Carl Perkins tends to turn up in rock-and-roll chronicles as an also-ran: the guy who wrote "Blue Suede Shoes," cut a crackling version of the song for Sun, and then saw Elvis nudge it out of the spotlight with his version. Certainly he lacked Presley"s personal magnetism as a performer. But Perkins, who was born in Tennessee in 1932, was a true original. As a singer and guitarist, he was one of the prime begetters of rockabilly. And his songs--not only "Blue Suede Shoes," but "Dixie Fried," "Matchbox," "Honey Don"t," and "Everybody"s Trying to Be My Baby"--were definitive expressions of hipster attitude, which probably explains why the Beatles recorded the latter three. David McGee, a frequent contributor to Rolling Stone, writes about Perkins with great sympathy and tact. He manages to describe his subject"s struggles (of which there were many) without descending into voyeuristic pathography. As for Perkins himself, he remains proud of his legacy: "I loved it--there ain"t nothing prettier than two clean teenagers out there jitterbugging. And if they want to jitterbug at my funeral to "Blue Suede Shoes," I might just raise up and say: Go, Cat, Go!"