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#sun records
guessimdumb · 3 months
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Jimmy Wages - Mad Man (1956)
Fantastic rockabilly recorded for Sun Records but not released until 1979.
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hooked-on-elvis · 2 months
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"HARBOR LIGHTS": The first song ever taped by Elvis Presley (officially)
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PICTURES: [1-2] Elvis Presley, December 27, 1954. Photo by Lou Lowery.
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Elvis had paid for two private sessions at the Sun Studio, when he would cut two acetates with the songs "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartache Begins" — the actual date is not certain but it happened sometime in 1953 — and again Presley would go back to Sun Studio on January 4, 1954, to record "I’ll Never Stand In Your Way" and "It Wouldn’t Be The Same Without You," all ballads.
"In fact, he sang very little but ballads, and to the untrained ear, we now know, he sounded like plenty of other local C&W singers. To Marion [Keisker], though, there was something there — a stronger yearning? A deeper passion? A greater determination? Whatever it was, she wanted to keep an eye on it; after the kid had made his acetate she made herself a note: “Good ballad singer. Hold." — Ernst Jorgensen on "Elvis Presley: A Life In Music"
A while after the private recordings, on June 26, 1954, Elvis was officially invited to a recording session at Sun Studio. A phone call was made by Marion Keisker (Sun Studio's secretary), and soon after that Elvis walked back in the studio and he started the official recordings singing in the same familiar way, not venturing in something out of extraordinary. Nothing came out that was really interesting to tape, but still certain there might be something good ahead, a while after that Elvis came back to Sun Studio once more and that's when the ballad called "Harbor Lights" was covered by him.
The song was originally recorded by Roy Fox & his Orchestra with vocal by Barry Gray, in London, on January 29, 1937. You can listen to the original record of the tune below.
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Elvis recorded "Harbor Lights" on July 5, 1954, during his first commercial recording session.
According to Ernst Jorgensen, it may have been the first song Elvis recorded. The first song put on tape. The order for the official recordings during that session at Sun Studio would have been, "Harbor Lights" and "I Love You Because", nothing that really caused a big impression on Sam Phillips, but then during a pause from the recordings, Elvis, Scotty Moore and Bill Black were just joking around, having fun playing Arthur's Cudrup tune their own way, without even realizing they were doing something that finally got Sam Phillips really excited about. That's when "That's All Right" came to be and then, during the same session, there was "Blue Moon of Kentucky", both songs, as soon as released, instant hits by this new Memphis guy with a funny/weird/unique name.
Opposite to the hits "That's All Right", "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and even the ballad "I Love You Because", Sam Phillips considered the recording of "Harbor Lights" unworthy of release, according to Jorgensen once more, because "they couldn’t get the Hawaiian-inspired pop song right" (Look at Hawaii being there for Elvis since the very beginning of his career... in a certain way. Interesting). In 1976, tho, RCA released the master of "Harbor Lights" on the LP "Elvis – A Legendary Performer, Volume 2", for the first time.
I don't know about you but this is surely one of my all-time-favorites Elvis song. ♥ Thank God it came to the light of day.
MASTER (TAKE 3):
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Music by Hugh Williams (the pseudonym of Austrian composer Will Grosz) and lyrics by Northern Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy. Elvis recorded the songs during studio sessions for Sun Records between July 5–6, 1954, in Memphis, Tennessee.
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SOME OTHER TAKES:
TAKES 1-2 and 3/MASTER
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TAKE 4:
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TAKES 5-8:
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LPS/CDS WHERE THE TUNE CAN BE FOUND:
Elvis - A Legendary Performer, Vol. 2 (1976); Greatest Moments in Music (1979); The King of Rock’n’Roll – The Complete 50’s Masters (1992); A Golden Celebration (1998); Sunrise (1999); Today Tomorrow and Forever (2002); Elvis at Sun (2004); A Boy From Tupelo (2012) - FTD; For LP Fans Only (2018) - FTD.
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PICTURE: Elvis and The Blue Moon Boys (Bill Black and Scotty Moore), in 1954.
Sources: "Elvis Presley: A Life In Music" by Ernst Jorgensen and Peter Guralnick; Wikipedia; www.elvis100percent.com.
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ifelllikeastar · 7 months
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presleybutlervsp · 4 months
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December 4, 1956
Elvis, with Vegas Showgirl Marilyn Evans, showed up at Sun Records where Carl Perkins and his band with Jerry Lee Lewis hired for the session was recording. Elvis’ drop by turned the session into The Legendary Jam Session. Sam Phillips called the press, leveraged the unexpected visit for publicity and called Johnny Cash, newly signed to the label for the photographs.
The Perkins session that became known as The Million Dollar Quartet was recorded by Phillips. knowing it could never be released – already sold to RCA Presley was a national and breaking international star – while Perkins and Cash were on his label.
Jerry Lee Lewis was still trying to convince Phillips, and was there as a session musician.
Phillips recorded the mostly gospel, with Chuck Berry songs, and Elvis doing impersonations of Country Singers Bill Monroe and Hank Snow as well as impersonating Jackie Wilson who sang lead for Billy Ward and His Dominos, whom Elvis had just seen perform in Vegas.
A copy of the tape was made for Elvis and it was located in the 1980s in his Graceland bedroom closet, along with a recording of the 1956 Tupelo Homecoming show and an interview with Elvis and both of his parents.
Most of the infamous jam is gospel music, which was changed for the Broadway Play. Also, Elvis plays piano for most of the recordings and while Johnny Cash is in the photos, he’s not evident on any of the tape. Elvis’ Vegas Showgirl Date – Marilyn Evans is – she quips about “This Rover Boy Trio”
The four ended up taping some songs together, but recordings from the impromptu session would not be pressed on to discs for another 25 years when they were released as “The Million Dollar Quartet”. Elvis Presley had a copy of the session tapes which RCA used, while the Sun Studio was later sold and their original tapes were used by the new owner. Who also had Jimmy Ellis sing “Elvis on Jerry Lee Lewis recordings.
https://youtu.be/4QUPw6QypP8
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radio-elvis · 10 months
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ELVIS PRESLEY ORIGINAL VINTAGE KODAK PHOTO PHILA AIRPORT JUNE 1974 D RUSSELL
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lisamarie-vee · 4 months
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kiankiwi · 4 months
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Hi everyone! I'm officially back from Graeland (it was absolutely live changing and I'm so happy I didn't get too anxious and back out!!) It was so freaking fun and I hope every one of you who wants to get there some day actually gets to go! It's a lot to do and plan but you can do it!
ANYWAY I AM BACK!!!
I've missed writing so much and I'm finally back with my laptop and slowly getting back into my routine :)
How have you guys been?
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kwebtv · 1 month
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Dustin Ingram as Carl Perkins, Christian Lees as Jerry Lee Lewis, Kevin Fonteyne as Johnny Cash, Drake Milligan as Elvis Presley and Kerry Holliday as Ike Turner in "Sun Records"
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Margaret Anne Florence as Marion Keisker, Chad Michael Murray as Sam Phillips and Jennifer Holland as Becky Phillips in "Sun Records"
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ufonaut · 1 year
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we’ve dedicated this past week to finding all elvis-related places & things in memphis so here’s some highlights of our quest, ranging from the obvious to the crazy to the obscure. 
in order: elvis’ comics at sun records, coletta’s italian restaurant, rock n soul museum, red west and sam phillips’ graves in memorial park cemetery, elvis’ booth at the arcade restaurant, marty lacker tribute on beale street, elvis’ coat & watch at lansky’s, rca contract signing at the peabody hotel, elvis’ briefcase phone at the memphis hall of fame.
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kdo-three · 4 months
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𝐉𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐬 - 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐧 (𝟏𝟗𝟓𝟕) Dave "Curlee" Williams / James Faye "Roy" Hall from: "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" / "It'll Be Me"
Rock 'n' Roll | Rockabilly | 1st Wave Rock and Roll
𝐉𝐮𝐤𝐞𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐔𝐊 (left click = play) (320kbps)
Personnel: Jerry Lee Lewis: Vocals / Piano Roland Janes: Guitar J.M. Van Eaton: Drums
Engineered by Jack "Cowboy" Clement Produced by Jack "Cowboy" Clement
Recorded: @ Sun Records Studios Memphis, Tennessee USA February, 1955
Released: on April 15, 1957
Sun Records
♫♫♫ ♫♫♫ ♫♫♫
Ranked the 61st greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.
In 2005, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
"Perhaps the quintessential rockabilly anthem" - Charles L. Ponce de Leon
♫♫♫ ♫♫♫ ♫♫♫
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AD: "Cash Box" Magazine July 20, 1957
♫♫♫ ♫♫♫ ♫♫♫
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musickickztoo · 8 months
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Sam Phillips  † July 30, 2003
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guessimdumb · 3 months
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Charlie Rich - Cloud Nine (1959?)
I'm something of a Charlie Rich fan, though nowhere near a completist. While best known for his rich, soulful vocals, he was also a fantastic piano player (and songwriter). Here's a wonderfully pensive instrumental from the late 50s, I think.
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ccridersworld · 9 months
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Million dollar quartet....the Sun kings
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hooked-on-elvis · 3 months
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On Elvis' original "That's All Right" acetate (cut at Sun Records on 1954) Graceland revealed to have found, after all these years, during his 89th birthday celebration on January 8th, 2024 📀⚡✨
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I literally cried listening to the original sound on that acetate while they were playing it at Graceland. I wanted to be there at Graceland that very moment.
I believe much more gems are out there yet to be found. Rarities, from pictures to footage, records and tapes, to memorabilia and - who knows - even personal itens that once belonged to him. I believe we can wait for more happy surprises.
My wish is for the next one to be Bill Randle's footage "The Pied Piper of Cleveland: A Day in the Life of a Famous Disc Jockey", finally being officially released. ⚡
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presleybutlervsp · 4 months
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November 30, 1977
Johnny Cash Christmas Special includes an Elvis tribute: Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash with Roy Orbison standing in for Elvis as a quasi million dollar quartet reunion.
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sideshow-tornado · 4 months
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From L to R: Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash aka the Million Dollar Quartet at Sun Records, December 4th 1956.
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