“Blue Suede Shoes” is a rock-and-roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues, country and pop music of the time. Perkins’ original version of the song appeared on the Cashbox Best Selling Singles list for 16 weeks and spent two weeks at the number two position.
During the 1940s and 1950s, it was common to record and release cover versions of hit songs, often in different styles or genres. RCA Victor wanted to promote Elvis Presley as a rock-and-roll artist, and believed a Presley cover of “Blue Suede Shoes” could outsell the Perkins/Sun Records version, especially with RCA’s larger share of distribution and radio contacts. Presley, who had been signed at Sun Records and knew Perkins and Phillips, was reluctant to record a competing version. He eventually agreed to record the song if the company would delay its release as a single. Presley’s version features two guitar solos by Scotty Moore, with Bill Black on bass and D.J. Fontana on drums.
Presley eventually recorded “Blue Suede Shoes” in 1956 and it appears as the opening track of his eponymous debut album. Presley performed his version of the song three different times on national television. It was also recorded by Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran, among many others. “Blue Suede Shoes” was chosen by the Roock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”. In 1986, Perkins’ version was inducted in the Grammy Hall oof Fame and in 1999, National Public Radio included “Blue Suede Shoes” in the NPR 100, in which NPR’s music editors sought to compile the 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century.
