From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Wed Oct 23, 2002  1:17 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Speckled Red
 
SPECKLED RED

Born Rufus G. Perryman, 23 October 1892, Monroe, Louisiana
Died 2 January 1973, St. Louis, Missouri

Blues singer, pianist ; also played organ ; aka 'Detroit Red'.
If there ever was a pianist who epitomized the barrelhouse style of piano
playing, it was Speckled Red. He was given his name because he was a
black albino with an almost white skin (like his brother, Willie Perryman,
aka Piano Red, who was featured here a few days ago).
He was born in Louisiana, but raised in Hampton, Georgia, where he learned
how to play his church's organ. In his early teens, his large family (Jean-Marc
wrote that there were "around nine" Perryman siblings, but sixteen is probably
closer to the truth) moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Throughout his childhood and
adolescence he played piano and organ and by the time he was a teenager,
he was playing house parties and juke joints. Red moved to Detroit in the
mid-'20s and while there, he played various night clubs and parties. After a
few years in Detroit, he moved back south to Memphis. In 1929, he cut his first
recording sessions. One song from these sessions, "The Dirty Dozens," was
released on Brunswick and became a hit in late 1929. The following year he
recorded an unsuccessful sequel, "The Dirty Dozens, No. 2".
After Red's second set of sessions failed to sell, the pianist spent the
next few years without a contract - he simply played local Memphis clubs.
In 1938, he cut a few sides for Bluebird, but they were largely ignored.
In the early '40s, Speckled Red moved to St. Louis, where he played local
clubs and bars for the next decade and a half. In 1954, he was rediscovered
by a number of blues aficianados and record label owners. By 1956, he had
recorded several songs for the Tone record label and began a tour of America
and Europe. In 1960, he made some recordings for Folkways and the next
year he recorded an album in Copenhagen. By this time, Red's increasing
age was causing him to cut back the number of concerts he gave. For the
rest of the '60s, he only performed occasionally. He died in 1973 at the age
of 80 years.

Available CD's:
The Dirty Dozens (Delmark 601).
Blues Masters, Vol. 11 (Storyville 8011).
Complete Recorded Works 1929-1938 (Document DOCD 5205).