TCBCast 286: Elvis Presley and Country Music, Part 1: Elvis' Country Music Roots (Are More Complex Than You Think)

TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

The epic saga begins. Music aficionado Garrett Cash joins Justin for the first part of a sweeping miniseries on Elvis Presley's lifelong, intertwined history with country music. We begin with the complex web of myriad influences that paved the way for rock and roll, and we start by treating the history of the genre not as strictly "hillbilly music" but as part of a vital continuum of American music that has always, in practice, blurred social, racial and class lines, encompassing blues, pop, swing & big band, jazz, showtunes, and gospel - and we bring receipts.

We deep dive the history of its stereotypical sounds like the fiddle, banjo and steel guitar, the development of country as a commercial entity following Ralph Peer's Bristol sessions and the introduction of The Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, and trace the development of its subgenres, such as western swing, bluegrass, jug bands and hokum music, singing cowboys, honky-tonk and country boogie, leading us directly to the doorstep of 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee.

You can find more of Garrett on "The Beat! With Garrett Cash" on SoundCloud at: https://soundcloud.com/garrett-cash-635212819

As well as on the Let It Roll Podcast miniseries "Holy Roll" at: https://letitrollpodcast.substack.com/p/let-it-roll-with-garrett-cash

In late October we will be releasing a YouTube and Spotify playlist with as many songs featured on this series as possible. Stay tuned to our social media pages for details. This series would not be possible without the support of TCBCast Patreon backers, thank you to all of our patrons!

This is not remotely comprehensive or in any order whatsoever but among some of the key resources that we found useful for this first episode are:

Ken Burns’ Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack

American Epic - Documentary & Soundtrack Sets

Meeting Jimmie Rodgers: How America’s Original Roots Music Hero Changed the Pop Sounds of a Century by Barry Mazor

The Birth of Rock and Roll: The Illustrated Story of Sun Records by Colin Escott and Peter Guralnick

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick

Walk A Lonely Street: Elvis Presley, Country Music and the True Story of Heartbreak Hotel by Tony Plews

Cocaine and Rhinestones by Tyler Mahan Coe

The Nashville Sound by Paul Hemphill

African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia: A Study of Folk Traditions by Cecelia Conway

A History of Rock in 500 Songs by Andrew Hickey

Protobilly: The Minstrel & Tin Pan Alley DNA of Country Music from JSP Records

At the Louisiana Hayride Tonight by Bear Family Records