Tell me about your musical background, before you started playing with Elvis. What kind of music you liked, what did you listen to.

Ah, when I was raised my, my dad and three brothers when I was real young they all played together in basically country music. So I got, been indoctrinated into that at home. And, ah, then when I went in the service I started listening to, ah, butter blues, jazz, ah, and, ah, ah, really anything that had a guitar on it was fine with me. I liked it all.

Did you listen to any blues guitar when you were young? Did you hear any black music?

Some, yeah, oh yeah.

Tell me about that.

I don't remember if, ah, really, ah, artists' names or anything but I just, ah, you know it was on the radio and stuff I mean would hear it and, ah, ah.

You had a battery radio, etc..

Oh yeah, that, ah, was back before, ah, electricity got out to our house and had battery radio and I was, twist that thing all day long when I had a chance, you know, listen to just all kinds of music, you know, whatever, ah. I don't, I don't think of it, that was influenced in that, in that period that much by any, any certain kind, ah. I don't think that happened till I got off in the service and, ah, more worldly I guess would be the correct word.

Did you hear WLAC from Nashville?

I don't remember hearing, you know I don't remember call letters or anything.

When you were a kid you were attracted to any kind of guitar music and started playing guitar fairly young?

Yeah, yeah, like I said, my brothers all played and, ah, by the time I got old enough to, ah, kind of really get interested in it, I guess around, oh, 10, 12 years old. They were all grown, married and gone from home and, ah, I guess part of it was just hard headedness and I said, well, I'm going to do it regardless, you know. Sometimes I wonder if that was a good idea or not too.

Did you ever listen to black music in juke joints or clubs?

No, ah, didn't, well didn't have any, ah, opportunity really. I mean we're talking about, I'm, I went in the Navy when I was 16 so I mean lived out in the country and, ah, I wouldn't walk 5, 10 miles to go see anybody, don't care what color they were, and, ah.

Tell me about the beginning with Sam and Elvis. When Sam wanted Elvis to start fooling around with you and Bill Black.

Ah, well after I got out of the service [clears throat] I had started a, had a group in Memphis, ah, country western band called The Starlight Wranglers and, ah, had heard about Sam, knew he had a rec., a recording service and also had a record label. And I knew to get some good bookings and stuff we had to get some, ah, a record, I needed a record, you know, for the jocks to play and from that you could get better, better jobs. So [clears throat] I went to see Sam and he, he's searching at that point and, ah, trying a little bit of, you know, whatever he can think of, trying to get, ah, some noise going with his record label. And he heard us and thought we were good enough to give it a shot and so we recorded two sides and put that out and probably sold, maybe a dozen records, I don't know. But through that we got to be friends and, ah, I'd go see him practically every afternoon and we'd just discuss different aspects of the business: who's got hits, what styles and just on and on. And, ah, through these conversations, well, Elvis's name came up. He had been, he had been in there I think about a year before and cut acetate for his other for, for, for her birthday. And, ah, so finally Sam asked me, he said, well, you give him a call and, ah, invite him over to your house and see what you thinks, [sic] you know 'cause he'd only heard the, just sing the song that he made the acetates on. And I did that and, ah, ah, I think it was on a Sunday that, ah, he was, he was at my house. After he left I called Sam, told him, I said, boys got, you know, decent voice, knows a lot of songs, just a matter of, you know, what, what you might be able to put together. So Sam called him and, ah, well he told me, he said, I'll call him and, ah, ah, asked him to come in and said, just you and Bill, ah, come down. Says, don't need the whole band, just need to find out, you know, what his voice sounds like on tape, just an audition basically. And, ah, and from that we spawned the first, first record. That's how come it could have been ten piece band just as easy as three maybe, who knows.

When you first started hearing Elvis sing, what did you think what kind of a singer he was in terms of style?

Ah, no, ah, those first, those very early, ah, get-togethers, I mean he was, he was singing a little bit of everything. So I mean he really didn't, ah, ah, have a style or, or anything yet. That came, that came later. After we got the first record done he was, we stayed with basically up tempo, ah, type things for a couple of three records. And then Sam got brave and tried a couple of fairly slow ballads, not, not, still, not what I'd call crooner style but, ah, ah, but he could, he could handle just about anything you threw at him. It became very apparent I think, you know, later on that.

Let's talk about "That's Alright Mama". How did that song get started in the studio?

We were taking a break, just having a coffee, Coke, and, ah, ah, Elvis was just, nervous energy picked up his guitar and just started, just frailing it and, ah, and singing, singing that song. And I wasn't familiar with the song. Bill picked up his base and started just clowning and, ah, slapping his base and playing along with him and then, then I started trying to find out what, what key they were in and, ah, the door of the control room was open and Sam came out said, - what are you all doing? And we said, just goofing around, you know. He said, - well, beat sounds pretty good. Said, get on mike and let's, ah, ah, run through it a couple more times. It kind of excited me. Or, some comment like that. Ah, best to my, that I remember, we, after we kind of worked up a little, ah, arrangement, if you want to call it such, ah, when to start and when to quit, basically. And we didn't go through it but just a few times I don't think. You know, Sam have to tell, you know, Elvis, back off the mike a little bit or lean in here a little bit, things like that for, and that was, that was it.

What about the flip side, "Blue Moon", how did that happen?

The back side, believe it or not, happened the same way. The only difference was, this time, ah, Bill, ah, ah, I think he was standing, maybe leaning on his base, anyway he just started singing in a high falsetto voice and up tempo imitating Bill Monroe on "Blue Moon Of Kentucky". And Elvis joined in with him, started singing it. And that's, that's how that happened.

Okay.

Well I did it in the one I said before.

Would you do it again for me. You didn't actually say the name of the tune.

Ahm hm, promise you.

Well, do it again for me. Would you?

Now here's the story of "That's Alright Mama". We were, ah, taking a break and, ah, Elvis picked up his guitar and started his frailing, just nervous, nervous energy. And, ah, started singing "That's Alright Mama". And, ah, I hadn't heard the tune. Bill picked up his base, started playing along with him then I did also. And, ah, basically that's what happened, it just, everything just fell in place.