The million dollar quartet

Million Dollar Quartet


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Million Dollar Quartet is the name given to recordings made on Tuesday December 4, 1956 in the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The recordings were of an impromptu jam session between Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash.

A musical based on the recording session opened at Chicago's Goodman Theatre on Sept. 27, 2008



The session


The jam session seems to have happened by pure chance. Perkins, who by this time had already met success with "Blue Suede Shoes," had come into the studios that day, accompanied by his brothers Clayton and Jay and by drummer W.S. Holland, their aim being to cut some new material, including a revamped version of an old blues song, "Matchbox." Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records, who wished to try to fatten this sparse rockabilly instrumentation, had brought in his latest acquisition, singer and piano man extraordinaire, Jerry Lee Lewis, still unknown outside Memphis, to play the piano on the Perkins session.
Sometime in the early afternoon, Elvis Presley, a former Sun artist himself, but now at RCA, dropped in to pay a casual visit accompanied by a girlfriend, Marilyn Evans.^[2] He was, at the time, the biggest name in show business, having hit the top of the singles charts five times, and topping the album charts twice in the preceding 12 month period. Less than four months earlier, he had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, pulling an unheard-of 83% of the television audience, which was estimated at 55 million, the largest in history, up to that time. After chatting with Philips in the control room, Presley listened to the playback of the Perkins’ session, which he pronounced to be good. Then he went into the studio and some time later the jam session began. Phillips left the tapes running in order to "capture the moment" as a souvenir and for posterity. At some point during the session, Sun artist Johnny Cash, who had also enjoyed a few hits on the country charts, popped in (Cash noted in his autobiography Cash that it was he who was the first to arrive at Sun Studio that day). As Jerry Lee pounded away on the piano, Elvis and his girlfriend at some point slipped out. Cash claims in Cash that "no one wanted to follow Jerry Lee, not even Elvis"
As the session continued, Phillips spotted an opportunity for some publicity and called a local newspaper, the Memphis Press-Scimitar. Bob Johnson, the newspaper’s entertainment editor came over to the studios accompanied by a UPI representative named Leo Soroca, and a photographer.
The following day, an article, written by Johnson about the session, was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar under the title, "Million Dollar Quartet." The article contained the now well known photograph of Elvis Presley seated at the piano surrounded by Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.

Have anyone seen the musical?
I love these sessions they are very playable.
Anyone else love these sessions?
What are your thoughts?

1. 
   

I think its just wrong that The Man in Black is wearing lime green in your picture...

There was a signed version (3 out of 4 anyway) of that picture (not colorized) on display at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame when I visited a number of years back.

I remember listening to that album, quite nice but (sorry all the Elvis fans) Elvis should have been replaced by the ONE AND ONLY KING OF RnR.... EDDIE COCHRAN (or JOHNNY BURNETTE)!

Eddie Cochran at the Sun studios ???

Seriously, this session is fantastic and, in my opinion, historical. A musical about it ? I do not feel it to speak honestly, but I can be wrong.

Eddie Cochran replacing Elvis in the Million Dollar Quartet? That would be like saying Spanish David should replace Jon at all his family holidays. Certainly Jon's family would enjoy David's company, and might even prefer him to Jon, but at the end of the day, they would probably want Jon back.

Though Elvis had moved on to RCA about a year before, he was still part of the Sun family. The shared experience of Sun Records, the enormity of Elvis' stardom, and the comraderie of four young rockers who found common ground around a piano in the gospel music and standards they performed that day (in addition to some Chuck Berry and Little Richard songs) made for some pretty powerful chemistry. It's a chemistry that could not be duplicated by shoehorning into that quartet a young Okie by way of Minnesota who was seeking his musical fortunes in California.

As big as Elvis was at that point, it's fun to hear how the rest of the guys feel right at home with Elvis. He's still just one of them, even to the up-and-coming Jerry Lee Lewis. The Killer was asked a few years ago what he thought of that photo (the uncolorized version) of everyone gathering around Elvis. He said "I thought 'What the hell is that boy doing at the piano?'"

Two days later, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded the definitive version of Put Your Cat Clothes On, which for some reason, sat in Sam Phillips' vaults until 1964! A lesser quality version was included on Carl's first Sun album, but the one recorded on 6 December 1956 is incredible, and is the version Brian covered on Rockabilly Riot.

As much as it makes me cringe, I would actually like to know more about that musical...

Feel Like A Million Bucks-a-billy

The picture of the Million Dollar Quartet reminds me of a story that I heard from our guide at Sun Studio two years ago:

A a large, b/w version of the picture hangs on one of the walls at Sun. The guide had asked if they ("his" tourists) recognized anybody in the picture, and a woman pointed at Carl Perkins and said, "well, I know that's Bruce Springsteen...."

Anyway, the mere suggestion that Elvis shouldn't have been part of the quartet....


Anders

Let's get a closer look at that pic, shall we?



Ah, that's better...

The Sun tour is amazing (well, for people like us.) It's the first time/place I'd HEARD of the million dollar quartet - the huge pic on the wall blew me away. Bought the CD on the spot. But to be in that place, with that much history... Just thinking about it makes me feel like I need to sit down. Wait. I already am.


(a photo I took at Sun)

Andi wrote:

The Sun tour is amazing (well, for people like us.)

Indeed! I had goosebumps the second I walked in the door. And not because of the aircondition... (well, maybe, 'cos it was a really hot day, and we'd decided to walk all the way from Beale Street, and we were all sweaty from the walk and.... STOP! Sorry... ) Aaaw, I wanna go back!

Tim, my tile guy (who is here right now) was telling me all about this show in Chicago. He said it was UNBELIEVABLE! The musicians are amazing, the venue is small and intimate and his girlfriend who goes to a ton of Broadway shows said it was the second best show she'd ever seen. The link below has a 30 second clip.

http://theatreinchicago.com/playdetail.php?playID=2942

LOL DAVID!! Good example honestly, but that's the way I feel it. I obviously talk from the point of view of a non Elvis fan and to be honest, I never understood why he is called the King of RnR when, in my humble opinion, J Burnette or Eddie Cochran are by far much better... but well, t's just a matter of taste.

It's not my intention to offend any of the in here present Elvis' fans

Andi wrote:

Let's get a closer look at that pic, shall we?



Ah, that's better...

The Sun tour is amazing (well, for people like us.) It's the first time/place I'd HEARD of the million dollar quartet - the huge pic on the wall blew me away. Bought the CD on the spot. But to be in that place, with that much history... Just thinking about it makes me feel like I need to sit down. Wait. I already am.


(a photo I took at Sun)

I personly know a guy who recorded an album in the original sun studio some years ago. He told me that if you like and feel the magic of rockabilly, and you visit the SUN studio you feel like katholics feel if they meet the pope or even god.
here's his website
www.chrisaron.com

Thanks for your thoughts.
Thanks Beth Ann, i checked the video out.
Is there a set list somewhere of the songs they play in this musical?
Did they just play hits like the 'Blue Suede Shoes' segment there, or do they actually play some of the mainly religious songs like in the original sessions?

We've got tickets for the show tomorrow night. I'll let you know!

BethAnn wrote:

We've got tickets for the show tomorrow night. I'll let you know!

Shouldn't you be baking??

I have warm gingersnaps (with just the perfect amount of spices) and chocolate whopper cookies cooling on my counter. Please!

ha ha ha you'l have to watch the calorie's in the old chocolate cookie's then dont't be eatin too much
of them there rasckle's

Went to the show last night and loved it. Tim told me Jerry Lee Lewis (Levi Kreis) is worth the price of the ticket and I agree. He was beyond talented and hilarious. As a matter of fact, it got announced this week that the show will hit Broadway in the Spring of 2010.

Here's the song list:

Blue Suede Shoes
Real Wild Child
Matchbox
Who Do You Love?
Folsom Prison Blues
Fever
Memories are made of this
That's All Right
Brown Eyed Handsome Man
Down By The Riverside
Sixteen Tons/My Babe
Long Tall Sally
Peace In The Valley
I Walk the Line
I Hear You Knockin'
Party
Great Balls of Fire
My Baby Left Me
Riders in the Sky
See You Later, Alligator
Whole Lottta Shakin' Goin' On

Steve, if you hadn't started this thread, I would have never gotten tickets so thanks!

BA

Glad to be of assistance! And the show sounds great.

Seems a shame that they haven't kept to the original songs though....because i thought the special note about this original performance was (a) Four giants of the music business jamming together (b) in a spontenious collection of mostly UNKNOWN religious songs (c) where the 'hits' weren't important, it was the union and harmony and performance that was important. The fact that they were singing with passion the songs that meant a lot to them. Elvis was at his peak - he could have sung 'Hound Dog' or don't be cruel' but they all chose to sing gospel songs instead.
But.....they have settled for mainly the 'hits'......Disappointing in a way because there are plently of rock n roll musicals where we hear the hits. This was a chance to show another side of these rock legends.
From the clips i've seen, i expect the musical to be a big hit.
Maybe the hits are there to give Jerry Lee more of a limelight role - as it was Elvis who sang most of the original songs.