On this day (March 23) in 1956, Elvis Presley's self-titled album was released.
To say this is a landmark album is an understatement. Prior to the release of Elvis Presley, rock 'n' roll was primarily enjoyed on the radio and on singles. In fact, Presley's self-titled effort became the first rock 'n' roll album to top the album chart, which was previously dominated by easy-listening crooners, soundtrack albums and original cast recordings.
Presley's earliest success was with 45s released by Sun Records. On November 22, 1955, RCA Records purchased Elvis's contract, including his singles and unreleased masters, from Sun Records owner Sam Phillips for $35,000.
One of those early Sun singles, "Forgot to Remember to Forget" hit No. 1 on the country charts and Presley was voted the most promising Country & Western artist by Billboard in late 1955.
Even following the release of Elvis Presley, he continued to have success with singles. "Heartbreak Hotel," his debut single for RCA, wasn't included on the album, but it became his first pop No. 1 single on April 21, 1956, almost a month after the album's release.
Interestingly, Presley's first album contained five tracks cut during the summer of 1954 and 1955, including the ballads "Love You Because," "Blue Moon," and "I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')," were recorded long before he signed with RCA Records.
Guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black of the country and western combo the Starlight Ramblers were recruited by Sun Records owner Sam Phillips to backup Presley on his earliest recordings and played on the songs featured on his self-titled album.
"We were just there to give Elvis a little accompaniment so Sam could hear what his voice sounded like on tape," Moore said of the Sun sessions in an interview for the Billboard Book of Number One Albums. "After we did the first single, 'That's All Right,' we were trying to figure out what direction to go in. They were just auditions. We were just experimenting, but for some reason Sam kept those tapes."
Along with the early Sun recordings, the album also featured some newer tracks cut in January 1956 at RCA's studios in Nashville and New York. "There wasn't any pressure," Moore says of the first RCA sessions. "They were just bigger studios with different equipment. We basically just went in and did the same thing we always did."
The best known of the seven new recordings on Elvis Presley were covers of Carl Perkins's "Blue Suede Shoes" and Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti." Perkins's version of "Blue Suede Shoes," released on Sun Records, entered the singles chart on February 22, alongside "Heartbreak Hotel."
During the friendly chart battle, tragedy stuck. In March 1956, Perkins was involved in a car accident that left him in the hospital for months and killed his brother and back-up singer, Jay.
"We did 'Blue Suede Shoes' on a TV show as a tribute to Carl," Moore said. As a show of respect for Perkins, Elvis would not allow his version to be released as a single. "Blue Suede Shoes" was included on the Elvis Presley EP, a top 20 best seller, but it was no match for Perkins's single, which peaked at number three. Still the song remained an Elvis favorite. He recorded it again as an album track for G.I. Blues.
The influence of Elvis Presley wasn't limited to the music heard on the album. Its iconic cover, featuring a black-and-white photo of the singer, with his first name written vertically in pink script and his last name horizontally in green, inspired another classic album cover 25 years later -- London Calling by The Clash.
