The road between Mississippi and Bangor was a straight shot when Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins took his seat at the piano Friday at the Railroad Stage. The legendary musician, one of the last great Mississippi Delta bluesmen and a headliner at the National Folk Festival, closed the distance when his hands started popping the keys.

In a five-song set, Perkins played standards such as “Kansas City Here I Come” and “Pinetop’s Boogie,” which was written in the 1920s by Clarence “Pinetop” Smith, a Chicago bluesman who tutored Perkins. Once Perkins started playing the piece, he did it so well that the song – and the name “Pinetop” – became his signatures.

Accompanied by opening act George Kilby Jr., who has been performing with Perkins for more than 15 years, and his band the Downtown Poker Club, Perkins had a jam session that was hotter than the sweltering summer temperatures earlier in the day. It was as close as Bangor gets to having a juke joint downtown.

While the festival was host to many young performers, Perkins bridged another gap: age. At 91, he brought an elder statesman sophistication to the scene. He still respects his audience enough to wear a tie and suit – as well as a fire-engine red fedora. He was all style, musically and personally. But mostly what he proved was the mission of the National: You can get there from here. In this case, from the Mississippi Delta to the riverbanks of the Penobscot.

– Alicia Anstead