Remembering Elvis Presley and Time Spent Recording On Nashville’s Music Row
Elvis Presley sings expressively while recording a new song in an undisclosed recording studio.Getty Images
Elvis Presley famously began his career at Sun Records in Memphis, but moved to Nashville to begin recording once RCA purchased his contract in 1955. During his first session, he recorded “Heartbreak Hotel,” and over the next two years, he added six more chart-topping songs.
RCA opened Studio B in 1957, where many of music’s biggest singers recorded, earning it the nickname “The Home of 1000 Hits.” Over the next dozen years, Elvis recorded around 240 songs here.
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NASHVILLE – January 01: The RCA Studio B historic marker was unveiled on January 1, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee.
List of Elvis Presley hits recorded at Nashville’s RCA Studio B.
If you take a tour of Studio B today, you’ll hear Elvis stories and see the location on the floor that he’s claimed to have identified as the greatest place to stand while recording vocals.
Inside Historic RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.
The X represents Elvis’ preferred position for recording vocals.
Many of Nashville’s best session musicians collaborated with Elvis. The singer made things difficult because he preferred to record at night rather than during the day.
“He was nocturnal,” guitarist Jerry Kennedy remembers. “He adored staying awake all night. That’s when he produced his best work. We’d show up at 6 p.m. and not finish until 5 or 6 a.m. the next day. Elvis would normally send out for dinner about 12 p.m. and return with an entire box of cheeseburgers. Then we’d take a little break, and the rest of the time would be spent playing and composing music.”
