Bill Black, bassist

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

Bill Black played stand up base, and he knew how to work an audience. You slapped that base, spun it around, dance with it like it’s a gal, ride it like a hog and never ever – miss a lick.





Bill Black worked at day job and played clubs with the Starlight Wranglers, a country band with Scotty Moore. Neither was impressed with the greasy boy in the pink suit when he showed up with his battered starter guitar.



Elvis Presley wanted to be Tony Curtis and Dean Martin, a sentimental playboy crooner. All those wrong elements came together when Elvis dug deeper than that shallow dream and into the music that really mattered – finding a bit a happy in an otherwise bleak life – rock n roll.



Elvis, Scotty and Bill recorded those first pivotal sides. DJ Fontana joined in at the hayride and gave Elvis a burlesque beat.



Bill, Scotty and DJ appear in Love Me Tender and Loving You and Jailhouse Rock as band members or session musicians.



As much as Elvis Presley was noted by up n commers in music or movies to give advise and often a hand up – networking introductions – There is no way around it.



I expect because of Col Parker wanting to manage Elvis without anyone else's influence, Elvis screwed over Scotty and Bill – and his music suffered for it.



Bill Black and Scotty Moore stayed pals but had separate careers. Bill formed a combo and opened for The Beatles on their north american tour.



October 21, 1965
Bill Black died of a brain tumor.
Elvis was quoted in the Commercial Appeal as saying that Bill ” was a great man and a person that everyone loved. This comes as such a shock to me that I can hardly explain how much I loved Bill”.
Elvis didn’t attend the funeral, as he was afraid of causing disruption.




If Bill had lived, I doubt he would have played the 68 special and probably Scotty wouldn’t have either.
the magic of that show wasn’t the production numbers – it was mostly that bit in the round of Elvis face to face with 2 of the three guys he started with. the crowning part was Elvis alone in the boxer ring round, proving he was the It Performer.




see also

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Black

https://www.elvis.com.au/presley/article-blackie.shtml

https://rockhall.com/inductees/bill-black/



\Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley and Bill Black - September 9, 1954. the first fan photo


the Blue Moon Boys and the boy with the golden throat in vegas 1956

[drjohncarpenter]

Nice remembrance of the great Bill Black.

Couple of things:

- Bill, Scotty and D.J. appear in "Loving You," "Jailhouse Rock" and "King Creole" as band members or session musicians. Elvis wanted them involved in "Love Me Tender" but the studio said no.

- it was after the April 1956 "Milton Berle" appearance that management regrettably shut down Bill's showmanship

- Bill formed the Bill Black Combo in 1959, and the unit scored some big hits between 1959 and 1962, with "White Silver Sands" busting into the top 10 in 1960. Their cover art usually avoided photos, and many thought the music was made by an African-American group.

- When the combo opened for the Beatles in August-September 1964, Bill was not part of the group, staying in Memphis for health and business reasons

Bill Black Combo backstage with the Beatles - September 1964

Top: Paul McCartney, Sammy Creason (drums), John Lennon, Bill English (vocalist), Reggie Young (guitar), Clarice "Bubba" Vernon (keyboards)
Bottom: Ringo Starr, Bob Tucker (bass), George Harrison, Ed Logan (sax)

Reggie Young was one of the greatest guitarists ever from the Memphis scene, playing on countless hits at American Sound Studio, including all of Elvis' 1969 Memphis sessions.

More good stuff here:
https://scottymoore.net/billblackscombo.html

- no one can say for sure if Bill would've been open to the small combo jamming at NBC Burbank in the summer of 1968, but it would've been wonderful to see


Thanks again.

[drjohncarpenter]

A couple of other interesting things about Elvis and Bill are found in somewhat obscure places.



Bill's death in October 1965

When Elvis heard that Bill was ill, he went by to visit with them. He took Evelyn aside. "He said he was sorry about Bill and that if anything happened he would not go to the funeral so it would not turn into a circus," says Evelyn. "He said he'd come back after everything was over with."

[snip]

The funeral was held at Bellevue Baptist Church, with burial in Forest Hill Cemetery. Scotty and Bobbie went to the funeral with D. J. Fontana and his wife, Barbara. Scotty and D. J. were pallbearers. Afterward, they went out to Graceland to commiserate with Elvis. Everyone was stunned by Bill's unexpected death. No one knew quite what to say.

"Elvis was sitting out on his motorcycle when we arrived," says Bobbie. "The bodyguards were there. Priscilla came out the door and stood around with the bodyguards, but she didn't come over where we were and Elvis didn't introduce her to us. We didn't stay around too long." When Bobbie said goodbye to Elvis that day, it was for the last time. She would never see him again.

True to his word, Elvis went by to see Evelyn again after the funeral. This time, he took Priscilla with him. By then, Priscilla's father had relented and allowed her to move into Graceland with Elvis. "I told him how much I appreciated him coming by," says Evelyn. "I always thought a lot of Elvis. He didn't get messed up until after Scotty and Bill got away from him. He was just a young boy who loved music and loved to shake those hips and make the girls scream."

- That's Alright, Elvis, p. 186-187

Remembering Bill's bass playing, July 1972

“It was really a wild sound, like a jungle drum or something.”

- MGM interview by director Bob Abel, July 1972

With Bill Black, on stage at the New Frontier Hotel, Las Vegas - Friday, April 27, 1956

[NinaFromCanadaEh]

thank you

excellent additions!

[Wiebe]

Drjohn is back. I hope you can repost or recreate some of the interesting posts from the fecc days.

[drjohncarpenter]

Drjohn is back. I hope you can repost or recreate some of the interesting posts from the fecc days.

Any favorites?