Elvis' 1968 Home Demo --> Another Mystery?

[drjohncarpenter]

Fans know Elvis recorded music in private.

We have evidence from Memphis (1956, 1973), Bad Nauheim (1958-1959), Los Angeles (1960, 1966) and Palm Springs (1974).

Surely ... there are more tapes, and these undiscovered recordings remain one of the few remaining sources of possible "new" material from the greatest singer of the 20th century. But where might they be hiding?

620720_Donna Lewis_mom_Elvis_Memphis Fairgrounds.JPG

Donna Lewis, her mom, and Elvis - Memphis Fairgrounds, Friday, July 20, 1962



Well, reading through the second volume of the incredibly earnest, unpretentious and engaging "Hurry Home, Elvis" -- diary entries written at the time by a sweet, teenaged Presley fan who had hundreds of fun experiences with Elvis, his family, friends and employees -- this date stopped me in my tracks:

Friday November 1, 1968

Sandy's 20th birthday.

Daddy & I went out and bought Sandy's birthday presents and a cake. Daddy bought Mommie a gorgeous dining room suite. I got another photo album.

On TV tonight, Richard Davis was the member of the jury on "Judd for the Defense."

Travis was next door, playing demo tapes of Elvis singing: "Mona Lisa," "Make Believe," "Only The Lonely," "Lonely Blue Boy," "Danny Boy," "Honey," "Little Green Apples" and some others we didn't know. We listened through the wall. Just Fabulous!

Donna Lewis with Craig A. Slanker, "Hurry Home, Elvis": Donna Lewis' Diaries Volume II 1967-1968 (Cincinnati: Busted Burd Productions, 1997)

"Richard Davis" is one of the Memphis Mafia.

"Travis" is Travis Smith, brother of Gladys Presley, who worked the Graceland gates for years and befriended Donna Lewis and her family when they first came to Memphis in 1962. He and wife Lorraine had two sons who grew up with Elvis, Bobby and Billy.

As for the Elvis home demo tape young Donna heard that Friday evening through the walls of her home, it could be a mix of recording dates, but more likely a reel from a recent, single performance.

Certainly it could be from spring 1968, as "Honey" hit the top of Billboard's "Hot 100" for Bobby Goldsboro on April 13 and stayed there for five weeks. The songwriter, Bobby Russell, also penned "Little Green Apples," which made it to #2 for soul singer O.C. Smith on both the Billboard "Hot 100" and "Best Selling Rhythm & Blues Singles" charts on October 26.

681111_1174 Hillcrest_01.JPG

1174 Hillcrest, Los Angeles - Monday, November 11, 1968


One thing for sure is that this tape would be extremely exciting to hear. Elvis' voice at this time is dynamic and extremely assured, with a real "rock 'n' roll" edge to it. He completed work on his upcoming NBC-TV special, but had yet to record at American Sound in Memphis. He was poised to reclaim the crown.

Besides those two big 1968 hits, we know some of the other tunes from previous home demos. But Conway Twitty's "Lonely Blue Boy" is a nice surprise, as this is a rewrite of a rejected track ("Danny") from Elvis' 1958 film "King Creole" that ended up a top ten hit for Conway in early 1960. And, of course, "Only The Lonely" is Roy Orbison's "signature song," a #2 for the Texas native in 1960 as well.

Thank you, Donna, for sharing your crucial Elvis history with us.

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Donna Lewis, Elvis Week - August 2006



So … to add more fuel to the fire, we have about an album's worth of unreleased Elvis, probably from late summer - early fall 1968, just waiting to be heard.

Where is it???

681111_1174 Hillcrest_02.JPG

1174 Hillcrest, Los Angeles - Monday, November 11, 1968

[George Smith]

Fascinating, John, thank you for this post.

I side with your "single-session" suggestion.

"Little Green Apples" had been kicking around for most of the year but I'm sure it was the Simpson version that clicked for Elvis as it did for most listeners.

And it would seem he really loved "Danny Boy", didn't here.

Thanks again ... and here's hoping ...

[Jim Dandy]

Thanks, nice post. Will be interesting to read the future replies on this one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[drjohncarpenter]

Fascinating, John, thank you for this post.

I side with your "single-session" suggestion.

"Little Green Apples" had been kicking around for most of the year but I'm sure it was the Simpson version that clicked for Elvis as it did for most listeners.

And it would seem he really loved "Danny Boy", didn't here.

Thanks again ... and here's hoping ...

It's another piece of the puzzle, and I'd love to hear it. Plus, there are songs on this tape that young Donna and her folks "didn't know."

One interesting side note to O.C. Smith's hit single of "Little Green Apples" is the B-side, a recording of "Long Black Limousine." That is the very first track Elvis tackles on his very first night at American Sound in the new year, and the arrangement is taken 100% from Smith's rendition.

[George Smith]

One interesting side note to O.C. Smith's hit single of "Little Green Apples" is the B-side, a recording of "Long Black Limousine." That is the very first track Elvis tackles on his very first night at American Sound in the new year, and the arrangement is taken 100% from Smith's rendition.

Oh, that's good.

[drjohncarpenter]

One interesting side note to O.C. Smith's hit single of "Little Green Apples" is the B-side, a recording of "Long Black Limousine." That is the very first track Elvis tackles on his very first night at American Sound in the new year, and the arrangement is taken 100% from Smith's rendition.

Oh, that's good.

Billboard - May 25, 1968





That "Long Black Limousine" was the very first song tried on the very first day at American Sound is telling.

Perhaps producer Chips Moman wanted to set a tone for the entire session. Smith's recording first appeared on an LP. Further interesting is he does a version of "Honey" on it. So many coincidences!







O.C. Smith, "Long Black Limousine" Hickory Holler Revisited (Columbia CS 9680, May 18, 1968)





Chips and Elvis adopt almost the exact same arrangement, and Presley's vocals add a deeply-felt sense of desperation. He recognized that the saga of the country boy lost to the city was his story.

Smith died about 12 years ago.

JetDec172001p63.jpg

Jet - December 17, 2001

[promiseland]

Interesting topic and well formatted Doc.
I just about bet the farm there are many spools lying in the hands of our legendary friend Red West. He seems to be the most likely suspect of the inner circle to have privately recorded Elvis, being it was for fun, or demo-ing a song or two he had written. Although Red is no Bill Gates, he is most likely pretty vested, and have no reason to part with most his most prized possessions from his MM heydays. Red was there from the beginning , and probably the most musically inclined of the group with most interest to writing and recording on a personal side with Elvis.
Esposito would be the man go to for film, as Red West would be the go to man for tape.
I hope we have many more years left with Red, aside what some may think, he was a true friend to Elvis Presley till the end.

[Rock Legend]

How can we know for sure that this really was Elvis singing? Wouldn’t there be more info on this tape by now if it had been? We are relying solely on the memory of a very young girl.
I’m sure that over the years Elvis received various tapes of people trying to sing like him and hoping for the big time. Even Felton Jarvis used a soundalike to get Elvis’ attention! (Marvin Benefield).
Jimmy Ellis’ manager also tried to get Elvis to listen to Ellis’ recordings.
Could this tape be just one of those hopefuls?
It could also have been a demo tape from Hill & Range with possible songs for future sessions. These were often done in his style.
Let’s not jump to conclusions without the proper evidence to back it up.

[JohanD]

How can we know for sure that this really was Elvis singing? Wouldn’t there be more info on this tape by now if it had been? We are relying solely on the memory of a very young girl.
I’m sure that over the years Elvis received various tapes of people trying to sing like him and hoping for the big time. Even Felton Jarvis used a soundalike to get Elvis’ attention! (Marvin Benefield).
Jimmy Ellis’ manager also tried to get Elvis to listen to Ellis’ recordings.
Could this tape be just one of those hopefuls?
It could also have been a demo tape from Hill & Range with possible songs for future sessions. These were often done in his style.
Let’s not jump to conclusions without the proper evidence to back it up.

I think this could be the case, the girl remembers it, she listened to the recordings through the walls...

If it where true, it would be a huge discovery.
I also think that Red West has more tapes of homerecordings, they where some of his released on various releases through the years.
But i seem to remember that the quality of those"other more" recordings is rather poor... i think i read that somewhere...

But there is always hope.

[The Pirate]

How can we know for sure that this really was Elvis singing? Wouldn’t there be more info on this tape by now if it had been? We are relying solely on the memory of a very young girl.
I’m sure that over the years Elvis received various tapes of people trying to sing like him and hoping for the big time. Even Felton Jarvis used a soundalike to get Elvis’ attention! (Marvin Benefield).
Jimmy Ellis’ manager also tried to get Elvis to listen to Ellis’ recordings.
Could this tape be just one of those hopefuls?
It could also have been a demo tape from Hill & Range with possible songs for future sessions. These were often done in his style.
Let’s not jump to conclusions without the proper evidence to back it up.

When any member here plays an ETA tape and says "This is Elvis", everyone rushes to put them down. "How can you say that's Elvis? It sounds nothing like him. How long have you been a fan? Are you deaf?" etc etc. But if Donna Lewis, who actually met him (and presumably spent more time listening to his music than most) hears somebody merely trying to sing in his style, then it's credible that she thinks he really is Elvis? I'm not buying that.

[drjohncarpenter]

Interesting topic and well formatted Doc.
I just about bet the farm there are many spools lying in the hands of our legendary friend Red West. He seems to be the most likely suspect of the inner circle to have privately recorded Elvis, being it was for fun, or demo-ing a song or two he had written. Although Red is no Bill Gates, he is most likely pretty vested, and have no reason to part with most his most prized possessions from his MM heydays. Red was there from the beginning , and probably the most musically inclined of the group with most interest to writing and recording on a personal side with Elvis.
Esposito would be the man go to for film, as Red West would be the go to man for tape.
I hope we have many more years left with Red, aside what some may think, he was a true friend to Elvis Presley till the end.

Thanks for the kind words.

Although Red West and Joe Esposito are unlikely repositories of unissued Presley audio or film, the veracity of Donna Lewis' precise memories, published in three volumes of transcribed diary entries written between 1962 and 1977, is undeniable. Her writing is consistent, with an eye for detail that is extremely sharp. And in November 1968 she was just a few weeks past 18, a high school senior and hardly a "very young girl." She also listened to this music with her parents, and perhaps her sister Sandy, all of them huge Elvis fans. One suspects the naysaying that has already cropped up comes from individuals who have not reviewed these books as I have done.

But what is more important is trying to determine where this tape -- and many others like it -- is today. The first person I might ask would be Billy Smith, Travis' son, and I suspect the last member of that family still with us today. It is not impossible that Billy has a great number of private tapes, spanning all the years he spent with his cousin.

[Daryl]

Was the third volume of Donna Lewis' diaries ever published?

I have the first two diaries and I believe either one or both the first two volumes made mention of a 3rd volume that was to be published. I never saw it though.

Back in May, 1998, Ernst hinted about these home recordings in an interview with WorldwideElvis.com (Paul Dowling)

WWE: Is there a 1968 version of "BABY LET'S PLAY HOUSE"?
ERNST: There was a rumour. This actually ties in pretty well with some tapes we are now pursuing (WWE: The tapes Ernst is referring to contain "SINCE I LOST MY BABY"; "I ALMOST LOST MY MIND"; and "PUPPY LOVE", all supposedly done in 1966 - 1968!!) First of all, there's these Donna Lewis diaries (and I don't remember what the entry is in there) but she talks about a home recording tape that was played around '68 or '69, not that she has it, but that she was at the house and heard it. So you can look that up and figure out what songs she mentioned in there. Maybe that's where it's coming from. But also, there was one of Elvis' own tapes that he played to a lot of people that had a rerecording of "BABY LET'S PLAY HOUSE" with some other guy who sounds remarkedly like Elvis and that might be what people have confused it with.

http://www.worldwideelvis.com/ERNSTMAY98PART1_.SHTML

Daryl

[debtd1]

would love to get my hands on Donna's books....vol 1 isn't a bad price, 2 is stupid price...and 3 doesn't seem to be available anywhere

[George Smith]

Chips and Elvis adopt almost the exact same arrangement, and Presley's vocals add a deeply-felt sense of desperation. He recognized that the saga of the country boy lost to the city was his story.

The song is actually about a girl.

Yes.

And no.

The song was hugely personal to Elvis.

[Tim C]

There has been a tape or some tapes that Esposito was in possession of that ended up being released (on bootleg IIRC). There is a book, might have been the MM book but possibly the Guralnick works that had a few songs listed from the tape. So I know Esposito had at one time owned a tape or more. Is it possible he still has a tape or two held back for hard times? It's possible that more of the MM at one time or the other had recordings, fallen on hard times and sold to a collector. After all these years, one would think that the MM has been asked this question quite a few times by now and more info would have come to light.

[Swingin-Little-Guitar-Man]

Why aren't there any decent Elvis Audio books? It's long been my favourite format for books. I love to listen them while I'm on the go. I remember listening to a Titanic book that practically stopped the world around me - I couldn't take my earphones out until I'd heard it all. They are also great for car journeys and commuting/flights etc.

Very interesting topic Doc. We certainly know his love for "Make Believe" and "Danny Boy" so it sounds credible. I'm sure there are a lot of undiscovered Home Recordings still in existence - and as we know, the quality of the ones from 1966 are pretty damn excellent which means that 1968 ones would probably be cut using the same or similar equipment and would very probably echo the wonderful quality of "Oh How i Love Jesus", "After loving You" and "The Tennessee Waltz" etc

[poormadpeter]

How can we know for sure that this really was Elvis singing? Wouldn’t there be more info on this tape by now if it had been? We are relying solely on the memory of a very young girl.
I’m sure that over the years Elvis received various tapes of people trying to sing like him and hoping for the big time. Even Felton Jarvis used a soundalike to get Elvis’ attention! (Marvin Benefield).
Jimmy Ellis’ manager also tried to get Elvis to listen to Ellis’ recordings.
Could this tape be just one of those hopefuls?
It could also have been a demo tape from Hill & Range with possible songs for future sessions. These were often done in his style.
Let’s not jump to conclusions without the proper evidence to back it up.

That would make sense, but some of the songs mentioned wouldn't - Danny Boy and Make Believe?

We need to remember that this was 45 years ago and, even if the tape did exist, it might not exist any longer. That so many private tapes remain is remarkable. We have been lucky enough to get hold of the demos elvis did in 1953 and 1954, and a huge amount of live audio exists from 1954-56 considering Elvis wasn't recorded live professionally. But, eventually, luck runs out.

[Rock Legend]

It’s been known for years that Elvis loved & sang ‘Danny Boy’, so in itself it’s not a surprise that others would attempt it in his style. I can easily see Hill & Range prepare a custom made demo for Elvis to remind him of his fondness of the song and encourage him to do it. Same with ‘Make Believe’.

Let’s not forget, these are the memories of a very young girl, and she heard these only through a wall. How can we (or anyone for that matter) be so sure of what she really heard?

[SteveFBS]

Why aren't there any decent Elvis Audio books? It's long been my favourite format for books. I love to listen them while I'm on the go. I remember listening to a Titanic book that practically stopped the world around me - I couldn't take my earphones out until I'd heard it all. They are also great for car journeys and commuting/flights etc.

I know "Last Train To Memphis" and "Careless Love" by Peter Guralnick are around in Audio Book form, since I have copies of them. Also, I recently listened to Jerry Schilling's book about his time with Elvis. Good stuff.
Although I'm a very dedicated book reader, I like to listen to audio books while I'm working (I'm a carpenter/painter) or cooking. It sure helps the time pass enjoyably!

[poormadpeter]

It’s been known for years that Elvis loved & sang ‘Danny Boy’, so in itself it’s not a surprise that others would attempt it in his style. I can easily see Hill & Range prepare a custom made demo for Elvis to remind him of his fondness of the song and encourage him to do it. Same with ‘Make Believe’.

Let’s not forget, these are the memories of a very young girl, and she heard these only through a wall. How can we (or anyone for that matter) be so sure of what she really heard?

But surely Hill & Range wouldn't have owned the rights to Make Believe? That's owned by another company entirely (T B Harms I think). Unless, of course, the song wasn't Make Believe but IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE - the song that Conway Twitty had a hit with? That still might be owned by someone other than Hill & Range though - but it's interesting that Lonely Blue Boy and Mona Lisa was also heard - could the girl have mistaken Conway Twitty recordings for Elvis? It was through a wall after all - and she wouldn't have been the first to do so.

From what I can gather these are diary entries, not recollections written now. Would a girl of that age even have known Make Believe from Show Boat?! Alternatively, perhaps these were a mix of home recordings that we are familiar with (Make Believe, Danny Boy, Mona Lisa) AND demos?
With new sessions just around the corner, perhaps the old private tapes were being mined for song ideas, and demos were being listened to as well? If the private tapes were played first, then wouldn't the girl in question just ASSUME that the other songs were Elvis as well?

[Mister Mike]

Where is it? Right next to the tape containing the Sun recording of «Tiger Man».

[Rich_TCB]

Very interesting - thanks Doc.

[Greg1]

Fascinating story Doc, and could it be just a simple matter of asking Billy Smith whatever happened to the tape or tapes that his Dad used to listen to? He might get a kick out of hearing the story of Donna listening through the wall, if he never knew.
One would think that Ernst or some legitmate representative from RCA or Sony would have contacted him or others that they might suspect have recordings. Perhaps someone on this forum who communicates with Billy from time to time could inquire.
Still remains so tantalizing that unheard recordings could still exist somewhere!

[Fabbe]

That tape would be a dream come true


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[Barbie]

Yes THAT tape would be wonderful to hear!!!!!!! Interesting to note, when I met Elvis April 13, 1968 just outside the gates....................(home from filming LALLAL) he got out of the car and was signing autographs and people were then taking pictures with him...............when it was my time to get my autograph and get my picture taken.......we told him we were from Canada and came down just to see him - he said "you came all that way just to see ME???" We said "YES!!!!" When he signed my autograph he was singing "God didn't make little green apples and it don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime" I'll never forget it!!!.....serenaded by Elvis!!!! lol!!!........I knew the song as I had heard it on the radio.........he was also talking about seeing Tom Jones the previous weekend..............(you've seen the pictures with Elvis, Priscilla and Tom!)....quite the little chatterbox..........so nice and so friendly with his fans!!!! Isn't that why we just love him???!!! (there were about 10 fans waiting at the gate).........can someone tell me how to post pictures to this site?