Elvis Presley’s ‘That’s All Right’ Caused a Radio Station to Get 40 Calls
Elvis Presley‘s “That’s All Right” caused a stir when it was first released in 1954. A contemporary rock ‘n’ roll singer was less impressed with the song. Regardless, it went on to become a standard for later generations of rockers.
Elvis Presley’s ‘That’s All Right’ was born out of a spontaneous moment during a break
According to a 2022 video from the Elvis YouTube channel, record executive Sam Phillips of Sun Records booked a session with Elvis when the singer was trying to break into the industry. Phillips wanted to find the right song for Elvis to sing, but nothing seemed to fit.
During a break, Elvis started singing an uptempo cover of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s blues song “That’s All Right.” Phillips sent the cover to the radio program Red Hot & Blue. The song received an overwhelmingly positive reception and the radio station received 40 phone calls. The tune became a local hit and sent Elvis on the path to showbiz stardom.
B. B. King felt Elvis Presley was copying Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup
Of course, not everyone was impressed with Elvis’ “That’s All Right.” B. B. King was one of the architects of rock ‘n’ roll. According to the 2021 book King of Blues: The Rise and Reign of B. B. King, King looked at the Elvis phenomenon critically. “Elvis was doing Big Boy Crudup’s tunes, and they were calling that rock ‘n’ roll,” he said. “And I thought it was a way of saying, ‘He’s not Black.'” He also dismissed rock ‘n’ roll as “just more white people doing blues that used different progressions.”
Despite this, King felt the “All Shook Up” singer was distinct from other rock ‘n’ rollers at Sun Records, such as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. “Elvis was different,” he said. “He was friendly. I remember Elvis distinctly because he was handsome and quiet and polite to a fault. Spoke with this thick molasses Southern accent and always called me ‘Sir.’ I liked that. In the early days, I heard him strictly as a country singer.”
How ‘That’s All Right’ performed on the charts and impacted musicians and movies
Elvis’ “That’s All Right” came out in 1954. The Billboard Hot 100 did not debut until 1958, so it did not hit that chart. The cover appeared as the opening track of the compilation album Elvis: 2nd to None, perhaps as an acknowledgment that the song was Elvis’ first release. That compilation peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 16 weeks.
“That’s All Right” became an even more prominent part of popular culture through television and cinema. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll performed the song during his ’68 Comeback Special and Baz Luhrmann highlighted the tune in his biopic Elvis. Other acts that have taken a crack at “That’s All Right” include Greta Van Fleet, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, and Chris Isaak.
“That’s All Right” is an incredible cover and Crudup deserves credit for writing the tune.
