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Elvis's Suitcase of 78s

In January 1968 Elvis Presley selected 26 of his favourite old 78 records, which he had owned since he was a teenager

In January 1968 Elvis Presley selected 26 of his favourite old 78 records, which he had owned since he was a teenager, wrapped them in newspaper, packed them in a small suitcase and headed for Nashville, where he asked his friend and guitarist Scotty Moore to dub his treasured records on to reel to reel tape, so he could listen to them at home without running the risk of scratching or breaking them.

Once the 78 singles were copied Elvis asked Scotty to send him the tapes but keep hold of the records, as he didn’t want to run the risk of them being damaged - and he said he’d drop by one day and pick them up.

But Elvis never got around to collecting those records and 47 years later, those old 78’s are still there in that old suitcase in Scotty’s house.

Chris Isaak, a huge fan of both Scotty Moore and Elvis wanted to find out more about the collection of records that meant so much to Elvis, so he visited Scotty at home in Nashville to explore the contents of `Elvis’s Suitcase of 78’s’ - a great collection of the songs that inspired a teenage Elvis Presley, offering a fascinating insight in to the music he treasured.

The records date from 1948 to 1957 and reveal a lot about the type of music Elvis listened to in his formative years – many of them he would subsequently record himself and it’s interesting that there is such a variety in the styles of music on those records from rockabilly and pop to gospel and doo wop.

57 minutes

Last on

Wed 16 Aug 2023 01:00

Music Played

  • Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra

    The Shifting, Whispering, Sands

  • Billy Ward

    Rags To Riches

  • Brownie McGhee

    I Was Born 10,000 Years Ago

  • Carl Perkins

    Matchbox

  • Fats Domino

    AinÂ’t It a Shame

  • Fats Domino

    Blueberry Hill

  • Hank Snow

    IÂ’m Gonna Bid My Blues Goodbye

  • Ivory Joe Hunter

    ItÂ’s A Sin

  • Ivory Joe Hunter

    Since I Met You Baby

  • Big Joe Turner

    Corinne Corinna

  • Johnny Ace

    My Song

  • Lloyd Price

    Lawdy Miss Clawdy

  • Louis Jones

    Rock and Roll Bells

  • Lowell Fulson

    Reconsider Baby

  • Roy Brown

    Hurry, Hurry Baby

  • Roy Hamilton

    Hurt

  • Ray Charles

    I Got a Woman

  • Sammy Davis Jr.

    Because of You

  • The Crickets

    YouÂ’re Mine

  • The Pearls

    Your CheatinÂ’ Heart

  • The Dominoes

    ThatÂ’s What YouÂ’re Doing To Me

  • The Four Lads

    Moments to Remember

  • Tommy Edwards

    ItÂ’s All In The Game

  • Arthur Gunter

    Baby, LetÂ’s Pay House

  • HOUND DOG

    Willie Mae `Big MamaÂ’ Thornton

Broadcasts

  • Wed 26 Aug 2015 22:00
  • Mon 7 Aug 2017 22:00
  • Wed 16 Aug 2023 01:00