Last Sunday, an Associated Press story appeared in the entertainment sections of many American newspapers. It was titled AUDIO ARCHIVES – Library of Congress picks 50 Recordings To Save For Posterity. There was a list of the 50 selections, which I immediately scanned before reading the article itself. I wanted to see what recordings from the fifties they included. There were three: “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Jerry Lee Lewis, “Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino, and “That’ll Be The Day” by Buddy Holly and The Crickets.
I love all three of these songs, and still have the original 45’s of each that I purchased as a teenager. However, instead of being happy at their selection for this honor, I was annoyed. Even though I didn’t know what the National Recording Registry was all about, it just seemed like there should be an Elvis song in it. At that point, I figured I’d better read the article.
This quickly revealed that 2006 is the fifth year of these selections, so it figured Elvis certainly had to be in the previous groups. This prompted a visit to the Library of Congress website for a complete look at the whole National Recording Registry thing. The Library of Congress has registered recordings since 2002 that are culturally, historically or aesthetically important. The Librarian of Congress, who makes the selections, certainly thinks it is a big deal. He proudly states, “The National Recording Registry represents a stunning array of the diversity, humanity and creativity of our sound heritage.”
These honored recordings are not limited to just music. Here’s a sample of some non-musical items: FDR’s “Fireside Chats,” “Who’s On First “ by Abbott and Costello, the first official trans-Atlantic telephone conversation in 1927, Martin Luther King’s speech “I Have A Dream, and “Casey At The Bat” by DeWolf Hopper, who recited the poem over 10,000 in performances.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library with 126 million items, including 500,000 LP’s, 450,000 78-RPM discs, 200,000 CD’s and 100,000 cassettes. Now that’s what I call a record collection.
And, yes, Elvis is included in the National Recording Registry. His complete output from the 1954 and 1955 Sun Records recording sessions was honored as a group in the inaugural listing in 2002. So my initial fear that Elvis didn’t receive the recognition he deserved turned out to be unfounded.
Similar recognition to other fifties’ songs has been rather limited. Besides the titles mentioned above, the only other fifties’ songs honored so far are: “Earth Angel” by the Penguins, “Roll Over Beethoven” by Chuck Berry, and “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles. That leaves a lot of great tunes to be honored in future years. It will probably be a long wait, but someday we should see “Heartbreak Hotel added to the National Recording Register. If the Library of Congress ever starts a National Video Register, Elvis doing “Hound Dog” on the Milton Berle Show is a cinch to make the inaugural list.
© 2006 Philip R Arnold www.elvisblog.net
ELVIS COMMENTARY MINI-NUGGETS — # 1
There were a few Elvis items in the news recently, and they have interesting aspects to mention in this week’s blog.
Graceland was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service, joining a select list of 2300. That actually sounds like a lot, so I wondered why it took so long for Graceland to get the honor. A little research on the internet gave some answers. There is a lesser category called the National Register of Historic Places, which has over 79,000 designations. Graceland has been on this list since 1991. Historic Places are primarily of state or local interest and significance.
Two of the criteria for elevation to Historical Landmark status are that a property achieves national significance in American history and culture, and that it illustrates the nationwide impact of the person associated with the property. Graceland certainly meets these standards. It appears that the delay in getting the Historic Landmark recognition was this rule: “Properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years are not eligible for designation.” Well, Elvis bought Graceland in March 1957, so I guess it just got past that hurdle. By the way, Sun Records Studio was designated a National Historic Landmark on July 31, 2003, just 50 years after Sam Phillips changed the name of his company from the Memphis Recording Service to Sun Records.
A few weeks ago Elvisblog paid homage to the late Charlie Hodge. Recently I found an interesting little tid-bit on him while surfing Elvis-related web sites. Do you know which room was Charlie’s when he lived at Graceland all those years? It was one of several downstairs bedrooms occupied by various members of the Memphis Mafia. Most are being used for storage now. If you take the Graceland tour again, make a note when you enter the yellow-and-blue “TV Room.” The blue door to the left is Charlie’s old room. At least he didn’t have far to go when the parties were over and it was time to go to bed.
On Monday, March 27, the PBS series Antiques Roadshow broadcast from Los Angeles. One of the featured items was a collection of clothes from the late designer Nudie Cohn. Does that name sound vaguely familiar? Congratulations, if you knew Nudie was the man who designed Elvis’ famous Gold Lamé Suit. This creation rocketed Nudie to stardom and cemented his place in fashion history. He is also given credit for being the first designer to put rhinestones on the outfits of country music singers, which led to the term Rhinestone Cowboy. Nudie has an interesting website. Go to www.nudiesrodeotailor.com to check it out.
Last week’s article was about the Johnny Cash movie “Walk The Line.” Here’s a strange little fact. Remember the actor who played Arnold Schwarzenegger’s nemesis in Terminator 2? His name is Robert Patrick. Well, thirteen years later, looking older and heavier, he played Johnny Cash’s father in “Walk the Line.” Last summer he also played Elvis’ father in the CBS TV mini-series “Elvis.” If they ever do a movie about Carl Perkins, maybe Robert Patrick can play his dad, too.
© 2005 Philip R Arnold www.elvisblog.net
Leave a comment
Posted in ELVIS COMMENTARY MINI-NUGGETS