On July 18, 1953, Elvis Presley recorded a single at Sun Studio as a gift for his mother's birthday, the Ink Spots' "My Happiness", with "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" on the flipside.[1]
Studio owner Sam Phillips was not there, so Presley's recording was managed by his secretary, Marion Keisker, who kept a demo copy of the recording.[2]
At Phillips' behest Keisker called Presley for an appointment at the studio almost a year later; he returned on June 26, 1954.[3] Although most of the session was not recorded, Phillips was impressed by Presley and introduced him to the country music band Starlight Wranglers' guitarist Scotty Moore, who later introduced Presley to double bass player Bill Black.[4]
Sun recordings
On July 5, 1954, the trio headed to the Sun Studios for a recording test together. They recorded the songs "Harbor Lights" and "I Love You Because", and during a break they performed an impromptu version of Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right", which impressed Phillips, who asked for a refinement of the interpretation that later was recorded.[3]
Phillips played the recording for WHBQ's DJDewey Phillips, who played the song on his regular show next night, on July 8.[5]
On July 9, the trio recorded what became the flipside to "That's All Right", an uptempo rockabilly version of Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky".[6]
The single was released on July 19, 1954,[7] and was a local hit in Arkansas, Mississippi and New Orleans.[4]
Live appearances
Left to right: Scotty Moore (guitar), Bill Black (double bass), D.J. Fontana (drums)
Scotty Moore became the manager of the band, and they toured several cities in the south, the three members still working at their regular employments when not touring.[8] Both Moore and Black focused more on the group after they let Presley perform at the regular Starlight Wranglers show on the Bon Air club, where the reception of the audience was unfavorable, and led to animosity between them and the other members of the group for having to leave the stage.[4]
The Blue Moon Boys appeared on a regular basis at Eagle's Nest club in Memphis, Tennessee.[9] Sam Phillips booked the band an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, which was not well received.[8]
After the failure, Phillips contacted Opry's main competition, the Louisiana Hayride. They made their first appearance on October 16, 1954.[4] Presley sang "That's All Right" followed by the flipside of the record, "Blue Moon of Kentucky". The performance was well received and they signed a one-year contract to be official members of the Hayride,[10] while Presley also signed a new management contract with Bob Neal.[10]
On August 8, D.J. Fontana joined the band as the drummer on a regular basis after having played occasionally with them, the first time in Shreveport and subsequently on tour.[4]
After disputes with Hank Snow's manager, Tom Parker, who booked most of Presley's appearances, Bob Neal turned over the contract to Colonel Parker who became officially Presley's manager on December 15, 1955.[11]
