The Beatles for the first time in Germany Hamburg

Credit: Alamy

The Beatles album with two Carl Perkins covers

Wed 14 September 2022 19:00, UK

The influence of Carl Perkins on The Beatles‘ music is hard to underestimate. Even though the Fab Four were more into rock and roll than Perkins’ signature blend of country and rock, George Harrison was especially fond of Perkins’ work, so much so that he occasionally used the pseudonym ‘Carl Harrison’ early in his career in tribute to the classic singer.

Perkins’ covers were never far from The Beatles’ setlists, and in total, there are six official recordings featuring the band covering Perkins. The Ringo Starr-sung take on ‘Matchbox’ was released as a single in America and popped up on the Long Tall Sally EP in the UK. There were also versions of ‘Sure to Fall (In Love With You)’ and ‘Glad All Over’ that were played during the group’s appearances at the BBC. The band also covered ‘Lend Me Your Comb’ during their BBC special Pop Go the Beatles in 1963.

But the two Perkins covers that have continued to resonate with diehards and casual fans alike are the two that appeared on official studio albums. ‘Honey Don’t’ and ‘Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby’ were actually featured on the same album, 1964’s Beatles for Sale. Recorded after a long string of recording sessions, concerts, promotional appearances, and film shoots, Beatles for Sale found The Beatles physically and creatively exhausted.

However, that didn’t stop them from recording eight songs in a single day. One of those songs was ‘Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby’, with Harrison paying tribute to his favourite guitarist. It would be Harrison’s only lead vocal on the album, but The Beatles weren’t done with Perkins yet. Needing to both pad out the runtime of the album and give Ringo Starr his designated lead vocal, another Perkins cover was recorded as Starr took on ‘Honey Don’t’, throwing in some playful direction during the recording of his lead vocal.

Harrison kept a lifelong love of Perkins’ work, even as he stretched out his own style to include classical Indian music, avant-garde, and gospel soul. His devotion to Perkins always shined through every time he added a double stop or country lick into a solo, and Harrison even performed ‘Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby’ with Perkins live in 1985. When Harrison passed away in 2001, Starr performed ‘Honey Don’t’ at the Concert for George to pay tribute to Harrison and his undying love for Perkins.

Check out both ‘Honey Don’t’ and ‘Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby’ down below.