1956, “Blue Suede Shoes” set sales records for Sam Phillips’ Sun label just weeks after Elvis Presley left Sun for RCA. The recording achieved the rare distinction of climbing the national charts in three genres: pop, country, and R&B. “Blue Suede Shoes” is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone’s “Greatest Songs of All Time” and the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. This celebration of Perkins’ signature song—and his influential career— will take place on his birthday. A panel discussion about Perkins will include his son Stan Perkins (Carl’s longtime drummer), close friend Naomi Judd (of the Judds, for whom Perkins wrote the #1 hit “Let Me Tell You About Love”); David McGee (co-author, with Carl Perkins, of Go, Cat, Go!: The Life and Times of Carl Perkins, the King of Rockabilly); Peter Guralnick (author of Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll), and moderator Dr. Mark Crawford (associate professor of music at Tennessee State University). Chuck Mead (founding member of BR5-49 and music director for the stage musical Million Dollar Quartet) will perform a brief set with his band. Presented in support of the museum’s exhibition Flyin’ Saucers Rock & Roll: The Cosmic Genius of Sam Phillips, the program is included with museum admission and free to museum members. Seating is general admission and will be limited. Attendees must have a program pass to guarantee admission to the event. Museum members may reserve their program passes in advance by phone (615-416-2050) or via reservations@countrymusichalloffame.org. The interview and performance will be streamed live at countrymusichalloffame.org/streaming. One of the most innovative and inspiring figures in the history of American music, Phillips not only introduced the world to Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley but also Johnny Cash, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and many more. The exhibition Flyin’ Saucers Rock & Roll: The Cosmic Genius of Sam Phillips is open through June 12, 2016. For more information about the exhibit, click here. Follow @countrymusichof on Twitter and join the conversation using #CosmicSamPhillips. The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum collects, preserves, and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of diverse audiences. In exhibits, publications, and educational programs, the museum explores the cultural importance and enduring beauty of the art form. The museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and in 2015 welcomed over one million patrons, placing it among the ten most-visited history museums in the U.S. The Country Music Foundation operates Historic RCA Studio BTM, Hatch Show Print® poster shop, CMF Records, the Frist Library and Archive, and CMF Press. Museum programs are supported by Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts. More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.