ELVIS PRESLEY: A TRIBUTE

Back in 1954 when Elvis, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black banged out an impromptu reading of Arthur Crudup’s 1946 blues number “That’s All Right (Mama)” at Sam Phillips’ Sun studios in Memphis, rock and roll was officially born.

There had been some precedents. Often the 1951 song “Rocket 88” is hailed as the first rock and roll record, but the style was already evident in a lot of post-war recordings prior to that. Between 1945 and 1949, such tracks as Louis Jordan’s “Caldonia,” Hank Williams’ “Move it On Over,” Wynonie Harris’s “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” and “The Fat Man” by Fats Domino offered a combination of blues and country music roots dating back to the 1920s, and presented a prototype to what we now know as rock and roll.

But when Elvis did “That’s All Right (Mama)” he offered a completely new perspective that had been missing from the original recording. The way his voice wails over the instruments, the rhythm slapping from Bill’s bass, and Scotty’s wild guitar solo combined to redefine the original. This recording became a massive regional hit and Elvis soon explored other songs like Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” Arthur Gunter’s “Baby Let’s Play House,” Junior Parker’s “Mystery Train,” and Ray Charles “I Got a Woman,” alternating between traditional country and southern blues, while combining his own vision to continue setting the foundation for the rock and roll explosion that came soon afterward when Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” accosted the mainstream in 1955.

In 1956, Presley’s move to the more prestigious RCA Records resulted in his recording of “Heartbreak Hotel," a song that revolutionized popular music. The bigger label meant that his sound went from regional to international. John Lennon cites this song as his reason for becoming a musician, as does Keith Richard. It was unlike anything the mainstream had ever heard. Many did not understand the soaring vocal, the hiccup delivery, or the snarling reading of the lyrics. But a cultural revolution was taking place. The follow-up “Hound Dog,” had been written by two white composers and given to African American R&B singer Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, who gave it a powerful rendition in 1953. When Elvis recorded it in 1956, it was completely revamped. While the Elvis version of “Hound Dog” is technically not the first rock and roll record, it is certainly the first one that most completely sounds like rock and roll as we understand it today.

Further recordings like “Don’t Be Cruel,” “All Shook Up,” and “Jailhouse Rock,” drew from a variety of influences, but when recorded by Elvis they were completely redefined according to his unique style. He became the king of rock and roll mostly on the strength of his work from 1954-1958, after which he did a two year hitch in the army. Backlogs of recordings were released to keep his work before the public. Suffice it to say that these recordings represent the foundation, the implementation, and the solidification of the rock and roll sound. Amidst many pioneers like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley stood out front as the genre’s biggest star with the greatest range and the strongest impact.

When Elvis came out of the army, his image was tamed for mass consumption. No longer the rockin’ rebel, Elvis was now doing more accessible pop songs like “Stuck on You” and “Good Luck Charm,” and was flirting with operatic influences for “It’s Now or Never” and “Surrender.” He still had charm, charisma, and creative talent, but while his personal influence on “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Hound Dog” was enormous, he sang these latest songs as they were written. They were not bad, they just weren’t quite the same. The sixties was mostly about making movies (I wrote an entire book about that unfairly neglected aspect of his career), and his importance was eclipsed by the explosive popularity of British groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones (both of whom cited him as their prime influence). But Elvis was still able to turn out songs like his blistering rendition of Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say,” a strong performance of Otis Blackwell’s “Return to Sender,” and “C’mon Everybody,” which features him at his rockin’ best.

But by 1965, while his movies remained popular at the box office, his songs were not charting. Many felt his style, while important, had become passé like the work of contemporaries Chuck Berry and Little Richard, neither of whom had enjoyed chart success in years (oddly, Berry would later have his biggest hit with a fluke novelty number).

In 1968, Elvis made a triumphant comeback with a TV special that might be the greatest performance of his career. Showy production numbers of new songs combined with more intimate performances of the classic hits. With this special, Elvis reminded everyone that he was still the king of rock and roll. Back in the studio in 1969, Elvis recorded the Memphis sessions, responding to a variety of influences from pop, to country, to blues. Out of these sessions came everything from the serious “In the Ghetto” to the passionate “Suspicious Minds.”

Sadly, for most of the 1970s, Presley’s personal excesses continued to take their toll on his health and he died on August 16, 1977. But before going, he still managed to put out one more wild rocker with “Burning Love” in 1972 and was touring and recording till the end.

On the classic Honeymooners TV show, there is a credit at the end indicating “entire production supervised by Jackie Gleason.” That is to let us know the show’s star was truly responsible for the greatness of the program, despite who was listed as writer or director. That would be the same impact and control that Elvis had over his own work. He was not a songwriter any more than Jackie Gleason wrote scripts. But he had complete and total creative control.

Elvis Presley outlasted all of his rock and roll pioneer contemporaries, maintaining consistent success for over twenty straight years. But while his entire career is dotted with highlights, his most important work are the Sun and early RCA recordings that first set the foundation, then completely defined the rock and roll sound.

Elvis Presley is the single most important figure in the history of popular music. Some performers, groups, and songwriters might have been better in some areas where his talents were limited, but these same artists are inconceivable without his initial impact. His importance cannot be overstated.