In this video, Johnny Cash shows that he could have had another career as an Elvis impersonator. The clip is apparently from 1959 when Cash was 27 years old and touring as an opening act for Elvis Presley.
Before his performance of “Heartbreak Hotel,” Cash clarifies that he is not impersonating Elvis directly. He explains it is “an impersonation of a rock and roll singer impersonating Elvis is what this really is.”
Perhaps he wanted to add the extra layer of making fun of an impersonator rather than Elvis to somewhat insulate himself from making fun of his former colleague at Sun Records. In fact, the two men admired each other, and Elvis Presley even introduced Cash’s future wife June Carter to the wonder of Johnny Cash’s music.
Who is your favorite Elvis impersonator? Leave your two cents in the comments.
The 75-year-old Tom Jones continues to create interesting music, and he is releasing a new album that includes a cover of Gillian Welch‘s “Elvis Presley Blues.” While it may seem unusual for Jones to cover a folk/Americana singer-songwriter like Welch, Jones has always been willing to sing great songs, no matter what the genre.
Jones’s cover of “Elvis Presley Blues” is also interesting because Jones was friends with Elvis Presley. Welch’s song is a tribute to Presley and a lament, as the singer thinks “about the day he died,” comparing Presley’s world-changing shaking to the steel-driving man John Henry. Jones, who also was famous for “shaking it,” seems the perfect person to sing the song. His version and the video featuring Jones watching video of his friend makes the song more personal, adding a new poignancy to the lyrics.
“Elvis Presley Blues” appears on Jones’s upcoming album Long Lost Suitcase. Check out the video for the song.
Long Lost Suitcase, a CD being released as a companion of sorts to Jones’s recent autobiography Over the Top and Back, hits stores December 5. Jones’s website describes the new album as “a catalogue of tracks that have impacted on Tom throughout his legendary career.” What do you think of the new Tom Jones video? Leave your two cents in the comments.
An upcoming album — called If I Can Dream — repackages some classic Elvis Presley recordings into new versions backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Priscilla Presley is the executive producer of the album, explaining in Rolling Stone that the new release likely is an album that Elvis would have wanted to make. The first single is a re-working of the classic “If I Can Dream” from his “1968 Comeback Special.”
We have heard some reworkings of Elvis recordings in recent years with some success like “A Little Less Conversation,” which became a 2002 hit as a remix by Junkie XL. So it is not too surprising to see some other attempts along those lines. The original “If I Can Dream” already featured some orchestra instruments, so it is not too far of a leap to add a little more. So the song does not sound radically different, merely building on what was already there so you can imagine Elvis reworking his catalog with new recordings along these lines. Check it out.
The new album will feature both beloved classics and lesser-known songs. So alongside songs like “Love Me Tender,” “American Trilogy,” and “Burning Love,” we will hear reworkings of “Steamroller Blues,” “Anything That’s Part of You,” and “And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind.” There is also a duet with Michael Bublé on “Fever.”
Priscilla explains that the album’s goal is to keep Elvis current by staying true to his voice. She is already thinking about songs for a second volume. Of course, she knew Elvis and I did not, but listening to “If I Can Dream,” it seems like a tasteful way to keep the King relevant in the new century. If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will hit stores on October 30.
What do you think of the plans for the album: consistent with Elvis’s work or just a money grab? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Wayne Carson, who wrote songs such as “Always on My Mind,” passed away on Monday, July 20, 2015. The 72-year-old Carson, who was born with the name Wayne Carson Head, had been suffering a number of health problems.
Carson wrote or co-wrote a number of great songs such as “The Letter,” which was a hit for The Box Tops and for Joe Cocker, and “She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles),” which was a hit in 1975 for Gary Stewart. But his song “Always on My Mind,” for most people, is the first song that will come to mind.
Johnny Christopher and Mark James, who helped with the bridge of the song, are listed as co-writers, but Carson started writing “Always on My Mind” and finished much of it himself. Since then, more than 300 people have recorded “Always on My Mind,” including a hit version by Willie Nelson in 1982.
Many people first heard “Always on My Mind” from Elvis Presley, who recorded the song on March 29, 1972 as his marriage to Priscilla Presley was falling apart. Presley recorded several excellent songs that capture the anguish he felt during the time, but “Always on My Mind” stands out. Even though he did not write the songs, Presley knew how to tap into his own emotions to reach the depths of a song’s lyrics.
While “Always on My Mind” dwells on a common concept of heartbreak, the lyrics strip bare every ounce of pain in the opening lines of regret. Carson recognized that sometimes the worst regret is not for things that we have done but for things that we did not do.
Maybe I didn’t treat you, Quite as good as I should have; Maybe I didn’t love you, Quite as often as I could have; Little things I should have said and done, I just never took the time. You were always on my mind.
The greatness of the song is revealed by the fact that two of our greatest interpreters of songs — Nelson and Presley — gave moving renditions of “Always on My Mind.” Today, we mourn the loss of Wayne Carson while thanking him for putting beautiful words and music together that help capture the human condition.
What is your favorite version of “Always on My Mind”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Country singer Marty Brown recently performed a live version of the Christmas classic “The Little Drummer Boy.” Accompanied by harmonica and fiddle, Brown shows his great singing voice especially when he takes the song into the higher register. Check it out.
If you want more holiday music from Marty Brown, check out this home recording of “Blue Christmas.” The video is completed by Brown doing his Elvis Presley imitation starting at around the 50-second mark. Check it out below (and for more on Elvis’s connection to “Blue Christmas” check out this story).
What is your favorite version of “The Little Drummer Boy”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
, a CD being released as a companion of sorts to Jones’s recent autobiography 
, hits stores December 5. Jones’s 
— repackages some classic Elvis Presley recordings into new versions backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Priscilla Presley is the executive producer of the album, explaining in 
Wayne Carson, who wrote songs such as “Always on My Mind,” 
