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Most of us are six degrees or less of a celebrity
Did You Know? Elvis's songs were mostly a combination of rhythm and blues and country. He was one of the earliest recording artists to combine the two styles of popular music. He sang both religous gospel type songs such as "Crying in the Chapel" and the R&B song "Mystery Train" with equal high quality.
He bought sex appeal to rock and roll with his swiveling hips and snarl of a sexy lip.
Its true too I Am Three Degrees from Elvis Presley
My Father is Friends with the Widow of the Man Who Wrote the Lyrics to the Elvis Presley Song "Teddy Bear"
By Lynda Appell
Back in the 1950s when Rock and Roll was still fairly new there was a young man from Tupelo ms. He started out recording rockabilly songs.
The youth recorded for a small label, Sun records. One of his earliest recordings was "That's Alright Mama" The original song was written and sung by
the blues singer Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. This would be pretty much the pattern for many of Presley's songs. They would be covers of other artist's
songs or written for him by someone else. He never wrote his own lyrics or music. However he did express the words very expressively. This to me is especially true on his Gospel recordings. Arthur Crudup was African American. Most of the singers of the new Rock and Roll and Rhythm and Blues were black. The music was very much divided into racial lines. R&B and most early R&R were Negro singers and Country was mostly White. Some of these performers were on the Sun label too. Namely Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and What Elvis Presley did was combine the two, R&B and Country to produce Rockabilly. Two years later he went to ABC Victor with his smash hit "Heartbreak Hotel." It was number 1 in 1956 on not only the Rock and Roll charts
but the Country and the Jazz charts too. I think this is one time this ever happened in pop music history.On the negative side, while Presley's "Hound Dog" is still quite popular, I prefer the original bluesey version by Thelma Mae (Big Mama) Thornton. Well no artist is perfect and overall he did produce some great sounds that still rock today.My favorites is "Mystery Train." To me Don't be Cruel and Treat me Nice seem like mirror image titles. Maybe its just me. His music I predict will live on indefinitely. I think rock will be with us for the longest time, if not forever. The other day I listened to a youtube.com recording of Rocket88. This is claimed to be the earliest rock and roll song by rock historians. It was recorded in 1951
and man, it still sounds good. It really rocks!!! The sound reminded me of the the lines from Chuck Berry. "It got a good beat. You can't lose it. Its got tobe rock and roll if you want to dance with me." Rocket88 was recorded by Jackie Brenston and written by the notorious Ike Turner. The father of R&R. There were some show people who deemed Presley's stage performance, particularly his swiveling hips too provocative. Two examples come to mind, Ed Sullivan and Steve Allen. They would mostly film him from the waist up. In other words, people watching their television screens would only see Elvis Presley's swiveling hips and below. He was nicknamed Elvis the Pelvis. The deep South White Citizens Counsel pretty much condemned every R&R and R&B artists including Elvis. They didn't care much for integration in popular music as in integrated groups like the Dell Vickings, and some others. Back in the late 50s when my father with his band Dave Appell and Applejacks with other entertainers including Bill Haley and the Comets and Little Richard Pennimann performed throughout the Southestern US, they received death threats from the local Ku Klux Klan. You can read of this in Dick Clark's memoir. "Rock, Roll and Remember." This next paragraph personally illustrates an example of six degrees of seperation. Do you recall the movie by that title where a young African American man tells a rich white couple he's Sidney Poitier's son. The reality is he's a gay hustler. I'm not saying every gay man is a hustler. Well the wife portrayed by Ms.Stockard Channing mentions how everyone is no more than six degrees from each other. Here's how I am three degress from Elvis Presley. How can I honestly claim I'm two degrees. Well back in 1957 a man by the name of Kal Mann became a lyricist. He was born Kallman Cohen.
Kallman is name from Hungary so I suspect he was of Hungarian descent. One of the songs he wrote was "Teddy Bear" It was recorded, as
most people know, by Elvis Presley. Kal Mann passed away back in 2002 of Alzheimers. He was in his mid 80s. He was a colleague
and good friend of my father, Dave Appell They became writing partners in the 60s for a Philadelphia, PA label Cameo Parkway.
The two of them wrote mostly dance records such as Lets Twist Again, Bristol Stomp and others for Chubby Checkers They also wrote songs for Bobby Rydel,
Orlons such as South St, Don't Hang Up and others. My mother Evelyn Ruth Oxman Appell unfortunately after a 20 year battle with diabetes went home to Heaven due to the diseases complications.
Before she did, she introduced Esther, Kal's widow to my father so she'd know he wouldn't be lonely after she had gone. This was back in
early 2004. Dad and Esther's been together ever since. Besides my mom knew Kal Mann and Esther for decades too. I wonder if Elvis would've slimmed down by now. If his voice would be as expressive as it was in his youth. What he would've thought of Michael
Jackson marrying his daughter. Wonder if my family wouldn't invited him for a quiet evening at home. |
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This intel was contributed by mugwort
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May, 2012
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