Elvis fans celebrate his first release

Musicians and historians continue to debate the birth of rock 'n' roll.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- As far as Elvis Presley songs go, "That's All Right," the title track of his very first record, wasn't among his biggest hits. In fact, the 1954 song wasn't even a hit at all.
Yet on Monday, 50 years, to the day, after it was recorded, media and fans will converge on Memphis for a blowout celebration to commemorate the song, which has been labeled by the city as the tune that started the musical and cultural phenomenon known as rock 'n' roll.
But while Elvis may be universally known as the king of rock 'n' roll, some consider it a stretch to anoint him the creator of a genre that mixed blues, R & amp;B, country and even a bit of swing -- musical styles that were around long before Elvis.
"There was a birth way before -- where did Elvis get it from?" asked rocker Lenny Kravitz.
"The thing we think of as rock 'n' roll is Elvis," said rock historian Marc Kirkeby. "But there were records that would be thought of as rock 'n' roll before that and they were done by black artists."
Recognition
And not just blacks -- or even artists -- are credited with starting rock 'n' roll. Just two years ago, there were commemorations of the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll pegged to disc jockey Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland. Some rock historians have claimed the March 21, 1952 show as the first rock concert -- the main reason the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was located there.
Other historians point to "Rocket '88," the 1951 hit written by Ike Turner, as the first rock record because of its distorted electric guitar sound. Still others claim Bill Haley's 1954 hits "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (the latter a remake of a Big Joe Turner version) helped birth the rock explosion.
And of course, there are those who say that the blues and swing recordings of black artists from years earlier were rock tunes.
"That's like one of those things that's so contested. I always thought it was when Big Joe Turner did 'Shake, Rattle and Roll,'" said guitarist Vernon Reid, formerly of the rock group Living Colour. "Everyone makes a claim, and it's contentious."
Probably only die-hard Elvis fans or music historians are familiar with "That's All Right," a cover of a blues number by Arthur Crudup. Released in 1954 by the famed Sun Records, then a local blues label in Memphis owned by a relatively unknown Sam Phillips, it was not a national success but caused a sensation when played on local radio.
Presley's upbeat version, mixing in a bit of country twang, gave the song a different sound. It created a buzz for Presley that eventually caught the attention of RCA Records, which bought out Elvis' contract a year later. Presley wouldn't get his first pop No. 1 single until 1956 with "Heartbreak Hotel."
Elvis' impact
When pressed, even folks in Memphis won't go as far as to say "That's All Right" was the definitive date rock was created.
"I think if you look at the annals of history, people look at that date as something that had a dramatic effect on rock 'n' roll," said Kevin Kane, president and CEO of the Memphis convention and visitors bureau.
Even during a tour of Sun Studio, still the tiny structure it was in 1954, the tour guide points to "Rocket 88" -- also recorded there before Phillips started Sun Records -- as the first rock record.
Sitting in the small gift shop and cafe that serves as a greeting point for visitors -- many of them Elvis faithful on their way to Graceland -- John Schorr, Sun Studio's owner, acknowledges that.
"I don't think anyone is calling this the very first rock 'n' roll song ever made, but it is the first time rock 'n' roll went global and exploded on the world scene," says Schorr, who purchased Sun more than a decade ago (it remains a recording studio).
"Everyone refers to it as kind of the opening shot of the big bang of rock 'n' roll that occurred in rock 'n' roll, which the other ones hadn't done yet."
The racial factor
Others also suggest that, more so than the music, "That's All Right" was perhaps the first time that American teens -- more specifically, white teens -- started embracing a new style of edgy, sexy black music as their own.
"The rock 'n' roll explosion really starts when white kids were becoming immersed in black music," said Kirkeby. "Elvis was the catalyst for that; you have to give him that credit."
Soul legend Isaac Hayes puts it more bluntly.
"You've got to think about it at a time when black music was looked down upon by whites. People like Elvis got lambasted for singing that kind of music," he said. "It took a white guy to break it. Blacks couldn't break it."
More than 1,000 stations around the globe are scheduled to play "That's All Right" at the same time on that date, and Memphis talent such as Justin Timberlake and Hayes are expected to perform during a concert. Throughout the year, there have been dozens of promotional tie-ins celebrating "That's All Right" as the start of rock 'n' roll, from Rolling Stone magazine covers to DVD and CD releases.
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