Disc: (1953). White label, typed titles and name in black.
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In 1953, Elvis recorded this acetate at Memphis Recording Service (home of Sun Records) and paid the sum of $4 to record a belated birthday gift for his mother — his first ever recording. Elvis sang two songs: “My Happiness” (Side A), which is the only Elvis recording that exists of this song, and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin” (Side B). Legend has it that Elvis’ friend Ed Leek convinced and accompanied Elvis to the recording studio that day. Elvis was greeted by Marion Keisker, assistant to Sam Philips, who asked Elvis who he sounded like and Elvis responded, “I don’t sound like nobody.” Little did she know at the time that he was absolutely right. In these two songs that Elvis chose to sing, Marion heard something different, enough to note Elvis’ name and telephone number and add that he was a good ballad singer. When Elvis left the studio that day, he and Ed stopped at Ed’s parents’ house to listen to the fresh recording, as they had a modern phonograph and Elvis wanted to hear how it sounded. Elvis left his friend’s house that day without the record and this acetate is being offered directly from a descendant of Ed Leek. The acetate has a label containing the titles of each song typed on the reverse of a Sun Record label.1
This unique disc was sold as Lot 32 at the Graceland Auction in January 2015, realizing a price of $300,000.
A reissue followed later in 2015, released as a limited Record Store Day exclusive by Third Man Records (catalog no. TMR-306). Like the original, the reissue was produced as a 10-inch disc cut at 78 RPM. The label, though designed to appear distressed, is intact and deliberately printed to reproduce the wear of the source acetate.