Marion Keisker - did she record the first disks?

[JimmyCool]

Interesting that already in 1956 when memory was still fresh "Casual love affair" and "I'll never stand in your way" are mentioned as Elvis' second private acetate made. In the meantime this has proven to be wrong, while the titles for the first acetate were correct.

I have never believed the "wrong title" theory, and I believe there was a third acetate made, the one we know, where Elvis, for some reason, decided to re-cut one of the songs.

Sadly, this may never be solved, unless the acetate surfaces somewhere, which seems unlikely, almost 70 years later. Also, all the participants are long gone, so we have nobody to ask.

I think the same thing. And it doesn't seem logical to me that in June 1954 they remembered Elvis, if his last visit was in January... there must have been a third visit, closer to that date.

[kevanbudd]

Interesting that already in 1956 when memory was still fresh "Casual love affair" and "I'll never stand in your way" are mentioned as Elvis' second private acetate made. In the meantime this has proven to be wrong, while the titles for the first acetate were correct.

I have never believed the "wrong title" theory, and I believe there was a third acetate made, the one we know, where Elvis, for some reason, decided to re-cut one of the songs.

Sadly, this may never be solved, unless the acetate surfaces somewhere, which seems unlikely, almost 70 years later. Also, all the participants are long gone, so we have nobody to ask.

I think the same thing. And it doesn't seem logical to me that in June 1954 they remembered Elvis, if his last visit was in January... there must have been a third visit, closer to that date.

The problem I have with this being more than a title miss-remembered is that the song `casual love affair` would need a past, does anyone have a performer, songwriter, record release and publisher for such a song?

In short - where would Elvis get such a song from?

Kevan Budd.

[Mister Moon]

Interesting that already in 1956 when memory was still fresh "Casual love affair" and "I'll never stand in your way" are mentioned as Elvis' second private acetate made. In the meantime this has proven to be wrong, while the titles for the first acetate were correct.

I have never believed the "wrong title" theory, and I believe there was a third acetate made, the one we know, where Elvis, for some reason, decided to re-cut one of the songs.

Sadly, this may never be solved, unless the acetate surfaces somewhere, which seems unlikely, almost 70 years later. Also, all the participants are long gone, so we have nobody to ask.

I think the same thing. And it doesn't seem logical to me that in June 1954 they remembered Elvis, if his last visit was in January... there must have been a third visit, closer to that date.

The problem I have with this being more than a title miss-remembered is that the song `casual love affair` would need a past, does anyone have a performer, songwriter, record release and publisher for such a song?

In short - where would Elvis get such a song from?

You are right. That's a mystery. Could be an otherwise unissued demo of a song supplied by Sam, or Dewey. Just a wild guess.

Anyway, aside from the "Elvis Presley Speaks !" magazine (written by Elvis' friend, Memphis Press-Scimitar journalist Robert Johnson), there is another 1956 source for the "Casual Love Affair"... errr.. affair. I have posted this before, but here it is again.

According to this clipping, the Presley family still retained the acetate in 1956, while living at the Audubon house. That disc did contain "I'll Never Stand In Your Way" and "Casual Love Affair".

This is part of a series of five Elvis articles published in October 1956 by "The Vancouver Sun" as written by journalist Evelyn Caldwell under the pseudonym of "Penny Wise".

She traveled to Memphis and met Elvis and his entourage and family, including Gladys. The newspaper published five articles by her on October 3,4, 5 and 6, with the final one being published on October 9, and being the one containing this info.

561009 - 02 - 02.JPG

[jbgude]

On the subject of misremembered songs or titles,very often similar lyrics/words that are repeated in a song, are mistaken to be the titles of songs. I am trying to recall the lyrics of the songs that contain the words ' Casual" or " Love affair"....like " That's when your heartaches begin" .... that could have been extrapolated to "Casual Love Affair"

[colonel snow]

When you’re free
Kevan,
How about this demo from 1954? More information available?


colonel snow

[Mister Moon]

When you’re free
Kevan,
How about this demo from 1954? More information available?

Thanks, colonel, but this label can't be from 1954. Zip codes were introduced in the USA in 1963...

[colonel snow]

When you’re free
Kevan,
How about this demo from 1954? More information available?

Thanks, colonel, but this label can't be from 1954. Zip codes were introduced in the USA in 1963...

Thanks Mister Moon for this additional information. I had my doubts too about the recording because the song wasn't mentioned anywhere in connection with Elvis.

colonel snow

[cadillac-elvis]

Just because the label is from the 60's doesn't mean the song via a tape is from the 60's.
You never can tell

[AndresVanKujik]

What if there was another acetate BEFORE "My Happiness".... Perhaps Marion and Sam weren't there and there wa no reason for anyone to remember yet another customer coming in

This would answer several questions:
Why is it often wrongly stated that it was a present for Gladys birthday? Maybe around the time of her birthday he cut the first acetate. "My Happiness" was later.

Why did Elvis state that the acetate melted in the windscreen of his truck? The "My Happiness" acetate did not. Maybe he is referring to this one. .

Maybe it was a soppy love song for Gladys and on side b.... Yes .. I'm going there .. "Tiger Man". Hence Elvis' surprise on stage when the audience applaud and Elvis says "Oh you heard it? Not a lot of people did..." Because it was only family and friends before it was destroyed... It would also make it the "second song I ever recorded ..."

Even ignoring "Tiger Man"... what was the acetate which melted? If it was, then this would explain why we have never heard it and why there is no written record from Sun of this track.

Even contextualising it to 1953 I struggle to think "My Happiness" was that impressive, out of ALL of the customers who came through Memphis Recording Service that Elvis stood out so much that Marion had to tape him... unless she had noticed him before... or somebody else had... lets face it, the first acetate isn't that impressive.

There could be many reasons why no one would remember Elvis on this earlier occasion. Why would they? Maybe it was mysterious woman there. Maybe it was Sam or Marion but Elvis was just another customer.

Although this is purely speculation I don't think it is entirely impossible.

Is Elvis actually on record of ever saying that "My Happiness" was his first ever visit to Sun? (Assuming a previous acetate happened there, it wasn't the only recording studio in Tennessee. ..)

[GuyLambert]

An account of the mystery woman and her Sailor son can be found in the 1956 magazine `Elvis Presley speaks`.

Elvis presley speaks 1956 magazine, Robert Johnson.jpg

Below we have an excerpt from writer Jerry Hopkins previously unpublished research files, which appears to be based on his interviews with Marion around 1970. We hear roughly the same story but do get some additional details, such as - the sailor was also a songwriter and where he was based at that time, etc.

Writer Jerry Hopkins notes on Marion and the unknown woman.jpgJerry Hopkins notes on Marion and the unknown woman.

Kevan Budd.

Thanks Kevin, very interesting to see the Hopkins notes regarding Without You. Marion states the acetate came from Nashville and Sam reached out to the “writer” to learn the name of the singer, not the assumed publisher, Red Wortham. This makes sense because Red definitely knew Jimmy Sweeney and would have told Sam. So perhaps this mystery writer was the one who sent or gave Sam the acetate. It’s plausible that this writer brought the two songs, Without You and Out of Gas, into a studio and asked whoever was around (Jimmy, Harold Bradley) to cut his songs.