Lloyd Price (“Lawdy Miss Clawdy”) , Huey ‘Piano’ Smith (Don’t You Just Know It”), Big Joe Turner (“Shake, Rattle and Roll”), Hank Ballard and the Midnighters (“Work With Me, Annie”), Lavern Baker (“Tweedlee Dee”), Ruth Brown (“Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean”), Ray Charles (“Mess Around”) and Johnny Otis (“Willie and the Hand Jive”) are only a small representation of artists who were recording rock and roll music before it even had a proper name.

Not to diminish his talent, but Elvis’ legacy is largely based on historic revisionism. The first example of this is bluntly racist. At the time, most middle-class Americans credited Elvis with inventing rock and roll, but even a cursory glance at the above list of names proves it existed long before he released his first recording.

Sam Phillips repeatedly stated, “If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.” His intent was not prejudicial but practical. As a studio owner, Phillips proved himself to be remarkably open-minded, particularly when you consider that he operated out of Memphis, ten-plus years before the civil rights act. He’d been recording blues and R&B artists for his entire career. His comment was more a matter of practicality because he knew that the southern music industry would never allow a Black artist into their business circle. When Elvis arrived at Sun Studios, he was fresh-faced and malleable, and Phillips instinctively recognized his potential.

The second example of revisionism is our own collective memories of the timeline. Almost everyone from that era seems to associate Elvis with Sun Records, but it’s highly unlikely that anyone outside of their Southern distribution region owned a Sun 45 before 1956. Furthermore, of the sixteen songs that appear here, (this album contains almost everything that Elvis recorded while at Sun), only five were previously released on album, with all five appearing on his RCA debut,  spread out and mixed in with newer recordings.

If you ignore the egregious cover art, this collection is special because it marks the first time that these recordings were gathered together as a more or less accurate presentation of Elvis before he became a superstar, and then an icon. This is ‘pre-homogenized’ Elvis in all his raw glory, and it presents a fascinating account of him searching for a suitable style, with nobody but Sam Phillips, guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black to guide him. 

America likes to create its own version of history, and the ‘Elvis Story’ is no different, but even a cursory listen to the songs herein reveals a fresh interpretation and an exciting new direction for rock and roll music from the man responsible for taking it into the mainstream. Released only one year before Elvis died, it’s sad that this collection was not assembled sooner, but better late than never. Hearing these songs in their proper context over two decades after the fact only serves to prove their status as classic recordings that changed the direction of popular music forever, and for better.

Featured Tracks and Release Dates:

That's All Right (Mama) (from single, 1954)

Blue Moon of Kentucky (from single, 1954)

I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine (from single, 1954)

Good Rockin' Tonight (from single, 1954)

Milk Cow Blues Boogie (from single, 1955)

You're a Heartbreaker (from single, 1955)

I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (from single, 1955)

Baby Let's Play House (from single, 1955)

Mystery Train (from single, 1955)

I Forgot to Remember to Forget (from single, 1955)

I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin') (RCA 1956)

I Love You Because (RCA 1956, 1st version)

Tryin' to Get to You (RCA 1956)

Blue Moon (RCA 1956)

Just Because (RCA 1956)

Love You Because (RCA 1974; 2nd version)

March 1976 – Billboard Charted #76