Elvis Presley - Dorsey Shows (rec. 1956, Golden Archives 1977)
Vinyl Spin of the Day.
In January 1956, Elvis began to hit the big time. On the 10th, he made his first recordings for RCA Victor, including "Heartbreak Hotel". Eighteen days later, he appeared for the first time on network television. Veteran band leaders Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey shared hosting duties for "Stage Show", a weekly variety musical program on CBS. Producer Jackie Gleason decided to cultivate a younger audience by presenting the new teenage superstar a total of six times between January 28 and March 24. His performances, backed by Scotty Moore, Bill Black, D.J. Fontana and The Jordanaires, were electrifying, reflecting a surprising degree of confidence from such a young musician at the very start of his career. Sound quality is quite good for the time.