It earned him his first Grammy nomination, for Best Country & Western Recording, and was subsequently recorded by over 100 performers including Elvis Presleyin 1969at his legendary American Sound Studios Sessionsin Memphis.
Q : Johnny, tell us a small bit about your career, how you got started.
A : I'm originally from Jacksonville, Florida. And there was a schoolteacher that lived in Jacksonville, Florida, who wrote songs, Mae Axton, and she would later write, along with my steel guitar player Tommy Durden, a song called Heartbreak Hotel. I had a local television show, and I'd heard so often about how nice Mae was as far as lending a helping hand to singers that had dreams. And Mae said, 'You love what would be great? This television picture is capital that you're doing, but', she said, 'would you wish to be the opening act on every big show that we bring to Jacksonville?
That would be every big country show, every big rock-n-roll show. There won't be any money in it, but I guess you could take a lot'. So I would give up the shows, and, sometimes there would be shows starring Faron Young or the Wilburn Brothers, and, some of the big rock-n-roll shows.
And Mae came to me one day and she said, 'Now Johnny, there's a big show coming to town, and unfortunately we won't be capable to use you as the opening act'. I said, 'Well why is that, Mae?' And she said, 'Well, there's this new fellow, he's from Memphis, his name's Elvis Presley'. And I said, 'What sort of a key is that?' I'd never heard of a figure rather like it. 'And so he's gonna be the opening act. And this tour, by the way, that's gonna come to Jacksonville is gonna start in Texas. So he's gonna open up, he's gonna do like, three or four songs, and so we won't require you. And. you gotta understand we're paying Elvis and the band. So we take to use him'. I said, 'Well, if you're paying him, sure'. And they were paid him 50 dollars. And that had to cover everything: the hamburgers, the Krystal hamburgers, the gas for the pink Cadillac and everything. But I did get to touch him. And from that identical minute of meeting him, our friendship began. So I started, really wanting to do very much like Elvis. We both had country music backgrounds, and we both loved gospel music, and we were recognized by rock-n-roll and country audience as well. So I started there and haven't stopped.
Q : Tell us about your first encounter with Elvis. What was it like?
A : The meeting that I wish the most, I had a radio show, a high school radio show. In those years you would play songs for teenagers, okay. And so the other disc jockeys, they would play more adult songs, but these were our songs. And, um, so let's see, 'That's Alright Mama' had come out and 'Gentle Moon of Kentucky' and 'I Don't Worry If the Sun Don't Shine'. And Zen was passing to be in Jacksonville, so I, without thinking, told my hearing that I'd get an audience with Elvis. By that time, 'Baby Let's Play House' had come out. And Elvis wasn't quite that accessible, because the contract was all round him. So I was in a jam. And he knew me and I knew him, and I said 'How can I get his attention?' 'Cause I'd promised my audience an audience on tape. In those days you had a small tape machine. And so while he was doing his consultation with the press, the journalists, I caught his eye and I went 'Whoop baby baby ba-ba-ba-babee, baby baby baby boom-boom-boom-boom'. And he said 'Ho-ho-ho-hold it. Johnny. Whaddaya want?' I said 'I need only a short interview', he said 'Lemme get finished here and we'll do it'. And, he was always that way to me.
Courteous. Full of fun. That's one of the other meetings.
Q : When you recorded It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin', did you see any feedback from Elvis about the song?
A : Well, I wrote It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin' and it was a real personal song and I really wasn't gonna record it. Maybe I was only a little too near to the song. But Archie Blyer, my producer and the Everly Brothers' producer, he heard me work the strain and he said, 'Now that's a real song'. And so we cut in Nashville just like Elvis, and also, we used a lotta the same players. And it was always exciting cutting with the Jordanaires and Floyd Cramer and all those particular players, because they were so enthusiastic and so supportive. And the way the song got to Elvis, Elvis was in Germany and he'd heard them bring my version on the wireless when he was shining up those tanks and all that stuff. And I met with George Klein, who's ever been a buddy of mine, and I sent an album, over to George to commit to Elvis. It had a strain on there called 'Dreamy Eyes'. And as you know, Elvis liked the Ink Spots, especially Bill Kenny. For example, when Elvis sang 'Are You Lonesome Tonight', he would say, 'I question if you're lonesome-' Well that's kinda from 'If I Didn't Care'. Ya know? Everybody has heroes; Elvis was ever my hero. And so, I had sent him 'Dreamy Eyes' because Priscilla had the prettiest eyes. I only thought, fall-down beautiful eyes. And he did too; he liked the song.
But he had, he'd ever heard It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'. So when he went to Memphis to do 'From Elvis in Memphis', he just decided he cherished to do it. And 112 people recorded the song, and I know every one of them, but when I got the word that Elvis had recorded It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin', I was ecstatic. And one of the decent things, when I'd be appearing in Las Vegas, for example, Joe Esposito, his mighty hand man, and sometimes Colonel Parker and all the guys, they would run every courtesy to me and they would always tell Elvis 'Johnny's in the audience'. And Elvis would be gracious enough to present me sometime, he'd go 'Well it- James. Well it continue right on hurtin', as you gone.'. And, so, that meant a lot.
Another thing about Elvis Presley is. I never saw anyone that had such joy and love for music, and had such a full time, and didn't take himself terribly serious on stage. I suppose that's why so many of the men could refer to him as well, you know, as good as all the ladies. But he was also always so courteous. I would have friends up and he would all say, and I don't think this every goes outta style, 'Yes ma'am, no ma'am'. He gave my daughter, Kelly, gave her one of the teddy bears. And, one of my favorite treasures from Elvis is a signed picture that says 'To Johnny with jazz and respect, Elvis Presley'. And, so it was only a big thing.
Q : So with Elvis, did you talk mainly about music when you would get together?
Do you think any funny things that Elvis did?
A : Well, Elvis always took time in the dressing room, I usually let him just talking about whatever he cherished to speak about. Sometime he would talk about karate. Sometime he'd talk about his stage clothes. One time we were seated adjacent to each other, I believe in the dressing room, and he had a large sense of temper and I accidently kept hitting his leg. And he thinking that was funny. I was embarrassed.
But he was only the nicest person. He's everything you'd want your hero to be.
Q : Do you experience any memories of the Singer '68 special with Elvis?
Q : When was the start sentence you saw Elvis on television?
A : The start time I saw him on video was on the Dorsey Brothers show. And I cherished the good to be better, because I was exploited to the Scotty and Bill sound. I loved the original Sun sound, and so I loved the Nashville sound. I'll never leave my bass player, Ken Hodges and we had seen Elvis and we were curious how Scotty and Bill, well actually how Bill Black got that hums tune, because most people played bass hums tune. And Dot and Scotty and Neb had already put the bass up on the pink Cadillac and strapped it down, and we, Ken and I, we went over to talk to them and we asked 'em how it was through and this is how people did things in those days. They took the deep down, unzipped it, and Bill said, 'Well, you slap it with the game of your hand'. He said, 'Now real purists will likely say that that's not the way to play bass, but that's how we get Elvis' sound'. And I liked the fervor of Superman when he'd break strings, and, he had a good time. And of course Scotty Moore. And so later that, I've been a James Burton fan forever.
Q : What were your favorite Elvis films?
A : Now see if I say I liked them all, nobody's gonna believe that. But I liked a lotta the fun musical ones. I liked 'Blue Hawaii'. I liked 'Viva Las Vegas', 'G.I. Blues', I liked 'King Creole'. I liked his real first movie, which was critical, 'Love Me Tender', because up until that stop people weren't convinced that, it's weird, they didn't believe he could sing ballads, remember? I think they knew he could do all the other stuff. But he could.
Q : The final meeting that you had with Elvis, anything that was very particular about that?
A : The final meeting I had with Elvis was in the rooms upstairs. He invited me to get up after the appearance and, hang out, and Get Low was there. I loved Get Low. Get Low was Elvis' chow dog. I don't live who created the most attention, Elvis or Get Low, but when you put 'em together it was truly something. But Get Low was heavy and Dot and I had a prospect to speak about music and just it was very relaxed. It was always fun.
Q : What do you remember there is about Elvis that made him so unique?
A : The fact that he was unique. He was only himself. And God gave him a very rare gift. And, not alone was he talented, he was great looking. Y'know. You never saw anyone that looked like Elvis. I liked a lot of his movies because they give you look good. And sometime today some of the movies don't ever give you look good.
Q : What is it about Elvis that you'd care to say his fans? Do you own a message?
A : I never know just what I'm gonna say around him. But his fans, and I am one of his fans, very loyal. And his music never ever is outdated. Because he was an innovator on so many levels. Whether it be 'Instant in the Chapel', a gospel song, some of the big gospel songs that he exploited to do on stage, 'How Great Thou Art', or 'That's Alright Mama', or the matter about Elvis Presley that communicates with his fans is his longevity and the way he impacted all of our lives on every level. I can recall at a New Year's Eve party, there was a girl I wanted to dancing with and it'd take to be a slow dance. Matter of fact, I sent off to Arthur Murray to get these small steps, you'd put 'em on the floor. And they didn't come until the day, before the dance. So I couldn't do any fast dancing or anything fancy. But the dim ones I kinda got, so I loved dancing to 'I Was the One'. And so I suppose he impacted our lives on all kinds of levels. And that's why we all love Elvis.
Q : I know Elvis' fans love you too, and thanks a lot for being here and sharing your memories about Elvis.
A : It's my pleasure.
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