The Song That Started It All: ‘That’s All Right’ and the Meteoric Rise of Elvis Presley
It all started on a hot July night in Memphis in 1954. A 19-year-old Elvis Presley stepped into Memphis’ Sun Studio, nervous and unsure, and changed the world. With Scotty…
It all started on a hot July night in Memphis in 1954. A 19-year-old Elvis Presley stepped into Memphis’ Sun Studio, nervous and unsure, and changed the world. With Scotty Moore on guitar and Bill Black on bass (AKA The Blue Moon Boys! IYKYK!)They launched into an impromptu version of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s "That’s All Right". Uprising Producer Sam Phillips heard it, his ears lit up, and history was made. That single moment sparked a wildfire that would become rock and roll as we know it…and Elvis Mania begins!
As a fan and a rock and roll DJ, I’ll tell you straight: Elvis Presley's "That’s All Right" wasn’t just a hit, t was a cultural explosion. When the Great Dewey Phillips played it on a Memphis radio station, WHBQ, the phones lit up like a jukebox on fire. Kids called in begging to hear it again. Adults didn’t know what hit them. It was blues, country, gospel, and pure electricity rolled into one. And it had a name: Elvis Presley.
This wasn’t a polished pop crooner, no, no! Elvis had swagger, soul, and a voice that cut through the air like a freight train. He wasn’t just singing, he was testifying. Elvis Presley's "That’s All Right" spread from Memphis like gospel, turning Elvis into a regional star almost overnight. Then came the TV appearances, the record deals, and the screams heard around the world.
Sidebar: I was lucky enough to have an up-close, personal, and private tour of Graceland and Sun Studios, and it remains to this day one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
Brittany Rotondo BUT! Beyond the charts and headlines, Elvis reshaped music. He broke barriers: musical, racial, and cultural, and gave rock and roll its sex appeal, danger, and soul. "That’s All Right" was the lightning bolt, and Elvis was the storm. Over 70 years later, we still spin it. Still feel it. Still believe in it. Because that moment in Memphis wasn’t just the birth of a star, it was the birth of a revolution.
LONG LIVE THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL!
Xoxoxox BamBam
