From Elvis in Memphis is the tenth studio album by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released by RCA Records on June 2, 1969. It was recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis in January and February 1969 under the direction of producer Chips Moman and backed by its house band, informally known as the Memphis Boys. Following the success of Presley's TV special Elvis and its soundtrack, the album marked Presley's return to non-soundtrack albums after the completion of his film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Presley's entourage convinced him to leave the RCA studios and record this album at American Sound, a Memphis studio at the peak of a hit-producing streak. The reason was for the southern soul sound of the aforementioned group going by the name of Memphis Boys. The predominance of country songs among those recorded in these sessions gave them the feel of the "country soul" style. This impression was emphasized by the frequent use of the dobro in the arrangements.
From Elvis in Memphis was released in June 1969 to favorable reviews and attracted international attention. It reached number 13 on the Billboard 200, number two on the country charts and number one in the United Kingdom, and its single "In the Ghetto" reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1970. In later years, it garnered further favorable reviews, which included the release being ranked number 190 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Background In 1960, after Presley returned from military service, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, shifted the direction of his career from live performances and studio recordings to acting in motion pictures and recording their accompanying soundtracks. In March 1961, Presley performed his last live concert for eight years: a benefit for the construction of the USS Arizona Memorial at Bloch Arena in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. During the first half of the 1960s, three of Presley's soundtrack albums reached number one on the pop charts and a number of his most popular songs were from his films, including "Can't Help Falling in Love" (1961) and "Return to Sender" (1962).
After 1964, Parker decided that Presley should only record soundtrack albums. He viewed the films and soundtracks as complementary, with each helping to promote the other. However, as the quality and commercial success of his films and soundtracks steadily diminished, Presley became increasingly disappointed and frustrated with the quality of his work. From 1964 to 1968, Presley had just one top-ten hit: "Crying in the Chapel" (1965), a gospel song recorded in 1960. During this period, only one album of new material by Presley was issued: the gospel collection How Great Thou Art (1967), which won Presley his first Grammy Award for Best Sacred Performance.
In 1968, Parker arranged a deal with NBC for a Christmas television special starring Presley in front of a live audience. Parker originally planned to have Presley sing Christmas carols only, but the producer, Steve Binder, convinced Presley to perform songs from his original repertoire. The high ratings received by the NBC special and its accompanying RCA Victor LP re-established Presley's popularity. During the making of the special, Presley said to Binder: "I'll never sing another song that I don't believe in, I'm never going to make another movie that I don't believe in." As part of his decision to concentrate on music rather than films, Presley decided to record a new album.
Recording Presley left his usual musicians and studios (Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California and RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee), recording new material in Memphis. After the special he approached Scotty Moore and D. J. Fontana, who had played with Presley during his early hit-making career, and who rejoined him on the television show. Presley asked Moore about using Music City Recorders in Nashville, but that suggestion never came to fruition.
During a January 1969 meeting at Graceland, Presley told RCA Victor producer, Felton Jarvis, that he did not want to record his next album at RCA Studios. Two of Presley's friends, DJ George Klein and Marty Lacker, suggested that he use American Sound Studio, an up-and-coming studio with which Lacker was involved. RCA contacted the studio's producer Chips Moman. Willing to work with Presley, Moman postponed a session with Neil Diamond after being asked to produce the sessions with Felton Jarvis as second producer. It was agreed that Presley's recordings would take ten days and cost $25,000. He would be backed by the studio's house band, the 827 Thomas Street Band (informally known as the Memphis Boys), which consisted of Reggie Young on guitar, Tommy Cogbill and Mike Leech on bass, Gene Chrisman on drums, Bobby Wood on piano, and Bobby Emmons on organ.
Although at that time, RCA Records company policy was to record only in their own studios, the label sent their personnel to American Sound. Recording began on January 13, 1969, when Presley arrived at the studio nursing a cold. In addition to his personal entourage, Presley was accompanied by Hill & Range publisher Freddy Bienstock, Colonel Parker's assistant Tom Diskin, producer Felton Jarvis, executive Harry Jenkins and engineer Al Pachucki, representing RCA Records. With Pachucki on the board, American Sound engineer Ed Kollis joined the musicians on harmonica. The session, which produced recordings of "Long Black Limousine", "Wearin' That Loved On Look" and several non-album songs, continued until 5:00 am. After the first day's recording, Moman and his colleagues expressed discomfort with the size of Presley's entourage, and Presley was accompanied by fewer people for the remaining sessions.
The next day Presley recorded "I'm Moving On" and "Gentle on My Mind", leaving the studio while working on the latter to rest his throat. The following night, he did not appear, as his cold worsened, and on January 15 and 16 the house band recorded backing tracks for subsequent sessions. Presley returned on January 20, recording "In the Ghetto" in 23 takes and finishing the vocal track for "Gentle on My Mind". On January 22, he recorded Eddy Arnold's "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)" and the non-album single "Suspicious Minds". Presley then took a break from recording for a vacation trip to Aspen, Colorado to celebrate his daughter Lisa Marie's first birthday.
During Presley's absence, Moman was approached by Bienstock, who was concerned about possible future disputes concerning the songs' publication. Moman and Presley decided not to record Hill & Range compositions, instead using songs by American Sound writers. Bienstock, particularly interested in the non-album "Suspicious Minds" and "Mama Liked the Roses", warned that Moman would have to surrender the publishing rights to release the songs. In response, Moman told Bienstock to take all the recordings and leave the studio. RCA Records vice-president Harry Jenkins interceded, siding with Moman and ordering Bienstock to stay away from the studio and let Presley work with the staff. Meanwhile, Diskin informed Presley about the publishing issues. Presley supported Moman, assuring Diskin that he and the producer would handle the session work. Diskin contacted Parker, who told him to return to California. Moman retained the publishing rights, and the sessions were scheduled to resume several weeks later.
Presley returned on February 17, recording "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road" and "Power of My Love", and Eddy Arnold's "After Loving You" and "Do You Know Who I Am?" the following day. On February 19, he devoted most of the session to the non-album single "Kentucky Rain", one of the few Hill & Range songs used on the American Sound recordings. Presley followed with a recording of "Only the Strong Survive", a hit for Jerry Butler the previous year, which took twenty-nine takes. On February 20, he recorded Johnny Tillotson's "It Keeps Right on a Hurtin'" in three takes and "Any Day Now" in six. Presley's final session was on February 22, when he recorded vocal overdubs for "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road" and "Power of My Love" and vocals for several non-album cuts. The following month, Mike Leech and Glenn Spreen began work on the string and horn overdubs to finish the album; several brass overdubs were recorded by the Memphis Horns.
Music Moman moved away from the usual Presley pop recordings aimed at an established audience. A developer of the Stax Records sound, he incorporated a Memphis sound integrating soul, country, gospel and rural and electric blues. Many arrangements lean heavily on the rhythm section, with lesser contributions from strings, brass and woodwinds. Arrangers Glenn Spreen and Mike Leech changed Presley's image on the tracks with the addition of violas, cellos and French horns. The arrangers intended to blend the tracks for a distinctive sound; the strings are used in counterpoint, rising when the track fades and vice versa. The violas play the same lines as the French horns, with cello used for darker tones. Syncopation was incorporated by bowing.
The twelve tracks on the album were selected from thirty-four which were recorded in the American Sound sessions. The first song, "Wearin' That Loved On Look" features an electric bass lead for the first time in a Presley recording. The second is "Only the Strong Survive", with Presley backed by bass and drums. He plays piano on the third track, the country song "I Hold You in My Heart ('Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)". Presley's voice is roughened by a cold on the fourth song, the country-rhythm-and-blues "Long Black Limousine" featuring a trumpet solo. The fifth song, Johnny Tillotson's traditional country-western "It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin'", was arranged to sound more like Memphis soul. Side one ends with a version of Hank Snow's country-western "I'm Moving On" with a strong bass line and driving rhythm.
Side two begins with Florence Kaye and Bernie Baum's "Power of My Love". The song has a blues-based sound, with Presley backed by a brass section, drums, an electric guitar, and organ. The lyrics include double entendres ("Crush it, kick it / You can never win / I know baby you can't lick it/ I'll make you give in)", with groans by backing female singers emphasizing sexuality. The second track, a cover of John Hartford's "Gentle on My Mind" follows. The string-laden arrangement was inspired by Glen Campbell's 1967 Grammy-winning version of the song. The next song, Eddy Arnold's 1962 hit "After Loving You", is arranged in a 12/8 tempo. Elvis plays guitar throughout the song including the intro. This is followed by Dallas Frazier's "True Love Travels on a Gravel Road" and Chuck Jackson's 1962 hit, "Any Day Now".
The twelfth and final song of the album, selected as a single, is "In The Ghetto", written by Mac Davis. The song was chosen by Billy Strange, who had previously picked material for other Presley sessions. The protest song denounces the consequences of poverty, with compassion for inner-city youth. Because of "In the Ghetto"'s lyrics, controversial for its time, Presley originally did not plan to record the song because he thought it might alienate fans. After Moman said he might give the song to Rosey Grier, Presley's friends convinced him to record it.
The album cover is a still from the "Trouble"-"Guitar Man" production number of NBC's Elvis special. Presley is featured with a red electric guitar, wearing a black leather suit with a red scarf around his neck, with silhouettes of guitar players at the back of the set. From Elvis in Memphis became one of American Sound Studio's best-known productions, with Dusty Springfield's Dusty in Memphis; both albums reflected similar times and musical trends on the Memphis scene.
Release and reception