Elvis recorded Bob Dylan'sTomorrow is a Long Time in May 26th 1966 at Nashville Studio B during the How Great thou Art sessions. Robert Mathew Walker - In Elvis - A Study in Music 1979 says " we enter a new and completely different world. This was the first song by Bob Dylan that Presley recorded and it gives a tantalising glimpse of what might have been had he recorded an album of Dylan compositions instead of being side-tracked into a succession of formula films. It's a superb performance maintained over 5 and half minutes. It is softly insistent yet civilised and the half-lights of the backing contribute to Presley's restrained interpretation. This gradually exerts a hypnotic fascination. But this masterly performance was used (as a bonus song) to fill up an album of Presley's recently completed film songs - Spinout / California Holiday. It sticks out like a Mozart Quartet discovered beneath a pile of Australian drinking songs!"
Dylan once said that Presley's cover of "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" was "the one recording I treasure the most."Ernst Jorgensen said (in an interview with Ken Sharp - http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_ernst_kensharp.html ) " Dylan's song was done in a couple of takes." "Presley got into the song via Charlie McCoy, who had previously participated in the Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde sessions. McCoy played the album Odetta Sings Dylan before an Elvis session, and Presley "had become taken with 'Tomorrow Is A Long Time'." Jerry Schilling " I was really into Peter, Paul & Mary. They were really controversial down south, because they were speaking of freedom and all that type of stuff in their songs. While we were doing the movies, right in the era of '65, '66, '67, I brought Elvis this Peter, Paul & Mary album. I thought he might like it. Early in the morning before going into the studio, while we were having breakfast, Elvis would put this album on. It had 'Leaving On A Jet Plane' and 'If I Had A Hammer'. Elvis really liked 'Leaving On A Jet Plane'. We played it for a month or so. He wound up recording some of those songs. I think half of the songs on that album were by Dylan. I don't know at that time if he thought he was recording Peter, Paul & Mary or Bob Dylan..... Elvis would also listen to Odetta. I was in college right before I went to work for him. I was hanging out at this folk place, The Bitter Lemon [was] owned by this really weird-looking guy who taught pottery, John McIntire, who ironically made the statue in the meditation gardens overlooking Elvis' grave site. I was into Odetta, because my friend was introducing me to all of this folk music." http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_jerryschilling.html Elvis's version resembles more Odetta's blues version rather than Dylan's folksy version.
The first cover version of Dylan's song was by Ian and Sylvia in 1963 - a more folky version
Writers Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe asked Otis Blackwell to sing the demo in Elvis' style - here...
"(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" is a popular song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music. It was written by Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe and published in 1957 by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company. Clear melodic roots of this tune can be heard in the many early recordings of Boll Weevil, a traditional blues song. The song was a US number-one hit for Elvis Presley during the summer of 1957, staying at number-one for 7 weeks, and his third of the four that he would have that year. "(Let Me be Your) Teddy Bear" would also hit number one on the R&B Best Sellers List, becoming his fourth number one on that chart. In addition the song would hit number one on the country charts for a single week." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Bear_(song) And Elvis - from the film Loving You 1957
" Clear melodic roots of this tune can be heard in the many early recordings of Boll Weevil, a traditional blues song." ""Boll Weevil" is a traditional blues song, also known by similar titles such as "Boweavil" or "Boll Weevil Blues." Although many songs about the boll weevil were recorded by blues musicians during the 1920s, '30s and '40s, this one has become well known, thanks perhaps to Lead Belly's rendition of it as recorded by folklorist Alan Lomax in 1934. A 1961 adaptation by Brook Benton became a pop hit, reaching number two on the charts." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boll_Weevil_Song
and Leadbelly
The Writers of Teddy Bear "Kal Mann (May 6, 1917 - November 28, 2001) was an American lyricist. He is best known for penning the words to Elvis Presley's "Teddy Bear", plus "Butterfly", a hit for both Charlie Gracie and Andy Williams. Born Kalman Cohen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mann began his career in entertainment as a comedy writer for Danny Thomas and Red Buttons, until his friend and songwriter, Bernie Lowe, encouraged him to try writing lyrics for the music industry. Mann co-wrote songs with Lowe and Dave Appell, yielding a number of major rock and roll hits such as Charlie Gracie's "Butterfly," which sold more than two million copies and also become a million seller for the crooner, Andy Williams, and also a minor hit for Bob Carroll, whose cover version peaked at #61. In addition he co-wrote Elvis Presley's "Teddy Bear," Bobby Rydell's "Wild One", and Chubby Checker's "Let's Twist Again and Limbo Rock." Mann wrote a number of songs for Checker, including "Popeye (The Hitchhiker)" and "Slow Twistin'" plus Pat Boone's "Remember You're Mine", and the much covered "You Can't Sit Down". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kal_Mann "Bernie Lowe (November 22, 1917 - September 1, 1993) was an American songwriter / record producer / arranger / pianist and bandleader. Born Bernard Lowenthal in Philadelphia, Lowe started Teen Records and in 1955 was working with Freddie Bell and the Bellboys. He asked Freddie Bell to rewrite the lyrics of "Hound Dog" to appeal to a broader radio audience. Teen Records and the group had a regional hit with this version of the song, which was one of four songs the group did with Lowe. It was this same version that Elvis Presley heard in Las Vegas, Nevada, adopted, recorded, and made his own. Lowe went on to co-pen with Kal Mann the chart-topping song, "Teddy Bear", for the same singer. Lowe founded Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's Cameo Records in 1956, and Cameo was later expanded into the Cameo-Parkway Records label. The owners then signed a then unknown singer, Ernest Evans, to their burgeoning label. Evans would soon change his name to Chubby Checker, whose success helped Cameo-Parkway become one of the largest independent record labels in the United States. Lowe is credited with co-writing the song "Butterfly" which helped launch and further the career of Charlie Gracie, the eminent 1950s rock and roller, just as the term was entering into the cultural lexicon. Lowe also launched the careers of Dee Dee Sharp, Bobby Rydell, The Orlons, The Dovells, and The Tymes." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Lowe
Another song Otis Blackwell wrote that Elvis covered was One Broken Heart for Sale. Featured in the Presley film It Happened at the World's fair in 1963. It was a single but broke the chain of No1 or No2 hits that Presley was enjoying in the UK charts, reaching only No 8 in the NME charts. The song hit the NME chart at No19 on March 2nd 1963 on the last week that Please Please Me by the Beatles was at No1, reached No 8 for 2 weeks and then dropped down. The single was only 1min,34 seconds which may not have helped but the era of the Beatles was beginning. Even so Cliff Richard achieved a No 1 hit with Summer Holiday at the same time. Elvis was also backed by the barbershop quartet, The Mellomen on this hit.
The Mellomen " The quartet sang on several films with Elvis Presley, beginning with It Happened at the World's Fair. Elvis wanted the Jordanaires to perform for the film but they were unavailable, so The Mellomen were called in to sing One Broken Heart For Sale and Cotton Candy Land. The Mellomen later backed up Elvis on the title song for the film Roustabout as well as on most of the sound track for Paradise, Hawaiian Style. In 1969, The Mellomen appeared with Elvis in the film The Trouble with Girls, as a gospel group called The Bible Singers." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mellomen Here's songwriter, Otis Blackwell's version -
Don't Be Cruel was the first Otis Blackwell song that was famously covered by Elvis -
"On Christmas Eve 1955, Otis Blackwell found himself on the streets in front of the Brill Building in New York City trying to stay warm. Things weren't going well for Blackwell - it was raining and there were leaks in the soles of his shoes. His friend Leroy Kirkland walked by and asked Otis if he had written anymore songs. Otis said yes. Over the next week, he sold 6 of them to a publishing company for $25 each. Management at The Brill Building liked him so much they offered him a full-time job writing, and Blackwell accepted. Not long after, Otis got some very good news: This up-and-coming Rock star wanted to record one of his songs. The deal was, the guy wanted half the writer's fee. Otis said, "No way I'm gonna give up half that song." His friends convinced him that half of something was better than all of nothing. Besides, this new singer just might "make it" and if he did, Otis' royalties would be tremendous. Over the next few days, Otis agreed. It wasn't Elvis who wanted half the "writer's fee." It was his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The song became one of Elvis' biggest and longest running hits." (Ron Foster www.oldiesradioonline.com.) From Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_Be_Cruel " "Don't Be Cruel" was the first song that Presley's song publishers, Hill and Range, brought to him to record. Blackwell was more than happy to give up 50% of the royalties and a co-writing credit to Presley to ensure that the "hottest new singer around covered it". Presley recorded the song on July 2, 1956 during an exhaustive recording session at RCA studios in New York City. During this session he also recorded "Hound Dog", and "Any Way You Want Me". The song featured Presley's regular band of Scotty Moore on lead guitar (with Presley usually providing rhythm guitar), Bill Black on bass, D.J. Fontana on drums, and backing vocals from the Jordanaires. The producing credit was given to RCA's Steve Sholes, although the studio recordings reveal that Presley produced the songs in this session by selecting the song, reworking the arrangement on piano, and insisting on 28 takes before he was satisfied with it." More on Otis Blackwell http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_Blackwell Below - Elvis -
The Bill Black Combo had an instrumental hit with the song in the early 60's -
"William Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. (September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965) was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo. Black began playing the upright bass fiddle. He modeled his "slap bass" technique after one of his idols, Fred Maddox of Maddox Brothers and Rose. Black also developed a "stage clown" persona in the same way that Maddox entertained audiences. Black performed as an exaggerated hillbilly with blacked-out teeth, straw hat and overalls. According to his son, Black said his goal was always to give his audience "a few moments of entertainment and maybe a little bit of humor that'll tickle 'em for a while." In 1952, Black began playing club and radio shows with guitarist Scotty Moore. Along with two other guitarists and a fiddler, they performed country music tunes by Hank Williams and Red Foley in Doug Poindexter's band, the Starlight Wranglers. Black and Moore also played in a band with Paul Burlison, Johnny Burnette, Dorsey Burnette on steel guitar, and a drummer. In 1954, Black and Moore were formed into a trio with Elvis Presley" More on - Bill Black http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Black
