Heartbreak Hotel: Discovering The King!

It was 1956 and I about 13 years old. Sitting with my friend Sue at Margies Cafe in Runnymead. Probably drinking a Coke and eating some chips...the Jukebox was playing. 
Suddenly, the words..."Well, since my baby left me..." resonated through the speaker. The voice was powerful and smooth. I remember all the hairs on my neck standing on end and my friend and I looking at each other as this incredible song played. We were intrigued and had to know 'Who is this?" 

That was when I first heard Elvis (or Elvis Pelvis as we called him at the time!) The song, of course, was Heartbreak Hotel. The memory of hearing it has always stayed with me. We all have those moments with music, don't we? 

In recent times, whilst recording the 'Elvis where are you?' track, I have been reading about Elvis and his career. Elvis cut Heartbreak Hotel, two days before his 21st birthday and it was released 27th January 1956. It spent six weeks at No.1 in the Pop Charts but also seventeen weeks in the Country and Western Chart. It spent time in the R&B charts. Elvis was always able to transcend across so many genre's, I think this is why he is so loved and such a worldwide, timeless star. 

The song was written by Tommy Durden and Mae Boren Axton, with credit also given to Presley. Inspiration for the song, with its ever so Bluesy style, was based a newspaper article about the suicide of a lonely man who jumped from a hotel window. A rather dark concept but I guess it explains the songs 'haunting' vibe.

It certainly is up there in Presley's repertoire and I would say is one of my all-time favourites. In 1995 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2004 Rolling Stone magazine called it one of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". It is also included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".
I quite agree!

Although at the time, I would have been considered a Mod, in the late 50's UK music scene, I always loved and found inspiration from Rock N Roll. I even sported a 'Ducktail' hairstyle which was all the rage at the time. 

Though my career has given me the great opportunity to work alongside many legends, unfortunately Elvis Presley was never one of them. Many will know that, incredibly, he never performed in the UK. I read that he did set foot in the UK once though. It was Prestwick Airport, on the way back from Germany and his Military service. I have to simply settle for memories of hearing his music as a young teen and how it inspired me, my peers and our generation.

Do you remember when you first heard the King of Rock n Roll? If so, what is your favourite song?

I will be discussing all things Elvis, later this week on Todd Slaughter's Elvis Hour on the famous Radio Caroline 10th Sept from 8pm GMT Chatting about my single"Elvis where are you" Tune in @radiocaroline on the Flashback channel.