"That's All Right Mama" session

From The Blue Moon Boys, The Story Of Elvis Presley’s Band:

[…] The day after [Scotty] Moore was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, he found himself in an upstate New York studio With Fontana and Sir Paul McCartney. The former Beatle had been on hand to help induct James Taylor and now wanted to play with Presley’s original hand. The ex-Beatle sang and played his Hofner electric bass as they recorded a fresh version of “That’s All Right (Mama)” for the soundtrack to Good Rockin’ Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records.

“We got to the studio early, and Paul arrived shortly after with only one assistant and his Hofner Beatle bass, the very one he used on most all the Beatles sessions,” recalls Griffin. Cutting live in the studio, the British superstar interjected some lyrics Presley had originally omitted as he imbued the performance with a pleasing touch of English skiffle. After three false starts and one flub from each of the musicians, the track was complete. On listening to the playback, Moore felt that Bill Black’s slap bass was noticeably absent. McCartney decided to overdub knee slapping, hambone style, to replicate the effect. (That section ended up being the clip for the closing credits of the film.)

During casual conversation, an elated McCartney mentioned that his wife, Linda, had bought Bill Black’s original stand-up bass and given it to him. “It must have some old leaves in it or something,” he complained mildly. “It’s always rattling when I pick it up.” Moore and Fontana just smiled and told McCartney that the sound wasn’t coming from accumulated debris. “Bill used
to change Elvis’s guitar strings,” Moore laughed, “and he always put the old ones inside the F-hole of his bass.” McCartney, his connection to the singer he idolized as a teen now more vibrant than ever, was quite simply blown away.  “Once again,” notes Griffin, “Scotty dreaded something intensely and walks away having the time of his life.“

Session activities

1. That's All Right Mama

   Written by Arthur Crudup

   Recording

   AlbumOfficially released on Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy Of Sun Records

Staff

Production staff

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