He is best remembered for his performances with the Curtis Counce Quintet, which also featured Harold Land, Jack Sheldon and drummer Frank Butler.
He also performed with Tiny Bradshaw, Big Jay McNeely in 1948–49, and played dates with Miles Davis in 1950.
Following a short stint in the Army (January 1951 to November 1952), he worked intermittently with the Oscar Moore Trio (1953-1955) and the Clifford Brown–Max Roach group in 1954.
Authors Paul Tanner, Maurice Gerow, and David Megill cite Perkins as one of the best "funky", or hard bop, piano players, but his early death prevented him from leaving a legacy.
[7] With Pepper Adams With Chet Baker and Art Pepper With Clifford Brown and Max Roach With Curtis Counce With Buddy DeFranco With Victor Feldman With Dizzy Gillespie With Dexter Gordon With Jim Hall With Illinois Jacquet With Richie Kamuca With Harold Land With Oscar Moore With Frank Morgan With Art Pepper With Stuff Smith With Leroy Vinnegar