1950s Singers- Then Came Elvis


Lately, for some unknown reason, I have been watching more than my fair share of old Elvis movies.  What got me hooked was actually an accident.  I was channel surfing and came across his first flick, Love Me Tender.  Most obvious was that the kid had an abundance of talent, charisma, and just about every other quality that could be packed into one human being.

Love Me Tender was a western of sorts, set just after the Civil War.  The most questionable scenes were when Elvis sang.  That’s not to say that there was anything wrong with the singing.  It’s just that the hip swiveling and leg gyrations that helped propel him as a singer seemed severely out of place in the motion picture.   However, if you were an Elvis fan in 1956, you probably would have expected (even wanted) to see him do his dancing thing.


Elvis appeared in 33 feature films and, no, I haven’t gotten around to watching all of them.  What I have seen has only served as confirmation that Elvis was the real deal.  But, then again, you don’t have to see his films to know that.  His music and classic stage performances speak for themselves.

To be clear, Elvis Presley did not invent rock and roll but he had the enormous star power to force the new music genre into the mainstream.  Elvis was the consummate crossover artist.  He could perform a number of styles and remain credible in his performance.

Before I digress into a little personal reflection on Elvis I wanted to examine the effect that Elvis had on the music charts.  Things were still “business as usual” in 1954.  Joan Weber had the first number one song of the year with “Let Me Go Lover.”  Only two rock and rollers made the number one hit list, Bill Haley (Rock Around the Clock and Pat Boone (Ain’t That A Shame).  At this stage Elvis was just bubbling under. The public was still buying songs like the one that follows:


Then in 1955 Presley made his move.  Dean Martin was still hanging around with a number one hit called  “Memories are Made of This.”  In February Kay Starr hit the top slot with “Rock and Roll Waltz.”  What were they thinking?  The Platters had a great year with a couple of monster hits, “The Great Pretender” and “My Prayer.”  Elvis hit number one on the Billboard chart 4 times with “Heartbreak Hotel,” “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You,”  “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “Hound Dog.”  The Elvis train was rolling.


In ’57 Elvis 4 of the top songs of the year including “Too Much,” “All Shook Up,” “Teddy Bear,” and “Jailhouse Rock.”  By the way, one of the most dominant artists from those early 1950s singers is frequently left out of the conversation.  In fact, when time permits I want to revisit this subject and shine the spotlight on Pat Boone.  From 1955-1959 Elvis was the indisputable king of the charts.  But in second place was Pat Boone which was no small accomplishment.


On March 4, 1958 Elvis entered the U.S. Army.  Despite his military status he still managed a couple of number 1 songs in ’58 including “Don’t” and “Hard Headed Woman.”  In ’59 he scored again with “A Big Hunk ‘O Love.


The point of all this chart discussion is to demonstrate Elvis’ domination of the music business.  I would not go so far to say that he alone changed music but he was the most influential figure in bringing about acceptance of rock and roll.

I never met Elvis and I can’t recall ever buying an Elvis record.  That doesn’t mean I didn’t like his music but I wasn’t as fanatical about Presley as many other fans.  However, even though I really didn’t give it much thought at the time, Elvis did have an impact on my life.

My first recollection of Elvis goes back to 1956 when I was 8 years old.  I vividly remember sitting in my grandmother’s kitchen listening to “Love Me Tender” playing on the radio.  I recall my grandmother’s response to hearing the song.  “I like when he sings like that.  He’s a nice young man and I don’t know why they’re making so much of a fuss in the news.”  Even as a teen idol Elvis was able to bridge the demographic gap.  Although he may have been labeled as a teen star he was much more than that.  He was a star for the masses.

I still find it hard to believe that Frank Sinatra said of Elvis, “His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people.”  I can’t help but wonder if Frank wasn’t reeling from the effect of Presley-mania as were many of the music stars who were jolted by the presence of Presley on the charts.  Nonetheless, in 1960, Frank Sinatra hosted the 1960 special, Welcome Home Elvis.  Nancy Sinatra was also on that special with Elvis.  Later, in 1968 she would star with Elvis in his movie, Speedway.  I would imagine that Frank eventually changed his mind about Elvis.


I saw the controversial live performance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show (1956).   Even the media of that day was quick to hype new stories.  For years we have heard that Elvis was only shown from the waist up.  Actually, that never happened.  Full body shots were shown at the beginning and end of the performance.


In 1968, I watched Elvis’ Comeback Special with a bunch of my Navy buddies in a barracks in Honolulu.  It was an awesome show that reignited Elvis’ career.


Then in 1973, my wife and I watched Elvis famous worldwide concert, Aloha from Hawaii.  As we watched from our home in Charlotte, NC, we weren’t alone.  1.5 million people tuned in for the biggest audience ever to watch a single performer on TV.


By 1975 I was working as the Program Director and Morning Personality (along with my radio partner, Kurt Kilpatrick) at WJDX in Jackson, MS.  A deadly tornado had caused considerable damage in the state.  On May 5, 1975 Elvis performed a benefit concert and my radio station was at the forefront of promoting the event.  I even got to meet with Colonel Tom Parker but that was the closest to Elvis I could get.

On the morning of August 16, 1977 Kurt and I were doing our morning radio show when our News Director brought me a news bulletin.  Elvis Presley was dead.   I will never forget that moment.  My reaction and that of our listeners was the same.  It was like a family member had died.


Now, more than 30 years later I’ve gotten into old Elvis movies.  What’s up with that?  I didn’t really care all that much about those flicks back in the day.  But, one more time…Elvis has found a way to get my attention.  How long will his star stay in orbit?