This Otis Blackwell-penned song was the other side of the same 45 as “Hound Dog.” With Bill Black and D.J. Essentially acting as his own producer, he swapped out words, souped up the tempo and created, as cultural critic Greil Marcus wrote, “a sound for which no one was prepared.” Little wonder it topped the pop, R&B and country charts simultaneously. But don’t buy the myth that her original was superior to Elvis’ cover. Thornton stood something like 10 feet tall and could drop whole armies with a stare when she sang a song, it stayed sung. But the song is synonymous with Elvis, whose version sold 10 million copies and spent 11 weeks atop the pop chart. “Hound Dog” was first recorded by Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton and was a No. Elvis’ rendition - faster and somehow more haunting than Parker’s original - augured big changes. The song’s first line, “Train I ride, sixteen coaches long … ,” had turned up in tunes by the Carter Family and Leadbelly, among others. Elvis reinvented it in the same room two years later for his final Sun single, imbuing the song with a deeper Americana. “Mystery Train” (1955):Ī 1953 number recorded by bluesman Junior Parker and the Blue Flames, and produced by Sam Phillips for Sun Records. It clocks in at under two minutes and sounds so simple, so inevitable now.
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And while you can argue whether Elvis was the first to blend pre-existing styles into this new thing called rock 'n' roll, his synthesis of country and blues here sounds more effortless and more complete than any of his contemporaries, or his inheritors. It’s nothing more than “the great wedding ceremony,” the product of four men messing around in a small room on Union Avenue and remaking global culture. Originally written and recorded by Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup in 1946, this is Elvis’ first single, recorded at Sun Studio on July 5, 1954. More: Eternal Fame: Join us over the next week as we celebrate the legacy of Elvis 1. To celebrate his music, here are our picks for his 40 greatest recordings: In Memphis, especially, Elvis the revolutionary artist, the “sing all kinds” boundary smasher and the versatile vocalist shouldn’t be forgotten. As the years pass, it’s perhaps too easy for Elvis’ image to obscure his artistry.
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View Gallery: Sun Studio through the Yearsįorty years after his death, Elvis Presley remains a global icon.