Elvis on the Rise
Recording At Rca
In 1956, two days after Elvis's twenty-first birthday, he first recorded at the RCA studios. Chet Atkins, guitar rock legend, coproduced this session with Steve Sholes, the RCA vice president who had signed Elvis. Everyone was nervous. Elvis needed to record great records that would rocket to the top of the charts and bring in lots of money.
Two of the songs recorded would go on to be some of Elvis's most memorable: “Heartbreak Hotel” and “I Was the One.” “Heartbreak Hotel” was a sort of a gloomy song, and Steve Sholes wasn't sure about releasing it as Elvis's first RCA single. He did, though, and the public loved it. It quickly climbed into the national Top 40 chart, and television offers started to pour in.
Additional topics
- Elvis on the Rise - Stage Show And The First Television Appearances
- Elvis on the Rise - The Man Behind Elvis Presley: Colonel Tom Parker
Musician BiographiesElvis PresleyElvis on the Rise - Good-bye To Sun, The Man Behind Elvis Presley: Colonel Tom Parker, Recording At Rca