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Al Perkins (Born January 18, 1944) is a Texas-born American guitarist. The Gibson guitar company called Perkins "the world's most influential Dobro player", and even began producing an "Al Perkins Signature" Dobro in 2001 - designed and autographed by Perkins.
After some time in the US Army, Perkins moved to California with the band Shiloh, which also included Don Henley and future producer/record executive Jim Ed Norman. He went on to record and tour with the Flying Burrito Brothers, Richie Furay, Dan Fogelberg, Stephen Stills, Leonard Cohen, Gram Parsons, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Daniel Amos, The Rolling Stones, Joe Walsh, Michael Nesmith, Randy Newman, James Taylor, Debby Boone, Tori Amos, The Eagles, Bethlehem, and McGuinn and Hillman. In 1971, Perkins became a member of Stephen Stills band, Manassas. After Manassas broke up in 1973, Perkins joined fellow Manassas member Chris Hillman in forming the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band; when that group splintered in 1975, he joined Mason Proffit.
Perkins began producing records in the mid 1970s.
In the 1980s, Perkins rejoined Chris Hillman in the Desert Rose Band. Perkins started touring with Dolly Parton in 1986. Also that year, Perkins played Dobro on Bob Dylan's Knocked Out Loaded. In 1988, Perkins moved to Nashville, and the following year, he joined Emmylou Harris' new Grammy Award winning group, The Nash Ramblers, with whom he released the album Snapshots.
By the mid 1990s, Perkins began to work almost exclusively as a record producer and session guitarist, recording with artists like Tori Amos (From the Choirgirl Hotel), Owen Temple, Garth Brooks (Sevens), Wynonna Judd, Buddy Miller, and Cher.
In 2003, Perkins joined forces with Terry Talbot and other original members Bruce “Creeper” Kurnow and Tim Ayres to resurrect the country rock band Mason Proffit.
Perkins appears in "Daiquiri Blues"" (5 songs) of the Spanish Quique González.
Perkins also appeared in the song "Horses," by South Carolina Alt-Country band American Gun, on their 2007 independent release "The Means and The Machine" playing lap steel.
Perkins has recently teamed up with Brady Blade and Chris Donohue to form Big Dog 3 and have released the self titled album in July 2009.
Perkins played at the Maverick alt.country festival in Suffolk, UK in summer 2009.
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