Rick Perkins was born and raised in
Brooklyn, Illinois. He attended the "Little Red
School" and graduated from Lovejoy High School in 1961. He participated in the musical
program under the direction of George Hudson. During his four years in the musical
program,he held the position of first trumpet chair. Rick was also an outstanding
athlete. He was the captain of the basketball team in his senior year under the
guidance of Coach Ernie Page Jr. and served as pitcher for the Brooklyn Blue-jays under
the leadership of coaches Freddie Butler and Raymond Winston.
He picked up his first trumpet at the age of 13. Perkins was surrounded by St. Louis
legends, including Miles Davis and George Hudson, at a young age. Hamiet Bluiett and
Larry Prothro were Rick's musical mentors. He says that these two men greatly
influenced his life then and now.
The man became a musician naturally, playing throughout high school, college and the
Air Force. Once out of the service, he continued on to play in bands in St. Louis. For
Perkins, music was life and life was music. At the peak of his career, however, Perkins
did something almost unthinkable for a man who seemed born to play jazz. He took a
23-year hiatus.
But he had two very good reasons. "I became a single father to my two daughters back in
1976 and came to realize that there just wasn't enough of me to go around. But raising
my daughters was great, although
with seven years difference between their ages, I thought I'd have to wear a referee
shirt the rest of my life," Perkins said as he laughed an easy laugh. "But there were
still those moments when I'd hear music and just go crazy in my mind."
Now 63, Perkins sits in his home office surrounded by pictures of his ever-growing
family. His grown daughters, his wife, her children, their children's children and
their one great-grandbaby all sit smiling in their frames, a testament to the man who
sacrificed his love of music for his love of them.
But the man with the Billy Dee Williams-esque features who could make his trumpet sing
is back and pursuing his first love. With his daughters now grown, he began his journey
back to the stage in 2000 when he bought a trumpet for the first time in 23 years at a
pawnshop. Eventually, that journey led Perkins to Victoria. And on Saturday he will be
making his triumphant Texas debut at Greek Bros. "In 1980, I moved from St. Louis with
my daughters to L.A. where I became a businessman, working in public relations and
advertising. No one even knew I played the trumpet, not even my wife of 17 years."
Perkins said. "When they did find out, they were shocked. I had co-workers coming up to
me and just being bewildered that they had known me for 15-20 years and never knew that
I was a musician."
Perkins first gig was playing at his company's black tie affair. Twenty-three years out
of practice, Perkins only had five weeks to practice two songs. But he never lost his
touch. Although he said it took him a year of hard work to get him to where he was
satisfied with his playing, after the black tie affair, he had snagged two paying jobs.
In March of
2000, Perkins took a leap of faith and put together the Rick Perkins Quintet, a jazz
band of high caliber musicians from the Los Angeles area. The group soared in
popularity and became one of the most sought-after bands in L.A., winning awards such
as Best Jazz Band and Best Instrumental Artist at the L.A. Black Music Awards.
Perkins, who said his biggest musical influence is Miles Davis, even released a CD in
2003 entitled "Live at the Biltmore," with his quintet. "I can't describe in words what
that meant to me, especially the first time I heard it. My power, my range, my tone,
was back. I felt as though God was rewarding me. His plan worked out. It's almost as if
he was saying 'Here ya' go; now you can be a full-time musician.' The thing I wanted to
do most in the world is play the trumpet and now that I'm
retired and my daughters are grown, I can," Perkins said.
Perkins and his wife, Oscar Hernandez, a Bloomington native, moved to Victoria to be
closer to her family. And Perkins has wasted no time forming another jazz band with
musicians from Houston and getting back to his music. "What is it about music that I
love? I guess the best way to put it, particularly for the music I play, is that when
we play the melody and it's time to improvise, that is a musical language you don't
know in advance. It's your feelings and your emotions that come through and take that
melody and make it more personal. And when you solo, what's inside of me has an
opportunity to come out and that' s my own interpretation of the music and of that
song," Perkins said.
School" and graduated from Lovejoy High School in 1961. He participated in the musical
program under the direction of George Hudson. During his four years in the musical
program,he held the position of first trumpet chair. Rick was also an outstanding
athlete. He was the captain of the basketball team in his senior year under the
guidance of Coach Ernie Page Jr. and served as pitcher for the Brooklyn Blue-jays under
the leadership of coaches Freddie Butler and Raymond Winston.
He picked up his first trumpet at the age of 13. Perkins was surrounded by St. Louis
legends, including Miles Davis and George Hudson, at a young age. Hamiet Bluiett and
Larry Prothro were Rick's musical mentors. He says that these two men greatly
influenced his life then and now.
The man became a musician naturally, playing throughout high school, college and the
Air Force. Once out of the service, he continued on to play in bands in St. Louis. For
Perkins, music was life and life was music. At the peak of his career, however, Perkins
did something almost unthinkable for a man who seemed born to play jazz. He took a
23-year hiatus.
But he had two very good reasons. "I became a single father to my two daughters back in
1976 and came to realize that there just wasn't enough of me to go around. But raising
my daughters was great, although
with seven years difference between their ages, I thought I'd have to wear a referee
shirt the rest of my life," Perkins said as he laughed an easy laugh. "But there were
still those moments when I'd hear music and just go crazy in my mind."
Now 63, Perkins sits in his home office surrounded by pictures of his ever-growing
family. His grown daughters, his wife, her children, their children's children and
their one great-grandbaby all sit smiling in their frames, a testament to the man who
sacrificed his love of music for his love of them.
But the man with the Billy Dee Williams-esque features who could make his trumpet sing
is back and pursuing his first love. With his daughters now grown, he began his journey
back to the stage in 2000 when he bought a trumpet for the first time in 23 years at a
pawnshop. Eventually, that journey led Perkins to Victoria. And on Saturday he will be
making his triumphant Texas debut at Greek Bros. "In 1980, I moved from St. Louis with
my daughters to L.A. where I became a businessman, working in public relations and
advertising. No one even knew I played the trumpet, not even my wife of 17 years."
Perkins said. "When they did find out, they were shocked. I had co-workers coming up to
me and just being bewildered that they had known me for 15-20 years and never knew that
I was a musician."
Perkins first gig was playing at his company's black tie affair. Twenty-three years out
of practice, Perkins only had five weeks to practice two songs. But he never lost his
touch. Although he said it took him a year of hard work to get him to where he was
satisfied with his playing, after the black tie affair, he had snagged two paying jobs.
In March of
2000, Perkins took a leap of faith and put together the Rick Perkins Quintet, a jazz
band of high caliber musicians from the Los Angeles area. The group soared in
popularity and became one of the most sought-after bands in L.A., winning awards such
as Best Jazz Band and Best Instrumental Artist at the L.A. Black Music Awards.
Perkins, who said his biggest musical influence is Miles Davis, even released a CD in
2003 entitled "Live at the Biltmore," with his quintet. "I can't describe in words what
that meant to me, especially the first time I heard it. My power, my range, my tone,
was back. I felt as though God was rewarding me. His plan worked out. It's almost as if
he was saying 'Here ya' go; now you can be a full-time musician.' The thing I wanted to
do most in the world is play the trumpet and now that I'm
retired and my daughters are grown, I can," Perkins said.
Perkins and his wife, Oscar Hernandez, a Bloomington native, moved to Victoria to be
closer to her family. And Perkins has wasted no time forming another jazz band with
musicians from Houston and getting back to his music. "What is it about music that I
love? I guess the best way to put it, particularly for the music I play, is that when
we play the melody and it's time to improvise, that is a musical language you don't
know in advance. It's your feelings and your emotions that come through and take that
melody and make it more personal. And when you solo, what's inside of me has an
opportunity to come out and that' s my own interpretation of the music and of that
song," Perkins said.
| Rick Perkins 01/07/43 - present |
