Elvis was a gentleman and an extremely tidy one at that. I remember Sun studios had excellent waste disposal facilities for a studio of its size and Elvis always made sure he disposed of any litter he created in the correct receptacles, which I found extremely obliging.
And was there any indication in the studio that a revolution was occurring? Did people realise that this was something that was going to change music forever?
No, I don’t believe so. I feel those present later knew it was of a different ilk but I’m not sure they realised how much it would actually catch on. I recall Elvis and Scotty Moore, his guitar player, and Sam Phillips, the studio head, were having a conversation about the music and saying they felt it needed something. They were convinced there was a missing element of some kind. I think Elvis said what it needed was some strange sound effects such as laughter and simulated flatulence, his sense of humour always was rather…
Childish?
I was going to say “unsophisticated” but your term will suffice. Mr Phillips was adamant that perhaps the music should be more informative and the lyrics could be replaced with recipes, gardening tips and a rhyming essay which would outline the correct procedure for extinguishing an electrical fire. Mr Moore was convinced that innovative production techniques were required and instead of recording the music as they played it they should stop the tape until they had completed a track and then turn it on quickly and record the echo. There was no consensus and at one point I recall Mr Phillips saying “what do young people yearn for?” or words to the effect, and I said “Sussex” because I was feeling awfully homesick and I do miss the South of England terribly. To my surprise, they considered this an admirable suggestion and Mr Phillips said: “I think he might be on to something.”
Is there any chance they mis-heard you and thought you said something else?
I wouldn’t have thought so, I do enunciate very clearly and I’m known for my excellent diction. And what else could they have thought I said?
Well…something that sounded like “Sussex” perhaps?
No. I’m fairly sure that a large part of Presley’s success can be attributed to the fact that he was singing his songs while thinking of Sussex county in England. The grassy plains are clearly audible throughout his work. It certainly makes me wistful.
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