Willie Lee Perryman (October 19, 1911 – July 25, 1985),[1] usually known professionally as Piano Red and later in life as Dr. Feelgood, was an American blues musician, the first to hit the pop music charts.

His performing and recording careers emerged during the period of transition from completely segregated "race music" to rhythm and blues, which was marketed to both white and black audiences.

Perryman was an albino African American, as was his older brother Rufus, who also had a blues piano career as "Speckled Red".

Both brothers had very poor vision, an effect of their albinism, so neither took formal music lessons, but they developed their barrelhouse style through playing by ear.

Other influences were likely the local blues pianists playing at "house" or "rent" parties, which were common community fund-raisers of that era.

He worked these circuits with other Georgia bluesmen, including Barbecue Bob, Charlie Hicks, Curley Weaver, and Blind Willie McTell.

[2] He obtained seasonal employment performing in Brevard, North Carolina, a mountain resort town, and commuted back and forth between there and Atlanta.

[3] Both songs became national hits, reaching numbers five and three, respectively, on the Billboard R&B chart, and "Rockin' with Red" has since been covered many times under many titles.

During this time, he was befriended by Bill Wyman, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, and Paul McCartney, and Pete Ham of Badfinger wrote a song in his honor.

In April 2010, he formed a partnership with the writer and producer David Fulmer to release a CD of the recording under the title The Lost Atlanta Tapes.

[5] Piano Red's song "Mr. Moonlight" was covered by several UK beat groups, including The Beatles and Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, who recorded it as the B-side of their 1964 single "Always and Ever".