Musicpedia

53 Elvis Presley

Who was he?

At the beginning of the fifties, at Sun Records in Memphis, rockabilly was born, a mixture of rock and roll and hillbilly. Its prophets are singers, young and noisy, who make a frenetic music with a lot of rhythm and sensuality.

One of these young people is Elvis Presley. A true icebreaker who makes new music accessible to millions of people. Without being aware of his role and helped by luck, he alters tastes and habits.

Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill – Baby Let’s Play House (1955)

Version of a blues song composed by Arthur Gunter. It is an adaptation to the rockabilly style of the first stage of Elvis and, at the end, one of the best.

Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1935. According to the southern caste system he is white trash. He is an only child, framed and shy, as his twin brother dies at birth. In 1948, his family moves to Memphis, Tennessee, where, after graduating from high school, he becomes a driver. But since childhood, he has loved music. He sings, accompanied by his guitar, and goes to every concert he can. He loves country music but also listens to spirituals, blues and the modern sound of rhythm and blues.

How did he start?

In 1953, he recorded an album in the studio of a small local label, called Sun Records. He is interested in hearing his recorded voice to improve his technique and style. The owner is not there, but he impresses the shop assistant, Marion Keisker.

The following year, 1954, he continues to improve and records another demo on Sun Records. This time there is the owner, Sam Phillips, who is pleasantly surprised. Elvis offers something different and impresses with his unusual appearance and singing.

Elvis Presley – My Happines (1953)

Version of a popular song written by Betty Peterson Blasco and Borney Bergantine. It was on the first album he recorded and which he finally gave to his mother for her birthday.

In August 1953, Elvis Presley entered the Sun Records facility for the first time. He paid a few minutes to record an acetate album, with the songs My happiness and That’s when your heartaches begin. In January 1954, Presley returned and recorded a second acetate with I’ll never stand in your way and It wouldn’t be the same without you. For his part, Sam Phillips, who had been looking for a white man with the sound and feeling of a black man, did not want to miss the opportunity and called him to an audition.

When do he became professional?

Following Marion Keisker’s suggestion, Phillips gives him hours in the studio and two good musicians: double bassist Bill Black and guitarist Scotty Moore. Elvis is grateful and considers himself privileged to be helped by fortune.

In 1954, he releases an album with versions of a blues and a country song, played in a hybrid style that they call rockabilly. With it, he turned professional and entered the cowboy music circuit. He convinces and has a fan club.

Elvis Presley – That’s All Right (1954)

Version of a blues song written in 1948 by Arthur Crudup. It appeared on side A of the first single that Elvis released in his career and which was released by Sun Records.

Elvis’ first session in the studio was totally unsuccessful. When they were about to give up and go home, Presley took his guitar and played That’s All Right. That’s when Phllips realised that this was the sound he’d been looking for. Three days later, popular DJ Dewey Phillips played the song on his show Red, Hot, and Blue.  Listeners began calling in to find out who the singer was. The interest was such that Phillips repeatedly broadcast the song during the last two hours of his show.

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