December 1955 RCA Indianapolis pressing plant visit - Elvis Presley Preservation Society

[Greg1995]

I will be posting here soon a very rare advert with a few pictures from late 1955 taken at the RCA record pressing plant.

Yes, it's Elvis in there and he is together with back then a rising RCA female country star which he performed with a few times before on stage. They paid together a visit to the pressing plant. It was an advertising campaign.

Make your guesses!
Who is the female star and what city was the pressing plant.

[martin018]

Wanda Jackson?

[Greg1995]

Wanda Jackson?

Sorry, but no.

I should add: she hadn't been solo artist at the time

[Alan_K]

June Carter?

[Greg1995]

June Carter?

You're almost there!

[Alan_K]

June Carter?

You're almost there!

Maybelle Carter ??

[Greg1995]

June Carter?

You're almost there!

Maybelle Carter ??

Warm.

[Alan_K]

Well, Elvis had a thing for Anita Carter, so I'll pick her over Helen

[Greg1995]

Well, Elvis had a thing for Anita Carter, so I'll pick her over Helen

You got it!

Now name the city.

[Alan_K]

Well, I'd be guessing, but late 1955 puts Elvis in New York and Id say it was an extension to the publicity he was doing in the city.

[Greg1995]

Well, I'd be guessing, but late 1955 puts Elvis in New York and Id say it was an extension to the publicity he was doing in the city.

It's not New York.

[Alan_K]

Well, I'd be guessing, but late 1955 puts Elvis in New York and Id say it was an extension to the publicity he was doing in the city.

It's not New York.

December 4th to 7th he was in Indianapolis, so..??

[Greg1995]

Well, I'd be guessing, but late 1955 puts Elvis in New York and Id say it was an extension to the publicity he was doing in the city.

It's not New York.

December 4th to 7th he was in Indianapolis, so..??

Bingo Alan!

[Greg1995]

Elvis and Anita Carter popped in at the RCA Indianapolis pressing plant in December of 1955 when they were performing together at The Lyric Theatre.

Some rare pictures, from the Lyric Theatre
short stint, I have uncovered here:

https://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=110262

That is where all the five SUN singles were re-pressed on RCA Víctor label. After that the first new label's recording session in Nashville in January of 1956 was scheduled and it produced "Heartbreak Hotel". The rest is history.

[Greg1995]

I'm gonna tease a little more.

Elvis listening to playback of the 1955 RCA re-press of his SUN Single test record in the soundproof room.

Elvis watching his SUN single "I Forgot to Remember to Forget You" being freshly re-pressed under RCA Víctor label at the record plant in Indianapolis.

Oh, boy...

P.S. It should read "Elvis listen to a playback of his unissued SUN Records' "Tiger Man" recording on a high fidelity testing machine shut away from the plant noise by soundproof walls and doors"

received_536877274695063.jpeg

December 1955 RCA promotional "Who's Who On The Label" advert for Elvis and Anita Carter.

testpressing.jpg

December 1955 RCA single test pressing of B-Side "I Forgot to Remember to Forget".

1955 single.jpg

December 1955 RCA single release of B-side "I Forgot to Remember to Forget. (Indianapolis pressing)


Here is how the RCA Indianapolis pressing plant where Elvis had been watching his new RCA singles
being pressed looks like currently (or not looks like):

[Alan_K]

That's odd. RCA simultaneously re issued the first 4 SUN reissues followed by the 5th a month or 2 later as it was closest to SUNs release. I suppose they pressed them at the same time then held off on the 5th. Great story though, thanks for seeking it out

[Mississippi]

Former RCA Manufacturing Plant to be demolished

https://eu.indystar.com/picture-gallery/news/2017/01/23/former-rca-manufacturing-plant-to-be-demolished/96954726/

Mississippi

[Greg1995]

I re-post pictures from my another topic.

So here you have, once again, The Carter Sisters and Elvis performing at The Lyric Theatre in Indianapolis on December 5, 1955.

After the stint, Elvis and Anita Carter visited the RCA pressing facility in the city to see their new records being pressed.

[drjohncarpenter]

One of the things that seems odd with your posts is how you seldom cite a source for your photos or "finds." And the massive watermarks that appear on the images are off-putting, especially when some of them are available without any such markings. Whatever.

This visit is no big secret. Anita and Elvis' tour of the RCA manufacturing plant tour in Indianapolis has been known since at least 1999, when it was cited in Guralnick and Jørgensen's Elvis Day By Day. In the book it happened on the second day in town, 12-05-1955 (Mon).

But a close look at that in-house RCA flyer tells us a different story.

Jan 1956_RCA in house.jpg

Photos on this page were made at the RCA Victor Plant during a recent appearance by Anita Carter and Elvis Presley in Indianapolis. Between shows they were able to see their own records manufactured.

On that second day, December 5th, there was just one performance, in the evening. Would they have been taken to the RCA plant "after the stint"? No way.

Besides that, If the description is accurate it could not have happened on that day at all. There were no "between shows."

Only the first day works. And the last two days were a pair of shows each evening. Again, it's doubtful Anita and Elvis would have visited the RCA plant at night.


Lyric Theatre, Indianapolis

12-04-1955 (Sun) - three shows (2:00, 4:45 and 7:00pm)

12-05-1955 (Mon) - one show (9:30pm)

12-06-1955 (Tue) - two shows (7:00 and 9:30pm)

12-07-1955 (Wed) - two shows (7:00 and 9:30pm)


The venue was located at 135 North Illinois Street, the RCA plant eight miles west, at 7900 Rockville Road. That's about a fifteen minute drive, so in between shows on Sunday afternoon could have easily worked, and most of the RCA employees would not have been around because it was a weekend.

What else? Interesting that Anita's "I Wore Dark Glasses (At Your Wedding)" (RCA 47-6364) was popping out of the presses. It was released less than two weeks later.

Also, as on the other topic, you cite no reason for dating the those two photos as December 5th. Either one could be from any of the seven performances.

[Alan_K]

Could the "between shows" have meant between a last show on one day and the first show the next day?

I think that could be just a throw away line. Just as in "while not on stage" or something.

Maybe not. I'm not suggesting either is right or wrong.

Monday would be good in that there was more time with the single show not starting until 9pm, I'm sure they were given the extended VIP tour or something.
But its a great story to resurface either way. Elvis saw his first Sun Record being pressed and he saw his first RCAs being pressed, well, he even pressed one himself.

[drjohncarpenter]

Could the "between shows" have meant between a last show on one day and the first show the next day?

I think that could be just a throw away line. Just as in "while not on stage" or something.

Maybe not. I'm not suggesting either is right or wrong.

Monday would be good in that there was more time with the single show not starting until 9pm, I'm sure they were given the extended VIP tour or something.
But its a great story to resurface either way. Elvis saw his first Sun Record being pressed and he saw his first RCAs being pressed, well, he even pressed one himself.

I don't think he saw anything officially being pressed that visit. It was just PR. That Anita's new single was out two weeks after this visit underscores that suggestion. Her discs would have already been done and in the mail to print, radio and retail.

[Spellbinder]

That's odd. RCA simultaneously re issued the first 4 SUN reissues followed by the 5th a month or 2 later as it was closest to SUNs release. I suppose they pressed them at the same time then held off on the 5th. Great story though, thanks for seeking it out

I'm not quite sure I understand what this means. Sorry if I'm being a bit obtuse.

[elvis-fan]

That's odd. RCA simultaneously re issued the first 4 SUN reissues followed by the 5th a month or 2 later as it was closest to SUNs release. I suppose they pressed them at the same time then held off on the 5th.

Not quite... the first SUN single re-issued by RCA was released on December 2, 1955 and the other 4 SUN single reissues were released on January 23, 1956.

[Spellbinder]

That's odd. RCA simultaneously re issued the first 4 SUN reissues followed by the 5th a month or 2 later as it was closest to SUNs release. I suppose they pressed them at the same time then held off on the 5th.

Not quite... the first SUN single re-issued by RCA was released on December 2, 1955 and the other 4 SUN single reissues were released on January 23, 1956.

Yes - that's what I thought. And the first RCA released was the 5th Sun single (IFTRTF), presumably because it was still current.

[Alan_K]

That's odd. RCA simultaneously re issued the first 4 SUN reissues followed by the 5th a month or 2 later as it was closest to SUNs release. I suppose they pressed them at the same time then held off on the 5th.

Not quite... the first SUN single re-issued by RCA was released on December 2, 1955 and the other 4 SUN single reissues were released on January 23, 1956.

Thanks, I got it upside down / inside out and back to front. Other than that I felt I was accurate