Elvis Presley's Sun recordings
Encyclopedia
Elvis Presley's Sun recordings were made by Elvis Presley
at Sun Studio
in Memphis
, Tennessee, U.S.A. between 1953 and 1955. The recordings were produced
by Sam Phillips
. Memphis
is a melting pot of many types of music: both black music (blues
, rhythm & blues, gospel
) and white music (country & western, hillbilly
), the recordings reflect these influences. In 2002, 'Elvis Presley's Sun Recordings' was inducted into the US Congress's National Recording Registry. http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/nrpb-masterlist.html
Presley recorded more than 20 songs at Sun, 18 of them have survived and two tapes are lost. Ten were released by Sun as Elvis' first five singles between 1954 and 1955, and a year after he left for RCA he revisited the same studio to have a spontaneous informal session with Carl Perkins
, Johnny Cash
, and Jerry Lee Lewis
. This meeting was recorded on December 4, 1956, and dubbed The Million Dollar Quartet
by the local paper the next day.
, now commonly known as Sun Studio
. He paid $3.98 to record the first of two double-sided demo acetate
s, "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin." Presley reportedly gave the acetate to his mother as a much-belated extra birthday present, though the Presleys did not own a record player at the time.
That one-off acetate has since been valued at $500,000 by Record Collector
magazine. Returning to Sun Studios on January 4, 1954, he recorded a second acetate, "I'll Never Stand in Your Way"/"It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You."
Sun Records founder Sam Phillips
had already cut the first records by blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf
and Junior Parker
. He thought a combination of black blues and boogie-woogie
music would be very popular among white people, if presented in the right way. In the spring, Presley auditioned for an amateur gospel quartet called The Songfellows as one of the group was leaving and they were seeking a replacement. However, following Presley's audition, the original group member decided to stay., In May, Presley auditioned at the Hi-Hat in Memphis as a vocalist for a band. Eddie Bond, the owner of the Hi-Hat, turned him down.
When Phillips acquired a demo recording of "Without You" and was unable to identify the vocalist, his assistant, Marion Keisker
, reminded him about the young truck driver. She called him on May 26, 1954. Presley was not able to do justice to the song (the original acetate of the song that Phillips presented to Elvis resides in the Memphis State University collection), but Phillips asked him to perform some of the many other songs he knew. After running through a few songs, Presley expressed an interest in finding a band to play with and Phillips invited local Western swing
musicians Winfield "Scotty" Moore
(electric guitar) and Bill Black
(slap bass) to audition Presley. They did so on Sunday, July 4, 1954, at Moore's house. Neither musician was overly impressed, but they agreed a studio session would be useful to explore his potential.
On July 5, 1954, the trio met at Sun studios to rehearse and record a handful of songs. According to Moore, the first song they recorded was "I Love You Because", but after a few other country orientated songs that weren't all that impressive they decided to take a break. During the break, Presley began "acting the fool" with Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right (Mama)
," a blues song. When the other two musicians joined in, Phillips got them to restart and began taping. This was the bright, upbeat sound he had been looking for. Black remarked, "Damn. Get that on the radio and they'll run us out of town." The group recorded four songs during that session, including bluegrass
musician Bill Monroe
's Blue Moon of Kentucky
, which he had written and recorded as a slow waltz
. Sources credit Bill Black with initiating the song, with Presley and Moore joining in. They ended up with a fast version of the song in 4/4 time. After an early take, Phillips can be heard on tape saying: "Fine, man. Hell, that's different—that's a pop song now, just about."
To gauge professional and public reaction, Phillips took several acetates of the session to DJ Dewey Phillips
(no relation) of Memphis radio station WHBQ's
Red, Hot And Blue show. "That's All Right" subsequently received its first play on July 8, 1954. A week later, Sun had received some 6,000 advanced orders for "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky," which was released on July 19, 1954. From August 18 through December 8, "Blue Moon of Kentucky" was consistently higher on the charts, and then both sides began to chart across the South.
After several performances with other bands, Presley arranged for Moore and Black to be his regular back-up group, giving them each 25% of the takings. Moore and Black were originally members of their own band, The Starlight Wranglers, but after the success of "That's All Right", jealousy within the group forced them to split.
Over the next 15 months, the trio would release five singles, tour extensively across the South, and appear regularly on the Louisiana Hayride
; the biggest rival to the Grand Ole Opry
at the time. They had originally auditioned for the Opry in October 1954, but they failed to impress the people in charge, or the audience, and were not invited back. Several biographers cite Jim Denny, talent agent at the Opry, as the man who told Presley that he should "go back to driving a truck".
The trio would record at Sun together until November 1955, when Phillips sold Presley's contract to RCA Victor for $40,000; the highest sum ever paid for a recording contract. Sun had permission to keep pressing the singles until January 1, 1956, and RCA released Presley's first five singles nationally on their label. In January 1956, Presley began recording for RCA, recording "Heartbreak Hotel" as his first single. He would return to Sun studios regularly over the next few months, visiting with Phillips and meeting many of his new artists.
Although Presley would never officially record with Sun again, he was caught on tape during an impromptu jamming session on December 4, 1956. Presley had arrived during a Carl Perkins recording session, which also featured a young Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, and a new artist named Johnny Cash watching on. During a break in recording Presley sat at the piano and began to sing along with Perkins, Lewis and Cash. Phillips kept his tape recorder running and, seeing an opportunity to promote another of his new acts, he arranged for a reporter to cover the event. The recordings would eventually be known as "The Million Dollar Quartet".
means a second (or higher) version; the best take would be used to create a master
to be issued.
- Betty Peterson Blasco
Recorded: July 18 , 1953 (private)
Recorded: july 18, 1953 (private)
Recorded: January 4, 1954
. Original probably: Leon Payne (1949, Capitol); Eddie Fisher
(1950, RCA Victor)
Recorded: July 5–6, 1954 (session 1)
That's All Right
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
. Original: Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (1947, RCA Victor). Crudup's original title is: "That's All Right (Mama)"; on the Sun label, and many later releases, '(Mama)' is omitted: "That's All Right".
Recorded: July 5–6, 1954 (session 1)
Elvis's recording of "That's All Right (Mama)" can be considered to be the beginning of rock and roll
, but there are more first rock and roll records.
Harbor Lights
Hugh Williams - Jimmy Kennedy
. Original: possibly Harry Owens
and His Royal Hawaiians
Recorded: July 5–6, 1954 (session 1)
The 4-CD boxed set "Today, Tomorrow And Forever" contains an alternate version (take three) that is unavailable elsewhere.Recorded at Sun Set studios Los Angeles
Blue Moon of Kentucky
Bill Monroe
Original: Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys (1947, Columbia)
Recorded: July, 5-6, 1954 (session 1)
Elvis - The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters contains a fragment (1:03) of an alternate take in a slower, more country style. This take was originally release on bootleg in 1974, having been located at Sun Records many years after Presley left for RCA.
Blue Moon
R. Rodgers
- L. Hart
.
Original: Ted Fio Rito & His Orchestra (Brunswick LA231=C 11/19/1934) http://78discography.com/BRN7300.htm
Also: Connie Boswell (Brunswick 16642, 1/15/1935) http://78discography.com/BRN7300.htm
Recorded: August 19, 1954 (session 2)
- Will Grosz. Original: Lonnie Johnson
(1948, King)
Recorded: September 10 1954 (session 3)
I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')
Jimmy Wakely
. Original: Jimmy Wakely (1943, Decca)
Recorded: September 10, 1954 (session 3)
I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
M. David
. Original probably Patti Page
(1950, Mercury)
Recorded: September 10, 1954 (session 3)
The Dean Martin
version was probably Elvis' inspiration.
(1942, Decca
)
Recorded 1933
Also; Lonestar Cowboys, 1933 on RCA (Victor), Nelstone's Hawaiians: Victor V40273 (1929).
The song was also recorded by Frank Yankovic and was responsible for his band being rated the #13 band "on the Nation's Juke Boxes" in 1948.
Recorded: September 10, 1954 (session 3)
Good Rockin' Tonight
Roy Brown
. Original Roy Brown (1947, DeLuxe); also Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris
(1948, King)
Recorded: September 10, 1954 (session 3)
. Original probably Kokomo Arnold (1935, Decca)
Other releases: Johnny Lee Wills (1941, Decca); Moon Mullican
(1946, King); Bob Wills
& His Texas Playboys als "Brain Cloudy Blues", (1946, Columbia)
Recorded: December 8, 1954 (session 4)
. Original: Arthur Gunter (1954, Excello)
Recorded: February 11, 1955 (session 5)
In 1951 Eddy Arnold
recorded a song titled “I Want to Play House with You” http://www.gactv.com/gac/ar_az_eddy_arnold/article/0,3097,GAC_27002_4735881_,00.html
by Cy Coben. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/12/BAGRAJCIVS1.DTL This song has been misidentified as the same song. It is not.
Trying to Get to You
Rose Marie McCoy
- Charles Singleton. Original: The Eagles
(1954, Mercury)
Recorded: February 11, 1955 (session 5, not published) and July 11, 1955 (session 7, published). In 2002, RCA included information in the liner notes of Sunrise as to Presley recording this song while simultaneously playing the piano, and not aided by his rhythm guitar, as previously believed. Because the piano was not directly miked, it can only be heard faintly in the background.
. Original: Stan Kesler & William Taylor
Recorded: March 5, 1955 (session 6)
Recorded: July 11, 1955 (session 7)
Mystery Train
Junior Parker
- Sam Phillips
. Original: Little Junior's Blue Flames
(1953, Sun)
Recorded: July 11, 1955 (session 7)
Recorded: November 20 1955 (session 8)
The Million Dollar Quartet
On December 4, 1956, a year after Elvis had left Sun for RCA
, he revisited Sun Studio
. The afternoon became a jam session with Carl Perkins
(then already famous for his "Blue Suede Shoes
"), Jerry Lee Lewis
(relatively unknown at the time), and Johnny Cash
(not heard on the tapes, although he does appear on the cover photo). The taping was largely unintended by the quartet; they were just singing the songs they had in mind. About 40 titles are recorded, most of them incomplete. Elvis is caught telling about a singer he saw in Las Vegas, doing his version of "Don't Be Cruel
", and they're enjoying "Brown Eyed Handsome Man
" from Chuck Berry
.
Recorded: December 4, 1956.
The same pairings were later reissued as part of RCA's Gold Standard series in five different label formats: Black label with dog at top (September 1958), black label with dog on left side (September 1965), orange label (November 1968), red label (September 1970), and black label with dog in upper right hand corner (September 1976)
Elvis Presley
On January 27, 1956, the first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel
" b/w "I Was the One" was released, giving Elvis a nationwide breakthrough. His reputation as a performer on stage was already growing in the same dimensions.
On March 23, 1956. the first album, Elvis Presley
was released (RCA 1254). At that moment "Heartbreak Hotel" was climbing the lists, but as Rock'n'Roll was largely bought by teenagers at the time, and teenagers usually bought singles, albums were seen as less important for the genre, as such "Heartbreak Hotel" is not on this album. RCA, however, put five unreleased Sun recordings on this album:
For LP Fans Only
These two albums were released during Elvis' hitch in the Army, consisting of tracks previous released only as singles or on EP's, including all but one of the ten commercially released Sun tracks. Four were included on For LP Fans Only...
...with five featured on A Date With Elvis:
The remaining commercial release, "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine", would not appear on LP until the 1976 compilation "The Sun Sessions"
Elvis For Everyone
The Sun Sessions
On March 22, 1976, the album The Sun Sessions was released, with fifteen out of the nineteen available Sun titles:
Missing:
Missing:
The Million Dollar Quartet
The recordings have been released in 1989 as a CD, titled, Elvis Presley - The Million Dollar Quartet
(RCA CD # 2023-2-R),
The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters
Nearly every song Elvis recorded at Sun is present here (although "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" is hidden on CD number 5; the rest is on CD 1).
Missing: "Satisfied" (apparently lost forever), all but one track from the Million Dollar Quartet session, as well as "It Wouldn't be the Same Without You" and "I'll Never Stand in Your Way." The latter two songs appear on yet another (and as complete as possible) Sun sessions CD titled "Sunrise."
Elvis at Sun
The current (as of mid-2006) version the Sun recordings. Contains the five singles ("That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky";"Good Rockin' Tonight"/"I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine";"Milkcow Blues Boogie"/"You're a Heartbreaker;"Baby Let's Play House"/"I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone";"I Forgot to Remember to Forget"/"Mystery Train") plus "Harbor Lights," "I Love You Because" (alternate take 2), "Tomorrow Night," "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')," "Just Because," "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" (slow version), "Trying to Get to You" and "When It Rains It Really Pours."
Missing:
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
at Sun Studio
Sun Studio
Sun Studio is a recording studio opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 3, 1950. It was originally called Memphis Recording Service, sharing the same building with the Sun Records label business...
in Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee, U.S.A. between 1953 and 1955. The recordings were produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
. Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
is a melting pot of many types of music: both black music (blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, rhythm & blues, gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
) and white music (country & western, hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
), the recordings reflect these influences. In 2002, 'Elvis Presley's Sun Recordings' was inducted into the US Congress's National Recording Registry. http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/nrpb-masterlist.html
Presley recorded more than 20 songs at Sun, 18 of them have survived and two tapes are lost. Ten were released by Sun as Elvis' first five singles between 1954 and 1955, and a year after he left for RCA he revisited the same studio to have a spontaneous informal session with Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, and Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
. This meeting was recorded on December 4, 1956, and dubbed The Million Dollar Quartet
Million Dollar Quartet
"Million Dollar Quartet" is the name given to recordings made on Tuesday December 4, 1956 in the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The recordings were of an impromptu jam session among Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. It was arguably the first...
by the local paper the next day.
Recordings
On July 18,Saturday, the summer of 1953, Presley first went to the Memphis Recording Service at the Sun Record CompanySun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
, now commonly known as Sun Studio
Sun Records
Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...
. He paid $3.98 to record the first of two double-sided demo acetate
Cellulose acetate
Cellulose acetate , first prepared in 1865, is the acetate ester of cellulose. Cellulose acetate is used as a film base in photography, as a component in some adhesives, and as a frame material for eyeglasses; it is also used as a synthetic fiber and in the manufacture of cigarette filters and...
s, "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin." Presley reportedly gave the acetate to his mother as a much-belated extra birthday present, though the Presleys did not own a record player at the time.
That one-off acetate has since been valued at $500,000 by Record Collector
Record Collector
Record Collector is the United Kingdom's longest-running monthly music magazine. It distributes both within the UK and worldwide. It started in 1979.-The early years:...
magazine. Returning to Sun Studios on January 4, 1954, he recorded a second acetate, "I'll Never Stand in Your Way"/"It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You."
Sun Records founder Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
had already cut the first records by blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf
Howlin' Wolf
Chester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
and Junior Parker
Junior Parker
Junior Parker was an American Memphis blues singer and musician. He is best remembered for his unique voice which has been described as "honeyed," and "velvet-smooth"...
. He thought a combination of black blues and boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie
Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...
music would be very popular among white people, if presented in the right way. In the spring, Presley auditioned for an amateur gospel quartet called The Songfellows as one of the group was leaving and they were seeking a replacement. However, following Presley's audition, the original group member decided to stay., In May, Presley auditioned at the Hi-Hat in Memphis as a vocalist for a band. Eddie Bond, the owner of the Hi-Hat, turned him down.
When Phillips acquired a demo recording of "Without You" and was unable to identify the vocalist, his assistant, Marion Keisker
Marion Keisker
Marion Keisker MacInnes , born in Memphis, Tennessee, was a radio show host, station manager, U.S. Air Force officer, and assistant to Sam Phillips at Sun Records...
, reminded him about the young truck driver. She called him on May 26, 1954. Presley was not able to do justice to the song (the original acetate of the song that Phillips presented to Elvis resides in the Memphis State University collection), but Phillips asked him to perform some of the many other songs he knew. After running through a few songs, Presley expressed an interest in finding a band to play with and Phillips invited local Western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
musicians Winfield "Scotty" Moore
Scotty Moore
Winfield Scott "Scotty" Moore III is an American guitarist. He is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, between 1954 and the beginning of Elvis' Hollywood years...
(electric guitar) and Bill Black
Bill Black
William Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo....
(slap bass) to audition Presley. They did so on Sunday, July 4, 1954, at Moore's house. Neither musician was overly impressed, but they agreed a studio session would be useful to explore his potential.
On July 5, 1954, the trio met at Sun studios to rehearse and record a handful of songs. According to Moore, the first song they recorded was "I Love You Because", but after a few other country orientated songs that weren't all that impressive they decided to take a break. During the break, Presley began "acting the fool" with Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right (Mama)
That's All Right (Mama)
"That's All Right" is the name of the first single released by Elvis Presley, written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup. Elvis' version was recorded on 5 July 1954, and released on 19 July 1954 with "Blue Moon of Kentucky" as the B-side...
," a blues song. When the other two musicians joined in, Phillips got them to restart and began taping. This was the bright, upbeat sound he had been looking for. Black remarked, "Damn. Get that on the radio and they'll run us out of town." The group recorded four songs during that session, including bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
musician Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
's Blue Moon of Kentucky
Blue Moon of Kentucky
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is a waltz written in 1946 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, The Blue Grass Boys. The song has since been recorded by many artists, including Elvis Presley....
, which he had written and recorded as a slow waltz
Waltz (music)
A waltz, or valse from the French term, is a piece of music in triple meter, most often written in time signature but sometimes in 3/8 or 3/2...
. Sources credit Bill Black with initiating the song, with Presley and Moore joining in. They ended up with a fast version of the song in 4/4 time. After an early take, Phillips can be heard on tape saying: "Fine, man. Hell, that's different—that's a pop song now, just about."
To gauge professional and public reaction, Phillips took several acetates of the session to DJ Dewey Phillips
Dewey Phillips
"Daddy-O" Dewey Phillips was one of rock 'n' roll's pioneering disk jockeys, along the lines of Cleveland's Alan Freed, before Freed came along.-Early life:...
(no relation) of Memphis radio station WHBQ's
WHBQ (AM)
WHBQ is an AM radio station in Memphis, Tennessee, in the United States of America. Its frequency is 560 kHz. Although today it broadcasts sports news exclusively, the station became famous in the 1950s for playing rhythm and blues....
Red, Hot And Blue show. "That's All Right" subsequently received its first play on July 8, 1954. A week later, Sun had received some 6,000 advanced orders for "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky," which was released on July 19, 1954. From August 18 through December 8, "Blue Moon of Kentucky" was consistently higher on the charts, and then both sides began to chart across the South.
After several performances with other bands, Presley arranged for Moore and Black to be his regular back-up group, giving them each 25% of the takings. Moore and Black were originally members of their own band, The Starlight Wranglers, but after the success of "That's All Right", jealousy within the group forced them to split.
Over the next 15 months, the trio would release five singles, tour extensively across the South, and appear regularly on the Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride
Louisiana Hayride was a radio and later television country music show broadcast from the Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped to launch the careers of some of the greatest names in American music...
; the biggest rival to the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
at the time. They had originally auditioned for the Opry in October 1954, but they failed to impress the people in charge, or the audience, and were not invited back. Several biographers cite Jim Denny, talent agent at the Opry, as the man who told Presley that he should "go back to driving a truck".
The trio would record at Sun together until November 1955, when Phillips sold Presley's contract to RCA Victor for $40,000; the highest sum ever paid for a recording contract. Sun had permission to keep pressing the singles until January 1, 1956, and RCA released Presley's first five singles nationally on their label. In January 1956, Presley began recording for RCA, recording "Heartbreak Hotel" as his first single. He would return to Sun studios regularly over the next few months, visiting with Phillips and meeting many of his new artists.
Although Presley would never officially record with Sun again, he was caught on tape during an impromptu jamming session on December 4, 1956. Presley had arrived during a Carl Perkins recording session, which also featured a young Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, and a new artist named Johnny Cash watching on. During a break in recording Presley sat at the piano and began to sing along with Perkins, Lewis and Cash. Phillips kept his tape recorder running and, seeing an opportunity to promote another of his new acts, he arranged for a reporter to cover the event. The recordings would eventually be known as "The Million Dollar Quartet".
The 25 titles
Listed are the 25 titles, in order of their recording date. A takeTake
A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production.-Film:In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup"...
means a second (or higher) version; the best take would be used to create a master
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
to be issued.
My Happiness (private)
Borney BergantineBorney Bergantine
Borney Bergantine was the composer of "My Happiness," a music hit from the late 1940s that endures as an American love tune.-Career:...
- Betty Peterson Blasco
Recorded: July 18 , 1953 (private)
That's When Your Heartaches Begin (private)
William Raskin - Fred Fisher - George BrownRecorded: july 18, 1953 (private)
It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You (Demo)
Fred RoseFred Rose (musician)
Fred Rose was an American Hall of Fame songwriter and music publishing executive.-Biography:Born in Evansville, Indiana, Fred Rose started playing piano and singing as a small boy. In his teens, he moved to Chicago, Illinois where he worked in bars busking for tips, and finally vaudeville...
Recorded: January 4, 1954
I Love You Because
Leon PayneLeon Payne
Leon Payne , "the Blind Balladeer", was a country music singer and songwriter.-Life:Leon Roger Payne was born in Alba, Texas on June 15, 1917. He was blind in one eye at birth, and lost the sight of the other eye in early childhood. He attended the Texas School for the Blind from 1924 to 1935,...
. Original probably: Leon Payne (1949, Capitol); Eddie Fisher
Eddie Fisher (singer)
Edwin Jack "Eddie" Fisher , was an American entertainer. He was one of the world's most famous and successful singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered...
(1950, RCA Victor)
Recorded: July 5–6, 1954 (session 1)
That's All RightThat's All Right (Mama)"That's All Right" is the name of the first single released by Elvis Presley, written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup. Elvis' version was recorded on 5 July 1954, and released on 19 July 1954 with "Blue Moon of Kentucky" as the B-side...
Arthur "Big Boy" CrudupArthur Crudup
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup was an American Delta blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known outside blues circles for writing songs such as "That's All Right" , "My Baby Left Me" and "So Glad You're Mine", later covered by Elvis Presley and dozens of other artists.-Career:Arthur Crudup...
. Original: Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (1947, RCA Victor). Crudup's original title is: "That's All Right (Mama)"; on the Sun label, and many later releases, '(Mama)' is omitted: "That's All Right".
Recorded: July 5–6, 1954 (session 1)
Elvis's recording of "That's All Right (Mama)" can be considered to be the beginning of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, but there are more first rock and roll records.
Harbor LightsHarbor Lights"Harbor Lights" is a popular song by Hugh Williams with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. This song was originally sung by Frances Langford in 1937 and was published again in 1950....
Hugh Williams - Jimmy KennedyJimmy Kennedy
Jimmy Kennedy OBE was an Irish songwriter, predominantly a lyricist, putting words to existing music such as "Teddy Bears' Picnic" and "My Prayer", or co-writing with the composers Michael Carr, Wilhelm Grosz and Nat Simon amongst others.-Biography:Kennedy was born near Omagh...
. Original: possibly Harry Owens
Harry Owens
Harry Owens was an American composer, bandleader and songwriter.-Biography:Harry Robert Owens was born April 18, 1902, in O'Neill, Nebraska. He learned how to play a cornet in a small band on an Indian reservation in Montana.-Early years:He worked the vaudeville circuit by age 14. Owens studied...
and His Royal Hawaiians
Recorded: July 5–6, 1954 (session 1)
The 4-CD boxed set "Today, Tomorrow And Forever" contains an alternate version (take three) that is unavailable elsewhere.Recorded at Sun Set studios Los Angeles
Blue Moon of KentuckyBlue Moon of Kentucky"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is a waltz written in 1946 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, The Blue Grass Boys. The song has since been recorded by many artists, including Elvis Presley....
Bill MonroeBill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
Original: Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys (1947, Columbia)
Recorded: July, 5-6, 1954 (session 1)
Elvis - The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters contains a fragment (1:03) of an alternate take in a slower, more country style. This take was originally release on bootleg in 1974, having been located at Sun Records many years after Presley left for RCA.
Blue MoonBlue Moon (song)"Blue Moon"'s first crossover recording to rock and roll came from Elvis Presley in 1956. His cover version of the song was included on his self-titled debut album Elvis Presley....
R. RodgersRichard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
- L. Hart
Lorenz Hart
Lorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
.
Original: Ted Fio Rito & His Orchestra (Brunswick LA231=C 11/19/1934) http://78discography.com/BRN7300.htm
Also: Connie Boswell (Brunswick 16642, 1/15/1935) http://78discography.com/BRN7300.htm
Recorded: August 19, 1954 (session 2)
Tomorrow Night
Sam CoslowSam Coslow
Sam Coslow was an American songwriter, singer, film producer, publisher, and market analyst. Coslow was born in New York City. He began writing songs as a teenager...
- Will Grosz. Original: Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson
Alonzo "Lonnie" Johnson was an American blues and jazz singer/guitarist and songwriter who pioneered the role of jazz guitar and is recognized as the first to play single-string guitar solos...
(1948, King)
Recorded: September 10 1954 (session 3)
I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')I'll Never Let You GoI'll Never Let You Go is a song by Jimmy Wakely, released by Elvis Presley on his debut album and as a single....
Jimmy WakelyJimmy Wakely
James Clarence Wakeley , better known as Jimmy Wakely, was an American country-Western singer and actor, one of the last crooning cowpokes following World War II...
. Original: Jimmy Wakely (1943, Decca)
Recorded: September 10, 1954 (session 3)
I Don't Care If The Sun Don't ShineI Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine"I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine" is a popular song, written by Mack David.The most popular version was done by Patti Page in 1950. The Page recording was issued by Mercury Records as catalog number 5396, and first reached the Billboard chart on May 20, 1950, lasting 9 weeks and peaking at #8...
M. DavidMack David
Mack David was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning from the early 1940s through the early 1970s. Mack was credited with writing lyrics and/or music for over one thousand songs...
. Original probably Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
(1950, Mercury)
Recorded: September 10, 1954 (session 3)
The Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
version was probably Elvis' inspiration.
Just Because
Sydney Robin - Bob Shelton - Joe Shelton. Original: The Shelton BrothersShelton Brothers
The Shelton Brothers, Bob, Joe and Merle, were pioneer country musicians and renowned recording artists based out of Texas from the mid 1930s through the 1960s...
(1942, Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
)
Recorded 1933
Also; Lonestar Cowboys, 1933 on RCA (Victor), Nelstone's Hawaiians: Victor V40273 (1929).
The song was also recorded by Frank Yankovic and was responsible for his band being rated the #13 band "on the Nation's Juke Boxes" in 1948.
Recorded: September 10, 1954 (session 3)
Good Rockin' TonightGood Rocking Tonight"Good Rocking Tonight" was originally a jump blues song released in 1947 by its writer, Roy Brown and was covered by many other recording artists. The song includes the memorable refrain, "Well I heard the news, there's good rocking tonight!"...
Roy BrownRoy Brown (blues musician)
Roy James Brown was an American R&B singer, songwriter and musician, who had an influence on the early development of rock and roll music. His "Good Rocking Tonight" was covered by Wynonie Harris, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Pat Boone, and the rock group Montrose. In addition,...
. Original Roy Brown (1947, DeLuxe); also Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris
Wynonie Harris
Wynonie Harris , born in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American blues shouter and rhythm and blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. With fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952, Harris is generally considered one of rock and roll's forerunners, influencing Elvis Presley...
(1948, King)
Recorded: September 10, 1954 (session 3)
Milkcow Blues Boogie
Kokomo ArnoldKokomo Arnold
Kokomo Arnold was an American blues musician.Born as James Arnold in Lovejoy's Station, Georgia, he got his nickname in 1934 after releasing "Old Original Kokomo Blues" for the Decca label; it was a cover of the Scrapper Blackwell blues song about the city of Kokomo, Indiana...
. Original probably Kokomo Arnold (1935, Decca)
Other releases: Johnny Lee Wills (1941, Decca); Moon Mullican
Moon Mullican
Aubrey Wilson Mullican , known as Moon Mullican, was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. However, he also sang and played jazz, rock 'n' roll and the blues...
(1946, King); Bob Wills
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
& His Texas Playboys als "Brain Cloudy Blues", (1946, Columbia)
Recorded: December 8, 1954 (session 4)
Baby Let's Play House
Arthur GunterArthur Gunter
Arthur Gunter was an American blues guitarist and musician. He was best known for his song "Baby Let's Play House", which was later a hit single for Elvis Presley.-Biography:...
. Original: Arthur Gunter (1954, Excello)
Recorded: February 11, 1955 (session 5)
In 1951 Eddy Arnold
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
recorded a song titled “I Want to Play House with You” http://www.gactv.com/gac/ar_az_eddy_arnold/article/0,3097,GAC_27002_4735881_,00.html
by Cy Coben. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/12/BAGRAJCIVS1.DTL This song has been misidentified as the same song. It is not.
Trying to Get to YouTrying to Get To You“Trying To Get To You” is a song performed by Elvis Presley in 1955 on his Sun recordings.It was written by Rose Marie McCoy and Charles Singleton, also known as Charlie Singleton. It was originally recorded by the rhythm and blues outfit The Eagles in 1954 and released in mid-1954 on Mercury...
Rose Marie McCoyRose Marie McCoy
Rose Marie McCoy was one of the most influential and prolific songwriters of the 1950s and 1960s.McCoy moved to New York City in 1942, pursuing a singing career...
- Charles Singleton. Original: The Eagles
The Eagles (rhythm and blues group)
The Eagles were a 1950s rhythm and blues vocal group from the Washington, D.C. area. They recorded the original version of "Trying to Get To You" , better known through the versions by Elvis Presley and The Animals...
(1954, Mercury)
Recorded: February 11, 1955 (session 5, not published) and July 11, 1955 (session 7, published). In 2002, RCA included information in the liner notes of Sunrise as to Presley recording this song while simultaneously playing the piano, and not aided by his rhythm guitar, as previously believed. Because the piano was not directly miked, it can only be heard faintly in the background.
I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
Stan Kesler - William TaylorWilliam Taylor
William Taylor was a British scholar, polyglot, and translator of German romantic literature.-Early life:He was born in Norwich, East Anglia, England on 7 November 1765, the only child of William Taylor , a wealthy Norwich merchant with European trade connections, by his wife Sarah , second...
. Original: Stan Kesler & William Taylor
Recorded: March 5, 1955 (session 6)
I Forgot To Remember To Forget
S. Kesler - C. Feathers. Original: Stan Kesler & Charlie FeathersCharlie Feathers
Charles Arthur "Charlie" Feathers was an influential American rockabilly and country music performer.-Biography:...
Recorded: July 11, 1955 (session 7)
Mystery TrainMystery Train"Mystery Train" is a song written by Junior Parker and Sam Phillips. It was first recorded in Phillip's Memphis Recording Service and Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee in 1953. Raymond Hill plays tenor sax and Matt Murphy plays lead guitar with Bill Johnson on piano, Pat Hare on...
Junior ParkerJunior Parker
Junior Parker was an American Memphis blues singer and musician. He is best remembered for his unique voice which has been described as "honeyed," and "velvet-smooth"...
- Sam Phillips
Sam Phillips
Samuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
. Original: Little Junior's Blue Flames
Junior Parker
Junior Parker was an American Memphis blues singer and musician. He is best remembered for his unique voice which has been described as "honeyed," and "velvet-smooth"...
(1953, Sun)
Recorded: July 11, 1955 (session 7)
When It Rains It Really Pours
W. Emerson. Original: Billy "the Kid" Emerson (1955, Sun)Recorded: November 20 1955 (session 8)
The Million Dollar QuartetMillion Dollar Quartet"Million Dollar Quartet" is the name given to recordings made on Tuesday December 4, 1956 in the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The recordings were of an impromptu jam session among Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. It was arguably the first...
(session recordings)
On December 4, 1956, a year after Elvis had left Sun for RCARCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
, he revisited Sun Studio
Sun Studio
Sun Studio is a recording studio opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 3, 1950. It was originally called Memphis Recording Service, sharing the same building with the Sun Records label business...
. The afternoon became a jam session with Carl Perkins
Carl Perkins
Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
(then already famous for his "Blue Suede Shoes
Blue Suede Shoes
"Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955 and is considered one of the first rockabilly records and incorporated elements of blues, country and pop music of the time...
"), Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
(relatively unknown at the time), and Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
(not heard on the tapes, although he does appear on the cover photo). The taping was largely unintended by the quartet; they were just singing the songs they had in mind. About 40 titles are recorded, most of them incomplete. Elvis is caught telling about a singer he saw in Las Vegas, doing his version of "Don't Be Cruel
Don't Be Cruel
-Legacy:"Don't Be Cruel" went on to become Presley's biggest selling single recorded in 1956, with sales over six million by 1961. It became a regular feature of his live sets until his death in 1977, and was often coupled with "Jailhouse Rock" or "Teddy Bear" during performances from 1969.Many...
", and they're enjoying "Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Brown Eyed Handsome Man
"Brown Eyed Handsome Man" is a rock and roll song by Chuck Berry, which was originally released by Chess Records in September 1956 as the B-side to "Too Much Monkey Business". It was also included on Berry's 1957 debut album After School Session...
" from Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
.
Recorded: December 4, 1956.
Rumored/legendary recordings
Over the decades, several additional recordings have been claimed as having been recorded by Elvis at Sun Records. The reference work Elvis: The Illustrated Record by Roy Carr and Mick Farren lists the following songs that were, as of 1982, believed to have been recorded by Elvis at Sun Records but as of 2009 remain unreleased and unaccounted for in the official record:- "Tennessee Saturday NightTennessee Saturday Night"Tennessee Saturday Night" is a Western swing ballad written by Billy Hughes. The song tells of Tennesseans having a good time on a Saturday night. Each verse ends with the refrain:...
" (2 takes recorded July 5–7, 1954). According to Carr and Farren, RCA planned to include this recording on the 1965 compilation album Elvis for EveryoneElvis for EveryoneElvis for Everyone! is the twenty-third album by Elvis Presley, issued on RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3450, in August 1965. Recording sessions took place over a ten-year span at Sun Studio in Memphis, RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, and Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California...
, but substituted the Sun side "Tomorrow Night" instead. - "Uncle Penn" (1 take recorded Sept. 9, 1954). Carr and Farren claim the existence of "Uncle Penn" is proven by it being listed on the session sheet for the recording session of December 8, 1954 that produced "Tomorrow Night" however this contradicts the authors' chart that gives the Sept. 9 recording date.
- "Oakie BoogieOakie Boogie"Oakie Boogie" is a Western swing dance song written by Johnny Tyler in 1947. It is recognizable by its refrain:Jack Guthrie's version reached #3 on the charts in 1947 and is often included in the list of the first rock and roll songs...
" (1 take recorded Dec. 8, 1954)
Releases
Most of the tapes, including the private single, the Million Dollar Quartet and alternate takes have been released. Further alternate takes\unreleased songs from SUN are to be released in mid\late '07. Details not announced as yet but it may be a box set by Follow That Dream - RCA/BMG collectors label.Sun Singles
Ten songs, making five singles, were originally released on the Sun label. These records (in both 45 RPM and 78 RPM formats) are among the most valuable of Elvis' output, fetching four figures in excellent condition:- Sun 209—July 19, 1954: That's All Right / Blue Moon of Kentucky
- Sun 210—September 25, 1954: Good Rockin' Tonight / I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine
- Sun 215—December 28, 1954: Milkcow Blues Boogie / You're A Heartbreaker
- Sun 217—April 10, 1955: Baby Let's Play House / I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
- Sun 223—August 6, 1955: I Forgot To Remember To Forget / Mystery Train
RCA Releases
After signing with RCA, the same songs, in the same b/w combination, were re-released by RCA. (December 1955). The songs were available on 78 RPM and 45 RPM, which explains the two ordering-numbers 20/47, respectively:- RCA 20/47-6357: Sun 223
- RCA 20/47-6380: Sun 209
- RCA 20/47-6381: Sun 210
- RCA 20/47-6382: Sun 215
- RCA 20/47-6383: Sun 217
The same pairings were later reissued as part of RCA's Gold Standard series in five different label formats: Black label with dog at top (September 1958), black label with dog on left side (September 1965), orange label (November 1968), red label (September 1970), and black label with dog in upper right hand corner (September 1976)
- 447-0600: Sun 223
- 447-0601: Sun 209
- B-side of red label version misspells Elvis' last name as "PRESELY"
- 447-0602: Sun 210
- The original "dog on top" copies of the above two were released with special picture sleeves
- 447-0603: Sun 215
- 447-0604: Sun 217
Elvis PresleyElvis Presley (album)-1999 Reissue with Bonus Tracks:Catalogue data reflects simultaneous release of all tracks from LPM 1254 as singles in August, 1956; chart positions from Billboard Pop Singles chart.-2006 FTD Reissue:Disc OneDisc Two-Personnel:...
(1956)
On January 27, 1956, the first RCA single, "Heartbreak HotelHeartbreak Hotel
"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American rock and roll musician Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. His first number-one pop record, "Heartbreak Hotel" topped Billboards Top 100 chart, became his first...
" b/w "I Was the One" was released, giving Elvis a nationwide breakthrough. His reputation as a performer on stage was already growing in the same dimensions.
On March 23, 1956. the first album, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley (album)
-1999 Reissue with Bonus Tracks:Catalogue data reflects simultaneous release of all tracks from LPM 1254 as singles in August, 1956; chart positions from Billboard Pop Singles chart.-2006 FTD Reissue:Disc OneDisc Two-Personnel:...
was released (RCA 1254). At that moment "Heartbreak Hotel" was climbing the lists, but as Rock'n'Roll was largely bought by teenagers at the time, and teenagers usually bought singles, albums were seen as less important for the genre, as such "Heartbreak Hotel" is not on this album. RCA, however, put five unreleased Sun recordings on this album:
- "I Love You Because"
- "Just Because"
- "Trying to Get to You"
- "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')"
- "Blue Moon"
For LP Fans OnlyFor LP Fans OnlyFor LP Fans Only is the seventh album by Elvis Presley, issued on RCA Victor Records in February 1959. It is a compilation of material from an August 1956 recording session at 20th Century Fox Stage One, a September 1956 session at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, sessions on January 10 and 11 at RCA...
(1958) and A Date With ElvisA Date With ElvisA Date with Elvis is the eighth album by Elvis Presley, issued on RCA Victor Records in July 1959. It is a compilation of previously unreleased material from an August 1956 recording session at 20th Century Fox Stage One, two from Radio Recorders in Hollywood, and multiple sessions at Sun Studio....
(1959)
These two albums were released during Elvis' hitch in the Army, consisting of tracks previous released only as singles or on EP's, including all but one of the ten commercially released Sun tracks. Four were included on For LP Fans Only...
- "That's All Right"
- "Mystery Train"
- "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone"
- "You're A Heartbreaker"
...with five featured on A Date With Elvis:
- "Blue Moon Of Kentucky"
- "Milkcow Blues Boogie"
- "Baby, Let's Play House"
- "Good Rockin' Tonight"
- "I Forgot To Remember To Forget"
The remaining commercial release, "I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine", would not appear on LP until the 1976 compilation "The Sun Sessions"
Elvis For EveryoneElvis for EveryoneElvis for Everyone! is the twenty-third album by Elvis Presley, issued on RCA Victor in mono and stereo, LPM/LSP 3450, in August 1965. Recording sessions took place over a ten-year span at Sun Studio in Memphis, RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, and Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California...
(1965)
- "Tomorrow Night" (Previously unreleased)
- "When It Rains, It Really Pours" (1957 re-recording of an unreleased Sun track from 1955)
The Sun SessionsThe Sun SessionsThe Sun Sessions is a compilation of Elvis Presley recordings at Sun Studios in 1954 and 1955. It was issued by RCA Records in 1976. It had been issued and charted as The Sun Collection in the United Kingdom the previous year...
(1976)
On March 22, 1976, the album The Sun Sessions was released, with fifteen out of the nineteen available Sun titles:
- "That's All Right"
- "Blue Moon of Kentucky"
- "I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine"
- "Good Rockin Tonight"
- "Milkcow Blues Boogie"
- "You're a Heartbreaker"
- "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone"
- "Baby Let's Play House"
- "Mystery Train"
- "I Forgot to Remember to Forget"
- "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')"
- "Trying to Get to You"
- "I Love You Because"
- "Just Because"
- "I Love You Because" (second version)
Missing:
- "Harbor Lights"
- "Tomorrow Night"
- "When It Rains It Really Pours"
- "Satisfied"
- "I Got a Woman"
- "It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You"
- "I'll Never Stand in Your Way"
- "My Happiness"
The Complete Sun Sessions [sic] (1987)
Although the title suggests more, only 17 out of the 20 songs are here. The album does contain several takes from "I Love You Because", and "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone".Missing:
- The private recordings
- "Satisfied"
- "It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You"
- "I'll Never Stand in Your Way"
- "My Happiness"
The Million Dollar QuartetMillion Dollar Quartet"Million Dollar Quartet" is the name given to recordings made on Tuesday December 4, 1956 in the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The recordings were of an impromptu jam session among Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. It was arguably the first...
(1989)
The recordings have been released in 1989 as a CD, titled, Elvis Presley - The Million Dollar QuartetMillion Dollar Quartet
"Million Dollar Quartet" is the name given to recordings made on Tuesday December 4, 1956 in the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The recordings were of an impromptu jam session among Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. It was arguably the first...
(RCA CD # 2023-2-R),
The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s MastersThe King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s MastersThe King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50s Masters is a box set five-disc compilation of the complete known studio master recordings by Elvis Presley during the decade of the 1950s, released in 1992, RCA 66050-2. It peaked at #159 on the album chart...
(1992)
Nearly every song Elvis recorded at Sun is present here (although "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" is hidden on CD number 5; the rest is on CD 1). Missing: "Satisfied" (apparently lost forever), all but one track from the Million Dollar Quartet session, as well as "It Wouldn't be the Same Without You" and "I'll Never Stand in Your Way." The latter two songs appear on yet another (and as complete as possible) Sun sessions CD titled "Sunrise."
Sunrise (1999)
Another delving in the Sun Records vaults is the most complete collection of Elvis' recordings from that time. All the masters, some demos and alternate recordings, and a few early live-recorded tracks.Elvis at SunElvis at SunElvis at Sun is a compact disc compilation of Elvis Presley's studio recordings at Sun Studio from 1954 to 1955, released in June 2004, BMG Heritage 61205...
(2004)
The current (as of mid-2006) version the Sun recordings. Contains the five singles ("That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky";"Good Rockin' Tonight"/"I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine";"Milkcow Blues Boogie"/"You're a Heartbreaker;"Baby Let's Play House"/"I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone";"I Forgot to Remember to Forget"/"Mystery Train") plus "Harbor Lights," "I Love You Because" (alternate take 2), "Tomorrow Night," "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')," "Just Because," "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" (slow version), "Trying to Get to You" and "When It Rains It Really Pours."Missing:
- Private recordings and demos:
- "My Happiness"
- "That's When Your Heartaches Begin"
- "I'll Never Stand in Your Way"
- "It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You"
- "I Love You Because" (first version) (available on Elvis PresleyElvis Presley (album)-1999 Reissue with Bonus Tracks:Catalogue data reflects simultaneous release of all tracks from LPM 1254 as singles in August, 1956; chart positions from Billboard Pop Singles chart.-2006 FTD Reissue:Disc OneDisc Two-Personnel:...
) - The lost "Satisfied"
- "I Got a Woman" (Re-recording available on Elvis Presley)
External links
- As of 2002, Elvis Presley's SUN recordings are inducted in the US Congress's National Recording Registry: http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/nrpb-masterlist.html (no. 102)