On This Day – Blue Suede Shoes
Nov 19, 2011 On This Day, Uncategorized
On this day in 1955 one of the all time rock classics was recorded by Carl Perkins at Sun Records in Memphis. It later went on to reach number 2 in the US and number 10 in the UK. It has been covered by loads of artists including Elvis (also a Sun Recording artist) and John Lennon.
He had a very poor upbringing. The son of a sharecropper in Tiptonville Tennessee he started working in the cotton fields at the age of 6. He would often finish his school day and then work for several hours in the fields. This upbringing made him resilient and exposed him to Southern Gospel music, whether during regular worship on Sundays or while working in the fields as the black workers sang in the fields.
In what now seems to be almost trite his first guitar was home made cigar box and broom handle affair made by his dad. He learnt to play being taught by a 60 year old John Westbrook a fellow field worker who Carl referred to as “Uncle John”. The African American played Gospel and blues and instilled a love of music into a willing Carl.
Later the family moved to Madison County and so closer to Memphis and more musical influences. From the age of 14 Carl and his brother played in local bars (while still having day jobs in the fields). Gradually, his repertoire and confidence grew. In 1954 he auditioned for the great Sam Phillips of Sun Records. Later Phillips would say of Carl “I knew that Carl could rock and in fact he told me right from the start that he had been playing that music before Elvis came out on record… I wanted to see whether this was someone who could revolutionize the country end of the business.”
Records followed but the great success was “Blue Suede Shoes” recorded on this day in 1955 (or on 19th December depending on who you believe. Carl’s immortality was assured.
Perkins was the son of poor sharecroppers near Tiptonville, Tennessee.[3] He grew up hearing Southern gospel music sung by whites in church, and by black field workers when he started working in the cotton fields at age six. During spring and autumn, the school day would be followed by several hours of work in fields. During the summer, workdays were 12–14 hours,
1955, Carl Perkins recorded ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ at Sun Studios in Memphis. The rock ‘n’ roll classic became a US No.2 & UK No.10 hit for Perkins in 1956, and has been covered by many acts including Elvis Presley and John Lennon.
Tags: Blues, carl perkins, classic rock, classic rock music, elvis presley, john lennon, king of rockabilly, love rock music, On This Day, real rock, real rock and blues, rock, rock music, sam phillips, sun records
On This Day – Great Balls of Fire!
Nov 3, 2010 On This Day
On this day in 1957 Jerry Lee Lewis released Great Balls of Fire on the Sun record label.
One of the great pioneers of rock and roll Lewis came from a poor familly in Ferriday, Louisiana. He bagan playing piano while young with two of his cousins. His passion for the [iano was such that his parents raised a mortgage to buy him his own piano (thank god they did, god bless ‘em).
Lewis was expelled from his school (Southwest Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas) into which his mother had enrolled him in the hope that he would learn to play “godly” music. He was expelled for playing “worldly” music. Years later he was asked by an old school friend if he was still playing the Devil’s music. His reply, “Yes, I am. But you know it’s strange, the same music that they kicked me out of school for is the same kind of music they play in their churches today. The difference is, I know I am playing for the devil and they don’t.”
His style came from what he heard on the radio and from the rythms he heard in the local black joints. In those days black musicians could not play for white audiences in the main and the white kids were ready for this rebellious, liberating music. He went to Sun Records in Memphis for an audition but Sam Phillips was away. Even so it did not take Phillips’ engineer, Jack Clement, to recognise his talent. Signed to Sun Lewis began working on session backing all the greats on the Sun label including, Elvis, Carl, Perkins and Johnny Cash among others. His distinctive piano playing can be heard on many tracks recorded at Sun during late 1956 and early 1957, including Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox”.
A great talent later lost to rock when he moved into country music after the scandal of his marriage to his young cousin Lewis helped start what we all enjoy to this day. As someone has said all we dio is to build on the shoulders of giants that went before, Lewis is one of thos giants.
Tags: carl perkins, classic rock music, elvis, elvis presley, jerry lee lewis, johnny cash, love rock music, On This Day, real rock and blues, rock and blues, rock and roll, sam phillips, sam phillips. real rock, sun records
On This day – Great Balls Of Fire
Oct 8, 2009 On This Day
On this day in 1957 Jerry lee lewis recorded “Great Balls of Fire” his follow up to “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going’ On”.
As you might have guessed if you have read previous posts I am a great fan of Sam Phillips and Sun Records. Not so much for the individual tracks as such more the effect of Sun Records. Sun changed music. What was essentially black music played for and by black people became music for both black and white. Sun owner Sam Phillips ran no colour bar all he heard was the music (with more than a nod towards his profit of course).
Anyway, Jerry Lee Lewis, often billed as the wild man of rock ‘n’ roll was pioneer of the new popular music that we all love. Someone once said that we build on the shoulders of giants, one of those giants is Lewis.
It is hard to imagine today the hysteria that rock ‘n’ roll caused among responsible adults. They feared subversion, anarchy, revolution, promiscuity, and that the status quo could be challenged. Well, the world certainly changed. A great song and well worth celebrating.
Tags: classic rock music, jerry lee lewis, On This Day, rock and blues, sam phillips, sun records
On This Day – Thanks for the Eggs Dad!
Sep 1, 2009 On This Day
On this day in 1956 Jerry Lee lewis turned up at Sun records wanting to an audition, financed by his father selling 30 dozen eggs to raise the money for the trip! This was not the first time his parents had helped Jerry Lee with his musical ambitions. When he was 8 he showed such promise playing the piano that his parents mortgaged their house to buy him his own piano.
Unfortunately, when Jerry Lee turned up to ask for an audition Sam Phillips was on holiday. Jack Clemment who was the resident producer at Sun Records agreed to let him record 2 demos. One was ‘Crazy Arms’. When Sam Phillips returned from holiday in Florida he was impressed. ‘Crazy Arms’ sold 300,000 copies locally.
Jerry Lee became a studio musician for Sun Records appearing on records by Carl Perkins (‘Your True Love’ & ‘Matchbox’). Back in the recording studio in his own right 1957 became a huge year for Jerry Lee. He recorded and released ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, ‘Great Balls of Fire’, ‘Breathless’, and ‘High School Confidential’.
‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’ was recorded in one take and the vibrancy of the track shows that. It’s vitality took the world by storm. In 1957 Jerry Lee outsold Elvis, he was that big. His career took a nose dive a year later, however, when during a UK tour the British press revealed his marriage to his young second cousin.
‘Revealed’ is not really what happened. The details of the marriage to Myra Gale Brown were not secret. Marrying second cousins was not unusual in the South. The fact that she was 14 scandalised the British press. They did not like rock ‘n’ roll, it was seen as a threat to the natural order of things in society. In any event the scandal forced the end of the tour and nearly ruined Jerry Lee’s career.
Jerry Lee was always a bit loose with the rules about marriage. That his first divorce had not come through did not stop him from marrying Jane Mitcham in September 1953. He was still married to Jane when he married Myra.
Tags: carl perkins, classic rock music, jerry lee lewis, On This Day, rock and blues, sam phillips, sun records
Sam Phillips Dies 30 July 2003
Jul 30, 2009 Blues, Departures, On This Day, rock and blues
Sam Phillips did more than most to shape popular music in the 50s and 60s.
As Owner and leading light of the mighty Sun Records he discovered or developed Presley, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Conway Twitty, Jerry Lee Lewis and more.
Inpite of this roll call of talent it is easy to forget that the path that Sun Records trod was not always easy. He had to sell Elvis’ contract to RCA to raise enough cash for the label to continue in 1955.
The legacy left by Sun Records is great and glorious.
Tags: blues music, classic rock music, love rock music, On This Day, real rock and blues, rock and blues, sam phillips, sun records
The Legacy of Sun Records (part 2)
Jul 4, 2009 About and things, Uncategorized
I was thinking about the tv programme I saw the other day and then wrote about.
I had forgotten abour Sonny Burgess and so was very pleased to be reminded (apart from the very late mid week night). The programme was also noteable for a couple of other reasons. Billy Lee Riley was also on and was the only person critical of Sam Phillips. The basis of his criticism is that Phillips did not promote his record ‘Red Hot’, in fact he stopped promoting it in favour of another record. The other record was ‘Great Balls of Fire’. Personally, I think that Phillips got that one right!
There were a couple of other things I took from the programme.
Billy Lee Riley came across as self serving and an egoist, he said that his influence was on a par with that of Carl Perkins and Elvis.
Sam Phillips had an unfeasibly thick and lustrous head of hair for a man of his age (80 when he died) as well as a full set beard. Not a grey hair in sight. I want to know what his diet was, or what product he used!
Third Eye Blind were interviewed and Hargreaves was asked whether the Sun Stars were his heroes. He said no, he did not revere those people, he revered the people whoe revered the Sun stars. Very nicely put.
Tags: classic rock music, love rock music, sam phillips, sun records
The Legacy of Sun Records (part 1)
Jul 2, 2009 About and things
Last night I got home from work late, as is normal, wanting nothing more than a meal and something mindless to watch on TV I began chanel hopping. There I cam across a programme called The Legacy of Sun Records. (Yesterday I noted the sale of Sun records by Sam Phillips,see here)
It was quite a good programme featuring interviews and performances of the second string acts signed to Sun by Phillips. Among those was the wonderful Sonny Burgess, now in his 70s he was interviewed and caught in performance supported byJerry Smith on keyboards and the amazing Ace Cannon on sax. He has more energy while singing on stage than many men half his age, and his voice the same power, but even more authority with the passage of time.
The upshot was an unexpected very late night hunting through CDs and records………..
Tags: classic rock, love rock music, sam phillips, sun records
