Million Dollar Quartet is the name given to recordings made on Tuesday December 4 1956 in the
SunSun Studio was opened by rock pioneer Sam Phillips at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, on January 3, 1950. It was originally called Memphis Recording Service, sharing the same building with the Sun Records label business...
Record Studios in
Memphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4
th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River....
. The recordings were of an
impromptuAn impromptu is a free-form musical composition with the character of an improvisation, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano....
jam sessionA jam session is a musical act where musicians gather and play without extensive preparation or predefined arrangements; improvisation....
between
Elvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
,
Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
,
Carl PerkinsCarl Lee Perkins was an American "rockabilly" musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning during 1954...
, and
Johnny CashJohnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
.
A musical based on the recording session opened at
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
's
Goodman TheatreThe Goodman Theatre is a theater located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit organization. The building occupies the site of landmark Harris and Selwyn Theaters property....
on Sept. 27, 2008.
The session
The jam session seems to have happened by pure chance. Perkins, who by this time had already met success with "
Blue Suede Shoes"Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955. The 12-bar blues is considered one of the first rockabilly records and incorporated elements of blues, country and pop music of the time....
," had come into the studios that day, accompanied by his brothers Clayton and Jay and by drummer W.S. Holland, their aim being to cut some new material, including a revamped version of an old blues song, "Matchbox."
Sam PhillipsSamuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American record producer who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
, the owner of
Sun RecordsSun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27 1952.
Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Buddy McNeil,...
, who wished to try to fatten this sparse rockabilly instrumentation, had brought in his latest acquisition, singer and piano man extraordinaire, Jerry Lee Lewis, still unknown outside Memphis, to play the piano on the Perkins session.
Sometime in the early afternoon, Elvis Presley, a former Sun artist himself, but now at
RCARCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Currently, the RCA trademark is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson...
, dropped in to pay a casual visit accompanied by a girlfriend, Marilyn Evans. He was, at the time, the biggest name in show business, having hit the top of the singles charts five times, and topping the album charts twice in the preceding 12 month period. Less than four months earlier, he had appeared on
The Ed Sullivan ShowThe Ed Sullivan Show was a popular American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from June 20, 1948 to June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan.-History:...
, pulling an unheard-of 83% of the television audience, which was estimated at 55 million, the largest in history, up to that time. After chatting with Philips in the control room, Presley listened to the playback of the Perkins’ session, which he pronounced to be good. Then he went into the studio and some time later the jam session began. Phillips left the tapes running in order to "capture the moment" as a souvenir and for posterity. At some point during the session, Sun artist Johnny Cash, who had also enjoyed a few hits on the country charts, popped in (Cash noted in his autobiography
Cash that it was he who was the first to arrive at Sun Studio that day). As Jerry Lee pounded away on the piano, Elvis and his girlfriend at some point slipped out. Cash claims in
Cash that "no one wanted to follow Jerry Lee, not even Elvis"
As the session continued, Phillips spotted an opportunity for some publicity and called a local newspaper, the
Memphis Press-Scimitar. Bob Johnson, the newspaper’s entertainment editor came over to the studios accompanied by a UPI representative named Leo Soroca, and a photographer.
The following day, an article, written by Johnson about the session, was published in the
Memphis Press-Scimitar under the title, "Million Dollar Quartet." The article contained the now well known photograph of
Elvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
seated at the piano surrounded by
Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
,
Carl PerkinsCarl Lee Perkins was an American "rockabilly" musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning during 1954...
and
Johnny CashJohnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
.
The tapes published
Tapes of the session remained "in the can" for over twenty years, probably due to contractual reasons, until in 1969,
Shelby SingletonShelby Singleton was an American record producer and record label owner.-Career:...
bought Sun Records. He began a long search of the Sun catalogue, browsing through more than 10,000 hours of tape.
At the same time, Singleton licensed much, if not all, of the Sun catalogue to the English
CharlyCharly is a 1968 film which tells the fictional story of a mentally retarded bakery worker who is the subject of an experiment to increase human intelligence. The film stars Cliff Robertson, Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala, Leon Janney and Dick Van Patten....
label for reissue in Europe. As a result of Singleton’s and
CharlyCharly is a 1968 film which tells the fictional story of a mentally retarded bakery worker who is the subject of an experiment to increase human intelligence. The film stars Cliff Robertson, Claire Bloom, Lilia Skala, Leon Janney and Dick Van Patten....
's search of the Sun catalogue, a portion of the session came to light. This was issued in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
1981] as "Charly/Sun" LP #1006
The Million Dollar Quartet, and it contained seventeen tracks, almost all of which were
gospelA gospel is a writing that describes the life of Jesus. The word is primarily used to refer to the four canonical texts: the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke and Gospel of John, probably written between AD 65 and 80...
/
spiritualSpirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...
music.
Several years later, additional material was discovered. This resulted in the release of the 1987 "Charly/Sun" 2 LP set #CDX 20
The Complete Million Dollar Session, together with their simultaneous issue in CD format in Europe. In 1990, they were replicated by
RCARCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Currently, the RCA trademark is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson...
for US distribution as a CD, titled,
Elvis Presley - The Million Dollar Quartet (RCA CD # 2023-2-R), the sleeve notes of which were written by Colin Escott of Showtime Music,
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
.
A 2006 50th anniversary issue of the session was released on RCA, containing approximately twelve minutes of previously unavailable material and places the titles in the original recorded sequence. The source of the recording was a copy of the session owned by Elvis Presley.
According to Ernst Jorgensen, an authority on Elvis who consults for
BMGBertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
, the published material contains about 95 percent of the master recordings. "We found three reels," he says. "You could always argue that there were more. But in the first you can hear Elvis arriving and in the last you can hear him leaving. I doubt that there are more."
The published albums/CDs contain 46 musical tracks, most of which are incomplete and are interspersed with chatter between the participants. They are not pristine, well rehearsed studio recordings, which were meant for commercial release, but rather the sound of a group of friends, who are gathered together to play old favorites and share the pleasure of making music together. Bob Johnson described it as "an old fashioned barrel-house session with barber shop harmonies resulting."
The choice of songs
Country musicCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
and Country
gospelA gospel is a writing that describes the life of Jesus. The word is primarily used to refer to the four canonical texts: the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke and Gospel of John, probably written between AD 65 and 80...
loom large in the choice of songs. The songs of such Country and Western legends as
Bill MonroeWilliam Smith Monroe was an American musician who helped develop the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and...
,
Ernest TubbErnest Dale Tubb , nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" , marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music...
,
Hank SnowClarence Eugene Snow , better known as Hank Snow, was a Canadian-American country music artist. He charted more than 70 singles on the Billboard country charts from 1950 until 1980...
and
Gene AutryOrvon Gene Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
are among those featured. Lewis played most of the piano and Presley took nearly all of the lead vocals. The other participants easily follow Presley’s lead with what seems a close familiarity with his choice of songs. Critics have remarked on the irony of his choices as rock & roll was branded as satanic music at the time.
Carl PerkinsCarl Lee Perkins was an American "rockabilly" musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning during 1954...
took only the lead on "Keeper Of The Key" and seemed content to play guitar and supply harmony vocals. He had, however, been singing all afternoon. Clayton Perkins and Jay Perkins and drummer
W. S. HollandW.S. "Fluke" Holland is a drummer who worked extensively with numerous rock and roll musicians, beginning with Carl Perkins, but became well-known as the drummer in Johnny Cash's Tennessee Three backing band. Holland played drums on the original Sun recording of "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl...
can be heard on the earliest titles. The rhythm guitar on the earlier songs was played by
Charles UnderwoodCharles Underwood was a builder in Cheltenham who moved to Bristol where he became a neo-classical architect....
, who was a writer for Phillips’s publishing companies. Presley also brought with him another aspiring singer, Cliff Gleaves, who might be participating on some of the ensemble parts.
Jerry Lee Lewis can be heard more frequently, often singing in duet with Presley and at the end of the session, when Presley got up to leave, he swiftly took over the piano and whipped off five piano ravers in rapid succession, including a rousing "
Crazy Arms"Crazy Arms" is an American country song recorded by Ray Price. The song, released in late 1956, went on to become a hit that year and a honky-tonk standard. It was Price's first number one hit. The song was written by Ralph Mooney and Charles Seals...
" (his debut Sun single) and a soulful make-over of
Gene AutryOrvon Gene Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
's "You're the Only Star in My Blue Heaven."
Colin Escott has reported that according to
Charles UnderwoodCharles Underwood was a builder in Cheltenham who moved to Bristol where he became a neo-classical architect....
, Presley and Phillips went into the control room while Lewis was playing and Presley commented to Bob Johnson that "[Lewis] could go. I think he has a great future ahead of him. He had a different style and the way he plays piano and gets inside me."
More importantly, however,
Johnny CashJohnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
’s voice does not seem to appear on any of the published tracks. Colin Escott reports that according to Bob Johnson, Cash joined Presley, Perkins and Lewis on "
Blueberry Hill"Blueberry Hill" is a popular song published in 1940. The music was written by Vincent Rose, the lyrics by Al Lewis and Larry Stock. It was recorded six times in 1940. Victor released the May recording by the Sammy Kaye Orchestra with vocals by Tommy Ryan on May 31, 1940 .Gene Krupa's version was...
" and "Isle Of Golden Dreams". This was confirmed by
Carl PerkinsCarl Lee Perkins was an American "rockabilly" musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning during 1954...
in a 1972 interview, when he stated that "we did things like 'Blueberry Hill,' 'Island Of Golden Dreams,' 'I Won't Have To Cross The Jordan Alone,' 'The Old Rugged Cross,' '
Peace in the Valley"Peace in the Valley" is a 1939 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys. It was the first Gospel recording to sell one million copies...
,' '
Tutti Frutti"Tutti Frutti" is a song by Little Richard, which became his first hit record in 1955. With its opening cry of "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!" and its hard-driving sound and wild lyrics, it became not only a model for many future Little Richard songs, but also one of the models for Rock and...
,' and 'Big Boss Man'." "Peace in the Valley" is the only published track and none of the others ever seems to have been found. Johnny Cash's autobiography
Cash states that he sings on the tracks but he sings in a higher pitch than usually to blend better with Elvis's vocal. Furthermore he writes that he stood far from the microphone.
The point at which
Johnny CashJohnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
arrived at the studio is a matter of discussion. Some sources, (
Elvis Presley - The Million Dollar Quartet by June Moore, published 4 June 1999), (
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same...
review (RS520)), (Carl Perkins interview with
Rockville International on February 27 1972) report that Cash was already at the studios, when Presley arrived. Perkins said that Cash had stopped into the studios to "get some money."
Cash, in the book,
Cash: The Autobiography commented, "I was there - I was the first to arrive and the last to leave, contrary to what has been written - but I was just there to watch Carl record, which he did until mid-afternoon, when Elvis came in with his girlfriend. At that point the session stopped and we all started laughing and cutting up together. Then Elvis sat down at the piano, and we started singing gospel songs we all knew, then some
Bill MonroeWilliam Smith Monroe was an American musician who helped develop the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and...
songs. Elvis wanted to hear songs Bill had written besides '
Blue Moon of Kentucky"Blue Moon of Kentucky" is a waltz written in 1946 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, The Blue Grass Boys. The song has since been recorded by John Fogerty, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Ronnie Hawkins, Rory Gallagher, LeAnn Rimes, Paul McCartney, Boxcar Willie, Ray Charles,...
,' and I knew the whole repertoire. So, again contrary to what some people have written, my voice is on the tape. It's not obvious, because I was farthest away from the mic and I was singing a lot higher than I usually did in order to stay in key with Elvis, but I guarantee you, I'm there."
Some reports, however, including one in a very detailed account in
Peter GuralnickPeter Guralnick is an American music critic, writer on music, and historian of US American popular music, who is also active as an author and screenwriter. He has been married for over 45 years to Alexandra...
's book,
Last Train To Memphis - The Rise of Elvis Presley, suggest that Johnny stayed for only a short time and then left, possibly to do some Christmas shopping. Colin Escott also reports that Cash was brought in only late in the session, after
Sam PhillipsSamuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American record producer who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...
had decided to call the
Memphis Press Scimitar.
The fact that Cash may not have been present throughout the whole session seems to be confirmed by two pieces of “chatter” caught on the tapes. In the first, another Sun artist, Smokey Joe Baugh, came by and his gravelly voice can be heard after "I Shall No Be Moved", saying "You oughta get up a quartet." In the second, a female voice, not Marilyn Evans, can be heard asking if "This
Rover BoysThe Rover Boys Series for Young Americans was a popular children's book series of the early 20th century credited to "Arthur M. Winfield", a pseudonym for Edward Stratemeyer. A total of 30 titles were published between 1899 and 1926 and the books remained in print for years afterward.The original...
Trio can sing 'Farther Along'?" Evans, however, can later be heard requesting the song "End of the Road." On the other hand, Elvis is plainly heard mentioning Cash by name on the track "As We Travel Along The Jericho Road", at the 0:07 mark, although the form of the reference leaves it ambiguous as to whether Cash was on premises at that point. Elvis can also be heard saying goodbye to someone named Johnny during the "Elvis Says Goodbye" track that closes the 50th anniversary release.
Country musicCountry music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains...
was not the only choice of the participants; they performed "There’s No Place Like Home," a sentimental
Rodgers and HammersteinRichard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
showbiz ballad as an energetic
rockabillyRockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
clip. They can also be heard turning their attention to the hit parade of the day. Presley led the session with "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind," an R & B song popularized by the Five Keys. Meanwhile, Lewis sings one line of
Chuck BerryCharles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
's "Too Much Monkey Business" which leads into Lewis and Presley experimenting with snippets of Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man." Elvis can also be heard singing a snippet of
Little RichardRichard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and recording artist, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s...
's "Rip It Up" (with a ribald change in the lyric) and
Pat BooneCharles Eugene Boone , known professionally as Pat Boone, is an American singer, actor and writer who was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold over 45 million albums, had 38 Top 40 hits and starred in more than 12 Hollywood movies...
's hit of the day, "Don’t Forbid Me" which Elvis on the tape claims was first offered to him but the demo "sat around my house" without being played.
In addition, Presley previewed material that he was considering for up-coming
RCARCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Currently, the RCA trademark is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson...
sessions in January and February 1957. He sang "Is It So Strange," "
Peace In The Valley"Peace in the Valley" is a 1939 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys. It was the first Gospel recording to sell one million copies...
," and "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin," which he acknowledges on the tape as having been one of the songs he recorded for Sun during his demo session a couple of years earlier, and which he would record again for RCA a month later. In the case of "Is It So Strange", he comments, "Ol'
Faron YoungFaron Young was an American country music singer and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s and one of its most colorful stars...
wrote this song sent to me to record."
The title, which most critics seem to highlight, is Presley’s rendition of "
Don't Be Cruel"Don't Be Cruel" was originally the A side of RCA single 47-6604, with "Hound Dog" on the B-side, although both sides became chart-toppers, RCA reissuing the single in later decades as double A-side...
," one of his major hits of 1956 (see
1956 in music-Events:*January 1 - Blue Suede Shoes is released by Carl Perkins on the Sun Records label.*Cameo-Parkway Records formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Kal Mann & Bernie Lowe.*Foundation of the Korean piano brand Young Chang....
). But this is not Presley singing Presley, but his imitation of
Jackie WilsonJack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. was an American singer, and performer, and a 1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singer and...
, then the lead singer with Billy Ward’s Dominoes, imitating him. It appears as though the Presley entourage spent a few days in
Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
(most likely during Presley's short-lived tenure earlier in the year at the Frontier Hotel) and went to watch
Jackie WilsonJack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson Jr. was an American singer, and performer, and a 1987 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singer and...
, who had obviously built an impersonation of Presley into his act.
Presley describes Jackie Wilson tearing up Las Vegas audiences with a house-on-fire rendition of "Don't Be Cruel". He goes on to say that, "He tried so hard until he got much better, boy, much better than that record of mine.... I went back four nights straight and heard that guy do that," he says, imitating Wilson's bluesy smolder and big orgasmic finish.
"He sung the hell out of the song," Elvis can be heard saying with admiration, adding with a laugh, "I was on the table lookin' at him, 'Get 'im off, get 'im off!'" Obviously on a roll, Presley, then ripped into a slower, sassier version of his latest RCA single "Paralyzed," backed up by Perkins and his trio.
According to the
Rolling Stone review of the album, "'The Complete Million Dollar Session' provides a rare post-Sun glimpse of
Elvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
momentarily free of the golden shackles of stardom and the manipulative grasp of his manager,
Colonel Tom Parker"Colonel" Thomas Andrew "Tom" Parker , born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, was a Dutch-born entertainment impresario known best as the manager of Elvis Presley. His management of Presley re-wrote the role of talent manager and was seen as central to the astonishing success of Presley's career...
. His singing, especially on the gospel numbers, is natural and relaxed, minus some of the trademark mannerisms of his official
RCARCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Currently, the RCA trademark is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson...
releases."
The general view of those who have listened to the Million Dollar Quartet tapes, is that Perkins, Lewis and Presley dug into their musical roots and blended everything that they had heard in a loose and vital way, which said more about the origins of rock & roll than a thousand treatises. As Colin Escott has said, "They mixed and matched their disparate styles – and their innate musicality ensured that what emerged had the rarest of all musical qualities: originality."
Some thirty years later, Perkins, Lewis, Cash and
Roy OrbisonRoy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter and musician, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly / country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records...
, a Sun recording artist in 1956, went back into the Sun Studios to record a session of their own
Class of '55Class of '55 is a 1986 album by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins.While the album was in part a tribute to Elvis Presley, it was mainly a commemoration of those young performing hopefuls, the four album participants included, who came to Sun Records in 1955 to make music...
.
Reunions
- The Survivors Live
The Survivors Live is a live album by country musicians Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, released in 1982 on Columbia Records. It was recorded on April 23, 1981 in Stuttgart, West Germany, when all three singers, who had been labelmates at Sun Records at the beginning of their...
- a 1982See also:* 1982 in music Record labels established in 1982* list of 'years in music'-Events:*January 15 – K.C. and the Sunshine Band's Harry Wayne Casey is seriously injured in an automobile accident in Miami, Florida....
live album featuring Johnny CashJohnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
, and Carl PerkinsCarl Lee Perkins was an American "rockabilly" musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning during 1954...
during Johnny Cash's 1981 tour of EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
.
- Class of '55
Class of '55 is a 1986 album by Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins.While the album was in part a tribute to Elvis Presley, it was mainly a commemoration of those young performing hopefuls, the four album participants included, who came to Sun Records in 1955 to make music...
- a 1986 reunion of the surviving members of the "Million Dollar Quartet", this time adding another Sun RecordsSun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27 1952.
Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Buddy McNeil,...
alumnus, Roy OrbisonRoy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter and musician, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly / country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records...
; this was actually recorded at the original Memphis Recording Service building.
- Interviews from the Class of '55 Recording Sessions - an album featuring interviews and chatter during the recording of Class of '55, which won the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album in 1987.
Million Dollar Quartet Musical
The stage musical
Million Dollar Quartet, written by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott, dramatizes the Million Dollar Quartet session. It premiered at Florida's Seaside Music Theare and was staged at the
Village TheatreVillage Theatre is a 5013 non-profit professional producing musical theatre company founded in 1979. Village Theatre is based out of Issaquah and Everett, Washington...
in the Seattle area, breaking box office records. The musical opened for a limited run at Chicago's Goodman Theatre on September 27, 2008. Mutrux co-directed the Chicago production with Eric Schaeffer, of Virginia's Signature Theatre. The show was transferred and is currently playing at Chicago's Apollo Theater where it opened on October 31, 2008.
In late August of 2009 it was announced that this production will be transferring to Broadway.
Tracks, writers and duration
- "Instrumental" (Unknown) - 1:44
- "Love Me Tender
"Love Me Tender" is a song sung by Elvis Presley, adapted from the tune of "Aura Lee" , a sentimental Civil War ballad with music by George R. Poulton and words by W.W. Fosdick. "Aura Lee" was published in 1861 and this Civil War song later became popular with college glee clubs and barbershop...
- Instrumental" (Presley/Matson) - 1:02
- "Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and copyrighted under the title 'One Horse Open Sleigh' on September 16 1857. Despite being inextricably connected to Christmas, it is not specifically a Christmas song...
- Instrumental" (Traditional) – 1:57
- "White Christmas
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about a White Christmas. It is the second-best selling single of all time, and won an Academy Award. The morning after Berlin wrote the song in 1940 at the poolside — he often stayed up all night writing — he told his...
- Instrumental" (Berlin) - 2:05
- "Reconsider Baby" (Fulsom) - 2:45
- "Don't Be Cruel" (Presley/Blackwell) - 2:20
- "Don't Be Cruel" (Presley/Blackwell) - 2:20
- "Paralyzed" (Presley/Blackwell) - 3:00
- "Don't Be Cruel" (Presley/Blackwell) - 0:36
- "There's No Place Like Home" (Payne/Bishop) - 3:36
- "When The Saints Go Marchin´ In
"When the Saints Go Marching In." often referred to as "The Saints," is a United States gospel hymn that has taken on certain aspects of folk music. The song is a slight modification of the similarly titled song "When the Saints are Marching In" from 1896 by Katharine Purvis and James Milton Black...
" (Traditional) - 2:18
- "Softly And Tenderly" (Traditional) - 2:42
- "When God Dips His Love In My Heart" (Traditional) - 0:23
- "Just A Little Talk With Jesus" (Derricks) - 4:09
- "Jesus Walked That Lonesome Valley" (Traditional) - 3:28
- "I Shall Not Be Moved" (Traditional) - 3:49
- "Peace In The Valley
"Peace in the Valley" is a 1939 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys. It was the first Gospel recording to sell one million copies...
" (Dorsey) - 1:33
- "Down By The Riverside" (Traditional) - 2:26
- "I´m With A Crowd But So Alone" (Tubb/Story) - 1:16
- "Farther Alone" (Traditional) - 2:08
- "Blessed Jesus (Hold My Hand)" (Traditional) - 1:26
- "On The Jericho Road" (Traditional) - 0:52
- "I Just Can't Make It By Myself" (Brewster) - 1:04
- "Little Cabin Home On The Hill" (Monroe/Flatt) - 0:46
- "Summertime Is Past And Gone" (Monroe) - 0:14
- "I Hear A Sweet Voice Calling" (Monroe) - 0:36
- "Sweetheart You Done Me Wrong" (Monroe) - 0:28
- "Keeper Of The Key (Carl Lead)" (Stewart/Howard/Devine/Guynes) - 2:08
- "Crazy Arms
"Crazy Arms" is an American country song recorded by Ray Price. The song, released in late 1956, went on to become a hit that year and a honky-tonk standard. It was Price's first number one hit. The song was written by Ralph Mooney and Charles Seals...
" (Mooney/Seals) - 0:17
- "Don't Forbid Me" (Singleton) - 1:19
- "Too Much Monkey Business
"Too Much Monkey Business" is a song by Chuck Berry. It was released as a single in 1956 and re-released on the compilation album The Great Twenty-Eight in 1982....
" (Berry) - 0:05
- "Brown Eyed Handsome Man
"Brown Eyed Handsome Man" is a rock and roll song by Chuck Berry, which was originally released in 1956 as the B side to "Too Much Monkey Business". It was also included on Berry's 1957 debut album After School Session. The song title was also used as the title of a biography of Berry.-Relevance...
" (Berry) - 1:14
- "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind" (Hunter/Otis) - 0:37
- "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (Berry) - 1:53
- "Don't Forbid Me" (Singleton) - 0:50
- "You Belong To My Heart
"You Belong to My Heart" is a popular song with music by Agustín Lara and lyrics by Ray Gilbert, published in 1944 . The two biggest hit versions were by Bing Crosby, with the Xavier Cugat orchestra, and by the Charlie Spivak orchestra....
" (Gilbert/Lara) - 1:10
- "Is It So Strange" (Young) - 1:21
- "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (Hill/Fisher/Raskin) - 4:58
- "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (Berry) - 0:17
- "Rip It Up
Rip It Up is a song written by Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco. It was first released by Bill Haley and his Comets and Little Richard in 1956. The Little Richard version hit number one on the R&B Best Sellers for two weeks and peaked at number seventeen on the pop chartRip It Up is a song...
" (Blackwell/Marascalco) - 0:23
- "I´m Gonna Bid My Blues Goodbye" (Snow) - 0:55
- "Crazy Arms" (Mooney/Seals) - 3:36
- "That's My Desire" (Loveday/Kresa) - 2:02
- "End Of The Road
"End of the Road" is a 1992 number-one hit.End of the Road may also refer to:* "End of the Road" , the ninth episode of the first series of the Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds...
" (Lewis) - 1:44
- "Black Bottom Stomp" (Joseph) - 1:11
- "You’re The Only Star In My Blue Heaven" (Autry) - 1:12
- Elvis Says Goodbye - 0:40
Further reading
- Elvis Presley - The Million Dollar Quartet (RCA CD # 2023-2-R), Sleeve notes by Colin Escott of Showtime Music, Toronto.
External links