Elvis Recorded "Tiger Man" At Sun --> Mystery Solved ?

The June 1968 dressing room jam of "Tiger Man," with Elvis on rhythm and Scotty on lead, is now online here:

Elvis Presley, "Tiger Man" Burbank 68 (FTD, 1999)


I agree that both musicians sound incredibly comfortable with this song.

Note: I also just updated the original post with a bit more information!

Another point to ponder, was Moore playing from memory whilst playing acoustic lead on the Tiger Man jam of June 25, 1968 [heard unedited on the Burbank '68 FTD]?

Whilst a little hesitant in places, it nonetheless still sounds very well structured for an off the cuff rendition.

Indeed, it does sound cohesive. Call it another piece of the puzzle.

Last edited by drjohncarpenter on Fri May 03, 2013 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

Thanks so much DOC. There does seem to be an easy, "comfortable" feel with it as you stated.

GOSH, it would be so cool IF Elvis recorded this at Sun to actually be able to hear it one day! I guess there is always hope.

rlj

Thanks so much DOC. There does seem to be an easy, "comfortable" feel with it as you stated.

GOSH, it would be so cool IF Elvis recorded this at Sun to actually be able to hear it one day! I guess there is always hope.

I was happy to find the rehearsal up on YouTube. It's another piece of the puzzle.

I am still hoping we will one day hear this fabled recording.

Thank you for the kind words.

There is still no proof at all that presley ever cut Tiger Man at Sun. Yes, he said he did during a week of performances, but no writer or researcher has yet found any evidence that such a recording ever existed. Elvis also told audiences in 1977 that he cut Trying To get To You 18 years earlier, that wasn't true either. He also told them in 1974 that he had never been strung out on anything except music... Yeah, let's believe Elvis's story on all three counts.

The June 1968 dressing room jam of "Tiger Man," with Elvis on acoustic and Scotty on lead...

Note that it is Elvis on electric guitar here, while Scotty plays the more intricate acoustic fills.

The June 1968 dressing room jam of "Tiger Man," with Elvis on acoustic and Scotty on lead...

Note that it is Elvis on electric guitar here, while Scotty plays the more intricate acoustic fills.

Yup, I meant to type Elvis on "rhythm" -- post corrected, thanks.

Further evidence of Elvis' phenomenal memory, especially for the early days, is found in the D.J Fontana interview excerpt below.

Just like June Juanico's similar vignette, cited earlier in the topic, D.J. was shocked at what our hero remembered.

When was the last time you saw Elvis?

Well, I think it was early on in the seventies, a few years after the baby, Lisa Marie, was born. Me and my wife would go down and see him every now and again. We'd sit around and talk. All he ever wanted to do was talk about the fifties -- the early days. Man, he had an ungodly memory. He remembered everything we ever did. He'd talk about old gigs, places we'd been -- stuff I'd forgotten but he remembered.

840907_The Big Beat_Weinberg.jpg

Max Weinberg with Robert Santelli, The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Great Drummers (Chicago: Contemporary Books, Inc., September 7, 1984)

The evidence of Elvis' words at all of those August 1970 show, spoken seriously, is very worthy indeed.

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What I sought is in, uh, the very first post. I'm such an idiot, sometimes.

Ok, now.

He didn't say "at Sun." That, I know. And there are a few other breadcrumbs to follow.

Basically, I want to know EVERYTHING Elvis did, everyWHERE he went, during the very, very early period. Including '53 through mid-'54. The story before "Without You," is thin indeed. Yet, when he was still in school, we know much more! There's a gap in the middle. Once Sam called him, it is usually stated "that is where the story really begins." Yeah, ok, but I still want to know more about that interim period, when he kept dropping by to see Marion, and asking her if she knew of any bands that needed a singer. Was she the only person upon whom he dropped in? Billy Emerson has suggested otherwise. So did a Bihari Brother, confirmed by a blues singer whose interview I recently, posted. Now, that all may mean nothing, or something. I want to know everything that is possible to know.

We know, from George Smith's magnificent work, that "That's All Right (Mama)" was not off-the-cuff, so what else was Elvis doing during this time, beyond the "common knowledge" accounts?

This is really not just about one song, not in my view. Not at all. If anyone else wants to contribute to this archeological "dig," it would be much appreciated.

This is, after all, the thread that got me in here!

rjm

He says, repeatedly "the second record I ever recorded." Once, he says, "the second SONG I ever recorded."

He is not talking about "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Nor, "Good Rockin' Tonight." Nor "Mystery Train," which he clearly knows is a different song, since it's often in a medley with the song in question. That's for certain. And no records allude to this song at any time on or after July 5, 1954.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote that whatever is left, after eliminating the impossible, "however improbable, MUST BE THE TRUTH." We have not quite eliminated the "impossible," but we are close. We are now reaching, by Elvis's repeated words, many EXACT repetitions of those words, the "improbable," from what is left by Elvis's repeated statements, AND by those audio samples of the "normal" speed/ tempo, what-have-you, of the song. "Sound like a buncha rabbits," he chides his band. As though they have ESP, or something. We get closer to the liminal space between Thomas, and Joe Hill Louis. However improbable.

This is all brainstorming, of course, which is essential, I think, to any fruitful investigation that is collaborative.

rjm

He says, repeatedly "the second record I ever recorded." Once, he says, "the second SONG I ever recorded."

He is not talking about "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Nor, "Good Rockin' Tonight." Nor "Mystery Train," which he clearly knows is a different song, since it's often in a medley with the song in question. That's for certain. And no records allude to this song at any time on or after July 5, 1954.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote that whatever is left, after eliminating the impossible, "however improbable, MUST BE THE TRUTH." We have not quite eliminated the "impossible," but we are close. We are now reaching, by Elvis's repeated words, many EXACT repetitions of those words, the "improbable," from what is left by Elvis's repeated statements, AND by those audio samples of the "normal" speed/ tempo, what-have-you, of the song. "Sound like a buncha rabbits," he chides his band. As though they have ESP, or something. We get closer to the liminal space between Thomas, and Joe Hill Louis. However improbable.

This is all brainstorming, of course, which is essential, I think, to any fruitful investigation that is collaborative.

rjm

In all the interviews in all the years, Presley's musicians of that time never said anything about Tiger Man being recorded. No paperwork has been found to suggest it was recorded. No recording is known to exist. Sam Philips never said that Elvis recorded it. There is no evidence, except for an on-stage story, to suggest he recorded to the song at Sun. Yes, Elvis told the story lots that week. He told lots of stories and said lots of things on stage which were either things misremembered or simply said for effect. There is no substantial evidence whatsoever - and this after Ernst spent 3000 years writing the Sun book.

He says, repeatedly "the second record I ever recorded." Once, he says, "the second SONG I ever recorded."

He is not talking about "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Nor, "Good Rockin' Tonight." Nor "Mystery Train," which he clearly knows is a different song, since it's often in a medley with the song in question. That's for certain. And no records allude to this song at any time on or after July 5, 1954.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote that whatever is left, after eliminating the impossible, "however improbable, MUST BE THE TRUTH." We have not quite eliminated the "impossible," but we are close. We are now reaching, by Elvis's repeated words, many EXACT repetitions of those words, the "improbable," from what is left by Elvis's repeated statements, AND by those audio samples of the "normal" speed/ tempo, what-have-you, of the song. "Sound like a buncha rabbits," he chides his band. As though they have ESP, or something. We get closer to the liminal space between Thomas, and Joe Hill Louis. However improbable.

This is all brainstorming, of course, which is essential, I think, to any fruitful investigation that is collaborative.

rjm

In all the interviews in all the years, Presley's musicians of that time never said anything about Tiger Man being recorded. No paperwork has been found to suggest it was recorded. No recording is known to exist. Sam Philips never said that Elvis recorded it. There is no evidence, except for an on-stage story, to suggest he recorded to the song at Sun. Yes, Elvis told the story lots that week. He told lots of stories and said lots of things on stage which were either things misremembered or simply said for effect. There is no substantial evidence whatsoever - and this after Ernst spent 3000 years writing the Sun book.

Agreed. But you missed the most important thing I said. HE NEVER SAID "AT SUN." Or even alluded to it in any way. Not "my second record/song for the guy" -- NOTHING to indicate Sun or Sam Phillips.

rjm


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He says, repeatedly "the second record I ever recorded." Once, he says, "the second SONG I ever recorded."

He is not talking about "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Nor, "Good Rockin' Tonight." Nor "Mystery Train," which he clearly knows is a different song, since it's often in a medley with the song in question. That's for certain. And no records allude to this song at any time on or after July 5, 1954.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote that whatever is left, after eliminating the impossible, "however improbable, MUST BE THE TRUTH." We have not quite eliminated the "impossible," but we are close. We are now reaching, by Elvis's repeated words, many EXACT repetitions of those words, the "improbable," from what is left by Elvis's repeated statements, AND by those audio samples of the "normal" speed/ tempo, what-have-you, of the song. "Sound like a buncha rabbits," he chides his band. As though they have ESP, or something. We get closer to the liminal space between Thomas, and Joe Hill Louis. However improbable.

This is all brainstorming, of course, which is essential, I think, to any fruitful investigation that is collaborative.

rjm

In all the interviews in all the years, Presley's musicians of that time never said anything about Tiger Man being recorded. No paperwork has been found to suggest it was recorded. No recording is known to exist. Sam Philips never said that Elvis recorded it. There is no evidence, except for an on-stage story, to suggest he recorded to the song at Sun. Yes, Elvis told the story lots that week. He told lots of stories and said lots of things on stage which were either things misremembered or simply said for effect. There is no substantial evidence whatsoever - and this after Ernst spent 3000 years writing the Sun book.

Agreed. But you missed the most important thing I said. HE NEVER SAID "AT SUN." Or even alluded to it in any way. Not "my second record/song for the guy" -- NOTHING to indicate Sun or Sam Phillips.

rjm


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RJM, he said his second record. Where else would it be?! His first was at sun, as was his third.

He says, repeatedly "the second record I ever recorded." Once, he says, "the second SONG I ever recorded."

He is not talking about "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Nor, "Good Rockin' Tonight." Nor "Mystery Train," which he clearly knows is a different song, since it's often in a medley with the song in question. That's for certain. And no records allude to this song at any time on or after July 5, 1954.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote that whatever is left, after eliminating the impossible, "however improbable, MUST BE THE TRUTH." We have not quite eliminated the "impossible," but we are close. We are now reaching, by Elvis's repeated words, many EXACT repetitions of those words, the "improbable," from what is left by Elvis's repeated statements, AND by those audio samples of the "normal" speed/ tempo, what-have-you, of the song. "Sound like a buncha rabbits," he chides his band. As though they have ESP, or something. We get closer to the liminal space between Thomas, and Joe Hill Louis. However improbable.

This is all brainstorming, of course, which is essential, I think, to any fruitful investigation that is collaborative.

rjm

In all the interviews in all the years, Presley's musicians of that time never said anything about Tiger Man being recorded. No paperwork has been found to suggest it was recorded. No recording is known to exist. Sam Philips never said that Elvis recorded it. There is no evidence, except for an on-stage story, to suggest he recorded to the song at Sun. Yes, Elvis told the story lots that week. He told lots of stories and said lots of things on stage which were either things misremembered or simply said for effect. There is no substantial evidence whatsoever - and this after Ernst spent 3000 years writing the Sun book.

Agreed. But you missed the most important thing I said. HE NEVER SAID "AT SUN." Or even alluded to it in any way. Not "my second record/song for the guy" -- NOTHING to indicate Sun or Sam Phillips.

rjm


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RJM, he said his second record. Where else would it be?! His first was at sun, as was his third.

This is a possibility, speculative, to be sure, that I am putting forward here. The OP would likely, perhaps surely disagree with it. Stop thinking about the OP. And hear this out. The OP may hear this out, too, if he wants.

It is IMPROBABLE. But it may be the truth. Or it may not. We must first eliminate "the impossible." Then go on to persue whatever is left, however improbable.

It is quite possible that Elvis was telling the truth. That cannot be eliminated.

It is seeming less possible that he recorded it at Sam Phillips's facility.

How to reconcile?

Here is pretty much what "is left." This makes sense, however improbable.

Okay:

Billy Emerson, claimed in an interview (I posted one of the quotes a while back, as a scan from a book) that he and Elvis made demos together. "In the back of a radio station." Elsewhere, he identified the station as WDIA.

Elvis knew the Phineas and Calvin Newborn family quite well. According to a Stanley Booth interview (1989, Village Voice), Elvis was a casual visitor to their home. The Newborns made demos back there, hiring singers. They got paid for these demos.

Emerson was unclear as to dates. But HE made demos there. And said Elvis did so with him, on occasion.

As I said, pure speculation. Brainstorming. I don't even care if I hear such a recording. It surely no longer exists, anyway, if ever it did exist.

I would like to pursue the matter further.

Capice?

rjm


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He says, repeatedly "the second record I ever recorded." Once, he says, "the second SONG I ever recorded."

He is not talking about "Blue Moon of Kentucky." Nor, "Good Rockin' Tonight." Nor "Mystery Train," which he clearly knows is a different song, since it's often in a medley with the song in question. That's for certain. And no records allude to this song at any time on or after July 5, 1954.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote that whatever is left, after eliminating the impossible, "however improbable, MUST BE THE TRUTH." We have not quite eliminated the "impossible," but we are close. We are now reaching, by Elvis's repeated words, many EXACT repetitions of those words, the "improbable," from what is left by Elvis's repeated statements, AND by those audio samples of the "normal" speed/ tempo, what-have-you, of the song. "Sound like a buncha rabbits," he chides his band. As though they have ESP, or something. We get closer to the liminal space between Thomas, and Joe Hill Louis. However improbable.

This is all brainstorming, of course, which is essential, I think, to any fruitful investigation that is collaborative.

rjm

In all the interviews in all the years, Presley's musicians of that time never said anything about Tiger Man being recorded. No paperwork has been found to suggest it was recorded. No recording is known to exist. Sam Philips never said that Elvis recorded it. There is no evidence, except for an on-stage story, to suggest he recorded to the song at Sun. Yes, Elvis told the story lots that week. He told lots of stories and said lots of things on stage which were either things misremembered or simply said for effect. There is no substantial evidence whatsoever - and this after Ernst spent 3000 years writing the Sun book.

Agreed. But you missed the most important thing I said. HE NEVER SAID "AT SUN." Or even alluded to it in any way. Not "my second record/song for the guy" -- NOTHING to indicate Sun or Sam Phillips.

rjm


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

RJM, he said his second record. Where else would it be?! His first was at sun, as was his third.

This is a possibility, speculative, to be sure, that I am putting forward here. The OP would likely, perhaps surely disagree with it. Stop thinking about the OP. And hear this out. The OP may hear this out, too, if he wants.

It is IMPROBABLE. But it may be the truth. Or it may not. We must first eliminate "the impossible." Then go on to persue whatever is left, however improbable.

It is quite possible that Elvis was telling the truth. That cannot be eliminated.

It is seeming less possible that he recorded it at Sam Phillips's facility.

How to reconcile?

Here is pretty much what "is left." This makes sense, however improbable.

Okay:

Billy Emerson, claimed in an interview (I posted one of the quotes a while back, as a scan from a book) that he and Elvis made demos together. "In the back of a radio station." Elsewhere, he identified the station as WDIA.

Elvis knew the Phineas and Calvin Newborn family quite well. According to a Stanley Booth interview (1989, Village Voice), Elvis was a casual visitor to their home. The Newborns made demos back there, hiring singers. They got paid for these demos.

Emerson was unclear as to dates. But HE made demos there. And said Elvis did so with him, on occasion.

As I said, pure speculation. Brainstorming. I don't even care if I hear such a recording. It surely no longer exists, anyway, if ever it did exist.

I would like to pursue the matter further.

Capice?

rjm


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Not really, because if Elvis was including demos and/or private recordings, then Tiger man would have been recorded PRIOR to That's All Right and that first proper sun session.

In the end it is all speculation unless evidence like documents or audio surfaces.
You cannot take all that Elvis said in concerts as the real MacCoy...as years went by
he stopped mentioning it as his "second record"..perhaps someone dared to tell him it
wasn`t....anyway...nice topic, John....

In the end it is all speculation unless evidence like documents or audio surfaces.
You cannot take all that Elvis said in concerts as the real MacCoy...

And no one has suggested that anyone needs to do this.

However, once again, the statements made by Presley this particular week in August 1970 are significant because they are unique in his later live career.

The consistency of his introduction, night after night after night, in front of a standalone version of "Tiger Man," cannot be dismissed.

Why this seems impossible for some to acknowledge is something I cannot answer.

So what has Ernst learnt from this thread.......please show us you are not a phony

Ernst has probably learnt that this KiwiAlan guy is a "right idiot".....

So what has Ernst learnt from this thread.......please show us you are not a phony

Ernst has probably learnt that this KiwiAlan guy is a "right idiot".....

That's an old comment, he got better as the topic took hold.

I can tell you Ernst was genuinely shocked when he learned how many times Elvis made this statement and gave that standalone performance. He is among those who feels since that since this was not just a "one-off," it is worth taking serious note.

So what has Ernst learnt from this thread.......please show us you are not a phony

Ernst has probably learnt that this KiwiAlan guy is a "right idiot".....

That's an old comment, he got better as the topic took hold.

I can tell you Ernst was genuinely shocked when he learned how many times Elvis made this statement and gave that standalone performance. He is among those who feels since that since this was not just a "one-off," it is worth taking serious note.

I have just read this topic from start to finish, boy, it took me ages. I'm a bit late, i know, sorry Doc. But i have come to the conclusion that Elvis definitely had a go at "Tiger Man" at 706 Union in 1954.....the comments he made on stage in 1970, and that many times, is certainly credible. Not only that, he never, as far as we know, performed the song in public prior to 1968, so what triggered him to do the song? I remember thinking a few years ago, watchin the "One Night with you" video when he sings "Tiget Man", i thought, "he's never released this as a record before, so he must be aware of the classic version by Rufus on Sun"

I just hope and pray that something turns up. Then i can go to my grave a happy man.

I have just read this topic from start to finish, boy, it took me ages. I'm a bit late, i know, sorry Doc. But i have come to the conclusion that Elvis definitely had a go at "Tiger Man" at 706 Union in 1954.....the comments he made on stage in 1970, and that many times, is certainly credible. Not only that, he never, as far as we know, performed the song in public prior to 1968, so what triggered him to do the song? I remember thinking a few years ago, watchin the "One Night with you" video when he sings "Tiget Man", i thought, "he's never released this as a record before, so he must be aware of the classic version by Rufus on Sun"

I just hope and pray that something turns up. Then i can go to my grave a happy man.

Me too!

Welcome to the topic, it's a good one, isn't it?

In the end it is all speculation unless evidence like documents or audio surfaces.
You cannot take all that Elvis said in concerts as the real MacCoy...as years went by
he stopped mentioning it as his "second record"..perhaps someone dared to tell him it
wasn`t....anyway...nice topic, John....

But he did demonstrate a very different, "normal" rendition of the song, and that can only mean he heard the original version of the song. I stand by that.

Don't know under what circumstances. (Let us recall that Louis was unusual in that he was a "one-man-band" who performed in the park. It was his thing. Even did a song called"Boogie In The Park.")

How to account for what you hear? "Normal" version. Nothing normal about it!

Anyone for that part of it?

RJM, he said his second record. Where else would it be?! His first was at sun, as was his third.

This is a possibility, speculative, to be sure, that I am putting forward here. The OP would likely, perhaps surely disagree with it. Stop thinking about the OP. And hear this out. The OP may hear this out, too, if he wants.

It is IMPROBABLE. But it may be the truth. Or it may not. We must first eliminate "the impossible." Then go on to persue whatever is left, however improbable.

It is quite possible that Elvis was telling the truth. That cannot be eliminated.

It is seeming less possible that he recorded it at Sam Phillips's facility.

How to reconcile?

Here is pretty much what "is left." This makes sense, however improbable.

Okay:

Billy Emerson, claimed in an interview (I posted one of the quotes a while back, as a scan from a book) that he and Elvis made demos together. "In the back of a radio station." Elsewhere, he identified the station as WDIA.

Elvis knew the Phineas and Calvin Newborn family quite well. According to a Stanley Booth interview (1989, Village Voice), Elvis was a casual visitor to their home. The Newborns made demos back there, hiring singers. They got paid for these demos.

Emerson was unclear as to dates. But HE made demos there. And said Elvis did so with him, on occasion.

As I said, pure speculation. Brainstorming. I don't even care if I hear such a recording. It surely no longer exists, anyway, if ever it did exist.

I would like to pursue the matter further.

Capice?

rjm


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Not really, because if Elvis was including demos and/or private recordings, then Tiger man would have been recorded PRIOR to That's All Right and that first proper sun session.

Bingo. That is what I called "improbable." But the improbable, if other circumstances are ruled out (due to lack of any evidence, written records, memories *at Sun*), sometimes must be true.

More investigation is required.
______________

Also, is there a third personal record? There is that receipt. That's still unaccounted for.

rjm

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Last edited by rjm on Sat May 04, 2013 12:08 am, edited 3 times in total.

Not only that, he never, as far as we know, performed the song in public prior to 1968, so what triggered him to do the song? I remember thinking a few years ago, watchin the "One Night with you" video when he sings "Tiget Man", i thought, "he's never released this as a record before, so he must be aware of the classic version by Rufus on Sun"

I have a feeling that Elvis, Scotty and DJ Fontana were talking about the good old days during the jam, and the memories from the time brought "Tigerman" to their minds. Any of them might have mentioned the song being recorded in the early days, and they simply tried and they thought it was good enough to include in the show.

That could be one possibility.

I have just read this topic from start to finish, boy, it took me ages. I'm a bit late, i know, sorry Doc. But i have come to the conclusion that Elvis definitely had a go at "Tiger Man" at 706 Union in 1954.....the comments he made on stage in 1970, and that many times, is certainly credible. Not only that, he never, as far as we know, performed the song in public prior to 1968, so what triggered him to do the song? I remember thinking a few years ago, watchin the "One Night with you" video when he sings "Tiget Man", i thought, "he's never released this as a record before, so he must be aware of the classic version by Rufus on Sun"

I just hope and pray that something turns up. Then i can go to my grave a happy man.

Me too!

Welcome to the topic, it's a good one, isn't it?

It is a good topic! You are a very valuable commodity to this forum, Doc. You say that Ernst was very surprised to find how many times Elvis said it was "nearly my second record" I'm surprized too..i wasn't aware of any of them, the reason being is i'm not a fan of Elvis of the 70's and don't have anything of him books etc from that period of his career. I'm R'n'R all the way...not even anything from 1970. Oh, i do have Ken Sharps Vegas '69 book and "In Person" CD FTD. So it was nice to hear those comments.

Is it possible that Elvis did "Tiger Man" at Sun during the gap between the recording of "That's All Right" (July 5, 1954) and the recording of "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" (estimated July 7, 1954). I know Elvis says that it was his second record, but could Elvis have simply meant the second side to his first record? Could "Tiger Man" have initially been planned as the B-side to "That's All Right." To me, that would make sense in a way since Sam had a hot record that was getting picked up by Dewey Phillips and still needed to record a flipside to it. Maybe Sam pitched the idea of doing "Tiger Man" to Elvis and it just didn't come across well, hence they went in another direction, which was ultimately "Blue Moon Of Kentucky".

Another question...since Sam was so eager to take "That's All Right" to WHBQ's Dewey Phillips, did Sam also take Elvis' "Tiger Man" to Dewey as well and it just didn't come across well to listeners of Dewey's show. One can only hope and pray that maybe, just maybe Sam did just that and an acetate still exists in the WHBQ archives or among Dewey's estate. I think that if Elvis indeed did record "Tiger Man" while at Sun, a recording (presumably either a tape or an acetate) of it could only surface in a number of logistical places...Sam Phillips estate, Elvis' estate, Dewey Phillips' estate, Marion Keisker's estate, current Sun Records owner Shelby Singleton, or another Memphis radio station / disk jockey that Sam was acquaintances of. I'm not saying that it couldn't surface elsewhere...I'm just saying those would be the first places I'd be looking.

Daryl

Is it possible that Elvis did "Tiger Man" at Sun during the gap between the recording of "That's All Right" (July 5, 1954) and the recording of "Blue Moon Of Kentucky" (estimated July 7, 1954). I know Elvis says that it was his second record, but could Elvis have simply meant the second side to his first record? Could "Tiger Man" have initially been planned as the B-side to "That's All Right." To me, that would make sense in a way since Sam had a hot record that was getting picked up by Dewey Phillips and still needed to record a flipside to it. Maybe Sam pitched the idea of doing "Tiger Man" to Elvis and it just didn't come across well, hence they went in another direction, which was ultimately "Blue Moon Of Kentucky".

Another question...since Sam was so eager to take "That's All Right" to WHBQ's Dewey Phillips, did Sam also take Elvis' "Tiger Man" to Dewey as well and it just didn't come across well to listeners of Dewey's show. One can only hope and pray that maybe, just maybe Sam did just that and an acetate still exists in the WHBQ archives or among Dewey's estate. I think that if Elvis indeed did record "Tiger Man" while at Sun, a recording (presumably either a tape or an acetate) of it could only surface in a number of logistical places...Sam Phillips estate, Elvis' estate, Dewey Phillips' estate, Marion Keisker's estate, current Sun Records owner Shelby Singleton, or another Memphis radio station / disk jockey that Sam was acquaintances of. I'm not saying that it couldn't surface elsewhere...I'm just saying those would be the first places I'd be looking.

Daryl

Shelby Singleton passed away in 2009.
I doubt he had any unreleased Elvis recordings in his possession, despite the fact in interviews in the 1980's he said he had.