"Matchbox" is a song written and recorded by
Carl Perkins and released in 1957.
Blind Lemon Jefferson wrote and recorded a song entitled "Match Box Blues" in 1927, which is musically different but which contains some lyric phrases in common.
"Matchbox" was recorded as 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 South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...
song by
Carl Perkins in December 1956 and by fellow Sun Records performer,
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...
who played piano on the original trackin 1958.
Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...
and
Sun Records
Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny ...
released the Carl Perkins version as the
B-side to "
Your True Love". Although only the A-side became a record chart hit in 1957, "Matchbox" is one of Perkins' best-known recordings and a variety of musicians have recorded the tune.
Background
Ma Rainey
Gertrude "Ma" Rainey ( Pridgett; April 26, 1886 – December 22, 1939) was an American blues singer and influential early blues recording artist. Dubbed the "Mother of the Blues", she bridged earlier vaudeville and the authentic expression of s ...
recorded "Lost Wandering Blues" in Chicago in March 1924.
Paramount Records issued it on the standard ten-inch 78 rpm single (no. 12098). Her lyrics include the matchbox as a suitcase reference:
Three years later, Blind Lemon Jefferson used it for the title of his recording as "Match Box Blues" on March 14, 1927, for
Okeh Records in Atlanta, Georgia. Blues author
Paul Oliver stated that both Rainey and Jefferson "may have absorbed
he linefrom traditional usage".
Jefferson recorded the song twice more in April 1927 for Paramount Records. Although they contain some differences, they include
Subsequently, the song was recorded by several blues and
country swing musicians, such as
Lead Belly,
Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy (born Lee Conley Bradley; June 26, 1903 – August 14, 1958) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country music to mostly African American audiences. In the 1930s ...
,
the Shelton Brothers, and Roy Newman and His Boys.
Perkins recording
After recording "Your True Love" at Sun Records studio, Carl Perkins's father Buck suggested that he write a song based on snatches of lyrics that he remembered. Buck knew only a few lines from the 1927 song from the recordings by Jefferson or the Shelton Brothers. As Perkins sang the few words his father had suggested,
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...
, who was at that time a session piano player at
Sun Studios, started a boogie-woogie riff. Perkins began to improvise on his guitar and with lyrics.
The Sun recording on December 4, 1956 was produced by Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in Memphis.
Perkins maintained that he had never heard Jefferson's song when he recorded "Matchbox". The songs are musically, thematically, and lyrically totally different. Jefferson's song is about a mean spirited woman; Perkins' is about a lovelorn "poor boy" with limited prospects.
The song was published and copyrighted in 1957 in the US with words and music by Carl Lee Perkins by Knox Music/Hill and Range Songs of New York.
The "Matchbox" recording session is historically significant as a milestone in rock and roll history because later that day,
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
,
Johnny Cash, and Lewis were all in the Sun Studio with Sam Phillips with Carl Perkins and his band. The impromptu group formed at this jam session became known as the
Million Dollar Quartet
"Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session ...
.
Carl Perkins performed the song on
ABC-TV's ''
Ozark Jubilee
''Ozark Jubilee'' is a 1950s United States network television program that featured country music's top stars of the day. It was produced in Springfield, Missouri. The weekly live stage show premiered on ABC-TV on January 22, 1955, was renamed ...
'' on February 2, 1957. Perkins and his band also performed the song on the syndicated TV show ''Ranch Party'' hosted by
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter (January 12, 1905 – January 2, 1974) was a pioneer of American country music, a popular singer and actor from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter acting family (son John, grandsons Jason and ...
in 1957. There was also a promo ad for the release of the Sun single in ''Billboard'' magazine.
The Beatles' rendition
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
were fans of Perkins and performed "Matchbox" during their shows in 1961 and 1962. The song served as the vocal spot for their drummer,
Pete Best
Randolph Peter Best (né Scanland; born 24 November 1941) is an English musician known as the drummer of the English rock band the Beatles who was dismissed immediately prior to the band achieving worldwide fame. Fired from the group in 1962 ...
, until his sacking in August 1962, at which point
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
took over as lead singer. A live version from December that year was included on the 1977 album ''
Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962
Live may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
*Live! (2007 film), ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film
*Live (2014 film), ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film
*''Live (Apocalyptica DVD), ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD)
Music
*L ...
''. In July 1963, the Beatles performed "Matchbox" with
Ringo Starr, Best's replacement, on lead vocals for their
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
radio show ''Pop Go the Beatles''. This version was included on the 1994 compilation ''
'' EP in 1964. Perkins was visiting London and was invited to observe the session on June 1. Starr later recalled feeling "very embarrassed" because he had a bad throat; two days later, he was hospitalized with acute tonsillitis and pharyngitis, resulting in him missing the start of the Beatles'
. The band were supplemented on the recording by producer
, who played piano. In his commentary on the track, author
dismisses the Beatles' performance as "flat-footed", adding that, as a keen student of Perkins' guitar playing, only
demonstrates "any motivation" in his contribution.
"Matchbox" was released in the UK on June 19 as the final track on ''Long Tall Sally''. In the US, it instead appeared on the
", on August 24. "Matchbox" peaked at number 17 on three record charts: in the U.S., on the
Top 40 chart.