Piano Red

William Willie Lee Perryman , usually known professionally as Piano Red and later in life as Dr. Feelgood, was an American blues musician, the first to hit the pop music charts. He was a selftaught pianist who played in the barrelhouse blues style . His performing and recording careers emerged during the period of transition from completely segregated race music, to rhythm and blues, which was marketed to white audiences. Some music historians credit Perrymans 1950 recording Rocking With Red for the popularization of the term rock and roll in Atlanta. His simple, hardpounding left hand and his percussive right hand, coupled with his cheerful shout, brought him considerable success over three decades.

Perryman was born on a farm near Hampton, Georgia, where his parents Ada and Henry Perryman sharecropped. He was part of a large family, though sources differ on exactly how many brothers and sisters he had. Perryman was an albino African American, as was his older brother Rufus, who also had a blues piano career as Speckled Red.

Source: Wikipedia