Songs Elvis opened shows with from 1969-1977

[fg76]

Here are the ones we know:

Blue Suede Shoes - Vegas 1969, and one show at the Astrodome in 1970.

All shook Up - Vegas Feb 1970, Astrodome Shows (sans one)

That's All Right - Vegas Aug 1970 - 1971; June (maybe July) 1972; July 24, 1975; August 20, 1975 - closing show; May 3, 1977.

Tiger Man - August 19, 1970 - Dinner Show

See See Rider - 1972 - 1977

Big Boss Man - August 19, 1974

When The Saints Go Marching In (one line)/See See Rider - May 1, 1976 (Shouldn't really count. In fact, wish he had just kept going with Saints. Even if it turned out to be a big fuster.)

Any other songs during the 69-77 era that we know of that he used as an opener?

[Swingin-Little-Guitar-Man]

One of the TTWII shows opens with a line of Love Me Tender.

[drjohncarpenter]

It's "C.C. Rider" -- I don't care that RCA uses "See See Rider" to avoid paying publishing royalties.

[fg76]

One of the TTWII shows opens with a line of Love Me Tender.

Which one?

[Swingin-Little-Guitar-Man]

I don't know I can't remember. One of the unreleased ones from the Complete Works set. Probably 11th D/S.

[Good Time Charlie]

"That's All Right" was always my favourite opener. And it just kinda made sense, for Elvis to kick off the show with the song that kick started his career.

And if we are going to be precise, during the August 20th MS 1975 (which also happened to be the last show of the stand due to Elvis cancelling the rest of the engagement due to illness), he starts off with "That's All Right" and he sings a full length version then segues it into "See See Rider". It's a fantastic full length medley of both songs to start the show, lasting over 3 and a half minutes. It is probably the only time he did this.

[norrie]

C.C.Rider is a great opener,the only problem being it was used way too much a bit like Can't Help Falling In Love as a closer.

norrie

[poormadpeter]

It's "C.C. Rider" -- I don't care that RCA uses "See See Rider" to avoid paying publishing royalties.

There you are wrong. It was and always should be "see see rider". The original recording from way back in 1924 was titled "see see rider blues", in fact. See it for yourself.

..

[drjohncarpenter]

Elvis was not influenced by a 1924 blues 78, but by a huge, 1957 R&B single.

Chuck Willis C.C. Rider Atlantic 1130.JPG

Chuck Willis, "C. C. Rider" (Atlantic 1130, March 1957)

It was reviewed by Billboard in March 1957.




It made Billboard R&B #1 on June 17, 1957.



Please take note of some of the other charting R&B artists, in particular a white, 22 year-old Southern singer.

[colonel snow]

The 20-08-75 M show was opened with That's all right / See see rider medley.


colonel snow

[dannyboy]

Interesting to note the songs coming in at #5 and #13 on Doc's list.

[poormadpeter]

Elvis was not influenced by a 1924 blues 78, but by a huge, 1957 R&B single.

.

Perhaps he was, but that has nothing to do with what the song is called. That Willis took credit for the authorship (!) and changed the title of the song to C C Rider has nothing to do with the fact that the song was written as SEE SEE RIDER. The fact that Elvis was influenced by a wrongly-titled single from 1957 (and one that was probably wrongly titled so that WILLIS could get author credit) does not mean that it has to be wrongly-titled thereafter.

It wouldn't hurt to admit you were wrong once in a while, Doc. Unless you can somehow explain away how the song was incorrectly titled for 33 years until Chuck Willis put it right? And if so why his title is correct and those that had gone before were not? It's not like Willis's version is different enough from the versions that had gone before to make it a different song, and the words are the same but without the verse which (presumably) Rainey added to her recording with the Fletcher Henderson band, which included Louis Armstrong no less.

Or to put it another way, just look at the lyrics:
"See, see rider. See what you have done" makes considerably more sense than "C C Rider, C what you have done."
Or was Willis a genius of a psychic and using textspeak back in the 1950s? Nope, just avoiding any copyright issues, methinks.

There is also a well-written article on the origins of the song - and what See See Rider as a title means - over on Wikipedia.

[Good Time Charlie]

It is "See See Rider". End of story!

[chevyford]

Elvis was not influenced by a 1924 blues 78, but by a huge, 1957 R&B single.

"Influence" doesn't have anything to do with the subject at hand, Doctor Carpenter, but everyone is allowed to make at least one mistake, sir.
I won't be holding it against you.

It wouldn't hurt to admit you were wrong once in a while, Doc.

I've been a devoted reader of this forum for about 8 years and a member only recently. This is the first time I can ever recall Doctor Carpenter being wrong about anything. I doubt very seriously if it will ever happen again!

[hm80ep]

Elvis was not influenced by a 1924 blues 78, but by a huge, 1957 R&B single.

"Influence" doesn't have anything to do with the subject at hand, Doctor Carpenter, but everyone is allowed to make at least one mistake, sir.
I won't be holding it against you.

It wouldn't hurt to admit you were wrong once in a while, Doc.

I've been a devoted reader of this forum for about 8 years and a member only recently. This is the first time I can ever recall Doctor Carpenter being wrong about anything. I doubt very seriously if it will ever happen again!

That means in this case devoted ≠ observant or watchful.

[poormadpeter]

Elvis was not influenced by a 1924 blues 78, but by a huge, 1957 R&B single.

"Influence" doesn't have anything to do with the subject at hand, Doctor Carpenter, but everyone is allowed to make at least one mistake, sir.
I won't be holding it against you.

It wouldn't hurt to admit you were wrong once in a while, Doc.

I've been a devoted reader of this forum for about 8 years and a member only recently. This is the first time I can ever recall Doctor Carpenter being wrong about anything. I doubt very seriously if it will ever happen again!

In that case check out the James Dean on the off topic section!

[loiacvi1]

It's "C.C. Rider" -- I don't care that RCA uses "See See Rider" to avoid paying publishing royalties.

Technically, he changed the lyrics and arrangement so drastically it might as well have been called "Dilaudid Blues"

[tupelo_boy]

..

Great version though!

I am willing to bet there was some dealing off the bottom of the deck with regard to royalties and Ma Rainey.

Geoff

[chevyford]

Elvis was not influenced by a 1924 blues 78, but by a huge, 1957 R&B single.

"Influence" doesn't have anything to do with the subject at hand, Doctor Carpenter, but everyone is allowed to make at least one mistake, sir.
I won't be holding it against you.

It wouldn't hurt to admit you were wrong once in a while, Doc.

I've been a devoted reader of this forum for about 8 years and a member only recently. This is the first time I can ever recall Doctor Carpenter being wrong about anything. I doubt very seriously if it will ever happen again!

In that case check out the James Dean on the off topic section!

Sorry, James Dean doesn't interest me.

[drjohncarpenter]

Interesting to note the songs coming in at #5 and #13 on Doc's list.

Exactly.

If some people wish to believe RCA's business plan ("See See Rider" = public domain) as an accurate way of assigning a title to a song, let them revel in their ignorance. I'll stick with the facts and my research, which I have laid out as plain as can be.

For the curious, "C. C. Rider" is a "Country Circuit Preacher," AKA a preacher or an old time rambler. Listen to the lyrics Elvis sings, and note why the title makes perfect sense as I've described.

[George Smith]

For what it's worth, I've always heard Elvis' sung lyrics as:

Oh see, C.C. Rider,
Oh see, what you have done ...

Which seems to make some kinda sense ... to me, at least.

[chevyford]

If some people wish to believe RCA's business plan ("See See Rider" = public domain) as an accurate way of assigning a title to a song ...

No one has said anything about public domain. Besides, that wouldn't have anything to do with it -

1924 to 1957 was only 33 years.
1924 to 1970 was only 46 years (1970 = Elvis' version of "See See Rider" first appearing on his ON STAGE album).

Can we all compromise and go with "See C. Rider" or "C. See Rider" ?

[poormadpeter]

Interesting to note the songs coming in at #5 and #13 on Doc's list.

Exactly.

If some people wish to believe RCA's business plan ("See See Rider" = public domain) as an accurate way of assigning a title to a song, let them revel in their ignorance. I'll stick with the facts and my research, which I have laid out as plain as can be.

For the curious, "C. C. Rider" is a "Country Circuit Preacher," AKA a preacher or an old time rambler. Listen to the lyrics Elvis sings, and note why the title makes perfect sense as I've described.

That's only one theory. And Elvis sings "you made me love you, now your loving man has gone". How many preachers were female back then? Or was this Elvis's attempt at a gay love song?

So, Doc, other than your weird obsession with copyright, can you first of all answer my above question about lyrics, and second question about why Willis's spelling is better than all the others, when the previous spelling was recorded three decades before? Or are you actually a relation to Willis and about to put in a law suit for overdue royalties?

For the curious, "See See Rider" is another term for "easy rider", a woman with...liberal...sexual habits. Therefore the line "you made me love you, now your loving man has gone" makes considerably more sense in this context than anything to do with preachers!

I said see, see, see rider
Oh, see what you have done
I said see, see, see rider
Oh, see what you have done
Oh girl, you made me love you
Now, now, now your lovin' man has gone

Well, I'm going away, baby
And I won't be back to fall
Well, I'm going away baby
And I won't be back to fall
And if I find me a good girl
I won't, I won't be back at all

Now...is he singing to/about a preacher or someone he fell for who gets around a bit too much?!

[chevyford]

And Elvis sings "you made me love you, now your loving man has gone". How many preachers were female back then? Or was this Elvis's attempt at a gay love song?

What ?

Isn't Elvis singing to his woman (in thought) since he has already left her in the song? - And he is the woman's "loving man".

What does female preacher and/or gay have to do with anything?

[poormadpeter]

And Elvis sings "you made me love you, now your loving man has gone". How many preachers were female back then? Or was this Elvis's attempt at a gay love song?

What ?

Isn't Elvis singing to his woman (in thought) since he has already left her in the song? - And he is the woman's "loving man".

Exactly my point. I was making a point of Doc's ludicrous comment. He refers to a "girl". So how the hell can it be about a preacher (back then, at least)?

In Doc's view, the opening lyrics would have to be "Oh See, C C Rider, oh see what you have done". Which is fine if he was singing about a preacher who had...misbehaved. But Elvis isn't. The song is in the first person, so he would have to be the preacher in the song, going by Doc's idea. He sings "girl you made me love you, now your loving man has gone".

So, again, the song makes considerably more sense (actually ONLY makes sense) if the see see rider is, for wont of a better term, a "loose woman" he has fallen for.