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Sun Recordings 1/3 | 2 |
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Elvis Presley's Sun Recordings - Part 1 of 3
In the summer of 1953, most likely inspired by a July article in
the local paper on the Memphis Recording Service and Sam Phillips's
recording of the Prisonaires, a group of prisoners from the state
penitentiary, Elvis ventured into 706 Union Avenue and asked to
record his voice for the very first time. There he made a two-sided
acetate at his own expense and accompanying himself on guitar.
The songs he recorded were:
MY HAPPINESS
This song was written in 1933 by Betty Peterson and Borney
Bergantine. It was recorded in 1948 by John and Sandra Steele, whose
release went to #3 on the Billboard Singles Chart. Others to record
it in 1948 were The Pied Pipers with Paul Weston Orchestra, Ella
Fitzgerald, The Song Spinners, and The Marlin Sisters. In 1953 the
Mulcays, a harmonica group, released it as an instrumental.
In 1959 a version by Connie Francis hit #2 on the Hot 100 Chart.
THAT'S WHEN YOUR HEARTACHES BEGIN
This song was written in 1940 by William J. Raskin, Billy Hill
and Fred Fisher. The Ink Spots recorded it in 1950. In 1951, a
recording by Bob Lamb was released. In 1952 Billy Bunn and His
Buddies released a version of it. Elvis re-recorded it for RCA on
January 13, 1957 at Radio Recorders. This version was the B side to
the single "All Shook Up" and it peaked at #58 on the Hot 100 Chart.
Elvis stopped in at the Memphis Recording Service from time to
time. On January 4, 1954, just four days before his nineteenth
birthday, he again paid to record two songs. There were:
I'LL NEVER STAND IN YOUR WAY
This song was written by Fred Rose and Walter (Hy) Heath in
1953.
It was released in November 1954 by Joni James and then just a few
days later a version by Ernie Lee was also released.
Others who have recorded it also are Ray Charles, Jimmy Dean, Don
Gibson and Dottie West.
IT WOULDN'T BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU
This one was written by Jimmy Wakely and Fred Rose and recorded
by Jimmy Wakely.
Willie Nelson and Chris Isaak also have released versions.
Six months later in June 1954, Sam Phillips sent for Elvis to
come and audition for a recording session.
This time he had Scotty Moore and Bill Black of the Starlite
Wranglers to back him up.
Their first attempts to find a sound were on July 5-6, 1954 and the
songs they finally got on tape then were:
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE
This song was written and recorded by Leon Payne in 1949.
Payne's version reached #4 on Country Chart. In 1950, Ernest Tubb
also reached #4 with his version.
Jan Garber, Gene Autry and Eddie Fisher also released versions.
Other releases were Patti Page in 1951, Johnny Cash in 1960 and
Carl Smith in 1969.
It was Al Martino's 1963 version that reach #3 on Hot 100 Chart and
#1 on the Easy Listening Chart.
THAT'S ALL RIGHT
This song was written and recorded by blues singer Arthur "Big
Boy" Crudup. Mr. Crudup also wrote two other songs that Elvis would
record, "My Baby Left Me" and "So Glad You're Mine". Elvis said in a
1956 interview for the "Charlotte Observer" newspaper in North
Carolina, "...I used to hear Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do
now and I said that if I ever got to the place where I could feel
all old Arthur felt, I'd be a music man like nobody ever saw."
Elvis's first single release was in July 1954 - "That's All Right"
with "Blue Moon of Kentucky" as the flip side. RCA re-released it on
their label in December 1955 after they bought Elvis's Sun Records
contract. Some of the others who have recorded it are Roy "Smiley"
Maxedon, Marty Robbins, Billy Swan, Bob Dylan, Ann Wilson, Canned
Heat, Grateful Dead, Albert King, Rod Stewart, Waylon Jennings,
Sunny Burgess, Jimmie Rogers and Paul McCartney.
HARBOR LIGHTS
This song was written in 1937 by Jimmy Kennedy and Hugh
Williams. That same year there were releases by Frances Langford and
by Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra with Jimmy Farrell on vocal.
In 1950 Sammy Kaye had a #1 hit with his version. Also trying their
hand at it that year were Guy Lombardo, Bing Crosby, Ray Anthony,
Ralph Flanagan and Ken Griffin. It set a record for the most
performed song on television's "Your Hit Parade" and sold over
1,000,000 copies of the sheet music. The Platters' 1960 version
reached #8 on the Hot 100 Chart. Over the years, many others have
recorded it, including Billy Ward and The Dominos.
BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY
This bluegrass song was written and recorded by Bill Monroe in
1947.
Among the others to have recorded it over the years are Patsy Cline,
Charlie Feathers, George Jones, Sonny James, Benny Martin, Rick
Nelson, Carl Perkins, Jerry Reed, Jeannie C. Riley and Ricky Skaggs.
Elvis's "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky" single was
released on July 19, 1954. In the August 7, 1954 issue of "The
Billboard" Magazine Elvis was reviewed in the column "Review
Spotlight on.....TALENT" where it was written: "Presley is a potent
new chanter who can sock over a tune for either the country or the
r. & b. markets. On this new disk he comes thru with a solid
performance on an r. & b.-type tune and then on the flip side does
another fine job with a country ditty. A strong new talent."
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For the week ending August 18, 1954:
Memphis - Blue Moon of Kentucky - #3
For the week ending August 25, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky - #3 in Memphis
That's All Right - #4 in Memphis
For the week ending September 1, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky - #1 in Memphis
That's All Right - #7 in Memphis
For the week ending September 8, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky - #4 in Memphis
That's All Right - #6 in Memphis
For the week ending September 15, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky - #1 in Memphis
That's All Right - #4 in Memphis, #7 in Nashville
For the week ending September 22, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky - #4 in Memphis
That's All Right, E. Presley - #5 in Memphis
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For the week ending September 29, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky - #6 in Memphis
That's All Right - #7 in Memphis
For the week ending October 6, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky - #6 in Memphis
For the week ending October 13, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky -
#2 in Memphis, #6 in Nashville, #3 in New Orleans
For the week ending October 27, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky - #6 in Memphis
For the week ending November 24, 1954:
Blue Moon of Kentucky #6 in Memphis, #4 in Richmond, VA.
For the week ending December 1, 1954:
Richmond, VA
Blue Moon of Kentucky - #7 in Richmond, VA.
That's All Right - #8 in Houston, TX
For the week ending December 8, 1954:
That's All Right - #9 in Houston, TX.
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