|
ORIGINAL 1955 FREDDIE BELL 78 - ELVIS' INSPIRATION FOR 'HOUND
DOG'
From the Jan 07-08 RRR Happy Birthday Elvis script:
Although Elvis was familiar with Big Mama Thornton's
raunchy original recording of Hound Dog, he actually picked
up his version from R&R lounge act Freddie Bell & The Bell
Boys when he was in Las Vegas in May of 1956. According to
Peter Guralnick's excellent Elvis bio 'Last Train To Memphis',
Elvis went back night after night to absorb Freddie's version
of the tune and added Hound Dog to his live show right away.
He recorded his version in early July, finally getting a take
he was happy with after a gruelling 31 tries.
I finally found an original 78 of Freddie Bell's interpretation
of Big Mama Thronton's Hound Dog, recorded in early
1955 for the tiny Philadelphia Teen label.
We heard Freddie's version of Hound Dog on the
January 7-08 'Happy Birthday Elvis' Revisited edition
of RRR.
|
