'50's Date ?: Elvis, Dewey Charlie & Bonnie Underwood

Date ?

...the picture was taken one night at Charlie's Underwood apartment after a broadcast in the studios... (courtesy: GK / Family Album)

L/R: Dewey Philips - Elvis, Bonnie and Charlie Underwood
Charlie Underwood : rhythm guitarist (MDQ) / SUN writer / Sam Philips A&R manager and assistant engineer:

Last edited by E-Cat on Wed Mar 12, 2008 4:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Charlie made the leather cover for Elvis' J-200, not the one on the Martin he's holding. Funny though that Martin is now paying him a percentage for the design on every trivbute model they sell with the repro cover that he never created.
Sorry, pet peeve.

My guess is that's sometime in 56.

May 1957 ? (look at his medalion from the above photo)


bigger version: http://www.mediafire.com/?amywcybmgs0

Many thanks for these pictures.

Mississippi

I have the axact date at home. Will post as soon as I get off work.

Sincerely
Brian
http://www.brian56.dk
(1956 Day-by-Day updated)

Back from work and this is what I have written in my 1957 notes:

On April 15 Elvis enjoyed himself as he visited the Holiday Towers apartment of composer Charles Underwood. Underwood wrote "Ubangi Stomp" and Elvis said he would like to record another Underwood tune called "Titles Will Tell," which had been released by Barbara Pittman. He also swapped stories with Dewey Phillips and idly picked on Underwood's guitar. Elvis brought along his date, Martha Lou Pendergrass, whom he had dated several times recently.

Sincerely
Brian
http://www.brian56.dk
(1956 Day-by-Day updated)

Barbara Pittman had never sung a song with title "Titles Will Tell"

Mississippi

The ''Memphis Belles - The Women Of Sun Records'' 6-CD boxed set includes "The Titles Will Tell" by Barbara Pittman so I guess she actually did record that song.

Sincerely
brian
http://www.brian56.dk
(1956 Day-by-Day updated)

Back from work and this is what I have written in my 1957 notes:

On April 15 Elvis enjoyed himself as he visited the Holiday Towers apartment of composer Charles Underwood. Underwood wrote "Ubangi Stomp" and Elvis said he would like to record another Underwood tune called "Titles Will Tell," which had been released by Barbara Pittman. He also swapped stories with Dewey Phillips and idly picked on Underwood's guitar. Elvis brought along his date, Martha Lou Pendergrass, whom he had dated several times recently.

Sincerely
Brian
http://www.brian56.dk
(1956 Day-by-Day updated)

Great, many thx for the info!

He actually wore that medallion at some of his 1957 shows.

The ''Memphis Belles - The Women Of Sun Records'' 6-CD boxed set includes "The Titles Will Tell" by Barbara Pittman so I guess she actually did record that song.

Pittman recorded several songs at SUN that were not issued, and just one single on SUN proper -- a few other SUN cuts were issued on the Phillips International label.

SUN 253 - "I Need A Man" / "No Matter Who's To Blame"




Both sides of the October 1956 SUN single were written by Stan Kesler, who also had her cut a demo at SUN of "Playing For Keeps" which Elvis used when crafting his version in September 1956 at Radio Recorders.

JamesVRoy wrote:

Charlie made the leather cover for Elvis' J-200, not the one on the Martin he's holding. Funny though that Martin is now paying him a percentage for the design on every trivbute model they sell with the repro cover that he never created.

Please loki at this webside: http://www.guitarcovers.com/

Mississippi

JamesVRoy wrote:

Charlie made the leather cover for Elvis' J-200, not the one on the Martin he's holding. Funny though that Martin is now paying him a percentage for the design on every trivbute model they sell with the repro cover that he never created.

Please loki at this webside: http://www.guitarcovers.com/

Mississippi

I know, he copies them. He made the cover for the 56 Gibson J200 in the picture there. He's only one of several companies that replicate that cover for the Martin. It wasn't his design and he didn't make Elvis'. Elvis' was made in the basement of OK Houcks' by Marcus Van Story soon after he bought the D28. They knew it at Martin but they have a deal with Underwood. They also credit Wertheimer for a photo he didn't take and have been told by both me and EPE that they are in error and have yet to correct it.



I don't believe Underwood ever claimed to make the original one but Martin went to him years ago when they had their first replica cover made and they probably assumed he had made the first since he made the one for the J200 and propagated the mistake. Underwood will make anyone a cover with any name you want on it but they are only copying the design that Marcus used. Unfortunately he's dead now so there's no one to contest it, except maybe for EPE but they won't because they endorse the product.

Martin has known of the history of his D28 from me, at least as far back as the production of the CBS mini series and the Elvis Birthday cake specials. They loaned them the first cover they had made for use in the TV series and had a D18 and D28 both made up with tortoise pickguards to use. The prop company had their own leather cover made because they were afraid of damaging Martin's.

http://scottymoore.net/elvisbirthdaycakes.html

They then put the guitar and cover on display and sent me a picture to give to the Food Network when they were doing the Elvis birthday cake show. The winner had designed his cake based on the guitars he saw on Scotty's site. I told Dick Boak that they had the cove on the wrong guitar. They had it on a D18 instead of a D28 and he siad they'd fix that. Strangely enough when they made the tribute guitars they used black pickguards when he knew that Elvis' were tortoise and told me it was because they were black in the pictures. Odd too because they know that Martin didn't use black till the '70s.

Hi JamesVRoy,

many thanks for this very interesting story.

Mississippi

Here's a photo I found...

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Here´s another photo that shows Elvis playing Charlie´s guitar.
Source: Graceland Express, July-September 1989.

Here's a photo I found...

Here´s another photo that shows Elvis playing Charlie´s guitar.
Source: Graceland Express, July-September 1989.

Both, many thanks - awesome pictures !
Never saw Underwood's guitar before ......

Charlie made the leather cover for Elvis' J-200, not the one on the Martin he's holding. Funny though that Martin is now paying him a percentage for the design on every tribute model they sell with the repro cover that he never created.

Please look at this website: http://www.guitarcovers.com/

The cover Charlie created may be seen on Elvis' last Sullivan appearance in January 1957.

Sadly, the reproduction one might purchase today from Underwood is VERY POOR, and hardly matches the quality of the original.

some more info about Charles (Underwood) :
http://www.guitarcovers.com/historicalintro.html

...here is his story: