01/08/2025
Elvis Presley celebrated his twenty-ninth birthday quietly at Graceland in Memphis on January 8, 1964. But four days later, he roared into the new year in style, showing up at RCA Studio B in Nashville on his motorcycle at 6:30 p.m. It was time for a session.
The first thing Elvis did when he walked in the studio was to send someone out for takeout food to feed himself and the assembled team of crack studio musicians. On hand were guitarists Grady Martin, Harold Bradley, and Scotty Moore; bassist Bob Moore; drummers D. J. Fontana and Buddy Harman; keyboard player Floyd Cramer; saxophone and vibraphone player Boots Randolph; and background vocalists Millie Kirkham and the Jordanaires.
They soon launched into a five-hour session during which Presley recorded three songs: a faithful, rocking rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis, Tennessee,” the passionate “It Hurts Me” (written by Joy Byers), and an English language remake of an Italian hit, the airy ballad “Ask Me,” written by Domenico Modugno, who wrote the 1958 international hit “Volare.” Two out of the three tracks they cut became pop hits in 1964: “Ask Me” reached #12, and “It Hurts Me” peaked at #29.
1964 was a much bigger year for Elvis in Hollywood. He had three movies released that year: "Kissin’ Cousins," "Viva Las Vegas," and "Roustabout." Combined the movies grossed more than $16 million—worth about $158 million in today’s dollars. He was, after all, the King.
Elvis would not return to record at Studio B until February 1965. Between 1958 and 1977, he recorded more than 240 songs at the famed studio. (Pictured: Elvis on his Harley-Davidson with actor Nick Adams, 1956. Photo by Robert Dye.)
Preservation of Historic RCA Studio B is made possible through a partnership between the Mike Curb Family Foundation and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
