Before he became the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley was just a teenager with a big dream.
On July 18, 1953, the future music superstar visited the Memphis Recording Service, located at 706 Union Avenue and recorded two songs on a 10-inch acetate disc: “My Happiness” and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin.” The session cost him $3.98, including tax.
He reportedly intended the disc as a belated birthday present for his mother, Gladys Presley. He was greeted by Marion Keisker, an assistant to studio owner Sam Phillips, who helped him make the recording. Keisker is said to have taken note of the young singer, prompting her to write down, “Good ballad singer. Hold” in her notes,” according to History.com.
Presley left the studio with his disc, while Keisker kept his name in mind. At the time, neither could have known just how historic that recording session would become.
In January 1954, Presley returned to the studio to record two more songs: “Casual Love Affair” and “I’ll Never Stand in Your Way.” During that visit, Phillips asked him for his phone number. Just months later, Presley was back in the studio in July 1954, this time with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black.
It was during a break when Presley began playing an upbeat version of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup‘s blues song “That’s All Right,” which caught Phillips’ attention. He had Presley, Moore and Black play it again so he could record it, and just two days later, it became Presley’s first single.
Sun Records released “That’s All Right,” backed by “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” on July 19, 1954. It became an instant regional hit and marked what would be the beginning of Presley’s legendary career.
Presley went on to release several more singles with Sun Records before singing with RCA Victor in November 1955. His first RCA single, “Heartbreak Hotel” was released in 1956, and would end up becoming his first song to top the Billboard pop charts.
It was followed up by more enormous hits like “Hound Dog”/”Don’t Be Cruel” that same year, along with “All Shook Up” and “Jailhouse Rock” in 1957.
Related: 1958 Elvis Presley Movie, With a 96% Rotten Tomatoes Score, Became His Highest-Rated Film
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