That’s All Right Mama
by Carolyn Barnes, Browns Mills, New Jersey
Memphis, Tennessee in the early 1950’s was a unique place in musical history. Sun Records was busy signing musicians who would soon change the nature of the music industry throughout the world. At that time my father was a disc-jockey at a local radio station and saw firsthand the beginning moments of many artists.
Besides being an on-air personality, dad was always a member of local country bands. It wasn’t unusual for a group of 5 or 6 musicians and their families to meet at various homes and practice their music throughout the night. Meanwhile the children would play inside and out and under everyone’s feet. Being one of the younger kids in the group, some of my fondest memories are of falling asleep exhausted, usually on a pallet of quilt’s in a corner. The rhythm of dad’s standup bass and the pounding of the participant’s feet keeping time to the music was my favorite lullaby.
Even then the DJ’s became minor celebrities and were found emceeing at local events. Many times dad would bring me along, then just a two or three year old, blue-eyed, curly-headed “Campbell’s Kid”. The most memorable time was at the grand opening of a new store in downtown Memphis. We were inside, Dad, myself, and a handsome young singer who was carrying an acoustic guitar. Outside there was a flattop truck set up as a stage and a crowd was gathering. As we walked through the store’s aisles dad carried me on his shoulders, the young man followed behind us. I was crying because I was afraid of all the commotion. The young man started strumming his guitar and singing me a song to try and calm me. Sadly his attention made me cry even harder. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized that I had been serenaded by the soon-to-be famous Elvis Presley with a verse of “That’s All Right Mama.”
Elvis and many others from Sun Records became legends. Some are still living, many have passed on. Dad continued on the sidelines of the music business all of his life and at one time even built his own county-formatted radio station in the small town, Southwest City, Missouri. It was through his influence and from listening to the discarded demo’s from the stations he worked, that I developed my lifelong love of all types of music.
My earliest musical memories seem to be from the turn of the 20th century up through the 1950s. This is odd, because I wasn’t born until 1950. But I always thought, “I’ve heard that song before,” as though I actually had. However, my warmest memory of my actual childhood is of watching the shortlived fifteen-minute Frank Sinatra television series (1954? he was a has-been at this point), trying desperately to keep my eyes open, and hearing FS sing his theme song, “Put Your Dreams Away For Another Day.” And I did.
As a damn Yankee I didn’t discover country music until some years later, probably through The Byrds’ “Sweethjeart of the Rodeo” — not the best or most authentic place to start, but it proved sufficient.
A real Elvis sighting, eh, Saff? Lucky you. My brother has been to Memphis to worship at the shrine. I have not made the pilgrimmage.
July 25th, 2007 at 7:39 pm