$35,000 is what it cost RCA Records to buy Elvis’ contract from Sam Phillips at Sun Records. In 1955, that was a tidy sum of money, especially when you consider that Presley was unproven at the time.

While at Sun, Presley released a handful of singles (no albums), and only two of them charted nationally, not on the pop charts but on the country and western chart. At the time, rock and roll was a fairly new commodity, and its sales potential was anything but certain. Colonel Tom Parker brokered the deal for Elvis, and at the time Phillips felt like he won the lottery. He knew that his small label didn’t have the muscle to make Elvis a huge star, but RCA had sales and distribution to do exactly that.

The first single released on RCA was “Heartbreak Hotel” and it rocketed to #1 and then loitered there for eight weeks. Six weeks later, they released this album and it sold over a million copies, earning as much in profit, becoming the first RCA release to earn over one million dollars. Thirty-five grand turned out to be a rather tasty investment for the label, and the national rock and roll craze officially starts right here.

Featured Tracks:

Blue Suede Shoes

I'm Counting On You

I Got A Woman

One Sided Love Affair

I Love You Because

Just Because

Tutti Frutti

Tryin' to Get to You

I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry Over You

I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')

Blue Moon

Money Honey

March 1956- Billboard Charted #1