That's All Right
Written by Arthtur Crudup
Song
sample
The big one! An obvious choice to record as this was the first single Elvis cut in this very room 50 years ago.
The session itself was so much fun that it was easy to forget whereabouts we were recording. James, Dave, and Pete have recorded at Sun Studios many, many times so there was no sense of 'occasion' to the night. We were there to work.
But every so often I'd look up at the wall as I was playing, scarcely able to believe that here I was standing in the same room where it had began all those years ago. And not just Elvis Presley; Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison had all stood within these four walls as young men hoping to make their mark upon the world.
There is a piece of black tape that marks the spot where Elvis stood when he recorded a song. Sam Phillips had him facing away from the control room door as he didn't want his artists distracted by what was going on behind the window when a song was being cut.
I made certain I was standing on 'the spot'....
(Above): Recording 'That's Alright Mama' standing on 'that spot'.
For the arrangement of the song itself I saw little point in doing a rehash of the Elvis Presley original and so elected to try a more 'bluesy' approach. I had a little guitar riff I'd been using for a few years on various songs that seemed to fit just fine and with Pete and Dave playing fantastic groove-laden rhythm underneath, interspersed with Jame's lead guitar, we created a truly up to date reading of a very old song.
Just me and three other guys in a studio trying to come up with a fresh arrangement for 'That's Alright Mama'...
From the left: Aaron Covington, Mark Wright, Pete Sully, James Lott and Dave Smith
Mark Wright: Vocals/Acoustic Guitar
James Lott: Electric Guitar/Engineer
Pete Sully: Drums
Dave Smith: Bass Guitar
Aaron Covington: Assistant engineer