The spark of “That’s All Right,” a variation on a tune Presley knew from Mississippi bluesman Arthur Crudup, came during a break when the three thought they were just goofing around. Presley’s tastes leaned toward pop ballads in the vein of Dean Martin and Billy Eckstine.Īt the July 5, 1954, session, Phillips took another shot on Presley, this time pairing him with Moore and Black. But none of them captured the sound Phillips was looking for, according to Guralnick. Phillips had Presley back in his studio in January 1954 to record a host of songs. Phillips was famously prescient in anticipating the convergence of African-American musical styles with country and pop into a phenomenon that didn’t yet have a name.Īs Keisker later recalled, according to Guralnick, Phillips often declared: “If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.” This was the 1950s and the South, after all. (Cost: $3.98 plus tax.) Phillips’ secretary, Marion Keisker, was intrigued by his voice and made a note of his name and phone number.Īround this time, Phillips’ studio had been rented by Chess Records and other established labels to record blues artists such as Howlin’ Wolf, Ike Turner and B.B. He’d first gone to Memphis Recording Studio in the summer of 1953 to cut a do-it-yourself record of the ballad “My Happiness,” a hit for the Ink Spots. Once “That’s All Right” hit the airwaves, Elvis was on his way.īut Presley wasn’t exactly an overnight sensation. By week’s end, according to Elvis historian Peter Guralnick, Phillips had the recordings in the hands of a few tastemaker Memphis DJs.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |