Hardrock69
08-02-2007, 11:04 AM
Elvis Presley - Vintage 55
Live, Eagle's Hall, Houston TX, 19 March, 1955.
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/6729/frontpu1ro9.jpg
This contains a complete 19 March, 1955 concert from the Eagle's Hall in Houston,Texas (attendance 200) and is generally acknowledged as the earliest concert material ever found on audiotape.
"...a gig Elvis, Scotty and Bill played in Houston sometime in early 1955. They were obviously quite well known because there is some screaming as soon as Elvis is introduced as the "Bopping Hillbilly." Elvis ran through four Sun songs and also included I Got a Woman which had just been recorded by Ray Charles. He loved to sling the guitar behind his back and grab hold of the microphone stand but in those days the group needed him to carry the rhythm on his acoustic guitar.
Occasionally he lets go of the guitar, shouts "Let's get real gone," shakes his legs and the girls in the audience go crazy."
This concert can also be found on the cd "Live In The 50's Volume 2"!
The Scotty Moore interview is very insightful into the early life of touring with Elvis , Scotty hasn't given many in-depth interviews. This interview runs almost 17 minutes!
This is the coolest known Sun-era live recording of Elvis Presley, bar none.
Tracks:
1. Interview: Biff Collie
2. Baby Let's Play House
3. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
4. I've Got A Woman
5. There's Good Rockin' Tonight
6. That's All Right Little Mama
7. Interview: Scotty Moore --
A. Tells the Beginning of Elvis
B. 1st Meeting Discovery of Elvis by Sam Phillips
C. The First Recording Session
D. The Second Recording Session
E. Shows With the Starlite Wranglers
F. On Their Own
G. Elvis, Scotty Moore, Bill Black Stranded in Shreveport, Louisiana
H. Grand Ole Opry Appearance
I. Louisiana Hayride Appearance
Chronolgical order of songs: Good Rockin' Tonight, Baby Let's play House, Blue Moon Of Kentucky, I Got A Woman, That's All Right.
Elvis Presley (guitar), Scotty Moore (guitar), Bill Black (bass)
http://rapidshare.com/files/18233110/EPVintage55.zip
61.2 MB @ 320 kbps, 30:44
PLUS:
A couple of Presley 1955 video clips.
Tweedledee - 29 Apr. 55, Lubbock, TX (01:25)
Magnolia Gardens, Houston, TX, 7 Aug. 55 (01:45)
.wmv files
http://rapidshare.com/files/18248087/EPVid55.zip
10.5 MB.
Elvis: Playing it Hot in '55
It appears a local radio station aired (and likely taped) this Saturday evening 19 Mar'55 performance at the Eagle's Hall in Houston, Texas. From Presley's first "Well ..." it's clear how confident he was; the crowd just eats it up. Launching into "Good Rockin' Tonight," swinging through an unreleased-at-the-time cover of "I Got A Woman" and closing with "That's All Right, Mama," Elvis, Scotty and Bill rock the house!
This is the coolest known Sun-era live recording of Elvis Presley, bar none.
It isn't hype to claim that their shows in 1955 immediately changed the musical direction of musicians like Buddy Holly. Sonny Curtis, Waylon Jennings, Carl Perkins and Levon Helm, among many others. Pop music was evolving, with 20 year old Elvis Presley spear-heading the movement visually and musically. As Roy Orbison noted in an interview just before he passed away, when he saw Elvis in 1955 he was "shocked": there was nothing in 20th century culture to compare him to.
The Houston tape surfaced 23 years after the event, on a LP called 'The First Years,' complete with a number between 1 and 10,000 embossed in the upper right hand corner. It cost $20, a lot of money in 1978! The cover sported a beautiful black and white image from early 1955 of Elvis in between Scotty and Bill, his hands upon their shoulders, all of them wearing broad smiles. The back side reproduced period photos, a copy of Scotty Moore's 19 Jul'54 self-typed management contract for Elvis, signed by Presley and his parents, plus a credit that read "Tape Editing by Stan Kessler Courtesy of Sam Phillips Recording Studio."
Some Background to Elvis '55.
Quote:
By 1955 Elvis Presley had achieved his dream of being a professional singer, even if he was mostly uncategorizable and already engendering controversy for his wild onstage movements and unbelievable charisma. But the records show that Elvis' path to stardom, while quick, was not without a ton of work on his part -- having found a musical home at Sun and a touring band that understood his mix of country, blues, R&B, and pop, Presley spent almost every single day of the year working it, touring from New Mexico to Cleveland to the Florida Everglades and performing anywhere that would have him.
For someone whose previous stage experience consisted mainly of finishing second place at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show at the age of ten by singing "Old Shep," he learned quickly; the kid often billed with some combination of the words "hillbilly" and "bop" began 1955 running third or fourth on the bill, sometimes even in his adopted hometown of Memphis, but by March, he was headlining.
By May, his shows were literally creating a riot. By June, he'd outgrown his manager. By July, he'd hit the national charts. By October, he'd outgrown his label. And by the end of the year, he was ready for the big time.
Much of this had to do with his constant appearances on the Louisiana Hayride radio show out of Shreveport, LA, but in order to grasp the full extent of the Presley hysteria, you had to have visuals. In 1956, Elvis would meet television. And both would be changed irrevocably.
Other important events:
January 1: Elvis signs with new manager Bob Neal.
January 6: Waylon Jennings, future Buddy Holly bassist and "outlaw" Country star, meets Elvis for the first time at a show in Lubbock, TX.
January 11: "Colonel" Tom Parker first takes notice of Presley's name after Texarkana, AK, DJ "Uncle Dudley" reports on the crowd frenzy at tonight's show.
January 15: "Colonel" Tom Parker travels to Shreveport, LA, to witness Elvis in concert.
February 6: Bob Neal, Tom Parker and Sam Phillips meet in Memphis to discuss Elvis; Parker angers Phillips by revealing that he is already approaching major labels about the singer.
February 13: As part of the C&W duo Buddy And Bob, Buddy Holly appears on the bill with Elvis in Lubbock, TX.
February 16: Roy Orbison witnesses Elvis' act in Odessa, TX.
March 23: Elvis, Scotty, and Bill audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts show in New York and are rejected.
May 6: Elvis returns to Memphis to take his girlfriend, Dixie Locke, to her Junior prom.
May 13: At tonight's show in Jacksonville, FL, Elvis tells the girls who make up the majority of the 14,000-plus crowd that he'll "see [them] backstage." The crowd proceeds to do just that, causing a riot and, reportedly, convincing Tom Parker about Elvis' popularity once and for all.
June 3: Future country-pop star Mac Davis also catches Elvis' show in Lubbock.
June 5: Gladys Presley, Elvis' mother, awakens suddenly in Memphis, convinced that her boy is in danger; at that moment, Elvis' first pink Cadillac catches on fire while en route from Fulton, AR. Elvis is unharmed.
June 17: Bob Neal agrees to let Tom Parker handle all Elvis' bookings.
July 7: Elvis finally finds a new pink Cadillac.
July 22: RCA offers $12,000 for Elvis' contract.
July 26: Elvis meets what would be his first "public" girlfriend, June Juanico, at a concert in Biloxi. The pair "took in some floor shows" and talked in Elvis' car, outside June's house, until 6 am.
July 31: Photographer William S. Randolph takes the famous concert shot that will eventually become the cover of the debut Elvis Presley album.
September 17: After endless machinations by Col. Tom Parker and growing dissent over the path Elvis' career should take, Bob Neal agrees to pull out of Presley's contract, leaving Parker in full control of Elvis' career.
September 30: James Dean, icon of Fifties youth, dies in a car accident. Upon hearing the news in his Gladewater, TX, hotel room, Elvis breaks down and cries.
November 10: In his Nashville hotel room, songwriter Mae Axton plays Elvis a demo of a song she'd co-written called "Heartbreak Hotel."
November 21: Sam Phillips, RCA executive Steve Sholes, Hank Snow, Elvis, his mother Gladys, and several others meet at Sun Studios, where Elvis signs a two-year contract with RCA records. Elvis recieves $4,500 and 5 percent of future sales; The Colonel recieves $1,500; and Sam Phillips recieves $35,000.
November 22: Elvis sends a telegram to Colonel Parker, which reads: "Dear Colonel, Words can never tell you how my folks and I appreciate what you did for me.
I've always known and now my folks are assured that you are the best, most wonderful person I could ever hope to work with. Believe me when I say I will stick with you through thick and thin and do everything I can to uphold your faith in me. Again, I say thanks and I love you like a father."
December 22: Steve Sholes sends Elvis ten demos of songs to consider for recording at his first RCA session. Elvis selects "I'm Counting on You" and "I Was the One."
January 1955
Elvis Presley signs a contract with Bob Neal, who becomes his manager.
1955
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill continue touring on their own and in package shows with various country stars, including package tours of artists from the Hayride. Colonel Parker is involved. This includes touring with Hank Snow. The regular Hayride appearances continue. Drummer D.J. Fontana joins Elvis’ band. In the spring, Elvis fails to be accepted on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, a network television show. As always, Elvis’ live appearances have special appeal for the teenagers, especially the females. His unusual style, sexy moves, and good looks start to cause more and more excitement wherever he plays. Sometimes the crowds break through the barricades in near-riot behavior. Elvis gains more and more popularity and begins to receive national attention. Colonel Parker becomes more involved in Elvis' career.
August 15, 1955
Elvis Presley signs a management contract with Hank Snow Attractions, which is owned equally by Snow and Colonel Tom Parker. Bob Neal remains involved as an advisor. Colonel Parker is to be Elvis’ exclusive manager from this time on, and Snow is soon no longer connected to Elvis.
November 20, 1955
Elvis signs his first contract with RCA Records. Colonel Parker negotiates the sale of Elvis’ Sun contract to RCA, which includes his five Sun singles and his unreleased Sun material. The price is an unprecedented $40,000, with a $5,000 bonus for Elvis. RCA soon re-releases the five Sun singles on the RCA label. At the same time Elvis signs a contract with Hill and Range Publishing Company, which is to set up a separate firm called Elvis Presley Music, Inc. Elvis will share with Hill and Range the publishing ownership of songs bought by Hill and Range for him to record. Elvis is the hottest new star in the music business.
1955: On the Road Again (a longer article):
http://home.planet.nl/~saly0000/1955.htm
Live, Eagle's Hall, Houston TX, 19 March, 1955.
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/6729/frontpu1ro9.jpg
This contains a complete 19 March, 1955 concert from the Eagle's Hall in Houston,Texas (attendance 200) and is generally acknowledged as the earliest concert material ever found on audiotape.
"...a gig Elvis, Scotty and Bill played in Houston sometime in early 1955. They were obviously quite well known because there is some screaming as soon as Elvis is introduced as the "Bopping Hillbilly." Elvis ran through four Sun songs and also included I Got a Woman which had just been recorded by Ray Charles. He loved to sling the guitar behind his back and grab hold of the microphone stand but in those days the group needed him to carry the rhythm on his acoustic guitar.
Occasionally he lets go of the guitar, shouts "Let's get real gone," shakes his legs and the girls in the audience go crazy."
This concert can also be found on the cd "Live In The 50's Volume 2"!
The Scotty Moore interview is very insightful into the early life of touring with Elvis , Scotty hasn't given many in-depth interviews. This interview runs almost 17 minutes!
This is the coolest known Sun-era live recording of Elvis Presley, bar none.
Tracks:
1. Interview: Biff Collie
2. Baby Let's Play House
3. Blue Moon Of Kentucky
4. I've Got A Woman
5. There's Good Rockin' Tonight
6. That's All Right Little Mama
7. Interview: Scotty Moore --
A. Tells the Beginning of Elvis
B. 1st Meeting Discovery of Elvis by Sam Phillips
C. The First Recording Session
D. The Second Recording Session
E. Shows With the Starlite Wranglers
F. On Their Own
G. Elvis, Scotty Moore, Bill Black Stranded in Shreveport, Louisiana
H. Grand Ole Opry Appearance
I. Louisiana Hayride Appearance
Chronolgical order of songs: Good Rockin' Tonight, Baby Let's play House, Blue Moon Of Kentucky, I Got A Woman, That's All Right.
Elvis Presley (guitar), Scotty Moore (guitar), Bill Black (bass)
http://rapidshare.com/files/18233110/EPVintage55.zip
61.2 MB @ 320 kbps, 30:44
PLUS:
A couple of Presley 1955 video clips.
Tweedledee - 29 Apr. 55, Lubbock, TX (01:25)
Magnolia Gardens, Houston, TX, 7 Aug. 55 (01:45)
.wmv files
http://rapidshare.com/files/18248087/EPVid55.zip
10.5 MB.
Elvis: Playing it Hot in '55
It appears a local radio station aired (and likely taped) this Saturday evening 19 Mar'55 performance at the Eagle's Hall in Houston, Texas. From Presley's first "Well ..." it's clear how confident he was; the crowd just eats it up. Launching into "Good Rockin' Tonight," swinging through an unreleased-at-the-time cover of "I Got A Woman" and closing with "That's All Right, Mama," Elvis, Scotty and Bill rock the house!
This is the coolest known Sun-era live recording of Elvis Presley, bar none.
It isn't hype to claim that their shows in 1955 immediately changed the musical direction of musicians like Buddy Holly. Sonny Curtis, Waylon Jennings, Carl Perkins and Levon Helm, among many others. Pop music was evolving, with 20 year old Elvis Presley spear-heading the movement visually and musically. As Roy Orbison noted in an interview just before he passed away, when he saw Elvis in 1955 he was "shocked": there was nothing in 20th century culture to compare him to.
The Houston tape surfaced 23 years after the event, on a LP called 'The First Years,' complete with a number between 1 and 10,000 embossed in the upper right hand corner. It cost $20, a lot of money in 1978! The cover sported a beautiful black and white image from early 1955 of Elvis in between Scotty and Bill, his hands upon their shoulders, all of them wearing broad smiles. The back side reproduced period photos, a copy of Scotty Moore's 19 Jul'54 self-typed management contract for Elvis, signed by Presley and his parents, plus a credit that read "Tape Editing by Stan Kessler Courtesy of Sam Phillips Recording Studio."
Some Background to Elvis '55.
Quote:
By 1955 Elvis Presley had achieved his dream of being a professional singer, even if he was mostly uncategorizable and already engendering controversy for his wild onstage movements and unbelievable charisma. But the records show that Elvis' path to stardom, while quick, was not without a ton of work on his part -- having found a musical home at Sun and a touring band that understood his mix of country, blues, R&B, and pop, Presley spent almost every single day of the year working it, touring from New Mexico to Cleveland to the Florida Everglades and performing anywhere that would have him.
For someone whose previous stage experience consisted mainly of finishing second place at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show at the age of ten by singing "Old Shep," he learned quickly; the kid often billed with some combination of the words "hillbilly" and "bop" began 1955 running third or fourth on the bill, sometimes even in his adopted hometown of Memphis, but by March, he was headlining.
By May, his shows were literally creating a riot. By June, he'd outgrown his manager. By July, he'd hit the national charts. By October, he'd outgrown his label. And by the end of the year, he was ready for the big time.
Much of this had to do with his constant appearances on the Louisiana Hayride radio show out of Shreveport, LA, but in order to grasp the full extent of the Presley hysteria, you had to have visuals. In 1956, Elvis would meet television. And both would be changed irrevocably.
Other important events:
January 1: Elvis signs with new manager Bob Neal.
January 6: Waylon Jennings, future Buddy Holly bassist and "outlaw" Country star, meets Elvis for the first time at a show in Lubbock, TX.
January 11: "Colonel" Tom Parker first takes notice of Presley's name after Texarkana, AK, DJ "Uncle Dudley" reports on the crowd frenzy at tonight's show.
January 15: "Colonel" Tom Parker travels to Shreveport, LA, to witness Elvis in concert.
February 6: Bob Neal, Tom Parker and Sam Phillips meet in Memphis to discuss Elvis; Parker angers Phillips by revealing that he is already approaching major labels about the singer.
February 13: As part of the C&W duo Buddy And Bob, Buddy Holly appears on the bill with Elvis in Lubbock, TX.
February 16: Roy Orbison witnesses Elvis' act in Odessa, TX.
March 23: Elvis, Scotty, and Bill audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts show in New York and are rejected.
May 6: Elvis returns to Memphis to take his girlfriend, Dixie Locke, to her Junior prom.
May 13: At tonight's show in Jacksonville, FL, Elvis tells the girls who make up the majority of the 14,000-plus crowd that he'll "see [them] backstage." The crowd proceeds to do just that, causing a riot and, reportedly, convincing Tom Parker about Elvis' popularity once and for all.
June 3: Future country-pop star Mac Davis also catches Elvis' show in Lubbock.
June 5: Gladys Presley, Elvis' mother, awakens suddenly in Memphis, convinced that her boy is in danger; at that moment, Elvis' first pink Cadillac catches on fire while en route from Fulton, AR. Elvis is unharmed.
June 17: Bob Neal agrees to let Tom Parker handle all Elvis' bookings.
July 7: Elvis finally finds a new pink Cadillac.
July 22: RCA offers $12,000 for Elvis' contract.
July 26: Elvis meets what would be his first "public" girlfriend, June Juanico, at a concert in Biloxi. The pair "took in some floor shows" and talked in Elvis' car, outside June's house, until 6 am.
July 31: Photographer William S. Randolph takes the famous concert shot that will eventually become the cover of the debut Elvis Presley album.
September 17: After endless machinations by Col. Tom Parker and growing dissent over the path Elvis' career should take, Bob Neal agrees to pull out of Presley's contract, leaving Parker in full control of Elvis' career.
September 30: James Dean, icon of Fifties youth, dies in a car accident. Upon hearing the news in his Gladewater, TX, hotel room, Elvis breaks down and cries.
November 10: In his Nashville hotel room, songwriter Mae Axton plays Elvis a demo of a song she'd co-written called "Heartbreak Hotel."
November 21: Sam Phillips, RCA executive Steve Sholes, Hank Snow, Elvis, his mother Gladys, and several others meet at Sun Studios, where Elvis signs a two-year contract with RCA records. Elvis recieves $4,500 and 5 percent of future sales; The Colonel recieves $1,500; and Sam Phillips recieves $35,000.
November 22: Elvis sends a telegram to Colonel Parker, which reads: "Dear Colonel, Words can never tell you how my folks and I appreciate what you did for me.
I've always known and now my folks are assured that you are the best, most wonderful person I could ever hope to work with. Believe me when I say I will stick with you through thick and thin and do everything I can to uphold your faith in me. Again, I say thanks and I love you like a father."
December 22: Steve Sholes sends Elvis ten demos of songs to consider for recording at his first RCA session. Elvis selects "I'm Counting on You" and "I Was the One."
January 1955
Elvis Presley signs a contract with Bob Neal, who becomes his manager.
1955
Elvis, Scotty, and Bill continue touring on their own and in package shows with various country stars, including package tours of artists from the Hayride. Colonel Parker is involved. This includes touring with Hank Snow. The regular Hayride appearances continue. Drummer D.J. Fontana joins Elvis’ band. In the spring, Elvis fails to be accepted on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, a network television show. As always, Elvis’ live appearances have special appeal for the teenagers, especially the females. His unusual style, sexy moves, and good looks start to cause more and more excitement wherever he plays. Sometimes the crowds break through the barricades in near-riot behavior. Elvis gains more and more popularity and begins to receive national attention. Colonel Parker becomes more involved in Elvis' career.
August 15, 1955
Elvis Presley signs a management contract with Hank Snow Attractions, which is owned equally by Snow and Colonel Tom Parker. Bob Neal remains involved as an advisor. Colonel Parker is to be Elvis’ exclusive manager from this time on, and Snow is soon no longer connected to Elvis.
November 20, 1955
Elvis signs his first contract with RCA Records. Colonel Parker negotiates the sale of Elvis’ Sun contract to RCA, which includes his five Sun singles and his unreleased Sun material. The price is an unprecedented $40,000, with a $5,000 bonus for Elvis. RCA soon re-releases the five Sun singles on the RCA label. At the same time Elvis signs a contract with Hill and Range Publishing Company, which is to set up a separate firm called Elvis Presley Music, Inc. Elvis will share with Hill and Range the publishing ownership of songs bought by Hill and Range for him to record. Elvis is the hottest new star in the music business.
1955: On the Road Again (a longer article):
http://home.planet.nl/~saly0000/1955.htm