Elvis Presley, The #2 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 (Continued from Part Two)

Elvis's live shows increasingly drew hysterical reactions from female fans.  Presley released the album Elvis on October 19 and it too went to #1 and sold over one million copies.  

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller wrote this next song for the project, which was a solid #2 overall and #7 R&B.

  Presley would turn to Leiber and Stoller time and time again in the years to come. Elvis sang "Love Me" on The Ed Sullivan Show on October 28.

 

The album also included "Old Shep", the song that Elvis first sang when he was 10 years old for the Mississippi-Alabama talent show but recorded for the first time for this album. Red Foley and Arthur Williams wrote this tearjerker, which is about a dog that Foley owned.


Presley appeared in the movie Love Me Tender, released on November 21.

(From left to right:  Lewis, Perkins, Elvis and Cash)

On December 4, Presley visited Sun Records where Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis were recording and those three along with Johnny Cash had a impromptu jam session. Phillips of course did not own the rights to Presley's material, but he still recorded the event on tape. The recording, dubbed the "Million Dollar Quartet" recordings, were not officially released until 25 years later.

By the end of the year, sales of Presley merchandise topped $22 million and Billboard announced that Presley had placed more entries in the Top 100 for the year than any artist in history. Elvis accounted for over 50% of RCA's singles sales.

Presley appeared for the final time on The Ed Sullivan Show on January 6, 1957 and was filmed from the waist up. Two days later, Elvis received word from the Memphis draft board that he was classified 1-A and would likely be drafted before the year was up.

Presley first heard this song as he was getting ready for a recording session at RCA in New York City in July. Steve Sholes gave Elvis a stack of demo records for him to listen to. The only one in that stack that Elvis really liked was "Anyway You Want It", which he recorded during the famous July 2 session that also produced "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel".


 

Elvis, however, did select four other demos from the stack and took those home with him to Memphis as potential songs for his upcoming September session. "Too Much" was one of those four demos.

During a break in filming Love Me Tender, Presley recorded 13 songs at Radio Recorders Studio in Hollywood on September 1-3. Two of those would be on Elvis's next 45, and the rest would be on his new album. "Too Much" was chosen as the next single release, and it also landed at #1 for three weeks and has sold over two million singles.

Elvis did his usual great job of singing the vocals, but it is Scotty Moore's guitar that makes the song special.  Moore said how the solo came about in the 1971 radio documentary, The Elvis Presley Story:

            I don’t remember now exactly what I had 

            nailed down for the solo instrumental part. It 

            was in an odd key … well, for most guitar

            players, I would say. When my instrumental

            part came, I absolutely just got lost. I didn’t 

            know where I was at. But from the experience

            we had already gained in these months

            behind us, in playing on stage, you go ahead,

            you just keep on going, and this is what I did. 

            And this was the take that was released.”

 

This song was the other track recorded on that day that made the flip side of the 45.  Written by Stan Kesler, Sun Studio steel guitarist and bassist, here is "Playing For Keeps".

On March 19, 1957, one of the first things he did with his money was Elvis purchased the 18-room Graceland (nine miles South of Memphis) for $102,500 for he and his parents.  Destitute their entire lives, the Presleys moved into a mansion.

 

Elvis grew up listening to Gospel music and, even when he became famous, he made it a regular habit to record a Gospel album.  Presley released the Gospel EP Peace in the Valley, which peaked at #3.  Mahalia Jackson sang the title song originally, and Elvis added his touch to it here.

 

Elvis released the single "All Shook Up", a #1 classic in the U.S., the United Kingdom and Canada.  It was Presley's first #1 in the U.K. (#1 for seven weeks), within three weeks it rocketed to the top of the chart for eight weeks in the United States, and it is not only a Double Platinum single, but The #32 Song of the Rock Era*.

"That's When The Heartaches Begin" was one of two songs Elvis recorded at Sun Studios for a birthday gift for his mother released in 1953.  Presley re-recorded it as the B-side to "All Shook Up". 

Kal Mann wrote the lyrics to this next song, another huge hit.  Mann teamed with Bernie Lowe to produce many hits of the 50's, including "Butterfly" by Charlie Gracie, Chubby Checker's "Limbo Rock" and Bobby Rydell's "Wild One".  Allegedly, Mann and Lowe wrote this especially for Elvis because of his supposed fondness for stuffed animals.  But Presley debunked that rumor in a 1957 press conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada:

           It got started from a rumor.  It was an article

           that came out that I collected stuffed animals,

           and I was swamped with 'em.  Actually, I

           mean naturally I keep 'em because the 

           people give 'em to me, but I never even

           thought of collecting stuffed animals in my

           life...I have 'em all over the walls and in the

           basement and in the chairs, and everywhere

           else.

"(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" was a strong follow-up, peaking at #1 on all major U.S. charts and also gliding to #1 in Canada.

Presley recorded the soundtrack to Loving You, his second movie, January 15-18 at Paramount Pictures Scoring Stage and on January 12, 13, 19 and February 23-24 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood.  Film producer Hal Wallis liked "Teddy Bear" (above) so much that he insisted it be in the movie.  

 

The "Loving You" Soundtrack was released in July and became Presley's third consecutive #1 album (#1 for 10 weeks) and went Gold.  The title song, another Leiber/Stoller tune, was the flip to "Teddy Bear" and climbed to #20.

"Mean Woman Blues", also from the movie, was released in July of 1957 and got a lot of play in jukeboxes across the country.

Presley's early success was mind-blowing, and we have a lot more of his greats coming up in Part Four, exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

Elvis Presley, The #2 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

(Continued from Part One)

Presley terminated his deal with Neal and named Parker as his new manager on March 2.  Elvis released his self-titled debut album on March 13, which went Platinum and topped Album charts on both sides of the Atlantic.  The eponymous album was the first Rock & Roll album to top the Billboard chart, a spot it occupied for 10 weeks.  

 

Lloyd Price wrote "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" and first recorded it in 1952.  At the time, Price was working for New Orleans radio station WBOK.  He recorded jingles for various products, including those promoted by disc jockey James "Okey Dokey" Smith.  One of Smith's catch phrases was "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", and Price was inspired to write this song.  With piano from Fats Domino, it became  one of the biggest R&B hits of the year.

Presley's cover version gave Price a run for his money, featuring a standout piano from Shorty Long.

"Trying To Get To You" appears on Presley's debut album (with Elvis playing piano), released March of 1956.

On April 3, Presley appeared on The Milton Berle Show on NBC-TV.  He performed for two weeks at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and signed a seven-year deal with Paramount Pictures.  Elvis also promoted the album with a tour of the Midwest in the United States.

While in Las Vegas, Presley caught shows by Freddie Bell and the Bellboys and loved their version of "Hound Dog", which had been a hit in 1953 for Big Mama Thornton.  "Hound Dog", written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, became Elvis's new closing number.  

Elvis met Leiber and Stoller that year, and according to Presley biographer Peter Guralnick, Leber and Stoller were "astonished at his encyclopedic understanding of the blues." 

(Presley with Moore (hidden from view), Fontana and Black)

Presley appeared again on The Milton Berle Show on June 5, spontaneously halting "Hound Dog" and with a wave of his arm began a slow, grinding version complete with wild, exaggerated body movements.  Presley's antics created much controversy and television critics were outraged.  It is one of the most iconic moments in music or television history.  Many referred to him as "Elvis The Pelvis" after that.  

Elvis performed next on NBC's Steve Allen Show and sang "Hound Dog" for less than a minute to a basset hound.  Presley would later say that agreeing to the skit was the worst decision he ever made.

 

The next day, Elvis recorded "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" with the Jordanaires, who provided spirited hand clapping as well and would work with him through the 1960's.  These two classics (The #1 Double-Sided Hits of the Rock Era*) were released on July 13 and both sides of the single were across-the-board smashes--#1 Popular, #1 R&B and #1 Country.  "Don't Be Cruel" held onto the top spot for 11 weeks and has sold six million singles.

"Hound Dog" also topped charts for 11 weeks and it too is over six million units sold.  

When "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog" both went to #1, Elvis broke the Rock Era record for most #1's with four (displacing Pat Boone who had two).  So dominant was Presley in the 50's that he held on to the record for 14 more years.

Although "Blue Suede Shoes" hit #2 in the Netherlands, it's peak of #20 makes it one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.  To wit, Elvis's version outsold Carl Perkins' version, which reached #2 for two weeks.

 

On August 31, 1956 RCA simultaneously released seven 45's, representing each of Elvis's songs not previously available on a single.  "I Got A Woman" is the best of these.

Presley recorded the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart song "Blue Moon", later made famous by the Marcels in 1961.

In September, Elvis began recording his second album in Hollywood, California. 

When Ed Sullivan, who was the king of television, saw that Presley's appearance on Allen's show beat him in the ratings for the first time, Sullivan booked Presley for three appearances for a record sum of $50,000.  The first show on September 9, including a performance of the next song, drew a record 82.6% of the television audience.  

 

John Mascaralo and Robert (Bumps) Blackwell wrote this song, originally recorded by Little Richard.  Elvis recovered his cover on September 3 and as mentioned above, sang it six days later.  "Ready Teddy" was one of his most frequently-performed songs in the 1950's.

Jesse Stone wrote this next song, using the pseudonym Charles E. Calhoun, and it was an early Rock Era standard.  Joe Turner first hit #2 with it in 1954.  Bill Haley & the Comets recorded it the same day they recorded the classic "Rock Around The Clock".  

Presley recorded it on February 3 at RCA Studios in New York City and released the single "Shake, Rattle And Roll", which wasn't a hit but is still thought to be one of his best songs.  He had recorded the song originally at KDAV in Lubbock in January of 1955 while still with Sun Records (this version was not released until the 1990's).  The single version was a new recording for RCA.

Presley's performance of "Love Me Tender" on The Ed Sullivan Show led to a record million advance orders.  The #1 smash for five weeks in the U.S. and #1 in Canada has sold over four million copies and is ranked #36 of all-time for the Rock Era*.

 

The flip side of "Love Me Tender", which obviously got a lot of exposure, is "Any Way You Want Me".  It is one of Elvis's first power ballads, not sung tenderly as on the famous A-side, but with force, and the Jordanaires gave him their full vocal support.

There had been no one like him, and Elvis caused quite a stir wherever he performed.  Join us for Part Three, exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

Elvis Presley, The #2 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"His music continues to Inspire generations to come"

"My knees shaking while cooking bacon and eggs. Elvis is the best! Period!"

"The greatest singer in the world."

Elvis Presley was the most influential artist of all-time."


"NEVER has there been nor will there ever be a singer who could sing all types of music as incredibly as Elvis. Country, rock, gospel, R and B, ballads,,etc."

"The King of Cool."

"The voice. The tone. The sheer diversity, soul and depth. The king possessed a chameleon voice that was indeed ever changing. No artist living or dead is his equal."

"Elvis made rock and roll accepted, and popular....the most iconic, influential and beloved figure in rock history...and the greatest entertainer of all time !!!"

"An icon in his lifetime and an unforgettable, electric performer."

"He was the greatest of all-time."

"I never saw more swagger in my life This guy was the real deal!"

"Nobody will ever touch his talent.  To think of all he achieved in such a short life. And to do so much for others without wanting recognition for it. He will forever be loved and missed for all he did and for all the love 💘💘💘 he showed to us his fans. You might say we had a great love affair with the greatest entertainer of our time!!!😊"

"In his generation Elvis was groundbreaking. Nobody since has even come close. Long live the "King"."

"What an incredible performer he was! His voice a total miracle, uniting people all over the world. He died 40 years ago, but he is still missed by millions. The man with every "IT" factor you can mention. The coolest cat ever to walk the earth."

"He's not just Elvis Presley... he's da king of rock :)"

"It was a great time, to be there and getting to listen to all these great hits one after the other, it was an endless stream of million sellers for years on end."

"The man just went for it. He did what he felt and I respect that. A handsome, generous and charismatic soul. He is and always has been my idol."

"The MAN, the KING, the LEGEND. In the future when people rate the greatest singers, Elvis will always be number 1."

"Wow, this man was truly a legend."

"The best singer of all time. ♪"

"Elvis Presley - the best singer and performer of all time!!!"

"It's still unbelievable that after so many years of listening to him, when he sings it just penetrates the heart and he doing that with so much emotion and meaning."

"He's the template for so many rock icons that followed just by looking at his style, charisma, charm, and connection to the audience."

"They never saw him coming and now the WORLD will never forget him."

"Elvis was the greatest entertainer of the twentieth century. Nobody else even comes close."

"He's the best there ever was or ever will be."

"Simply the greatest, no competition. Yes, there are many great and talented people out there. But there was only one who was truly magical, and who will stand the test of time, from here till the end of time. He paid the ultimate price, totally removing himself from society, dealing with depression, isolation and desperation."

"Brilliant then, brilliant now. God bless Elvis."

"The coolest man that ever walked on earth. Long live the king and his legacy!"

"I grew up obsessed with Elvis. Absolute legend!"

"Absolutely wonderful and unbeatable."

"His songs will go on for a long time and the talent that made them was a gift from GOD."

"This guy really had the moves. And it doesn't look like he got them from anyone else- seems like it just comes natural to him."

"The greatest rocker that ever lived."

"He heard the music not only with his ears, but with his heart and soul, and that's why friends he is the KING of Rock n Roll."

"Elvis Presley is the most gifted man that ever sang."

"He was king of music period. Yes he could sing most anything and do a good job. Love all his songs especially the spiritual songs. Nobody does them better!"

"His range of tones is amazing."

"What a treat it would have been to see this man perform in the 50s."

"Good looks, great talent, charisma and a big heart. Elvis had it all." 

"He's such an epitome of a king. Love you forever ❤"

"Elvis Presley is a great artist. My legs don't stay in place while listening."

"Something verry great and amazing was given to the world when Elvis was born ,we thank you so verry much... unforgetable man always and for ever.  I never get enough of your music, talent, and charm.❤️"

"Elvis transcends all space and time!! ❤️"

"Elvis brought instant electric to the room when he sang+. Like no other past or present. Age 5 or age 85 was glued to this singer..."

"The greatest of all times...Love this beautiful man!!"

"The king's legendary voice still remains unmatched and unbeaten and it'll always remain so, all the love and respect for you Elvis Presley the King ❤"

"Elvis the king immortal."

Elvis always had this special sound in his songs that I just love! He's the best singer I've ever heard!"

"His swag was off the charts but especially for that time period, he had them going crazy. You felt his soul when he sang and danced. An all time iconic musician and performer."

"This guy's amazing... the greatest ever 🤘"

"I just discovered Elvis and he is so mesmerizing I cannot stop listening to his music and he is so good looking. Wish I could have seen him at a concert. I can hardly breathe when I hear Elvis sing. He has the power to go to my soul. No other singer I have listened to has done that...."

"Elvis's sound sends you to another world...."

"Thank You Elvis for doing it all right!! You will always be in a galaxy all your own!"

"Such a handsome, generous, sweet loving gentlemen, the one and only Elvis Presley, we love you with all our hearts."

"He was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING !!"

"E = EXTRAORDINARY 

  L = LEGEND

 V = VOCALLY PERFECT

  I = ICONIC

  S = SUPERSTAR"

"Elvis was a true rock & roll pioneer!"

"You could just lose yourself in those dreamy eyes.  Then add the voice, and body you're done for. 😊"

"There will never be anyone like him again We will never forget you Elvis!!!!!😢😢😢😢😢"

"Isn't he just marvelous??? 😍😍"

"Unforgettable ! Elvis is in our hearts forever!"

"The coolest man that ever lived."

"Gorgeous singer with an incredible voice and charismatic personality. Priceless."

"2021 and still fresh! Imagine the feeling when an Elvis song was first played back in the day."

"The truly greatest innovator of Rock/Pop music."

"I always search for that "what is it" enigma. What is it that everyone feels that makes you bond with him. That emotion that feels your heart when he sings that makes your worries melt away. Elvis felt it too, that's why he was so connected & loyal to his fans."

"Elvis is just legendary."

"Elvis had a ton of charisma, and some people are just born with it along with a magnetic personality, Elvis had both."

"He gave us dozens and dozens of classics!"

"No doubt Elvis was the rock n roll pioneer.. and also the king of rock.. Gracias Elvis."

"Elvis was something else! He was such a charismatic man!"

"Elvis is the easily one of the greatest singers, he could sing anything."

"He is so handsome and talented and LEGENDARY."

"Elvis Presley was the best singer ever and he was a angel from heaven."

"Elvis forever! The inimitable vocal talent of the king."

"Elvis is full of dynamite and energy."

"Elvis Presley will always be the king of rock and roll."

"He was called the King for a reason. He had the looks, the voice and the sound. Long Live the King!"

"A voice of pure velvet never to be replaced."

"There are no words to express how incredible this man's voice was ...We were lucky to have his talent in this world ..."

"Legendary 💖"

"This guy was born to rock."

"So supple, so full of authority, rebellion, pathos, passion, defiance; note and pitch perfect; Elvis Presley's voice was the spokesman for OUR generation."

"Elvis Presley, the greatest of all-time."

"Total package. One=off legend. Voice so clear, music so fresh. Forever young and beautiful."

"All hail the King!"

"Elvis was most definitely one of the GREATEST singers of all time."

"That fantastic marvelous God-given voice, talent and charisma that only Elvis had. Miss those days and of course Elvis. RIP Elvis."

"Elvis Presley had it all ! He had natural swag, voice and looks..."

"There will never be another that can move like that."

"In the world of rock and roll there are a lot of legends but only one king...."

"Elvis , you will never be forgotten!"

"What a Voice..... Thank you so much Elvis for giving us your gift of God... You are forever be missed.."

"This dude is the greatest and what a legacy he left behind for us to enjoy."

"Legends never die."

"A miracle voice, incredible looks, and a heart of gold."

"No one sounded like him, looked like him or moved like him. This guy took sex appeal to a whole new level. He dominated a cultural explosion musically which the world is still stunned at."

"The one and only legend!! Awesome!!!"

"Still the King 🤴 of Rock and Roll. The immortal Elvis Presley. 👏"

"One of the greatest voices of the 20th century."

"Elvis may have left the building for good, but he'll never leave the hearts and minds of his loyal fans."

"The King will be forever remembered and loved."

This legendary pioneer was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississipi to Vernon and Gladys Presley.  The Presleys lived in a two-room house that his father built.  Elvis was inspired musically at the Assembly of God church.

(Elvis at the Fair, far right)

Vernon was unable to hold a steady job for long and the family needed help from neighbors and the government to subside.  Elvis went to grade school at East Tupelo Consolidated in 1941.  He entered a singing contest at the encouragement of his teacher after she heard him sing Red Foley's "Old Shep".  On October 3, 1945 ten-year-old Presley competed with other youths live at radio station WELO and placed fifth, winning $5 and a free ticket to all the fair rides.at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show.

Elvis received an old guitar for his birthday and he learned to play from his uncles and the pastor at his Pentecostal Church, where he was greatly influenced by listening to the Psalms and the Gospel songs. 

Presley was shy as a child but he began taking his guitar to school at Milam, his new school in 1946.  Elvis played and sang at lunchtime but was teased often.  A schoolmate whose brother was a DJ (Mississippi Slim) at Tupelo radio station WELO took Elvis to the station to meet him.  Slim taught Elvis about chords and invited him onto his show to perform.

The Presleys moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1948 and lived in a two-bedroom apartment in the Lauderdale Courts, a public housing complex.  Elvis enrolled at L.C. Humes High School, but his music teacher told him he had no aptitude for singing. 

Elvis honed his guitar skills further by studying with neighbor Lee Denson.  They and three other boys, including Dorsey and Johnny Burnette, began an informal group that played around the Courts.  Elvis worked at Loew's State Theater, Precision Tool, and MARL Metal Products. 

Presley began to lose his shyness during his junior year and spent much of his free time on Beale Street, where Blues was blaring out of the now-famous nightclubs.  He competed in the Humes "Minstrel" show in 1953.  Presley told author Peter Guralnick for his book Last Train to Memphis:  The Rise of Elvis Presley, "It was amazing how popular I became in school after that."

Presley could not read music but played by ear.  He listened to jukeboxes and listening booths in record stores.  Elvis was further influenced by African-American spiritual music, which he heard at monthly All-Night Singings in downtown Memphis.  By the time he was a senior in 1953, Presley knew exactly what he wanted to do.

In August after graduation, Presley went into the offices of Sun Records on a Saturday night and paid $3.98 plus tax to make an acetate record as a birthday gift for his mother.  He record the two-sided record "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", two songs that the Ink Spots made popular.  After he finished, Sun manager Sam Phillips told business partner Marion Kreisler something that caused her to write "Good ballad singer.  Hold" in her notes.  It was Kreisler who was impressed enough by this shy, youthful singer to repeatedly bring up Presley's name to Phillips again and again over the next year.

Elvis returned in January of 1954 to record "I'll Never Stand In Your Way" and "It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You".  He was rejected for a place in the Songfellows singing group after they told him he couldn't sing.  Discouraged, Presley took a job as a truck driver with Crown Electric.  

But Elvis pressed on and soon his friend Ronnie Smith suggested he contact Eddie Bond, who was the leader of a band Smith played in.  However, Bond told Presley to stick to truck driving "because you're never going to make it as a singer."  What an embarrassment for all-time for Bond to live with.

(Elvis, Bill Black, Scotty Moore and Sam Phillips)

Meanwhile at Sun, Phillips heard a demo by Jimmy Sweeney singing "Without You" that Sam thought might be perfect for the young aspiring Elvis.  When Elvis came into the studio and sang it, it didn't sound right but Phillips asked Presley to sing several songs.  He was impressed enough that Sam invited guitarist Scotty Moore and upright bassist Bill Black to work with Elvis for a recording session.

On July 5, the three musicians met but most of the session wasn't productive.  However, just as they were about to call it quits for the night, Elvis picked up his guitar and began playing the 1946 Arthur Crudup song "That's All Right (Mama)", twice as fast as the original.  As Moore told Guralnick:

              All of a sudden, Elvis just started singing this

               song, jumping around and acting the fool, 

               and then Bill picked up his bass, and he 

               started acting the fool, too, and I started

               playing with them.  Sam had the door to the

               control booth open...he stuck his head out

               and said "What are you doing?"  And we

               said, "We don't know."  "Well, back up," he

               said, "try to find a place to start, and do it 

              again."

 

What Phillips heard that night was exactly what he had been looking for.  Sam began taping and three days later, Memphis WHBQ DJ Dewey Phillips played "That's All Right" on the radio.  Listener response was phenomenal, so much so that Phillips played the song over and over for the last two hours of his show. 

Presley had the single he wanted, but was having a tough time getting the B-side.  They were nearly out of time in the session without a promising possibility.  Then Black began singing the Bill Monroe song "Blue Moon Of Kentucky".  Intrigued, Presley began singing and playing the song, much faster than the original slow waltz in 3/4 time.  Moore joined in and Phillips pressed the record button.  The musicians recorded both a slow and a fast version, but it is the up-tempo one that made it as the flip side of "That's All Right".

Sam had the trio record Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" and the single was pressed with "That's All Right" as the A-side. "That's All Right" became an immediate regional hit and was later included on the compilation album For LP Fans Only.

Presley, Moore and Black made their public debut on July 17 at the Bon Air club and played the Overton Park Shell later in the month.  A combination of nervousness and his response to the rhythm at the latter performance caused Presley to shake his legs while he performed, and the young women in the audience began screaming.

After the Overton show, Moore and Black both left their regular band to back Presley full-time, and Presley hired Bob Neal to be his manager.  Elvis played at the Eagle's Nest club and continued to record at Sun Studios.   

 

 

"I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine", was released on September 25 as Presley's next single, but the B-side attracted more attention and the sides were reversed.  Elvis came across with even more passion than Blues screamer Wyonie Harris did in his big 1948 R&B hit--"Good Rockin' Tonight".

(From left to right:  Moore, Presley, Fontana and Black)

Elvis performed on Louisiana Hayride in November of 1954, with the show broadcast to 198 radio stations in 28 states.  After the second show, Elvis was asked to play on the Hayride for one year.  Elvis purchased a Martin guitar and began playing in places as far away as Houston, Texas as word began to spread about his shows.

Presley appeared on television for the first time when KSLA-TV broadcast the Hayride.  He failed an audition to be on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts on CBS, but by early 1955, Presley's notoriety was growing.  Neal introduced Elvis to Colonel Tom Parker (he was an honorary colonel, a title given him by Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis).  Parker was known as one of the best promoters in the music business, having managed Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow.  Landing Elvis as a client would put millions of dollars in the Colonel's pocket.

 

Elvis started out slow with this Kokomo Arnold song before kicking it into overdrive--"Milkcow Blues Boogie".  The song was later released on the album A Date with Elvis.

 

Elvis recorded this song in December of 1954 during the fourth of his legendary eight sessions at Sun.  "You're A Heartbreaker"  was the flip of "Milkcow Blues Boogie" above.

Parker booked Elvis (billed as "The King of Western Bop" and "The Hillbilly Cat") on Snow's February tour, which attracted 19-year-old Roy Orbison to attend the show in Odessa, Texas:

             His (Presley's) energy was incredible, his

              instinct was just amazing.  I just didn't know

              what to make of it.  There was just no

              reference point in the culture to compare it.

Stanley Kesler and Bill Taylor wrote this song, based on a Cambell's soup jingle.  Elvis recorded it on December 18, 1954 and released the single "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" on April 10.  A #21 hit in the U.K., it was also included on For LP Fans Only in 1959.

 

In August, Presley renewed Neal's management contract while also naming Parker his special adviser.  Elvis's final single with Sun was "I Forgot To Remember To Forget", also later included in his 1959 album A Date With Elvis.

 

"Mystery Train" began as the A-side  before most stations played the side above.  Regardless, it is one of the seminal recordings of the new Rock & Roll music and ended up being far more influential than the song that was the bigger hit at the time. 

Presley toured throughout the second half of the year.  In October, drummer Wayne Fontana, who had backed Presley on the Hayride, became his full-time drummer.

(From left to right:  Colonel Parker, Gladys Presley, Elvis, Vernon Presley and H. Coleman Tilly III and Bob Neal of Sun Records)

By the end of the year, several record companies were now approaching Elvis instead of the other way around.  Finally on November 21, RCA Victor agreed to acquire Presley's contract from Sun Records for the unprecedented sum of $40,000.  In a shrewd move, Parker arranged for Hill and Range Publishing to create Elvis Presley Music and Gladys Music to handle all of Presley's recordings.  Parker also insisted that songwriters forgo one-third of their customary royalties to have Elvis record their songs.

Presley recorded at RCA in Nashville, Tennessee for the first time on January 10, 1956.  RCA brought in Floyd Cramer, who had performed club dates with Presley, as well as Chet Atkins and three background singers.  

One of the songs recorded that day was "Heartbreak Hotel" (co-written by Hoyt Axton's mother, Mae), although the early takes left Elvis quite disappointed.  It was nothing like the sound Philips had created at Sun Studios.

 

 An RCA executive even phoned Sam, and told him to let Elvis produce the session and a little about how to place the microphones.  For "Heartbreak Hotel", the studio door was left open, the hallway creating the echo.  The sound of a Coke bottle being dispensed was included on the master take, which was released on January 27.  There was nothing on the music scene that could compare with the lonely feeling Elvis portrayed with the song, and pianist Floyd Cramer contributed to the stark nature of the song.  "Heartbreak Hotel" was an instant smash and hit #1 in the U.S. for eight weeks, and #1 in Canada and the Netherlands and sold over one million singles. It is The #2 Song of the Rock Era*.

After "Heartbreak Hotel" sold a million copies within a few weeks of its release, RCA producer Steve Sholes wanted a strong follow-up, but knew that nothing Elvis had recorded to that point filled the bill.  Presley was busy touring, but he and his band chartered a small propeller plane to Nashville for a day of recording between shows.

However, the plane developed engine trouble en route from Amarillo, Texas and fell through the sky several times.  Elvis and his musicians were a little shook up and the session did not go well.  But Sholes was able to splice a couple of takes together to create a worthy single.  "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" also topped charts in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands and went Platinum.

 

Elvis took this song that Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup recorded in 1950 and made it rockabilly at its infectious best!  "My Baby Left Me" was the flip side to "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You".

Elvis performed on the CBS-TV program Stage Show six times over two months.  While filming in New York City, Elvis recorded at RCA's studio there, with the session yielding a  cover of Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes".    

Join us for Part Two of the King!

Elton John, The #3 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Eleven

(Continued from Part Ten)

After the September 11 murders, Sir Elton performed "I Want Love" and welcomed Billy Joel for a duet of "Your Song" at the Concert for New York City.

In 2003, Sir Elton signed an agreement to perform 75 shows in three years at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He released the single "Are You Ready For Love", a #1 U.K. hit.

 

John also recorded "The Heart Of Every Girl" for the movie Mona Lisa Smile, a nominee for Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards.

This incredible singer/songwriter received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in 2004 in Washington, D.C.  

 

John also recorded "Right Before My Eyes" for the musical Lestat.

 

Elton released the album Peachtree Road, another great effort.  Three singles failed to catch on, but perhaps they should have released "Too Many Tears".

John wrote the music for Billy Elliot the Musical in 2005 along with Lee Hall.  It was the 11th-longest-running hit in West End history with 4,566 performances.  It grossed over $800 million worldwide.

In 2006, the Walt Disney Company honored Sir Elton by naming him a Disney Legend.  Elton and Bernie completed their autobiographical journey they began with their best album, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, with the release of The Captain and Me.

 "Postcards From Richard Nixon" reflects on the most-disgraced U.S. president to that time, but of course his crimes paled in comparison to another "Republican" (he wasn't a Republican at all, but rather a fascist wanna-be dictator), Donald Trump.  Taupin's main subject is he and Elton, two aspiring young British lads looking to make it big.

 "Tinderbox" is a rare and welcome admission from a star that they too have their ups and downs, that they aren't always "great".  "You just cannot be successful all the time," Elton explained in an interview.  "I think some of the stuff we did in the '80s and '90s, it was uneven," he said, "because there was all the pressure to have a hit record.  You're not going to write great songs all the time."

Elton said the song is about when he and Bernie felt they were spending too much time together and getting on each other's nerves.  "The pressure blows up in your face," Bernie said.  "There was a time where you really couldn't turn on a radio, turn on the TV, walk down the street, or look at the Billboard...without hearing any reference of Elton John."

Neither Elton nor Bernie were responsible for the idea of creating a sequel to Captain Fantastic.  "It's not something I would have thought about doing," Taupin told Paul Sexton of Udiscovermusic.com.  "That credit has to go to Elton's manager [AT the time], Merck Mercuriadis, he was the one that came up with the idea."

Both writers were skeptical, but once they were on board, they believed they should tell stories accessible to people.  Taupin knew the concept album had to begin with the pair's first transatlantic crossing, which led to Elton's famous performances at The Troubadour.  "Obviously the kickoff had to be our arrival in Los Angeles in the fall of 1970," said Bernie.

 

The Captain and the Kid reached #6 in the U.K. and features the title song, a continuation of the song "Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy."

Among the subjects that "Blues Never Fade Away" brings up are Ryan White, the young teen who Elton was close to who lost his life to AIDS as a result of a blood transfusion.

The following year, EJ performed at Madison Square Garden for a record 60th time on his 60th birthday.  The concert was broadcast live and released as the DVD Elton 60--Live at Madison Square Garden.  

Sir Elton released his compilation Rocket Man--Number Ones.  John and Billy Joel performed a series of concerts called "Face to Face" that drew sold-out crowds and raves from critics everywhere they played.  Elton received another Tony nomination for Best Original Score for Billy Elliot the Musical.

 

In 2010, John released the album The Union, with help from Leon Russell.  He promoted the album with The Million Dollar Piano show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and continued to perform there for three years, with his 3,000th concert there on October 28, 2011.  We want to feature "Hey Ahab" from this outstanding collaboration.

Sir Elton performed before Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace in 2012.  He joined Queen for a concert in Kyiv, Ukraine to benefit the Elena Pinchuck ANTIAIDS Foundation.  EJ released an album of remixed 70's songs called Good Morning to the Night, which climbed to #1 in the U.K.  He worked with artists such as Ed Sheeran and Queens of the Stone Age, once again proving his relevance in his 60's.  

 

Sir Elton released the album The Diving Board in 2013, a #3 release in the U.K. and #4 in the United States.  This is a prime cut--"Ballad Of Blind Tom". 

In 2016, John released the album Wonderful Crazy Night.  He starred in the action movie Kingsman:  The Golden Circle in 2017.

 In June of 2017, Sir Elton appeared in the documentaryThe American Epic Sessions. 

 Remarkably, EJ took lyrics written by Taupin specifically for the film called "Two Fingers Of Whiskey" and on the spot composed and arranged the music with the help of Jack White and T-Bone Burnett and recorded it live on a restored first sound recording system from the 1920's.  Of this impressive feat, Danny Eccleston of Mojo magazine wrote: 

            in one of the series' most extraordinary  

              moments, Elton John arrives toting a                                       box-fresh lyric by Bernie Taupin and

             works it up in an instant, the song 

             materializing in front of the viewers' eyes

             before John and Jack White go for the take.     

            There's the magic right there.

You can find "Too Fingers Of Whiskey" on the "Music from The American Epic Sessions:" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.  

The movie Rocketman detailing Sir Elton's life and career and starring Taron Egerton as EJ, was released in 2019.  Elton and Egerton recorded the new song "(I'm Gonna') Love Me Again" for the project, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Sir Elton released his autobiography Me in October of that year.  

Sir Elton announced that he would be retiring from touring to spend more time with his husband and children, but would go on a three-year farewell tour of 300 shows first, with the final show in January of 2023.  

While performing his last tour, John received the Legion d'honneur, France's highest civilian award, from French President Emmanuel Macron during a ceremony at the Élysée Palace in Paris.  The remainder of John's concerts have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Meanwhile, Sir Elton recorded with Lady Gaga on the song "Sine From Above" from her album Chromatica.

The songwriting partnership between John and Taupin is phenomenal not just in its incredible success over 50 years and 30 albums but because of the process in which Bernie writes the lyrics and then Elton puts music to them, never with the two in the same room during the entire time.  Elton talked about their partnership on ABC:

               [W]e've never ever had an argument 

              professionally or personally, which is

             extraordinary because  most songwriters 

             sometimes split up because they get 

             jealous of each other.  And it's exciting 

             because it's never changed from the

             first day we wrote songs.  I still write the

             song when he's not there and then I go

             and play it to him.  So the excitement is

             still the same as it was from day one

             and that's kept it fresh and it's kept it 

             exciting.

               

Sir Elton and Taupin were inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1992.

John  began a relationship with former advertising executive and filmmaker David Furnish in 1992.  Sir Elton and Furnish were among the first to form a civil partnership in the U.K. and they married on December 21, 2014.  The couple now has two sons. 

Sir Elton traveled to Washington, D.C. on October 24, 2014 to discuss AIDS relief and the work that Elton does with his own AIDS Foundation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

In 2019, John declared on Instagram that he had been sober for 29 years.  For a young man who partied long and hard, that is perhaps his greatest lifetime achievement.  He was nominated for an American Music Award for Tour of the Year.  

In 2020 for the New Year Honours, Sir Elton was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to music and to charity.

This legendary and immensely gifted performer has totaled 70 hits over the last 52 years, with 28 of those reaching the Top 10 and 10 #1 songs.  He has shown his mass appeal by chalking up 75 Adult hits, with 39 of those going Top 10 and 18 #1's.  His career sales are over 160 million albums.

Elton has received four American Music Awards out of six nominations, six Grammy Awards (from 40 nominations), two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Tony Award, the Kennedy Center Honors and a Disney Legends Award. 

How much these two incredible songwriters have meant to us over a lifetime.