This week, Justin and Olivia wrap their discussion on the 2005 Broadway musical "All Shook Up" as they take a closer examination of the second act of the show as it flounders in its half-hearted attempts to make social commentary while still surprising with the inclusion of Elvis deep cuts like "Power of My Love," "I Don't Want To" and "There's Always Me" in its narrative.

From there, the duo hit their Songs of the Week. Tying in with the musical's lead character Chad, a roving roustabout himself, Justin tackles the brief history behind the title theme to Elvis's 1964 film "Roustabout." Then Olivia goes on a wonderful deep dive into the symbolism and storied history of "La Paloma" as its Spanish composer Sebastián Iradier comes into contact with Cuban music, brings it back to Europe and writes a song that goes on to explode in popularity around the world, becoming a standard in Mexico and also somewhat associated with Hawaii, being brought to the islands by Europeans - leading to its further adaptation as "No More" for Elvis in "Blue Hawaii" and "Aloha from Hawaii."

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

Olivia & Justin look back at a unique event in Elvis's posthumous legacy from 20 years ago - the EPE-endorsed 2005 Broadway show that utilized Elvis's music to tell the story of Chad, a 1950s motorcycling roustabout who travels from town to town bringing rock and roll and romance to small town America, Natalie, the mechanic who falls in love with him, and the numerous other characters brought to life in this show penned by writer Joe DiPietro.

Crammed to bursting with more Elvis hits than you can shake a stick at, "All Shook Up" received middling reviews on Broadway at a time not particularly generous to jukebox musicals, yet has since become a standard for smaller theatre companies and schools to license... but how does the story really stack up, either to other musicals, or to Elvis's own musical films? Is Elvis's legacy represented well? Is his music used effectively? We sat down with a filmed version of the original Broadway production, the script and soundtrack album to try to figure it all out.

We ran a bit long on Song of the Week so this is being split across two parts, breaking right in the middle of the discussion where the intermission would be in the musical itself. 

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

In this extra beefy episode, Ryan and Justin get together to discuss and rank Elvis's major live albums, from 1969's "In Person" to the posthumous "Elvis in Concert"

For Song of the Week, Justin explores the history and original Mexican song "La Golondrina," behind "She Wears My Ring," which Elvis recorded in 1973 and released on 1974's "Good Times" album.

Ryan then goes for the biggest SotW he's ever tackled on the show, looking into the iconic "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," including Elvis's concert performances across the 1970s, and the story of the original by The Righteous Brothers.

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy. If you'd like to support us another way, please drop a positive review on your favorite podcast platform!

Timestamps: (Just in case - this one's pretty big!)

Intro & News: 0:00

Main Topic: 9:10

She Wears My Ring: 1:21:35

You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling: 1:49:10

Gurdip & Justin discuss their thoughts on the NBC special "Christmas at Graceland," which aired Wednesday, November 29, 2023, hosted by Riley Keough and featuring musical acts including Lainey Wilson, Lana Del Rey, Kane Brown, Alanis Morrisette, Post Malone, The War and Treaty, John Legend and Kacey Musgraves as well as a handful of surprise cameos. 

Gurdip is out unexpectedly so special guest Darin Evans joins Justin once again, this time for a loose, lighthearted (and unexpectedly beefy) ranking of all of the Elvis movie title songs, from Love Me Tender to Change of Habit; weighing the songs themselves, how they're used in their respective movies, and how well they represent the films they're from. 

The team also react to listener feedback regarding the recent Elvis and Country Music miniseries as well as recent news including the Christmas at Graceland lineup (airing November 29!!) and Dolly Parton's new Elvis-themed duet with Ronnie McDowell, and Darin gives his thoughts after having seen "Priscilla" - FYI, Justin has also finally seen "Priscilla" and his initial impressions bonus episode with John Michael Heath of EAP Society is up over at the TCBCast Patreon.

For Song of the Week, due to Darin jumping in at the last minute since Gurdip had an unexpected emergency at the day job, Justin's the only one with a song of the week, but brings the funky "Find Out What's Happening" from Elvis' 1973 Stax sessions.

Timestamps

0:00 - News & Listener Feedback

31:30 - Main Topic

2:01:20 - SOTW: Find Out What's Happening

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

On this episode, Justin is once again joined by Chris Jones, co-host of the Hall of Songs podcast (HallofSongs.com), for a discussion on Elvis' various Grammy awards nominations and wins as well as how he fared in other music industry award ceremonies and briefly touching on which major genre Halls of Fame Elvis has been inducted into. With Chris' experience on their show having to nominate the best songs of given years, the guys have a ton of fun digging into what else was getting nominated, what Elvis was up against, and pondering where else he potentially could have been nominated for the big awards.

Then, for Song of the Week, Chris uncorks one of the big ones: Elvis' cover of Chuck Berry's iconic rock and roll anthem, "Johnny B. Goode." Yes, you read that right, somehow it had not yet been covered as a Song of the Week! Finally, Justin close out the show by admitting that he's really come around on Elvis' version of James Taylor's satirical blues cut, "Steamroller."

Please be sure to check out Hall of Songs, which Chris co-hosts with Tim Malcolm, again at HallofSongs.com or on your podcast platform of choice!

Gurdip and Justin dig into the September 1967 and January 1968 sessions that brought country singer-songwriter Jerry Reed into Elvis' circle for a brief moment, until business interests got in the way. Through spread out across various singles, soundtracks as bonus tracks, and budget compilations, these sessions collectively show Elvis already embracing material that returns him to his blues and country roots, leading him to his comeback. Justin also provides some context on Jerry Reed's early career before his breakout hit "Guitar Man," famously covered by Elvis during these sessions. 

For Song of the Week, Justin takes the opportunity of covering these sessions to talk about "The Prisoner's Song," a deeply important pivotal 1924 recording in more ways than one, which Elvis, Jerry and the band attempted to comedically subvert during these sessions, only for their jam to have been partly recorded by Felton Jarvis, surfacing decades later on bootlegs re-titled as "Wings of an Angel", revealing in hindsight a disappointing moment of casual carelessness on Elvis' behalf. Gurdip, on the other hand, spotlights the fantastic #1 1958 hit "Hard Headed Woman" from the King Creole soundtrack... a hit that barely features in the movie it's from!

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Gurdip & Justin react to the virtual holiday duets with Pentatonix and Kane Brown released within the last week or so, briefly discuss the leaks of emails sent from Lisa Marie to Sofia Coppola, and dig into Songs of the Week.

Gurdip selects the bubbly "It's A Wonderful World" from 1964's "Roustabout" while Justin goes deep on the obscure 1960 Elvis home recording "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" - not just songwriter Leon Rene and the famous hit version by the Ink Spots, but also the actual event of the Return of the Swallows observed each year at the Mission San Juan de Capistrano. 

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

In the finale to the epic Elvis and country music miniseries, Justin and guest host Garrett Cash briskly fly over nearly four and a half decades of time, tracing Elvis' impact and influence on country music, starting with several of the tributes paid to him immediately following his death and his posthumous country hits, including the success of the 1981 "Guitar Man" country overdub project and its proposed follow-up, cut short by the untimely passing of producer Felton Jarvis.

They follow the progression of country from "urban cowboy" to "neo-traditional" in the late 1980s-early 1990s, as artists begin paying homage directly to Elvis following milestone anniversaries marking his passing, with tribute albums, movie soundtracks and direct covers, and the guys try to reckon with the induction of Elvis into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the CMA's backhanded recognition of his influence and importance.

The late 90s give Justin and Garrett a chance to talk about country at its pop crossover peak of the 20th Century, with acts like Shania Twain, The Chicks and Garth Brooks all reaching mainstream audiences just the way Elvis did, as well as how innovations in technology and changes in regulations affected the country industry, including Brooks' successful attempts to overtake Elvis as the best selling solo artist in the United States.

Moving into the 21st century, there's an aside to listen to some of virtual duets on the 2008 "Christmas Duets" album, which featured all prominent women country artists adding their vocals alongside Elvis, and then ponder what Elvis' career and rockabilly/rock'n'roll music can teach us about the 2010s "bro country" fad. Lastly, they briefly examine how Taylor Swift rose from the field of country music to become the Elvis equivalent of the current generation; and to connect to the themes we've been developing throughout the series, they even take a look at the unexpected roots of perhaps the biggest hit in country music this very month - one that has now crossed into the pop mainstream.

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 

This is not remotely comprehensive or in any order whatsoever but among some of the key resources that we found useful for this 5th episode are:

Ken Burns' Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack

How Nashville Became Music City USA by Michael Kosser

The Garth Factor by Patsi Bale Cox

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King (Documentary, Glimmer Films)

Pure Country (Movie, Warner Bros. Pictures)

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/our-country/blake-shelton-infuriates-traditionalists-grandpa-baiting-comments-215927626.html

https://www.npr.org/2009/08/20/112056043/without-further-ado-songstress-tracy-chapman-returns

Other Recommended Resources:

The Encyclopedia of Country Music by The Staff of The Country Music Hall of Fame

Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music by Mary A. Bufwack and Robert K. Oermann

MUSIC PLAYLISTS: Note: neither playlist is complete for everything included in the series as some tracks do not exist on one platform, the other, or both. The YouTube playlist was compiled while editing so includes some songs not ultimately included, while the Spotify playlist was done afterwards.

YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg-DEia9bCgYw0crdiUuT6x41ooG2wyKk

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7m4mB4DlTIlfwNKIL1Rs8K?si=5be5b9c064374e37 

Thank you to all of our amazing TCBCast Patreon supporters. If you enjoyed this miniseries, please consider supporting the show over at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Part 5 of the Elvis and Country Music miniseries brings the curtain down on the 1970s. Justin and Garrett Cash begin by discussing the state of pop music and country-pop crossovers in the '70s and the history of Country Music Month before stopping off at Stax Studios in Memphis as Elvis lays down the tracks that would comprise the albums "Raised on Rock," "Good Times" and "Promised Land" and those accompanying albums' singles.

1974 is a pit stop to discuss the country industry backlash to Olivia Newton-John and Elvis' live covers of her iconic country hits, on the way to the "Today" album, which reflected more contemporary and diverse country sounds in a way that "Elvis Country" had not.

Finally, we arrive in 1976 and the guys try to pick up the pieces of the Jungle Room sessions and the of-the-era pop arrangements slathered over the country songs featured on "From Elvis Presley Boulevard" and "Moody Blue" before ending on - what else? The final two songs Elvis Presley ever sang on this earth.

Next week, alongside the finale exploring Elvis' posthumous country legacy, we will be releasing both 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!

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 

This is not remotely comprehensive or in any order whatsoever but among some of the key resources that we found useful for this 5th episode are:

Ken Burns' Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack

Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick

Elvis Presley: A Life in Music by Ernst Jorgensen

How Nashville Became Music City USA by Michael Kosser

https://www.npr.org/2007/02/18/7484160/the-conservative-evolution-of-country-music

https://www.goldminemag.com/articles/the-happiest-man-alive-ivory-joe-hunter

https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/olivia-newton-john-played-a-pivotal-role-in-country-music-rip/

FYI - not "new" - we had some sort of technical hiccup we only just noticed that seemed to have unpublished the except on YouTube and Patreon, just making sure it's reposted!

Gurdip, Justin, Ryan and Bec are back together for the first time since January; the gang is reacting not only to the exciting news from Baz Luhrmann confirming via Instagram that he is in fact still working on a project involving officially unreleased TTWII & EOT footage, but also to the new trailer for Sofia Coppola's "Priscilla," starring Cailee Spaeny, which gave us a better glimpse (and sound) of Jacob Elordi's Elvis, along with more rapidfire scenes to break down. It's not as extensive or thrilling as the Luhrmann trailer breakdowns from last summer, but it was a ton of fun to get together once again to do it! Enjoy!

Remembering our friend Jaime Kay, host of The Jungle Room Podcast and recurring TCBCast guest.

We reflect as best we can on her passing and her impact on the Elvis community, then we're grateful to be able to share with you one last gift from Jaime Kay: the 2019 crossover episode of the Jungle Room when we first joined her on her show, an episode otherwise now completely unavailable and inaccessible online, restored from a lucky backup of the original raw audio. 

Guest host Garrett Cash and Justin begin Part 4 of Elvis and Country Music journey right where they left off: Elvis' iconic 1969 sessions at Memphis producer Chips Moman's American Sound, which provide Elvis his first country hits – as the industry considered them – in a decade. They then trace Elvis' path from Las Vegas, where he brings together the finest country-rock band ever assembled in the TCB Band, back to Nashville where he not only embraces the "Countrypolitan" evolution of the Nashville sound, but pays homage to the genre's diverse pop, blues, and folk roots with his only concept album, an artistic triumph which fully showcased how Elvis viewed the history of country music, with its many lineages all under one banner: "Elvis Country."

Our hosts also take sidebars to reflect on women's rising voices in country music during this period, the development of a movement within Nashville that came to be dubbed "outlaw country," and songwriters such as Mac Davis, Dallas Frazier, Lee Hazlewood, and Dennis Linde, whose "Burning Love" once again drives home the failings, inherent flaws and revealing biases in the way we discuss genre using the music industry's classifications; a "rock" hit from a "country" writer, originally recorded by "soul" singer Arthur Alexander.

Finally, we arrive in Hawaii, where – as Jimmie Rodgers once reminded us – everybody does "it." What is "it," exactly? Sure seems like country music, since "Aloha from Hawaii" is jam-packed with it! And what to make of Elvis' interpretation of country writer Mickey Newbury's "An American Trilogy?" All that and more – next week's episode (we promise it'll be shorter!) will take us from Elvis' 1973 Stax Sessions all the way to the morning of August 16, 1977.

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 2023 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 4th episode are:

Ken Burns' Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack

Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick

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

Elvis Presley: A Life in Music by Ernst Jorgensen

How Nashville Became Music City USA by Michael Kosser

Cocaine and Rhinestones: "Dallas Frazier: Can't Get There from Here" by Tyler Mahan Coe: https://cocaineandrhinestones.com/dallas-frazier

Cocaine and Rhinestones: "Billy Sherill's Nashville Sound" by Tyler Mahan Coe: https://cocaineandrhinestones.com/billy-sherrill

After spending a little time mulling over the post-release feelings surrounding "The Colonel & The King," Justin and Bec give their thoughts on the newest Elvis box set from Sony Legacy, Sunset Boulevard, which encompasses recordings and rehearsals done between 1970-1975 at RCA's Studio C in Hollywood. The duo reflect on the the successes and shortcomings of this era of box sets that seems to be drawing to a close. 

From Elvis in Nashville, Back in Nashville, Memphis and Sunset Boulevard mark a period where producer Ernst Jorgensen and mixer Matt Ross-Spang have seemingly reinterpreted Elvis's multi-track studio work in the 1970s through a more "rockist" lens; that is to say, one that promotes and emphasizes the perceived authenticity or purity of raw material recorded in-studio by Elvis and a core rhythm band without additional backing vocalists, strings and horns. 

Despite great, modern-sounding re-mixes, these box sets have also marred by inconsistent mix decisions that contradict the claims that you're only hearing what Elvis heard in the studio - selectively leaving some overdubs, removing contributions from musicians that were physically in the studio with Elvis, and much more. It's a thought-provoking discussion about what the goals were, what value these sets have added, and whether they have helped us understand Elvis's creative process any better.

For Song of the Week, Bec picks a childhood favorite, the sweet ballad "A Boy Like Me, A Girl Like You" from the Girls! Girls! Girls! soundtrack. Then, Justin uses "Good, Bad But Beautiful," an instrumental intended for Elvis to finish, to explore the fascinating circumstances of sessions, publishing, and release schedules that led to its recording at Stax in July of 1973... and Elvis's rejection of the Clive Westlake-penned song (later done by Shirley Bassey) at a late September 1973 session at his Palm Springs home, less than three weeks after having attempted to fire his manager. 

This is one you won't want to skip... because there's a special Elvis Week surprise in this Song of the Week segment, courtesy of our good friends Jamie and John over at the EAP Society. 

Garrett Cash rejoins Justin for Part 3 of the epic Elvis and Country Music saga as they start by breaking down the Nashville Sound, the members of the Nashville A-Team and the state of country music in the early 60s as the establishment puts up artificial barriers in an attempt to shun Elvis Presley and his irreversible influence.

Then, Elvis arrives home from the military and we find him both fully embracing, and influencing, the evolution of the Nashville Sound through the early 1960s. There's a brief sidebar in the mid-60s to discuss the folk movement, what Bob Dylan's producer had to do with Elvis movie songs, and Elvis' place in the evolution of the genre of country-rock. 1966 then marks the arrival of country producer Felton Jarvis to Elvis' RCA sessions before delving into the "quiet comeback" era as Elvis goes hard into traditional country both at home, in the studio and in his movies in the lead-up to the 1968 Comeback. 

This episode close just before hitting American Sound, as Garrett & Justin decide they want to do that material the justice it deserves, but not before setting everyone up to better appreciate what Elvis and Chips were going for by exploring the links between country and soul music. This episode sets out to try to do some impossible tasks in a limited amount of recording time available, making it perhaps one of the most information-dense episodes of TCBCast yet. 

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 2023 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 3rd episode are:

Ken Burns' Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack

Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick

Looking Back to See: A Country Music Memoir by Maxine Brown

John Gilliland's Pop Chronicles & The Pop Chronicles Interviews via University of North Texas: https://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/collections/JGPC/

Cocaine and Rhinestones: "The Nashville A-Team" by Tyler Mahan Coe: https://cocaineandrhinestones.com/nashville-a-team 

Goldmine Magazine: "Dylan producer Bob Johnston recalls lifetime of musical memories" by Patrick Prince: https://www.goldminemag.com/features/dylan-producer-bob-johnston-recalls-lifetime-of-musical-memories 

Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity by Richard Peterson

Writing for the King by Ken Sharp

Elvis Presley: A Life in Music by Ernst Jorgensen

Holler: "Solomon Burke: The Country Star?" By Marcus K. Dowling: https://holler.country/feature/solomon-burke-the-country-star

The Nashville Sound by Paul Hemphill

How Nashville Became Music City, USA by Michael Kosser

Part 2 of the Elvis and Country Music saga picks up right where Justin and guest host Garrett Cash left off, with a deconstruction of both sides of Elvis' first Sun single. Elvis's country career is traced through his time at Sun and on the Louisiana Hayride, dedicating time to sidebar the realities of how flawed the way we discuss and understand country music as a genre during this period will always be due to the historical omission of the countless non-white artists who loved performing country music, but were disincentivized from recording in that genre by A&R reps and studio execs, and rarely allowed a welcome presence with country audiences. And to that end, was Chuck Berry just a country music artist hiding in plain sight all along?

We also begin to see the beginnings of the development of the Nashville Sound as Elvis joins RCA and single-handedly popularizes the gospel backing group sound in country music by demanding to work with The Jordanaires. Zig-zagging between the "traditional" country songs Elvis dabbled in during the 1950s and the actual charting country hits he had between 1956-1958, like, you know, All Shook Up, Jailhouse Rock and Hard Headed Woman, we land on the popular notion held in country lore that Elvis simply outgrew country by the late 1950s... but what if the truth was more complicated - and malicious - than how the Nashville establishment, and even more contemporary retrospectives like Ken Burns' Country Music, has told it?

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 2nd episode are:

Ken Burns' Country Music - Documentary, Book & Soundtrack

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

How Nashville Became Music City, USA by Michael Kosser

TheMusicalDivide.com: "Pop Goes the Country" Blog

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

Gurdip and Bec join forces to gush over Bec's very first Elvis album, Elvis' Golden Records, Volume 2, aka 50 Million Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong. Encapsulating singles released between 1957-1959, this iconic album captures the Elvis of the 50s at perhaps his very best, accompanied on many tracks by more members of the Nashville A-Team.

For Song of the Week, Justin tags in for a brief discussion on the obscure song "The Titles Tell," recorded originally by Elvis' Memphis friend Barbara Pittman while under contract with Sam Phillips, but never released at the time and never done by any other artist - yet we have a home recording of Elvis singing a very credible version of it in Germany! Gurdip, interestingly enough, goes for another Germany home recording, picking "Oh Lonesome Me," the Don Gibson hit, of which Elvis' home version only first surfaced in 2018.

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Gurdip is back! The guys discuss the latest FTD releases, early reviews of "Priscilla" and listener feedback before Justin is joined for a brief Elvis chat by young Elvis fan Mal, of TCB Discussions (instagram.com/tcbdiscussions), who has been posting and blogging about Elvis, his career, his life and his influences. It's a very loose talk, but Justin picks her brain on how she became an Elvis fan during the height of pandemic lockdowns, and her journey as a fan these past couple years. You can visit Mal's blog as well over at https://tcbdiscussions.wixsite.com/tcbdiscussions

Gurdip re-joins for Song of the Week and he settles in with the Mexican-flavored crooner ballad "You Can't Say No In Acapulco" from 1963's Fun in Acapulco, while Justin finally close a 5-and-a-half-year-long gap, finally tackling the song he'd originally intended to feature way back on Episode 5... and digs into Elvis's 1968 collaboration with Jerry Reed on Chuck Berry's 1956 hit "Too Much Monkey Business," the lyrical changes Elvis made from the original, and of course, the 1980 overdubbed "Guitar Man" version.

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

At the request of (and joined by!) previous TCBCast guest (and fellow Patreon supporter) Olivia Murphy-Rogers, we look back at the #1 UK & Australia album, which is now 8 years old as of this recording, along with the bonus tracks from the expanded deluxe version of the album, to see if it has held up. Bec also joins Justin and Olivia, wanting to make sure someone was around to stick up for one of her all-time favorites, bonus track "What Now My Love." 

Justin briefly tackles the title theme for Elvis' 1960 western film "Flaming Star" and its earlier iteration "Black Star" as Song of the Week, while Olivia digs deep on the bluesy fan favorite "Don't Leave Me Now," that featured on the soundtracks for both "Loving You" (which it wasn't in) and "Jailhouse Rock" (which it was!) 

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Justin and Bec go a little experimental and offbeat this week, deciding to formally and "scientifically" rank 11 of Elvis' home, studio and live performances which have "lonely," "lonesome" and "alone" in the title, as well as loosely exploring how Elvis is so frequently linked to the concept of loneliness - and some of the things Elvis himself had to say about feeling alone.

It's been a bit since we've had a full-on, proper Song of the Week, so the hosts wipe the dust off as Bec brings the deceptively challenging bossa-nova-esque ballad "Almost in Love" from 1968's "Live A Little, Love A Little" while Justin digs into the country roots of "Release Me (And Let Me Love Again," a song Elvis periodically brought in and out of his setlists from 1970 (as featured on the "On STage 1970" album) all the way to his final concert.

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Part 2 of the TCBCast gang's review of Elvis' 1961 movie for 20th Century FOX, "Wild in the Country," goes "wildly" off the rails as the "High Tension" and drama of the weighty back half is undercut by some giggle fits. Justin, Ryan and Bec also discuss where the known deleted songs "Lonely Man" and "Forget Me Never" would have likely slotted into the script, and offer their thoughts on the choice to change the much more downbeat ending after test audiences disapproved of the original ending, which was more faithful to the source material.

Sadly, no Songs of the Week on this episode - Bec & Justin prepared information but we ran a bit long and too late into the evening for us to feature those, so you will hear our Songs of the Week on next week's episode! Next week you'll also hear more in-depth reactions to the "Reinventing Elvis" documentary, the 50th Anniversary "Aloha From Hawaii" set and more!

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Ryan reports in on his recent trip to Graceland and Memphis, Bec gives her initial impressions of the new documentary "Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback Special" (which releases today, August 15, on Paramount Plus in the US) and the gang begins to dig into the first part of 1961 drama "Wild in the Country," starring Elvis, Tuesday Weld, Hope Lange, Millie Perkins, John Ireland, Gary Lockwood and a highly publicized cameo by Olympic athlete and actor Rafer Johnson.

Wildly underperforming at the box office compared to Paramount's G.I. Blues and Blue Hawaii, Wild in the Country has quietly occupied an unusual spot in Elvis' filmography, but was there ever actually anything wrong with it, or did it just not pander to expectations of who and what Elvis should be in the early 60s? Bec also gave the obscure book that inspired the film, "The Lost Country" by J.R. Salamanca, a read, and together she and Justin (who previously read it in 2021) report in on some of the major differences in plot, character and overall structure. 

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Bec joins Justin for a very loose, silly, and not-remotely-serious discussion about some of our least favorite Elvis songs and performances. Not "the worst," just some of the ones that don't hit us in quite the same way they might hit everyone else. The subject is so spirited that there are both giggle fits and strong disagreements!

For Song of the Week, Justin revisits one of the songs he featured on his very first "least favorite" list, and makes amends with "Golden Coins" from the "Harum Scarum" soundtrack. Bec, on the other hand, calls attention to an unironically passionate and thrilling 1970 vocal turn from Elvis on the very underrated "The Sound of Your Cry" and its session outtakes (coincidentally, both songs this week are from the SAME songwriters!!)

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Baz Luhrmann has released a teaser promoting the world premiere date of September 6, 2025, for "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert" by dropping newly restored clip of Elvis's 1970 rehearsal performance of "Oh Happy Day." Gone is the grainy, washed out video, in are pristine, sharp film, vibrant colors... but also new audio!

Elvis's vocal track sounds better than it ever has, which implies a new source & substantial clean-up, but the instrumentation screams "overdub." What is EPiC even going to be? Gurdip and Justin are on the case to discuss this tiny Elvis Week tease from Baz and his team.

Check it out for yourself on Luhrmann's social pages: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNQUuK4p9KZ/

In 2004, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" director Joel Zwick unleashed the comedy film "Elvis Has Left the Building" onto the world. Starring Kim Basinger as a makeup saleswoman whose seemingly supernatural bond to Elvis Presley leads to the accidental string of deaths of Elvis impersonators across the American Southwest.

Co-starring  John Corbett, Denise Richards, Annie Potts, Sean Astin and many others, this lightweight, zany Elvis-related film is packed with stars and surprising cameos but seems only infrequently remembered nowadays, even in Elvis fan circles, despite having been given official support of Elvis' estate and record company at the time for its Elvis-laden soundtrack.

While Gurdip went in blind, Justin, who'd seen the movie following its original DVD release, brought all the tidbits and trivia he could find, and together they sat down for a TCBCast Patreon bonus commentary for it back in August of 2021. "Elvis Has Left the Building" is still readily available for rental or purchase in most regions relatively inexpensively on streaming platforms, so cue it up, grab a bowl of popcorn and join the guys for this watch!

If you enjoyed this, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast! Patrons get exclusive access to two and a half years of bonus content just like this, with more commentaries, bonus movie and album reviews and more! If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

This week, enjoy a sampler from the TCBCast Patreon bonus episode archives as Gurdip and Justin revisit the 7th episode of the 2016 HBO program "Vinyl," a show centered around a struggling fictional record label in the 1970s trying to scoop up real life popular artists. In the episode "The King and I," the series protagonists visit Vegas in an attempt to sign Elvis (played by ETA Shawn Klush) to leave RCA and Colonel Parker, and get him back to his rock roots. 

Also featured post-discussion are two "Songs of the Month" from the July 2022 episode of TCBCast Now, both songs from Elvis peers as Gurdip spotlights Englebert Humperdinck's 1968 hit "A Man Without Love" and Justin rides into the town of Agua Fria to celebrate Marty Robbins' "Big Iron."

TCBCast 279 and the first two volumes of the upcoming Elvis and Country Music miniseries are available now in early access on our Patreon. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

This week, we're talking about the topic voted upon by our Patreon backers, loosely exploring how Elvis's time in the US Army affected his life & career, both in the short term and the long term. 

For Song of the Week, from similarly poll-winning tracks, Gurdip & Justin tackle both ends of Elvis' career, with Justin handling the flip side of Elvis' very first demo acetate, "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," and the handful of times Elvis would revisit it throughout his career, while Gurdip reflects on the old country standard "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," which Elvis recorded in 1976, and is sadly the last known song to have been sung by Elvis before his death.

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Justin is joined by John Michael Heath from EAP Society to mark 2023 as the 20th anniversary of the release of "2nd to None," the follow-up to the smash compilation "30 #1 Hits." Unrestrained by the limitations of only including #1 chart hits, "2nd to None" showed a broader flavor of what Elvis was capable of, but the constraints of the physical medium also placed limits on just how many selections could feature from each era of Elvis' career. However, "2nd to None" also offered something its predecessor couldn't - a brand spanking new Elvis song, "I'm A Roustabout," unearthed from a rare acetate kept in the private collection of songwriter Winfield Scott, and John was among the first group of fans to hear it played publicly at Graceland back in 2003.

The guys also reminisce about the CD's marketing campaign, including numerous official RCA-approved remixes of "Rubberneckin'" (did you know there was more than just Paul Oakenfold's?!) and spend time comparing tracklists with "Hitstory," the final disc in the trilogy which was issued only as part of a box set with the earlier compilations, and touching upon the extremely rare official "third" remix that never got a commercial release, Paul Oakenfold's take on "I Got Stung."

And, of course, Justin brings up John and EAP Society co-host Jamie Kelley's recent A.I. reconstruction of "Poor Man's Gold," and we hear a little bit of behind the scenes of how it came about. Then, in a shocking twist, a revelation is made about one of the music clips featured in TCBCast 276 that no one seems to have noticed or called us out for!

"2nd to None" is still widely available to hear on digital platforms, and in CD & Vinyl formats, as well as in packages with "30 #1 Hits" and "History." 

You can hear more from John and Jamie, including "Poor Man's Gold" at YouTube.com/EAPSociety.

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Gurdip and Justin get together this week to dig into the 1965 compilation album "Elvis for Everyone" and ponder what reasons there might have been behind the scenes for this oddball collection of previously unreleased tracks put out to mark the 10th anniversary of Elvis's RCA contract. 

Before that, though, the guys briefly discuss the trailers for "Priscilla" and the Paramount+ documentary "Reinventing Elvis" being produced by Steve Binder, and then get into a substantial discussion about the ramifications of breakthrough technology that's made potential AI-assisted songs featuring the voices of artists like Elvis much more viable on a user level - and the reaction EPE gave Rolling Stone when asked their thoughts on AI Elvis songs... and some exclusive news on that front that Justin has been holding onto and unable to discuss until now.

For Song of the Week, Justin waltzes his way to "This is Our Dance," the Les Reed-Geoff Stephens ballad that was a loose re-imagining of their own Engelbert Humperdinck hit, "The Last Waltz" surfacing on the "Love Letters from Elvis" album in 1971. Then, Gurdip steps right up to "The Love Machine" from the 1967 film "Easy Come Easy Go."

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Timestamps

0:00 - Start/News

14:45 - A.I. Discussion

42:30 - Main Topic "Elvis for Everyone"

1:19:30 - SotW: This is Our Dance

1:30:50 - SotW: The Love Machine

Justin joined this week by Elvis fan and host of "Stories We Could Tell: A Mavericks FANCast" Mark Potter, and together they dive into the deeply-felt influence of Elvis's music on Raul Malo, lead singer of the band The Mavericks, famously known as the Grammy-award winning country music band that had their most mainstream success in the 1990s.

Gurdip and Justin have discussed and praised Raul and The Mavericks a number of times on TCBCast, particularly on our "Elvis covers" episodes. From Raul's unique insights on "It's Now or Never" and his longstanding love of "Aloha from Hawaii" to The Mavericks' opportunity to collaborate with Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana on the "All the King's Men" album and beyond, Mark and Justin hit on as much as we can!

For Song of the Week, Mark selects "Alla En El Rancho Grande," which, although Elvis joked around with in the rehearsals for "That's The Way It Is," quickly reveals itself to have a vast amount of history and alternate versions dating all the way back to Mexican cinema of the 1930s. Then, Justin opts for Elvis's 1961 take on "Judy," originally from 1960 by writer Teddy Redell. 

If you'd like to hear more of Mark's podcast episodes, which features fan interviews, former band members and deep-dives into The Mavericks' discography and other influences, you can check out "Stories We Could Tell" at https://mavericksfancast.podbean.com/ and on any other major podcast platforms, and follow along at facebook.com/StoriesWeCouldTell

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

The TCBCast gang is taking it relatively light this week; no main topic but Gurdip and Justin discuss the news about the newly announced Aloha from Hawaii 50th anniversary set from Sony, Gurdip takes a round of trivia, and Justin talks about his trip at the start of the month to visit Jamie Kelley, John Michael Heath and Ryan in Iowa.

Then, for our Songs of the Week, Gurdip sings the praises of "Santa Lucia," which Elvis recorded for "Viva Las Vegas." Meanwhile, Justin spotlights some Elvis memories from Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina, whose 1972 smash throwback hit "Your Mama Don't Dance" is one Elvis would incorporate into "oldies" medleys through 1973-1974. 

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Julius Adame, who appeared on the show last summer to talk about For LP Fans Only, returns to discuss the 1985 blues compilation "Reconsider Baby". Gurdip bemoans the fact Elvis never did a proper blues album during his lifetime, while Justin dig into the originals that inspired Elvis, and overall the crew has an excellent conversation celebrating this remarkable release from the year of Elvis's 50th birthday.

We also take a bit of time at the top of the show to remember Tina Turner, Cynthia Weil and Bill Baize. Gurdip skips Song of the Week this week but hangs around to comment on Julius' pick, the perfectly-themed "A Mess of Blues" from 1960, and Justin selects the quite obscure "Blue River," which was recorded in 1963 but RCA dug up a couple years later for a single release.

You can follow Julius' Rock My Soul Records at instagram.com/rockmysoulrecords

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

The TCBCast gang wrap up the second part of their review of 1961's "Follow That Dream" pondering where it ranks among Elvis's best acting roles.

For Song of the Week, Bec bows but from featuring a song but hangs around to comment on the boys' picks, with Ryan tackling Elvis' live performances of Neil Diamond's iconic American classic, "Sweet Caroline" throughout the 1970s, while Justin pops back to the early 60s to appreciate a song from the other film Elvis made for The Mirisch Company, Kid Galahad, with the humble, cozy crooning of "Home Is Where the Heart Is."

"Follow That Dream" is available on all major digital movie services to buy or rent. Richard Powell's "Pioneer Go Home" is also available where all eBooks are sold at the time of this episode's release and is highly recommended.

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast. Part 2 of this review is already available in early access for patrons!

Ryan, Bec and Justin get together this week to review Elvis' 1961 film "Follow That Dream." Based on Richard Powell's book "Pioneer Go Home," Follow That Dream tells the story of Toby Kwimper (Elvis), his Pop (Arthur O'Connell), their live-in babysitter Holly (Anne Helm) and their band of adopted orphans claiming a homestead and building a business on land set aside in Florida as a nature preserve. Together, they fend off a highway supervisor who wants to cut them off the benefits they receive, a seductive social worker and a gang of mobsters who set up a casino next to their spot. Part 1 covers up to the mid-film musical sequence featuring the title song, "Follow That Dream."

The gang also briefly discuss the new release of archival PJ Proby demos that were submitted for consideration in Elvis' movies: "Presley Style - Lost Elvis Songwriter Demos 1961-1963."

"Follow That Dream" is available on all major streaming services. Richard Powell's "Pioneer Go Home" is also available where all eBooks are sold at the time of this episode's release and is highly recommended.

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast. Part 2 of this review is already available in early access for patrons!

Gurdip, Justin, Ryan, and Olivia all gathered round to discuss their thoughts on Peter Guralnick's new book, "The Colonel and the King: Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the Partnership that Rocked the World." Full spoilers within.

We recommend people buy it to make their own judgment. It is available through most major retailers - you can learn more about the book and where to buy it here: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/peter-guralnick/the-colonel-and-the-king/9780316399449/

Justin and Gurdip take some time this week to spotlight some notable or interesting versions of songs associated with Elvis that have been covered by other acts, both during and after Elvis' lifetime.

For Song of the Week, while Gurdip hops aboard the "Frankfort Special," from the 1960 flick "G.I.  Blues," Justin relaxes with the more mellow but sweetly performed ballad "All That I Am" from "Spinout."

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

This week, Justin and Bec cover an extensive main topic discussion selected by our TCBCast Patreon supporters, Elvis' time at Shreveport's Louisiana Hayride! From his iconic, albeit nervous first performance in October 1954, to his rip-roaring YMCA benefit concert in December 1956 and everywhere in between, we discuss Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys' evolution over the duration of their contract with the Hayride. We also ponder the songs they are known to have performed there but never formally got around to recording, and dip into recordings of some of Elvis' country influences and contemporaries performing on the Hayride as well, both before, during and after his tenure to give better context to the community he was rising out of.

Then, Gurdip tags in for Song of the Week, tackling the title theme of 1965's "Girl Happy," a song with surprisingly strong songwriting pedigree despite its speed-and-pitch-shifted master recording, only for us to find an even more fascinating story related to a cover version recorded the following year. Justin, meanwhile, highlights the underrated country ballad "When I'm Over You," recorded in 1970 and released on 1971's "Love Letters From Elvis."

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Just a brief technical note: this episode was edited from a backup, so our apologies if there are any audio quality issues. We've "Patched It Up, Baby" as best we can.

This week's TCBCast is structured a little differently, Gurdip does his Song of the Week first while discussing legendary Canadian folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot's recent passing at age 84, digging into Elvis' version of Lightfoot's "(That's What You Get) For Loving Me."

Then, our main topic and Justin's Song of the Week meld together as he gives an abbreviated biographical sketch remembering the life of Elvis' Sun Records peer Billy "The Kid" Emerson, writer of "When It Rains, It Really Pours" as well as the rockabilly classic "Red Hot," as Emerson passed away on April 25 at age 97.

Next week, we dig into Elvis' time on the Louisiana Hayride!

https://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/the-second-coming-of-billy-the-kid/2191119/

https://www.suncoastnews.com/news/rock-n-roll-legend-honored-at-city-hall/article_ffc75dd6-29d3-11e7-91f6-f3b69b9a3847.html

https://www.suncoastnews.com/news/officials-agree-to-preserve-historic-tarpon-home/article_d1033e2c-195b-11eb-965c-5f4b8f16fb03.html

https://www.bear-family.com/emerson-billy-the-kid-red-hot-the-sun-years-plus.html

https://fredbals.medium.com/credit-where-due-bob-dylan-billy-emerson-and-false-prophet-89c708aa4e1

Peter Guralnick & Colin Escott: Sun Record Company, The Birth of Rock and Roll and the 70 Recordings That Changed the World

Also, liner notes for the 1982 Charly Records Emerson compilation "Crazy 'Bout Automobiles"

Was there ever a more brainless, incoherent, intelligence-insulting cash grab of a music album released during Elvis' lifetime than Elvis Sings Hits From His Movies, Volume 1? 

As Gurdip and Bec discuss this week, at least many of the other Camden releases prior to this bothered compiling material fans might not have otherwise had from EPs, singles and unreleased studio cuts. But 1972's "Hits From His Movies" hit new lows in Colonel Tom Parker's attempts to snow Elvis' fans and part them from their money... which makes it all more fun to deconstruct all these years later!

Then, both hosts still seem to have Easter on the brain, with Gurdip picking the Million Dollar Quartet jam on the gospel traditional "I Shall Not Be Moved," while Bec praises the uplifting take Elvis & the band gave on Charles Albert Tindley's old spiritual "By and By" on the "How Great Thou Art" album!

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music/movie history enthusiast.

Gurdip sits down with returning guest and longtime friend of the show Jaime Kay to review one of her all-time favorite collections of Elvis music, the 2010 CD release of the soundtrack for MGM's "Viva Las Vegas." In its time, VLV never had a proper soundtrack LP, only a single and an EP, due to disagreements between Colonel Parker and the movie studio largely over Ann-Margret's prominence in the film. But Sony's 2010 release offered a great, inexpensive "what if" album for fans, missing only the few non-Elvis songs from the movie.

Jaime Kay also takes a round of trivia themed on her specialty, Elvis's love life, and they briefly give their thoughts on Ann-Margret's newest album, "Born to Be Wild," discuss new FTD announcements, her thoughts on Agent Elvis, and naturally, what's been going on in Jaime Kay's world since we last heard from her this past fall.

Due to Jaime Kay's time restrictions on research, they omitted Song of the Week, but Song of the Week will be making its awaited returning for TCBCast 267!

Author, "Talking Elvis" co-host and past TCBCast guest Vince Wright returns to the show to discuss his latest effort, "8MM Elvis," with Gurdip. "8MM Elvis" is a book cataloguing and documenting the long-forgotten and neglected history of home 8MM releases of Elvis footage in the pre-VHS era.

After catching up on what Vince has been up to in the last couple years since his previous TCBCast appearance, Gurdip follows Vince through his history as a longtime collector and enthusiast of this ephemeral viewing format of days gone by. From rare, trimmed-down edits of Elvis's feature films to bootleg copies of 68 Comeback Special outtakes, it's a fascinating discussion - plus, Gurdip challenges Vince to a bit of Elvis trivia!

Then, you get to hear a sampling of "Songs of the Month" from our Patreon-exclusive spinoff TCBCast Now, as Gurdip and David "Ghosty" Wills of "We Say Yeah: A Cliff Richard Fan Podcast" cover the histories behind two songs from Elvis' peers: Jackie Wilson's 1958 recording "Right Now" and Sir Cliff's 1962 take on Jerry Lee Lewis' "It'll Be Me," respectively. 

To learn more or order Vince's book 8mm Elvis, please visit www.8mmelvis.com

Gurdip and Bec get together for a rollicking TCBCast featuring listener feedback, trivia and a brief discussion on Riley Keough's latest hit show, Amazon's "Daisy Jones and the Six" before digging into their main topic: what Elvis "deep cuts" they would suggest to new fans! Rest assured, though, even longtime fans might enjoy hearing what picks they spotlight! 

No Song of the Week this week as this episode was wrangled together quickly to cover while Justin is out, but it's nearly a full-length episode as is - enjoy hearing Gurdip and Bec go toe to toe!

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music history and movie enthusiast.

In this mini-TCBCast, Gurdip sits down for a short interview with Brandon Yip, author of the book "Elvis: All Shook Up In Canada," a thorough history of Elvis's only concerts outside the United States in Toronto, Ottowa and Vancouver. As Vancouver locals, Gurdip and Brandon share memories of growing up there as Elvis fans in the 80s, discuss some of Brandon's thoughts as a fan on Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, remixes and favorite albums before they dip into a discussion about Elvis's brief time in Canada in 1957 primarily centered around the Vancouver concert. 

This episode was recorded before the passing of Red Robinson on April 1, 2023. As you'll hear them talk about, Red was instrumental in getting Elvis up to Canada and remained a huge Elvis enthusiast to the end of his life. Rest in Peace, Red!

Brandon's book is available at the link below in both physical and e-book formats and features interviews with fans and media members, rare photos of Elvis taken in Vancouver as well as reflections from several prominent Canadian music industry personalities, including Red Robinson - it's TCBCast-(and Gurdip especially!)-recommended!

https://www.amazon.com/Elvis-Presley-All-Shook-Canada/dp/1659249597

Justin had the opportunity to sit down with Ewan Shand (OurEwan on YouTube) who recently produced an extensive 90+ minute video essay on all 31 of Elvis' narrative feature films, which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aloGdnDx8Y

Justin and Ewan unpack his essay's findings, Elvis' overall filmography, responses (good and bad) from Elvis fans, Elvis' search for his own identity, his hobbies and spiritual pursuits, later career, and ultimately, the value of the story of Elvis - and Elvis' acting career - to new and future generations. Plus - Ewan takes a round of Elvis trivia!

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music history and movie enthusiast.

Yes, you're seeing this correctly - it's a weekend TCBCast!

Gurdip and Justin get together for their initial impressions of the first three episodes of Netflix's "Agent Elvis" starring Matthew McConaughy, Kaitlin Olson, Don Cheadle, Johnny Knoxville, Tom Kenny and Priscilla Presley. As Gurdip had not had a chance to catch up on the whole season as of recording, discussion is mostly limited to the early episodes and analysis on the show's overall story, themes and ideas will wait for another day.

For Song of the Week, Gurdip picks Danny Fisher's Leiber & Stoller-penned alma mater, "Steadfast Loyal and True" from 1958's "King Creole." Justin skipped SOTW this week in favor of watching the whole Netflix series!

For those not interested in "Agent Elvis" (it is NOT a show for everyone, that's for sure), here are the timestamps for the show to skip ahead to Songs of the Week:

0:00 Start

3:20 Trivia

8:45 Main Topic

1:20:50 SOTW: Steadfast, Loyal and True

The TCBCast gang is waist-deep in preparing to discuss Peter Guralnick's new book but Gurdip and Justin snagged listener Kirsty Garland who currently runs the "Exposing Elvis Photoshops" pages on Facebook and Instagram for a quick episode.

They dig into why Kirsty decided to take on the effort of debunking and providing sources for badly digitally manipulated photos of Elvis that have seemed to proliferate in the wake of Elvis's resurgence in popularity, her thoughts on why so many pages create them, and also her feelings about the coming onslaught of AI Elvis images.

Naturally, there's also coverage about recent Elvis news - not just confirmation of the world premiere of Baz Luhrmann's EPiC at the Toronto International Film Festival in September (and its 100-minute runtime), but there finally is confirmation of the substance of London's immersive theatre experience "Elvis Evolution." Billed (and previewed in teaser videos) as containing the first AI deepfake Pepper's ghost-style hologram... this mystery train has seemingly gone wildly off the tracks in its first couple weeks, with reports of angry fans demanding refunds, being escorted out of shows, and the company behind the experience claiming to the BBC and other media outlets that they had "made clear when tickets went on sale" that there would be no AI Elvis in the way fans expected.

Tickets went on sale in October - here's an article from IQ Magazine from October 2024 of them talking about AI Elvis still being in the show: https://www.iqmagazine.com/2024/10/behind-the-scenes-of-elvis-evolution/

Here's the October 21, 2024, video of Layered Reality from their own YouTube channel showing off Work-in-Progress versions of the deepfake Elvis, implying inclusion in the show at the time tickets went on sale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7bPqwtHRp0

And finally, here's an article from as recently as July 2025 - right around the premiere - from Fast Company magazine, with new quotes and information not seen in any report or coverage prior to the premiere, directly from CEO & Head of Studio, still talking about AI Elvis being part of the show: https://www.fastcompany.com/91368335/inside-elvis-evolution-ai-and-immersive-tech-bring-the-kings-life-to-the-stage-in-london

Take from all that what you will.

No Songs of the Week this week - but we promise "The Colonel and the King" will be a doozy worth the wait!

Kirsty's pages can be followed at instagram.com/exposing_elvis_photoshops/ or searching for Exposing Elvis Photoshops on Facebook.

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Justin and Bec wrap their extensive exploration of Elvis' time at Chips Moman's American Sound Studio by covering the material recorded there in February 1969, from "Power of My Love" to "Kentucky Rain" and more, before pondering the many reasons, good and bad, why Elvis never returned to American.

For Song of the Week, 1960's the year to focus on, as Justin picks "I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs" from the His Hand in Mine album while Bec spotlights "Shoppin' Around" from the "G.I. Blues" soundtrack.

Justin & Gurdip's initial impressions of Agent Elvis episodes 1-3 is out early at the TCBCast Patreon and will go up on the main feed in the near future, to be followed by a proper series review later. 

Timestamps:

Start 0:00

Listener Feedback 10:00

Main Topic 26:00

SotW: I'm Gonna Walk Dem Golden Stairs 1:37:48

SotW: Shoppin' Around 1:50:00

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This week, Gurdip and Justin sit down with a handful of their favorite Elvis country recordings.

For Song of the Week, Gurdip picks the traditional Mexican song "Guadalajara," an ode to the city of the same name, which Elvis recorded for a 1963 film set in Acapulco, a city over 500 miles away... oops!

Then, Justin bites the bullet and makes the case that "Barefoot Ballad" from Kissin Cousins was a lazy attempt to mock the country genre that had no teeth, pairing a genuinely credible country instrumental by the Nashville A-Team with lyrics that don't actually have any satirical bite.

NOTE: Recorded before the Academy Awards ceremony, our reactions to that news will come next week.

Gurdip's back! This week we're visiting the 1983 overdub project "I Was the One" which paired Elvis' original recordings with new backing by Scotty, DJ, Emery Gordy, Dale Sellers and the Jordanaires, overseen by two of Elvis's own concert pianists, David Briggs and Tony Brown, as well as the medley they oversaw the production of. Is the album a lost classic, or was its flop status merited?

Then, for Song of the Week, Gurdip picks "Sound Advice" from the movie "Follow That Dream" and, inspired by Elvis' 1972 recording of the Paul Williams song, Justin ponders the question "Where Do I Go From Here?"

If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music history and movie enthusiast.