Presley bought his first guitar at just 11 years old. It is believed that this was Elvis's real goal in life. Seeing that national success, Colonel Tom Parker started to plan an extensive marketing campaign to make his boy the number one attraction in North America.Īll the while, Elvis harboured a secret desire to be a movie star. The song topped Billboard's charts for seven weeks, going to number one on the country & western and R&B charts, and became Elvis's first million selling record. The record company was completely against it, saying nobody would be interested in a song that morbid.Įlvis was unfazed, and recorded it anyway. With his new RCA contract, Elvis insisted on recording a song inspired by the suicide of a lonely man who jumps from a hotel window. So Parker was determined to ride that short wave for all it was worth by marketing Presley in ways no other manager had ever dreamed of. (YouTube) While Colonel Parker instantly understood his young singer was becoming the hottest act around, he also figured his popularity might last two years, at most. The track reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart in December 1965.Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. with top of the chart action anticipated,' after being a 'proven hit' in England. It reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a gold record.īillboard described the Presley's version as a 'slow blues rocker is revived and released in the U.S. It was issued in late 1965 during a period in which his label, RCA Victor, was issuing previously unreleased archival recordings, to make up for the fact Presley was, at the time, recording exclusively film soundtracks (see the 1965 album, Elvis for Everyone! which includes another 1957 outtake and one track dating back to 1954). Presley recorded the track in 1957, but it was not released at that time. In 1966, 'Tell Me Why' was a hit for Elvis Presley. When the song attracted attention, it went on to become a moderate hit for Gale Storm and The Crew-Cuts in 1956 Elvis Presley recording It was a local hit in New Orleans and Texas. The first hit version was by Marie Knight, a black R&B singer, on the Mercury's subsidiary label, Wing. It is a slow, strong rhythm and blues ballad, and has a melody reminiscent of 'Just a Closer Walk With Thee'. ' Tell Me Why' is a popular song, written by Titus Turner in 1956. ' Joshua Fit The Battle (Elvis Presley song)'

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