STUDIO SESSION FOR ELVIS PRESLEY
AT THE MEMPHIS RECORDING SERVICE FOR SUN RECORDS 1954
SUN RECORDING STUDIO
706 UNION AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
SUN SESSION: MONDAY JULY 5, 1954
SESSION HOURS: 8:00 TO 2:00 MIDNIGHT
PRODUCER AND RECORDING ENGINEER - SAM C. PHILLIPS
\"THAT'S ALL RIGHT\" - B.M.I. - 1:55
Composer: - Arthur Crudup
Publisher: - Wabash Music Corporation
Matrix number: - U-128 SUN - Single Master Take 3 - Tape Box 13 - (RCA F2WB-8040)
Recorded: - July 5, 1954
The lyrics \"my mama she done told me, papa done told me too\" came from
Arthur Crudup's old blues song \"Mean Old Frisco Blues\", recorded April 15, 1942.
Released: - July 19, 1954
First appearance: - Sun Records (S) 78/45rpm standard single SUN 209-A mono
THAT'S ALL RIGHT / BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY
Reissued - 1994 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 15801 DI-3-11 mono
THE SUN SINGLES COLLECTION - VOLUME 1
Name (Or. No. Of Instruments)
Elvis Presley - Vocal and Acoustic Rhythm Guitar (Martin Dreadnought 18)
Scotty Moore - Electric Lead Guitar (Gibson ES 295)
Bill Black - Acoustic Upright Bass (Kay Maestro M-1)
\"That's All Right Mama\" is a song written and originally performed by blues singer Arthur Crudup. It is best known as the debut single recorded and released by Elvis Presley. Presley's version was recorded on July 5, 1954, and released on July 19, 1954 with \"Blue Moon of Kentucky\" as the B-side. It was ranked number 113 on the 2010 Rolling Stone magazine list of the \"500 Greatest Songs of All Time\".
In July 2004, exactly 50 years after its first issuing, the song was released as a CD single in several countries, reaching number three in the United Kingdom, number 31 in Australia, number 33 in Ireland, and number 47 in Sweden.
The song was written by Arthur \"Big Boy\" Crudup, and originally recorded by him in Chicago on September 6, 1946, as \"That's All Right\". Some of the lyrics are traditional blues verses first recorded by Blind Lemon Jefferson in 1926. Crudup's recording was released as a single in 1947 on RCA Victor 20-2205, but was less successful than some of his previous recordings. At the same session, he recorded a virtually identical tune with different lyrics, \"I Don't Know It\", which was also released as a single (RCA Victor 20-2307). In early March 1949, the song was re-released under the title \"That's All Right, Mama\" (RCA Victor 50-0000), which was issued as RCA's first rhythm and blues record on their new 45 rpm single format, on bright orange vinyl.
Elvis Presley's version was recorded on July 5, 1954. After Elvis started playing around in Sam Phillips studio and played the song faster than the original. Its catalogue number was Sun 209. The label reads \"That's All Right\" (omitting \"Mama\" from the original title), and names the performers as Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill. Arthur Crudup was credited as the composer on the label of Presley's single, but even after legal battles into the 1970s, was reportedly never paid royalties. An out-of-court settlement was supposed to pay Crudup an estimated $60,000 in back royalties, but never materialized.
A country music version by Marty Robbins peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1955. During an uneventful recording session at Sun Studio on the evening of July 5, 1954, Presley (acoustic rhythm guitar), Scotty Moore (lead guitar) and Bill Black (string bass) were taking a break between recordings when Presley started fooling around with an up-tempo version of Arthur Crudup's song \"That's All Right, Mama\". Black began joining in on his upright bass, and soon they were joined by Moore on guitar. Producer Sam Phillips, taken aback by this sudden upbeat atmosphere, asked the three of them to start again so he could record it.
Sam Phillips gave copies of the acetate to local disc jockeys Dewey Phillips (no relation) of WHBQ, Uncle Richard of WMPS, and Sleepy Eyed John Lepley of WHHM. On July 7, 1954, Dewey Phillips played \"That's All Right\" on his popular radio show \"Red, Hot & Blue\". On hearing the news that Dewey was going to play his song, Presley went to the local movie theater to calm his nerves.
Interest in the song was so intense that Dewey reportedly played the acetate 14 times and received over 40 telephone calls. Presley was persuaded to go to the station for an on-air interview that night. Unaware that the microphone was live at the time, Presley answered Dewey's questions, including one about which high school he attended: a roundabout way of informing the audience of Presley's race without actually asking the question.
Note: Very scarce first 45rpm pressing with ''209'' upside-down in the left portion of the label (U-129). The second edition had this corrected and also had the full ''Wasbash Music'' (side one) printed. Third pressings had ''209'' in the bottom.
