There's the added depth and weight to his vocal. 'Make Me Know It', which kicks off Elvis is Back!, immediately signifies that Elvis in the sixties will sound different and that his artistry was in the process of evolving. Elvis falls right in with a driving, playful vocal making absolute mince meat of the stops-and-starts that characterize the number and shaking off any rust accumulated from 21-plus months of being away from the studio. The rest of the band locks into a groove joined by vigorous doo-woping by the Jordanaires with bass singer Ray Walker adding extra oomph. Kicking the tune off with a quick piano run is Cramer.
The first song they tackled, Otis Blackwell and Winfield Scott's 'Make Me Know It', took 20-plus takes to perfect.
Floyd Cramer was in the piano chair on his first RCA session in January of that year.īob Moore and Buddy Harman first recorded with Elvis at his only session while he was in the Army as did Hank Garland, almost universally acknowledged as the finest picker in Nashville at the time. The Jordanaires were no stranger to recording with Elvis and had appeared on virtually every session with him since the landmark Jdate in New York that waxed 'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel.' They soon became an instantly identifiable part of his sound.
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The A Team: guitarist Hank Garland, pianist Floyd Cramer, bassist Bob Moore, drummer Buddy Harman and the quartet harmonies of the Jordanaires, plus longtime collaborators Scotty Moore on guitar and D.J.
Players conversant in country, pop, rock, jazz, you name it. When Elvis got down to business on March 20, he was joined by the cream of the crop in Music City. As a whole, they document Elvis' desire to be a consummate and wide-ranging singer. As the sixties progressed however, the business of cutting records stalled under that increasingly dispiriting industry called the ' Elvis movie' leaving him culturally and musically adrift by the middle of the decade.Īs a lifelong listener and appreciator of Elvis' music, the recordings he made in the early-1960s, particularly the ones made for non-movie albums and singles, represent one of his most significant and important bodies of work. Blues, the ultimate reality tie-in.Īnd thus began the 1960s for Elvis with a dual focus on making music as well as shooting movies. In the LP's gatefold, an announcement was included for his next motion picture, G.I. After a follow-up session on April 3, a new album, titled Elvis is Back! with sleeve also pre-printed and song list subsequently slapped onto the front cover, was in fans' hands five days later.
Needless to say, on March 20, 1960, the anticipation for new music was through the roof.īy March 23, a new single, with sleeve already pre-printed, was out the door. He recorded a mere five sides in Nashville on Jand of those, only four had been released (the fifth, 'Ain't That Loving You Baby', wouldn't see the light of day until 1964). Army, there was a concerted effort to limit the amount of fresh product that would be released while Elvis was in Uncle Sam's employ. Thirteen days later, Elvis Presley entered RCA's Studio B in Nashville for his first recording session in just over 21 months. Now that the Army is part of the past, can you give us any details of some of your future plans.Įlvis Presley: Well, the first thing I have to do is to cut some records. Reporter: Now, to get down the serious side of it, Elvis.