by Robert Wilkinson
Elvis Presley, glorious Sun King of his time, would have been 90 on January 8. The world's first true superstar, he made moves on stage no one had seen before, outraging elders and exciting young people all over the world. Though his films are mainly parodies of 60s B-movies rendered obsolete by the Beatles, back in the 50s when he cut loose on stage, he electrified us all and changed our world forever. This man blew the doors wide open!
Rather than reinvent the wheel, this year I'll just borrow from past birthday odes to the King of Rock and Roll. First, some history....
Elvis Presley’s (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) 50s movies, such as Jailhouse Rock and King Creole, set a new standard in merging pop music and film even as they ushered out the film noir era. His 60s movies made Hal Wallis and Colonel Tom Parker a lot of money and Elvis a parody of everything he had been before his military service. While he'll never be remembered for his acting, his music was another thing entirely.
He was a singular pioneering force, a genuinely humble, generous, and spiritual man, personifying electricity in motion blazing a gyrating trail of a new form of art that would impact our world for all time. He created near-riots everywhere he performed, and was the first white man to sing rhythm and blues so convincingly that people thought he was black.
He broke down barriers in what used to be called "race music," and jump started "rockabilly" and "rock and roll." By doing the music of Chuck Berry and Little Richard for his global audience, he set the foundations of everything we heard in the 60s and since. To sum it up, John Lennon was famously quoted as saying "Before Elvis, there was nothing."
Elvis, along with Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and D.J. Fontana, helped birth the musical form known initially as "rockabilly," later to be known as "rock and roll." I was a young kid when he hit the national airwaves, and had the privilege of hearing the King via the now extinct thing we called a"transistor radio." Even though I didn't know much, I knew THAT voice got everyone agitated, both kids and adults, and that a whole lot of people started getting very excited one way and another. It was as though aliens had landed!
"Elvis the Pelvis" (he hated that name!) was truly electromagnetic, and lit the way riding the wave of the huge stellium in Leo that opened a huge heart door and ushered in the civil rights era, along with America's youth "rebellion" against the 50s paranoid authoritarian model. Since our power structures are still trying to convince us to be paranoid and trust their authoritarian dictates, we can only wish another such "Sun King" would show up on the world stage to turn the rigid dictatorial model on its collective ear while unifying us all through music.
I've been a long time believer that we should make January 8th a national holiday where we can Sheik Ourbootes. It would even give our international marketing culture a new holiday, a week after the Western New Year's, so it fits with the long term plan to make every week a holiday!
And now, before we enjoy the music, a strange bit of trivia about this remarkably spiritual man. According to one of his inner circle, during the last few years of his life he studied Theosophical metaphysics extensively, including The Secret Doctrine and The Voice of the Silence by H.P. Blavatsky, as well as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Cosmic Consciousness by Bucke, New Mansions for New Men by Dane Rudhyar, (more on the symbolic life and the nature of the spiritual here), "The First and Last Freedom" by Krishnamurti, and "Flame in Chalice" by Nicolas Roerich, among many other venerable spiritual works. So it would seem that Elvis was not shallow or lacking in Spiritual aptitude, given his interest in the Masters of the Wisdom and the Spiritual Teachers of all ages.
Here we’ll give a giant shout-out to Elvis' first guitarist and Sun Records legend in his own right, the great Scotty Moore. In a famous quote by Rolling Stones founder and guitarist Keith Richards, ""When I heard Heartbreak Hotel, I knew what I wanted to do in life. It was as plain as day. All I wanted to do in the world was to be able to play and sound like that. Everyone else wanted to be Elvis, I wanted to be Scotty."
This link to the recent tribute Happy 2024 Birthday to a Legend of Rock and Roll, Scotty Moore, will take you all of Elvis’ early hits and television performances between 1954-1959, since Scotty played on all of them. There’s a lot of classic mid-50s tv footage of Elvis shakin’ it, and that’s where you should before and/or after you enjoy these clips. If you want moore, you can also catch him on early Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis tracks in the recent post celebrating Sam Phillips of Sun Records posted at the end of this tribute.
And now, on with the shew! For your enjoyment, here are slices of music, history, and culture from 50-70 years ago, when our world seemed a lot younger. We start with some of the earliest tunes, a mix this year of live clips and studio versions, with more live performances down the line a little.
Here's the song that kicked the doors down and introduced Elvis to the world! From 1954, Elvis Presley doing his first Sun recording, "That’s All Right Mama.” Here’s the flip side of That’s All Right, the Bill Monroe classic "Blue Moon of Kentucky.”
Also from 1954, Elvis’ second single for Sun, the classic "Good Rockin’ Tonight”
In January 1955, Elvis went into radio station KDAV in Lubbock and cut this early demo of “Shake Rattle and Roll,” and then went back to Sun Records and cut this monster hit in February 1955 “Baby Let’s Play House.”
The early run at Sun finished up with a tune written by Junior Parker in 1953. When Elvis gave his electrifying version to the world in July 1955, he launched countless musicians to do their own covers of it! “Mystery Train”
From 1955, Elvis doing the studio version of "Baby Let’s Play House.” Here’s the flip side, "You’re Right, I’m Left, and She’s Gone."
Finishing his early studio work, here’s “Shake Rattle and Roll” and “Flip Flop and Fly”
Going Live!
From The Louisiana Hayride, the venue in October 1954 where Elvis was first seen by thousands, an audio only recording of his first hit, “That’s All Right Mama”
A lot of the same footage, here's Elvis at the Hayride in 1955 doing his live version of "Long Tall Sally."Elvis maxing the mic diaphragm seemed to be the norm back then! Also from the Hayride, here's the audio of Elvis doing "Maybelline."
He first went on broadcast television in January 1956 on Stage Show, hosted by the Dorsey Brothers. Here’s his first appearance! “Shake Rattle and Roll” and “I Got A Woman”
His appearances on the Dorsey Brothers shows in the mid-50s are all over at the Scotty Moore tribute linked earlier, so please check them out since they’re outrageously cool. For now, here are some other live performances of rock and roll in its infancy!
After his Dorsey Show appearance in January 1956, he split for the RCA studios and recorded this and some others. "One Sided Love Affair"
Here’s very rare video footage of what is called ”Elvis Presley’s First Live Performance” (the sound is clearly NOT what was being played…)
Here’s a great early live performance clip (in color!) from 1956 in Memphis. “Baby Let’s Play House”
The RCA Years!
Here’s one of his first monster hits! The studio version of “Heartbreak Hotel”
The first double sided #1 in history! “Don’t Be Cruel” ("Hound Dog" was on the flip side).
Last year I had a 9 minute bizarre jingoistic offering of his two songs at this gig but this year it’s nowhere to be found. In April 1956, Milton Berle did a show supposedly featuring Elvis but actually featuring an aircraft carrier! Here’s video footage of the two songs he did on the carrier, so for your enjoyment, “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Blue Suede Shoes”
This year I found the entire one hour show on board the USS Hancock. It also includes the gag between the two songs with Uncle Miltie and Elvis doing some sort of strange piece, ending with Miltie’s fake guitar coming apart in the middle of the song and ending with what looks like prototypical Pete Townshend bashing his guitar into the stage. This may be the first televised guitar smash in history! Elvis’ performance begins around 17 min 30 sec in, and lasts for about 8 minutes.
Elvis live on The Milton Berle USS Handcock Show
From June 1956 on Milton Berle, Scotty plunking away on "Hound Dog." Dig that lead!!It’s preceded by a gag bit that is definitely classic Uncle Miltie!
From the Steve Allen Show in 1956, Elvis, Scotty, Bill and DJ doing a live performance of "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" which they followed with a piece that Elvis said was his most embarrassing moment on tv! Scotty cranks on the lead of the smash hit ”Hound Dog."
Here's a treat! I found a clip from 1965 featuring Buddy Guy smokin' on guitar, backing Big Mama Thornton doing her version of "Hound Dog." Elvis heard Big Mama doing this version in 1952, then took it into the stratosphere!)
Here’s Elvis’ screen test at Paramount in 1956, cranking out "Blue Suede Shoes"
I found some amazingly good very early performances from Tupelo in the mid-50s. Here's the King at his electrifying best, in an amazing 13 minute, 6 song performance by Elvis in Tupelo in September 1956! Here's Elvis live on stage shaking it in a big way and maxing out the microphone diaphragm doing Elvis Live in 1956 – “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Long Tall Sally,” “I Was the One,” “I Got A Woman,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “Hound Dog”
For the full 28 minute show, here's The Complete Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show on 29. Sept 1956 - Elvis at his early live best!
Because Ed Sullivan had his ratings tank when Elvis appeared on The Steve Allen Show, he figured out he better book him. On September 9, 1956, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show to promote his first movie appearance and sing the hit of the same name. Here’s a young, brash Elvis belting out “Love Me Tender.”
From that same The Ed Sullivan Show, the King shakin’ it to “Ready Teddy” (Scotty’s lead smokes!) and "Hound Dog."
From Ed Sullivan October 28, 1956, Elvis and Scotty did their double sided #1 smash hits “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel,” as well as "Love Me." For 1956, those screams were something else! As was usual, the band was off camera.
On January 6, 1957, Elvis came back on The Ed Sullivan Show for the third and last time to reprise “Don’t Be Cruel” and perform "Too Much" Scotty's definitely playing the guitar behind Elvis and the Jordanaires. He closed his appearances with "Peace In the Valley”
Called “Tupelo Gold Suit,” here’s Elvis and the band live in September 1957 doing “Hound Dog”
Still in his Tupelo gold suit from 1957, a short one minute live performance of "I Got A Woman"
Elvis played the Tupelo Mississippi Alabama Fair September 27th, 1957. In the first clip you'll see a rare shot of Gladys and Vernon, his parents. This is great footage! First, "Mean Woman Blues," which we'll follow with "All Shook Up," move into "Jailhouse Rock," and we'll close with one of his biggest, "Good Rockin' Tonight" For the encore, a clip called “Tupelo Gold Suit,” with Elvis and Scotty and the band live that Autumn of 1957 doing “Hound Dog”
From the Autumn 1957 movie Jailhouse Rock, here's Elvis and Scotty doing "Treat Me Nice."
Also from Jailhouse Rock, a color version of Elvis and Scotty doing one of my faves, written by Brill Building legends, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Here's Elvis and the group doing "Baby You're So Square (Baby I don't care)"
Here’s a rare one! When Elvis got out of the Army, Frank Sinatra produced a TV special called Welcome Home Elvis in 1960. Again, the band is off camera, but history was made when Scotty was invited to get together to play with drummer D. J. Fontana for this special. Here’s Elvis live on stage performing “Fame and Fortune” and “Stuck on You”
From the movie, ”Jailhouse Rock.” Dig the moves!
From his 1958 movie, Elvis performing "King Creole"
From his 1968 "comeback" concert, the opening number! This is Elvis, very live and in black leather, performing "Heartbreak Hotel" showing that Tom Parker could only keep Elvis a parody of himself for a while before the wildcat reappeared.
This one disappears and reappears. Last year I had the entire hour and a half legendary comeback concert on one link, but this year it’s gone and instead I found this, which autoloads all 30 tunes from that show! This one was important to him, and he showed he still was at the top! The 1968 Elvis Presley Comeback Concert
"Hound Dog" and "Blue Suede Shoes" live in Las Vegas, 1970.
Also from 1970, a performance of his last major hit, "Suspicious Minds."
From Aloha From Hawaii in 1973, here are a few great ones! Only a few years before his death, he was still in great shape for this show! First, ”Also Sprach Zarathustra,” ”See See Rider,” and "Burnin' Love.” From the same show, "Steamroller Blues," followed by "Suspicious Minds" and the beautiful George Harrison composition, "Something." We continue with “Always On My Mind" move into the Hank Williams classic "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry," and close this show with his 1960 smash hit from the movie Blue Hawaii, "Can't Help Falling In Love With You."
I found this gem. A big fan took all the lost footage from the show and re-edited it into a much better video than the original or the later releases. This is a good effort! For your enjoyment, the entire 1973 Elvis Presley - Aloha From Hawaii (2019).
If you're into gospel, Elvis recorded hundreds. Here's a live version of "How Great Thou Art" featuring phenomenal harmonies by the Jordanaires. Another great live performance is "O Happy Day," definitely worth a watch.
Happy 2024 Birthday Elvis! Though you lived a tragic life, you truly changed our world for the better in many ways. I have a feeling your voice will entertain us for many generations, even if you have truly "left the building." Thaankyewverramuuch......"
ps. - All thanks and major league gratitude to Sam Phillips of Sun Records for giving Elvis to the world before Tom Parker neutered him for 8 years.
pps. - If you ever want to see one of the funniest movies ever made, check out Elvis meets Nixon, a true story of one of the weirdest encounters in history. I laughed harder the second time I saw it than the first. Hard to find, but utterly brilliant.
© Copyright 2025 Robert Wilkinson
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