He knew this audience would respond to that because it had long been suspected that Elvis Presley had been drinking from some secret creative well. Hayride, Shreveport (1954) on A Boy From Tupelo, La. The moment had a Warhol-ian quality to it too.
"That's All Right" is the name of the first single released by Elvis Presley, written and … Behind his wooden desk at NBC’s Rockefeller Center, Letterman was beaming. Although The Beatles performed around 30 of Presley’s songs between 1957 and 1962, only three were recorded. By that afternoon, he had stumbled across a demo containing songs recorded by an obscure African-American singer/songwriter from Brooklyn named Otis Blackwell. On July 5, 2004, exactly 50 years after Elvis recorded the song, "That's Alright Mama" was re-released. They were appropriate too. “On the one hand you wouldn’t recognize him in a crowd, but when he began to sing and perform, Otis Blackwell was a commanding presence. It had a singular distinction-a strong sense of story, however simple it was. Paul McCartney: vocals, bass John Lennon: rhythm guitar George Harrison: lead guitar Ringo Starr: drums. An outstanding product of the fabulous Sun Sessions. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova starred in the movie Once, which featured their song "Falling Slowly." But in the ‘70s, as a different kind of rock and roll surged to the forefront, he had returned to familiar haunts in New York and along the east coast club corridor to become a singer again. The story was the stuff of legend now. After Letterman led Blackwell through more questions about Presley, it came time for the performance. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. So on July 2, 1956, Blackwell’s infectious rock and roll tune with its simplistic lyrics, country twang and catchy hit phrase (“Don’t be cruel, to a heart that’s true…”) became the B-side to Elvis’s rendition of “Hound Dog.”. The song "Knock On Wood" was confusing to UK listeners because the saying there is "Touch Wood.". Leave feedback. The acclaimed Amazon bestseller by the creator of the Beatles Bible. Remix Album), takes 1, 2, 3 on Platinum - A Life In Music, takes 1, 2, 3 on A Touch Of Platinum, Volume 1. He leaned in towards Letterman and shifted in his seat. Blackwell was a veteran of the hardcore East coast blues scene but also, strangely enough, was a lifelong fan of country & western music. And his hair, as it could have been seen in numerous publicity shots when he was a younger man, was short and well kept-the left side parted neatly and nondescript. It was not at all different from Chuck Berry’s run in the 1950s, but even more impressive because he had done it as a songwriter exclusively and had spread his oeuvre across the spectrum of the genre. He had been asked that question dozens of time over the years from all kinds of writers and interviewers. 1955/05/26 on Greatest Live Hits Of The 50s, 1968/06/27 on Memories The'68 Comeback Special, 1968/06/27 6 P.M. on The Complete '68 Comeback Special, 1968/06/27 8 P.M. on Elvis NBC TV Special, 1968/06/27 8 P.M. on The Complete '68 Comeback Special, 1970/07/15 on That's The Way It Is - Special Edition, 1970/08/11 Midnight show on Live In Las Vegas, 1970/08/12 on That's The Way It Is - Special Edition, 1970/08/12 D.S. Hayride, Shreveport (Aug. 20, 1955 on A Boy From Tupelo, La. And for the year 1956, according to Billboard, it was the highest selling rock and roll single-even though it was a B-side. Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password. This is Elvis pur sang. This is such a spectacular, catchy, fun and unique blues song and Elvis easily has the very best renditions of it. Good thing he ignored this advice. Presley had his young band in tow and it already had been decided by his handlers that he was going to record a song called “Hound Dog.” The tune, written by the famous white rock and roll songwriting team of Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber, had already become a hit-made famous for its hard edge by blues diva Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton. “No, he didn’t,” Blackwell said, as if rehearsed. The song that caught Presley’s ear was called “Don’t Be Cruel.” The tune had come down from Blackwell’s connection in New York-Shalimar Music-and had made its way to Presley. 5-stars just for being the first shot heard of a new breed of music. He was always gracious, and he was in his element. Not so keen on Elvis' in concert versions though.
This was Elvis' first single, and it came out of his first recording session. He wasn’t seeking the limelight in returning to doing live performances either; you would think he would, after so much time behind the scenes. Like so many others here I have to agree, there's just something about those Sun recordings - this one especially.
This was before rock and roll took off and became the music that would unite and define a generation. There's something soooo beautiful about Elvis' voice in the original Sun version. “Was ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ the first song of yours that Elvis recorded?” Letterman asked instantly. His now famous flop of hair looked thick and more pronounced; it was probably the only part of him more distracting than his legendary gap-toothed smile that will always invoke the cover of Mad magazine. Love David Bowie? I can listen to most of his recordings (baring some of those 60's soundtracks) but will always come back to these tracks and feel that same... je ne sais quoi? There was the business, there was society and there was Elvis Presley. It was a preachy brand of rock and roll too; it wasn’t Bill Haley and the Comets. Well that’s all right mama That’s all right with you Yeh that’s all right mama Just anyway you do, That’s all right That’s all right That’s all right now mama Anyway you do, Well mama she done told me Papa done told me too Said son, that gal you’re fooling with She ain’t no girl for you, I’m leaving town baby I’m leaving town for sure Then you won’t be bothered with me Hanging round your door, That’s all right That’s all right Yeah that’s all right now mama Anyway you do, Well that’s all right mama Yeah that’s all right with you That’s all right mama Just anyway you do, Da da, dee dee dee dee dee Da da, dee dee dee dee Da da, dee dee dee I need your loving That’s all right Well that’s all right now mama Anyway you do Yeah that’s all right now mama Anyway you do. ... Otis Blackwell, who wrote over 1000 songs, died in May 2002 in Nashville. thread, Name The Beatles (as a group - not solo) song that goes with this picture, Recording, mixing: The Word, You Won't See Me, Girl, Wait, I'm Looking Through You. He had stopped performing his brand of rhythm & blues back in the ‘50s. In its place Blackwell gave them “You’re The Apple Of My Eye” which became a chart hit in 56 for the Four Lovers and was probably instrumental in shaping events for the group that would eventually become the Four Seasons. A genius beat, found by a 19 years old southern kid, which became the roots of modern music (Rock, Pop, Country or Blues). No one could ever take that away.
Pure.
“That seemed to have been the practice,” Blackwell replied. Fabouloso :-), Thanks to Sun, Sam, Marion, Elvis, Scotty and Bill for starting it all with this one. From his great rendition in 1968 for the comeback special, to a great show opener at Madison Square Garden in 1972, right to his final tour in June of 1977 on the LP and special "Elvis In Concert". Amazing stuff! Katy Perry's song "E.T." ", A monthly update on our latest interviews, stories and added songs. Taylor talks about "The Machine" - the hits, the videos and Clive Davis. The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.
He looked cool too. He remembers the clear dichotomy between the Otis who loved to sing music and the Otis who was quiet and reserved. He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair.". Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan performed the song during Dylan's sessions for Nashville Skyline; it appears on bootlegs of this joint session. More songs that were adapted from early blues songs. From the distant recesses of America’s music publishing industry and record making machinery that sold millions of records each year, Blackwell had hitched rock and roll music to his back from 1955 to1960 and set the country ablaze with his words, lyrics and bouncy, bass-driven tunes. Makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time I hear it...amazing. Coincedential fooling around with a guitar in a break between recording sessions ... and voila: You got yourself a new super star! Beyonce Knowles and Michelle Williams wrote "Girl" for Kelly Rowland as an encouragement for her to end her relationship with a verbally and physically abusive boyfriend.
One of the best rock 'n' roll/blues singles ever. I'll buy it?" Blackwell, who had never met Presley but had given him songs and lent important components of his singing style and voice, sang one song for the world that day.
on That's The Way It Is (2CD), 1972/06/10 2:30 P.M. on An Afternoon In The Garden, 1972/06/10 2:30 P.M. on Prince From Another Planet, 1972/06/10 8 P.M. on As Recorded At Madison Square Garden, 1972/06/10 8 P.M. on Prince From Another Planet, Arthur Crudup on Elvis Presley At The Louisiana Hayride/ The Original Roots Of Elvis Presley, June 27, 1968. Every version ever done was something special, no matter if it is from the magic summer of 1954, or from the fantastic jam session with Scotty and DJ 1968, or as an concert superstar in Rapid City. It was almost as if the answer had escaped him suddenly. “He seemed to be two different people,” McGowan said. Let us know what you think of the Last.fm website. Elvis always respected this song when singing it live as well.