Today would have been Elvis' 70th birthday, if he'd have lived this long. His recording career started 50 years ago last summer with "That's All Right" (that's how it was spelled on the original Sun Records release), an anniversary celebrated in some quarters as the 50th anniversary of the birth of rock 'n' roll. (The article I link to suggests "Rocket '88'" by Jackie Brenston & his Delta Cats from 1951 as the first rock 'n' roll record, but in my 'umble opinion that song is still an R&B record. I'd say the first rock 'n' roll record was "Crazy Man Crazy" by Bill Haley & the Comets in 1953. I'd also note that Haley recorded "Rock Around the Clock" three month before Elvis fused country and R&B in Sam Phillips' Memphis recording studio. Of course, I saw a TV program recently where Hank Williams III said his grandfather's 1947 country hit "Move It On Over" was the first rock 'n' roll record because "Rock Around the Clock" merely mimics "Move It"'s melody and tempo, so there you are. Incidentally, all of the songs mentioned above I have on my iPod.)
Here's my list of the top 10 names of the characters Elvis played in his (mostly crappy) movies:
- Deke Rivers
- Vince Everett
- Pacer Burton
- Toby Kwimper
- Lucky Jackson
- Joe Lightcloud
- Tulsa McLean
- Chad Gates
- Jess Wade
- Johnny Tyrone
UPDATE (1/9): I see that Powerline's "Big Trunk" has posted a list of "ten great Elvis songs." If I were to list my ten favorite Elvis songs at the moment, offhand I'd pick three of the Sun Records tracks that Trunk picks ("That's All Right," "Baby, Let's Play House," and "Mystery Train"); plus 1956's "My Baby Left Me" and double-sided hit single "Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel"; 1961's "Little Sister"; from the early 70s, "Kentucky Rain" and "Burning Love"; and from Elvis' 1968 "comeback" special, the live jammin' on the Jimmy Reed blues classic "Baby What You Want Me to Do."
How could you leave off, "In the Ghetto?" Especially after Eric Cartman's brilliant cover . . .
Posted by: Robb | January 11, 2005 at 02:32 PM