The Man Who Invented Elvis

Steyn Online ^ | 15 Jan 2023 | Mark Steyn

[Rummyfan]

~Sam Phillips was born one hundred years ago - January 5th 1923, in Florence, Alabama. If you don't know his name, you've certainly been exposed to his legacy - whether you a) are a rock'n'roll fan; or b) stayed in a Holiday Inn last night. This essay is from Mark Steyn's Passing Parade - but, if you're a Mark Steyn Club member and you'd prefer it in audio-book version, you can find that here:

On the day Sam Phillips died, the crowd at the world's (alleged) all-time biggest rock concert, in Toronto, booed and threw bottles at teen heartthrob Justin Timberlake, of the boy band 'N Sync. Master Timberlake was said to be too "plastic" and "manufactured" for the taste of rock fans there to see Rush and AC/DC. This is the fellow to whom, as she revealed this summer, Britney Spears surrendered her much-advertised virginity, which suggests that letting the suits in the head office mold your identity is not without its compensations. But young Justin sportingly said he thought the bottle-hurling was "understandable".

And so it is. Rock'n'roll may be the most aggressively corporate branch of showbusiness ever invented but it's still obsessed with being "raw" and "authentic" and "countercultural". That's where Sam Phillips comes in: he represents rock's BC era - Before Corporate -before Elvis said goodbye to Sam's Sun Records, in Memphis, and headed for RCA and Hollywood and Vegas. But back in 1954 it was Sam who told Elvis to sing the country song ("Blue Moon Of Kentucky") kinda bluesy and the blues song ("That's All Right") kinda country, and, as Elvis was a polite 19-year old who obliged his elders, somewhere in the crisscross something clicked...

[Rummyfan]

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Sun records is still there looking exactly the same, same neon lights in the windows. Talk about striking gold, start a small recording studio and who walks in? Oh only Elvis.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

“Elvis’s career after Phillips is regarded by rock critics as a ghastly sellout to commercialism and conformity”

Thanks to the illegal alien Col. Tom Parker aka Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk who took 50% of everything Elvis made while keeping him drugged. By the time the illegal alien came across Elvis and took advantage of his naiveté, Elvis was already on his way to becoming big to the point his own dad could have acted as his manager and easily made deals. But the illegal alien who should have been deported weaseled his way in and pretty much over the next 20 years destroyed Elvis

[NetAddicted]

Read later.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

"I always said," Phillips told everybody, "that if I could find a white boy who could sing like a black man I'd make a million dollars."

I've heard the quote before, but not with the words "black man". If it appeared in the original Sothern Language, Steyn would have be summoned to another appearance before the Ontario Civil Rights Commission. He might have tried square brackets, i.e., [black man], though that might be pressing his luck.

[caww]

Col. Tom Parker.... aka Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk.....rode Elvis as did all those who depended on him showing up to perform...regardless what was done to him to make that happpen.

However Elvis himself loved his drugs and women ...... The Col. made certain there was a steady supply of both.

[Fiji Hill]

“Colonel” Parker did serve in the US Army, but only reached the rank of private before being discharged as a psychopath. He was able to skip WWII by overeating until he was too fat to be fit for service. However, he was given the honorary rank of colonel in the Louisiana state militia by one of his clients, Louisiana’s “Singing Governor” Jimmy Davis, who wrote and popularized the song “You Are My Sunshine.”

[Fiji Hill]

Sam Phillips also had a hand in launching the careers of Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Rufus Thomas, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis, who were Elvis’ label mates on Sun.

[coalminersson]

I recommend the sun records tour in Memphis

[mjp]

But back in 1954 it was Sam who told Elvis to sing the country song ("Blue Moon Of Kentucky") kinda bluesy and the blues song ("That's All Right") kinda country,

When I heard "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" on the Dewey Philips show on the radio, in 1954, in Memphis, I became one of the first fans of Elvis.

[Michael.SF.]

Absolutely right on that note Fiji. Couple of other points: Before those you named, Sam Phillips was recording at the Sun Studios such people as Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Ike Turner and others. Their records were released under the Chess label, as Sam had not yet started his own label (Sun).

One song became number one on the R & B charts: Rocket 88 -- Jackie Brentson (It was actually Ike Turner)

While visiting Sun Studios, they told a story about the recording of Rocket 88. It seems in traveling to Memphis, Ike, Jackie and the band had a minor problem and one of the speakers fell off the truck (or car) and was damaged. They had no time to get a new one and used that speaker, despite the damage. If you listen closely (especially at the beginning) you can hear the reverberation of that speaker. After they recorded it, they decided to keep it that way and reverb was invented!

[Michael.SF.]

The article mentions that Sam Philips sold Elvis' contract for $35,000, as if the amount was a steal on the part of the buyer.

it wan't. $35,000 in 1954 was the equivalent today of about $400,000. It was a lot of money.

Sam Philips was no dummy, he knew how good Elvis was and he knew Elvis was destined to far bigger things. He also knew that he was not the person to take Elvis there. With that money, Sam cleared his debts, invested in Holiday Inn (that alone made him millions over the years), upgraded the studio and then focused on other people like those named by Fiji Hill in her post above.

[Michael.SF.]

Ditto that.

Also across town is Stax Records. Much bigger and a complete museum to the Stax records days (Booker T, Otis Redding, Wilson Picket, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas and others).

BTW -- Booker T is still going strong and appears here in Phoenix every once in a while. If he comes into your area, I recommend that you go see him

[Michael.SF.]

I still think Elvis best work was the Sun sessions.

[nascarnation]

Looked him up, he’s “only” 78. Just a kid. Thought he was older LOL.

[Michael.SF.]

Elvis did quite well under the Colonel, even if the Colonel took advantage of him.

If you ever go to Graceland, downstairs is a long hallway that leads out to the pool, and I believe the racquetball court (I may be wrong on that). On the wall is a series of picture frames, each frame contains probably 30-40 cancelled checks, all signed by Elvis. The checks are donations to various children's hospitals and organizations helping children with various afflictions. The checks are in vaious amounts, ten, twenty, twenty-five thousand dollars, Elvis gave away millions (in today's dollars) to those charities. He had a big heart, and obviously a lot of money.

[nascarnation]

Graceland is a fun visit. (I was a bit put off by all the signs about your car getting broken into, though) It’s not the neighborhood of Elvis’ era.

[Hostage]

Thanks for posting. Elvis was known to have been destroyed by drugs.

[Michael.SF.]

If I recall he was only 16 or 17 when they recorded his jam session and released it as

"Green Onions" -- Booker T and the MG's (Duck Dunn, Steve Croper)

Love the Hammond B on this one!

[nascarnation]

That explains it...started early!