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That's All Right, Mama

Words & Music by Arthur Crudup

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That's All Right, Mama

Words & Music by Arthur Crudup

Lyrics:

Well, that's all right, mama
That's all right for you
That's all right mama, just anyway you do
Well, that's all right, that's all right.
That's all right now mama, anyway you do

Mama she done told me,
Papa done told me too
'Son, that gal your foolin' with,
She ain't no good for you'
But, that's all right, that's all right.
That's all right now mama, anyway you do

I'm leaving town, baby
I'm leaving town for sure
Well, then you won't be bothered with
Me hanging 'round your door
Well, that's all right, that's all right.
That's all right now mama, anyway you do

First album:

1954, SUN 209, That's All Right / Blue Moon Of Kentucky

First recorded:

1954, Studio Session for Sun Records

More info:

Arthur (Big Boy) Crudup wrote and recorded That's All Right (Mama) in 1946 under the title I Don't Know It. In 1949 he again recorded the song - this time as That's All Right (Mama) (RCA 50-0000). The flip side was Crudup's After Hours.

Elvis recorded That's All Right on the evening of July 5, 1954 - his first commercial recording session at Sun Records. As Scotty Moore tells it, he, Elvis, and Bill Black were taking a break in the studio, having already put Harbor Lights and I Love You Because on tape, when Elvis began cutting up by singing That's All Right. Moore and Black joined him. Sam Phillips popped out of the control room and asked Elvis what he was doing and would he please do it again. Within a short time, an acceptable take was recorded and Elvis had the A side of his first release. The following evening, Blue Moon of Kentucky was recorded as the B side.

Phillips quickly made some acetates of That's All Right / Blue Moon of Kentucky and gave copies to Dewey Phillips of WHBQ, Uncle Richard of WMPS, and Sleepy-Eyed John Lepley of WHHM. On the evening of July 7, 1954, at about nine-thirty, Dewey Phillips played That's All Right on his radio program Red, Hot and Blue. When he learned that Phillips was going to play his record, Elvis went to the Suzore No 2 Theater to see The Best Years of Our Lives. Before leaving home he told his parents to listen to the program. Legend has it that Phillips played That's All Right fourteen times and received forty-seven telephone calls from listeners. Wanting to do an interview with Elvis, he called the Presley home. Vernon had to run down to the theater to get Elvis.

When Elvis arrived at the WHBQ studios, Phillips cautioned him not to say anything dirty. He then cued up a couple of records and began asking Elvis questions. One of the first was where he went to school. When Elvis answered "Humes High", Phillips's audience immediately knew that he was white, since Humes was an all-white school. Many of the listeners had thought the singer was black. After a brief chat, Phillips thanked Elvis. When Elvis asked when he was going to be interviewed, Phillips said he had just finished interviewing him - the mike had been on all the time. Elvis broke out into a cold sweat.

That's All Right was officially released on July 19, 1954. Fewer than twenty thousand copies were sold. It did not chart nationally, but reached #4 in Memphis.

Probably the first cover record of Elvis's That's All Right was by Smiley Maxedon in September 1954 (Columbia 21301). Another cover version was recorded by Marty Robbins (Columbia 21351) in December 1954. Robbins reached #9 on Billboard's country chart and easily outsold Elvis's recording.

Elvis sang That's All Right on his Grand Ole Opry appearance on October 2, 1954, and during his first appearance on the Louisiana Hayride on October 16, 1954. Elvis recorded the song for his 1968 TV special, Elvis, but it was not used. A July 1970 rehearsal of the song at the MGM studios, as well as an August 10, 1970, performance at the International Hotel, were used in the documentary Elvis - That's The Way It Is. The Sun recording was heard on the soundtrack of the 1972 documentary Elvis On Tour. A June 21, 1977, performance at Rapid City, South Dakota, was used in the TV special Elvis in Concert, and a remix of the Sun recording was heard in the 1981 documentary, This Is Elvis.


Lyrics:	Well, that's all right, mama That's all right for you That's all right mama, just anyway you do Well, that's all right, that's all right. That's all right now mama, anyway you do Mama she done told me, Papa done told me too 'Son, that gal your foolin' with, She ain't no good for you' But, that's all right, that's all right. That's all right now mama, anyway you do I'm leaving town, baby I'm leaving town for sure Well, then you won't be bothered with Me hanging 'round your door Well, that's all right, that's all right. That's all right now mama, anyway you do

First album:	1954, SUN 209, That's All Right / Blue Moon Of Kentucky

First recorded:	1954, Studio Session for Sun Records

More info:		Arthur (Big Boy) Crudup wrote and recorded That's All Right (Mama) in 1946 under the title I Don't Know It. In 1949 he again recorded the song - this time as That's All Right (Mama) (RCA 50-0000). The flip side was Crudup's After Hours. Elvis recorded That's All Right on the evening of July 5, 1954 - his first commercial recording session at Sun Records. As Scotty Moore tells it, he, Elvis, and Bill Black were taking a break in the studio, having already put Harbor Lights and I Love You Because on tape, when Elvis began cutting up by singing That's All Right. Moore and Black joined him. Sam Phillips popped out of the control room and asked Elvis what he was doing and would he please do it again. Within a short time, an acceptable take was recorded and Elvis had the A side of his first release. The following evening, Blue Moon of Kentucky was recorded as the B side. Phillips quickly made some acetates of That's All Right / Blue Moon of Kentucky and gave copies to Dewey Phillips of WHBQ, Uncle Richard of WMPS, and Sleepy-Eyed John Lepley of WHHM. On the evening of July 7, 1954, at about nine-thirty, Dewey Phillips played That's All Right on his radio program Red, Hot and Blue. When he learned that Phillips was going to play his record, Elvis went to the Suzore No 2 Theater to see The Best Years of Our Lives. Before leaving home he told his parents to listen to the program. Legend has it that Phillips played That's All Right fourteen times and received forty-seven telephone calls from listeners. Wanting to do an interview with Elvis, he called the Presley home. Vernon had to run down to the theater to get Elvis. When Elvis arrived at the WHBQ studios, Phillips cautioned him not to say anything dirty. He then cued up a couple of records and began asking Elvis questions. One of the first was where he went to school. When Elvis answered "Humes High", Phillips's audience immediately knew that he was white, since Humes was an all-white school. Many of the listeners had thought the singer was black. After a brief chat, Phillips thanked Elvis. When Elvis asked when he was going to be interviewed, Phillips said he had just finished interviewing him - the mike had been on all the time. Elvis broke out into a cold sweat. That's All Right was officially released on July 19, 1954. Fewer than twenty thousand copies were sold. It did not chart nationally, but reached #4 in Memphis. Probably the first cover record of Elvis's That's All Right was by Smiley Maxedon in September 1954 (Columbia 21301). Another cover version was recorded by Marty Robbins (Columbia 21351) in December 1954. Robbins reached #9 on Billboard's country chart and easily outsold Elvis's recording. Elvis sang That's All Right on his Grand Ole Opry appearance on October 2, 1954, and during his first appearance on the Louisiana Hayride on October 16, 1954. Elvis recorded the song for his 1968 TV special, Elvis, but it was not used. A July 1970 rehearsal of the song at the MGM studios, as well as an August 10, 1970, performance at the International Hotel, were used in the documentary Elvis - That's The Way It Is. The Sun recording was heard on the soundtrack of the 1972 documentary Elvis On Tour. A June 21, 1977, performance at Rapid City, South Dakota, was used in the TV special Elvis in Concert, and a remix of the Sun recording was heard in the 1981 documentary, This Is Elvis.