If you were in the record business either as a writer or a producer talent scout etc in the mid 50s - how unexpected was it that some random guy from the south would catapult to superstardom? There's a book by Ben yagoda called "the b side" which discusses how in the early 50s you had a lot of people bemoaning the lack of good music out there. This was especially true for anything produced by Mitch Miller or written by bob Merrill. You could use the metaphor of the prison guards (i.e. the music business) becoming so lazy that all it takes is one person (Elvis) to try to escape that once he does it, everyone else stampedes out. But anyways, have you guys read any oral histories or publications of the time to show what the big wigs in the business were thinking at the time?
Maybe .....but the status quo never thought this kind of music could be so big....it was so different and I dont think people thought it would jump like it did. The King was a far cry from Bill Haley and Buddy Holly with his gyrations and showmanship. ....one thing for sure Colonel Parker saw him coming and rode it all the way to the bank!!!! He came to the US illegally, changed his name and said he was born in the US. His background was a carnival worker...a carnie.....how about that. He moved in on EP in 1956, and his deal was 50% of the Kings business....what a rip off. After EP died, he continued to manage the estate; it is said he str4uggled to make it later in life. Well The King made some serious money, if he got half he must have had some serious money management issues as it was a lot of $. Sad story; he ripped EP off big time. I put him right up there with Jan Wenner of RS and RRHOF, Allen Klein of Beatles and Stones fame, and John Sinclair who was supposedly managing the MC5. Colonel, what a joke of a title. Parker Wenner Sinclair and Klein The Mount Rushmore of Rip Off Artists....IJS.
Elvis also had some serious money management issues so between the two of them it's no wonder Priscilla got stuck either having to sell or go full tourist attraction.
I don’t think they saw Elvis coming, but they’re always wishing, hoping, praying for the next big thing.
I dont think the biz saw EP coming, nor did they think this new rock and roll was gonna be as big as it was. Jerry Lee, Cash were big, but Cash went the country route, and JLL was a rocker for sure, but the marriage to his cousin pushed him to country and obscurity for a long time....as well as his nickname and reputation as The Killer...he may have killed a couple wives but who know. The 4th wheel of Sun Records was Carl Perkins...he had a hit with Blue Suede Shoes and wrote some great songs...Beatles loved his music as did many others. Carl was nowhere close to fame as EP JLL and JC, but he was quite a writer and performer. dont think anyone saw the wave of fame coming for these guys and this type of music!
Well, he was an extraordinarily good-looking kid. Add to that charm, a great singing voice, stage presence and more charisma than should be legal in one person and yeah... I would think someone saw dollar signs pretty early on. You have to remember, Elvis was rock's answer to Frank Sinatra. He was mostly just a singer and an entertainer. He didn't write songs. So in a way, he was the prototype of every manufactured boyband/Bieber "artist" to come. Pretty, white, male+catchy music=cha ching. If you want to see Elvis's DNA in modern music, look no further than Harry Styles.
EP probably needed better management with his money ...way to many hanger-ons...his story would be a what not to do when one comes into serious money.Though he didn't die broke ...how much the estate generated since 1977 would boggle the mind.
I notice you're in the US. People beyond your shores heard Elvis long before they laid eyes on him. I think John Peel's description (famous UK DJ) was the best upon hearing Heartbreak Hotel for the first time: "It was like being plugged into the mains and electrocuted."
in the world of conspiracy theories, you always want to look at "dry runs" or "attempts" preceding the event. So in the JFK universe, that would be the Tampa or Chicago event. Likewise, was there a "dry run" or "plan A" before Elvis? I think Carl Perkins might have been it. I think Blue Suede Shoes was a hit before Heartbreak Hotel and it was only him getting in a car crash that derailed his career. You could also argue that Pat Boone was kind of a beta test. Take all the race music that would be suspect coming out of the mouth of a Bull Moose Jackson and have a Dick Haymes clone sing the song. Perry Como himself was doing that with songs like Ko-Ko-Mo. That was probably the trajectory rock and roll was going to go - but Elvis kind of torpedoed that plan as he could be a white guy doing rock and roll but still have the "edge" factor. Of course, Boone managed to survive by expanding outside of the "race music" into the Paul Francis Webster/Al Stillman universe (i.e. straight pop).
I d I did a bit of checking; both released January of 1956; I think Perkins was really talented and wrote great stuff; he never got the credit or notoriety EP did.....he was a rockabilly guy, a player...EP a performer!!!! Pat Boone was another big star....he was also like you said a test. Elvis pushed it when he was young; his great years. The Army changed him, and I never was a fan of the movies...some good songs though. He got comfy...but 68 and his comeback were great. He went over the edge later got fat and lazy...but I loved him!
Bit of a tangent, but has this new movie, up for academy awards, causes a real bump in the sale of his music?
I don’t think they saw him coming, or thought he would last. Chet Atkins said RCA didn’t have a clue about Elvis, and had simply bought his contract because of the surprising number of records he was selling. They just put him in the studio and let tape roll. Notice there is no producer listed on any of his pre-Army records! There was major industry pushback, too. Look at Bye Bye Birdie, A Face In The Crowd, and countless disparaging sendups that show a culture that was highly resistant to Elvis and Rock ‘n Roll in general.
True. Steve Atkins didn't really know what to do with Elvis. Basically, after Sam Philips, Elvis was his own producer (with the exception of Chips Moman). Felton Jarvis was there in the control room and cheered Elvis on, maybe made a suggestion or two, but it was Elvis who called the shots.
