Carl Perkins helped define rockabilly by blending the country music of the Grand Ole Opry with the rural blues he heard growing up in western Tennessee, and his 1956 recording of "Blue Suede Shoes" became what many consider the first big hit of rock 'n' roll, reaching number one across a broad range of music charts and becoming Sun Records' first million-selling single. He performed frequently along Rock 'n' Roll Highway 67, including at Fireman's Hall in Walnut Ridge and night clubs in Jackson County, often backed by his brothers Jay and Clayton. A life-threatening car wreck in 1956 sidelined him just as his career was taking off and is often blamed for keeping his success from soaring like that of fellow Sun artist Elvis Presley. Although his popularity was waning in the US by the early 1960s, he found a passionate following in Europe, and while performing in Britain in 1964 he met and befriended The Beatles. Their friendship lasted for many years, and aside from their own songs, The Beatles recorded more songs by Carl Perkins than by any other writer.