Maps of Music

Elvis Presley (1956)

Where the lyrics of Elvis Presley take you, and where it was really made.

Five unreleased Sun Studio songs from 1954 and 1955 were added to RCA Victor's sessions because RCA acquired the Sun tapes along with Presley's contract.

Key places

RCA Victor sessions in Nashville (1956)

Recording site RCA Studio B — The recording sessions for the album took place at the RCA Victor Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, on January 10 and January 11, 1956. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Early sessions at Sun Studio (1956)

Recording site Sun Studio — Additional material for the album came from sessions at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1954 and 1955. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

RCA Victor sessions in New York (1956)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — A second set of RCA Victor sessions for the album was recorded in New York on January 30 and 31, 1956, with the location given at city level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Debut studio album by American singer Elvis Presley
• Released by RCA Victor on March 23, 1956
• Released in the UK under the title Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll
• The original 1956 UK album titled Rock n' Roll was issued by EMI with different tracks
• Combines RCA Victor studio sessions with earlier Sun Studio recordings

Background

• By late 1955 Presley's Sun singles had reached the national country and western chart
• RCA Victor bought Presley's contract from Sam Phillips on November 21, 1955 for $40,000
• The album came out alongside the number one single Heartbreak Hotel
• Presley appeared on the Dorsey Brothers television program Stage Show for four consecutive weeks in early 1956
• RCA wanted an album in stores quickly to capitalize on the TV exposure and the single's success
• By the end of the Dorsey stint there had been only two series of RCA Victor sessions, yielding eleven tracks
• RCA did not place the already selling Heartbreak Hotel on the album

Recording

• RCA Victor sessions took place in Nashville on January 10 and 11, 1956
• RCA Victor sessions also took place in New York on January 30 and 31, 1956
• Sun Studio sessions in Memphis took place on July 5, August 19 and September 10, 1954, and on July 11, 1955
• Five previously unreleased Sun songs were added to seven RCA Victor tracks to bring the running time up to an acceptable length
• Sun Studio tracks were mostly country-styled, so covers of recent rhythm and blues songs balanced the selection
• Phillips produced the Sun sessions; no producer was officially listed for the RCA Victor sessions

Cover

• The photograph was taken at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory in Tampa, Florida, on July 31, 1955
• The album initially credited Popsie Randolph for the front cover photo
• In August 2002 Joseph A. Tunzi documented that the actual photographer was William V. "Red" Robertson of Robertson & Fresch
• The Popsie credit applied to back cover photos taken in New York City in early December 1955

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi; family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was 13.
• Began his career in 1954 at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring African-American music to a wider audience.
• Recorded "That's All Right" with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black in July 1954.
• A pioneer of rockabilly, a fusion of country music and rhythm and blues.

Members

• Classic quartet: Presley (vocals, guitar), Scotty Moore (lead guitar), Bill Black (bass), and D. J. Fontana (drums), who joined in 1955.

Career

• RCA Victor acquired his contract in 1955 for $40,000; "Heartbreak Hotel" hit number one in the US in 1956.
• Became a leading figure of rock and roll, though his style was considered a threat to white American youth by some.
• Made his film debut in Love Me Tender (1956) and devoted much of the 1960s to Hollywood films.
• Returned to the stage with the 1968 NBC special Elvis, followed by a Las Vegas residency and tours.
• Gave the first solo-artist concert broadcast worldwide, Aloha from Hawaii, in 1973.
• Died August 16, 1977 at Graceland, aged 42.
• Estimated to have sold 500 million records worldwide; won three Grammy Awards.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Spent ten weeks at number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart in 1956
• First rock and roll album to reach the top of the chart
• First million-selling album of the rock and roll genre
• First RCA Victor pop album to earn more than $1,000,000
• Sold over one million units in 1956
• On August 31, 1956, RCA released the entire album as singles

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time: ranked 56 in 2003 and 2012
• Ranked 332 in a 2020 revised version of the same list
• One of three Presley albums to receive accolades in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
• The cover is ranked 40 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest album covers, published in 1991

Records

• Certified gold by the RIAA on November 1, 1966
• Certified platinum by the RIAA on August 8, 2011

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• RCA held back the already selling Heartbreak Hotel and did not put it on the album
• Blue Suede Shoes was kept off the single release as a promise to Sam Phillips to protect Carl Perkins's career, and it became the album's opening track
• The graphic and photo were also used on an EP and a double-EP made from this album's songs, released in March 1956
• The design was echoed by the Clash on the front of their 1979 album London Calling
• Cover homage also came from Big Audio Dynamite, k.d. lang, Chumbawamba and Cliff Richard

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact