POPULAR MUSIC AND SOCIETY

2021, VOL. 44, NO. 2, 236–240

AUDIO REVIEWS

The Elvis Presley Connection: 33 Roots and Covers of Elvis Presley, 2019, Various
Artists, CD, Bear Family BCD 17561
The Bill Haley Connection: 29 Roots and Covers of Bill Haley and His Comets,
2018, Various Artists, CD, Bear Family BCD 17531

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were a perfectly imperfect pair. They portrayed The Odd
Couple in the 1968 motion picture version of Neil Simon’s hit Broadway play. To many fans of
rock and roll music, Elvis Presley and Bill Haley seem as mismatched as Lemmon and
Matthau. In what ways were they opposites? Although Elvis was supported on stage and in
the recording studio by guitarist Scotty Moore, bassist Bill Black, and drummer D. J. Fontana,
he was always a singular performing sensation. He was a handsome southern boy from
Memphis via Tupelo. He conquered Billboard’s country, pop, and R&B music charts in 1956,
the year of his 21st birthday. And he reigned as the undisputed King of Rock and Roll until his
death in 1977.
In contrast, the Michigan-born northerner Bill Haley labored alongside obscure country
bands like the Down Homers, the Four Aces of Western Swing, and the Saddlemen during his
twenties. Eventually, he signed a 1954 contract with Decca Records where he found immedi-
ate pop chart success under the guidance of producer Milt Gabler. The Comets, his initial
rock band, consisted of Danny Cedrone (lead guitar), Joey D’Ambrosio (saxophone), Billy
Williamson (steel guitar), Johnny Grande (piano), Marshall Lytle (bass), and Billy Gussack
(drums). They helped Haley launch an impressive rock-and-roll career. By September 1955,
though, the Comets were re-shuffled and re-staffed to include Grande, Williamson, Rudy
Pompilli (saxophone), Al Rex (bass), Ralph Jones (drums), and Franny Beecher (lead guitar).
Unlike Elvis, the band was always central to Haley’s performances.
Between 1954 and 1960 Elvis Presley and Bill Haley competed head-to-head on Billboard’s
pop charts. Bill’s only #1 hit came in 1955 with the legendary version of “Rock Around the
Clock.” Meanwhile, Elvis reeled off 15 #1 singles, beginning with “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956
and ending with “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” in 1960. Bill appeared in a few black-and-
white movies like Don’t Knock the Rock, fronting his band and playing his current hits. Elvis
starred in numerous technicolor extravaganzas like King Creole, flirting with buxom costars
and singing his new songs. Bill’s chart-topping career ended abruptly in 1960, although re-
issues of “Rock Around the Clock” resurfaced among the Billboard ranks in 1968 and again in
1974. Elvis launched a successful television comeback in 1968, became a legendary concert
performer and Las Vegas attraction, and continued to chart hits until his death. As recently as
December 2018 his 1957 version of “Blue Christmas” attained the #40 position on the
Billboard charts. Elvis lives on today through his music. Haley, not so much.
Despite significant differences in hit production, regional upbringing, vocal styles, fan
reception, military involvement, and feature film success, Elvis Presley and Bill Haley shared
several similarities. First, they both adored country music. They particularly appreciated the
recordings of Bob Wills, Bill Monroe, Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, Red Foley, and Hank
Williams. Second, Elvis and Bill freely adopted and adapted lyrics and rhythm patterns
originated by postwar R&B performers. Haley followed the music of Louis Jordan, Jackie
Brenston, Joe Turner, and Little Richard; Presley was attracted to the sounds of Junior Parker,
 POPULAR MUSIC AND SOCIETY 237

Lloyd Price, Roy Brown, Arthur Crudup, and Ivory Joe Hunter. Third, Elvis and Bill both
recorded successful cover versions of “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” and “Rip It Up,” ensuring that
Joe Turner and Little Richard were validated as rock royalty. Fourth, Elvis and Bill both
placed multiple recordings on Billboard’s R&B charts. Presley had 35 and Haley had five.
Fifth, while they each produced recordings that were purchased by country music listeners,
neither Elvis nor Bill was embraced by other traditional country artists, country disc jockeys,
or Nashville executives within the country music establishment. The Hillbilly Cat and the
former leader of the Saddlemen were effectively ex-communicated from the beloved music of
their childhoods. Finally, both Elvis and Bill were enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame, where they are currently hailed as founding fathers of the rock idiom. Based upon these
linked interests and parallel achievements, it seems fitting that Bear Family compiler Marc
Mittlelacher and liner notes authors Chris Gardner and Helmut Radermacher should explore
the roots and covers of rock’s most fascinating odd couple, Elvis Presley and Bill Haley.
The Elvis Presley Connection examines 33 songs that were recorded by Elvis between 1954
and 1958. The performers of these tunes are either the original recording artists or would-be
hitmakers who sought to cover hits established by rock’s reigning King. Among the most
interesting roots releases are “Just Because” by the Shelton Brothers, “Tryin’ to Get to You” by
the Eagles, “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins, and “Hound Dog” by Freddie Bell and the
Bellboys. The cover recordings on Connection are more numerous, but less infectious. They
include “Too Much” by Dorothy Collins, “Heartbreak Hotel” by Hank Smith (a.k.a. George
Jones), “Don’t Be Cruel” by Jerry Lee Lewis, and “Paralyzed” by Mickie Most and His
Playboys. Many of the cover releases were issued on low-budget labels like Embassy and
Top Hit Tunes. Some were audition ventures by young British-born artists like Colin Hicks
and Vince Taylor. And a few were Sam Phillips-mandated copies of prior Elvis Sun Records
hits. Examples include “So Glad You’re Mine” by Sonny Burgess and “Mystery Train” by
Vernon Taylor.
It’s especially intriguing to note the huge impact of compositions crafted by white R&B
songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller upon Elvis Presley’s early recording period. Among
the Leiber and Stoller tunes assembled for Connection are “Hound Dog,” “Love Me,”
“Jailhouse Rock,” “Hot Dog,” “(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care,” and “Trouble.”
Only Otis Blackwell, the talented black R&B composer who played a key role in Jerry Lee
Lewis’s rise to stardom, comes within shouting distance of the Leiber and Stoller song
monopoly. Blackwell contributed three important tunes – “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Paralyzed,”
and “All Shook Up” – to this collection. While a few of the roots and cover performances are
intriguing, particularly Roy Hamilton’s enthusiastic rendition of “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down
and Cry Over You,” the majority of the recordings sampled are lackluster and pedestrian.
Beyond demonstrating the obvious – that Elvis Presley exerted remarkable vocalizing and
rhythmic influence on a new generation of singers – the tunes assembled for Connection are
incredibly pale, lifeless versions of the King’s monumental performances.
The Bill Haley Connection contains 29 songs that were issued between 1938 and 1961.
These tunes either influenced Bill Haley and His Comets or were copies of the hit recordings
by Haley’s group. The most interesting and revealing roots recordings are “(We’re Gonna)
Rock Around the Clock” by Sonny Dae and His Knights, “Rock the Joint” by Jimmy Preston
and His Prestonians, “Burn That Candle” by the Cues, “Corrine, Corrina” by Big Joe Turner,
and “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five. The cover versions of
Haley’s own hits are invariably less rhythmic than the rocking originals. They include
“Rockin’ Through the Rye” by the Canadians, “Razzle Dazzle” by Ella Mae Morse, and
“Shake, Rattle, and Roll” by Artie Malvin and the Brigadiers. Many of these songs, both
roots and covers, were released on minor labels and never received much airplay. There is
238 AUDIO REVIEWS

very little innovative or inspiring material within this collection. Aside from the stellar
original performances by Little Richard, Joe Turner, and Louis Jordan, this tribute to Bill
Haley flounders.
Were there any other odd couples beyond Elvis Presley and Bill Haley during rock’s early
years? Of course there were. One might point to Pat Boone and Little Richard, or Bo Diddley
and Ricky Nelson, or even Connie Francis and Wanda Jackson as examples. But Elvis and Bill,
as high-profile rock and rollers, deserve much more thorough and thoughtful salutes to their
origins and their covers than these two uneven Connection discs provide. Each man listened
carefully to the radio, jukeboxes, and live music during his youthful years. The unique musical
contribution of Elvis and Bill was their intentional integration of country music and western
swing with jump blues lyrics and R&B rhythms. Together, they created white rock and roll.
Granted, Elvis was a world-changing figure, while Bill was a relatively short-lived star. To
some extent, youthful appearance and charismatic stage presence made one man an icon and
the other more of a harmless, but hip combo leader. Nevertheless, the country/blues roots of
Elvis Presley and Bill Haley, their remarkable run of memorable rock-and-roll tunes, and
their continuing international recognition justify a more extensive, lively investigation of
their personal musical foundations and their extended audio influences.

B. Lee Cooper
Newman University
ashevillecats1@charter.net
© 2019 B. Lee Cooper
https://doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2019.1698118

The Johnny Otis Show, 1948–1962 2019, Various Artists CD, Jasmine JASMCD 3341

Was it Sun Records impresario Sam Phillips or the Memphis cat Elvis Presley who transformed
R&B music into rock and roll during the 1950s? Or was it the perceptive songwriting team of
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller who drafted infectious R&B crossover hits like “Hound Dog,”
“Kansas City,” “Ruby Baby,” and “Searchin’” who integrated American popular music forever?
Or was it the country-oriented musicians Bill Haley and His Comets who covered and re-
popularized R&B hits like Jackie Brenston’s “Rocket 88,” Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle, and Roll,”
Little Richard’s “Rip It Up,” and the Cues’ “Burn That Candle” that stimulated white teens to
embrace black music? Understandably, several highly influential ’50s black recording stars like
Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, and Bo Diddley might justifiably claim to be the authentic R&B
originators of rock and roll – sans any white assistance. Truthfully, though, one white man
played a key role in shepherding the gradual transition of R&B into rock between 1945 and
1955. Johnny Otis fought to end popular music segregation and became the human bridge to
mid-century R&B/rock integration.
Greek bandleader and percussionist Johnny Otis emerged as a dominant figure in the Los
Angeles night club and popular recording scene immediately following World War II. He
launched his professional career with blues and R&B hits like “Harlem Nocturne” (1945) and
“Midnight at the Barrelhouse” (1949). By the late 1950s he was charting tunes in both Great
Britain and the United States. Among his most successful releases were “Ma (He’s Making
Eyes at Me)” (1957), “Willie and the Hand Jive” (1958), and “Castin’ My Spell” (1959). After
beginning his musical journey with blues and R&B releases, Johnny Otis expanded his
rhythmic playbook to cover mambo tunes, cha-cha numbers, pop standards, novelty songs,
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