Elvis Presley, circa 1952
For the longest time, It's always seemed a given that Elvis' second, two-sided personal acetate recording in 1954 included a song issued by country singer Jimmy Wakely.
Elvis Presley, "It Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You)" (January 1954 acetate)
Note: this is a reproduction of original label.
For example:
"I'll Never Stand in Your Way," a then- recent hit for Joni James, plus "It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You," an older number by country songwriter Jimmy Wakely ...
Greil Marcus, Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music
For the other side he sang "It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You," from a record by the respected country singer Jimmy Wakely.
Ernst Jorgensen, Elvis Presley: A Life In Music
But ... it seems there is no such single by Jimmy Wakely.... and "It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You" (a late '40s success for Hollywood cowboy Jimmy Wakely).
Phil Sutcliffe, Q Magazine, "Elvis: The First Sun Sessions," January 2004
So what record did the kid from Tupelo hear?
With friend Luther Nall in Memphis, circa 1951
Well, the song came out when Elvis was 15, as a B-side, of all things.
Listen -->
Al Rogers and the Rocky Mountain Boys "It Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You)" (MGM 10709, May 20, 1950)
https://archive.org/details/78_it-wouldnt-be-the-same-without-you_al-rogers-wakely-rose-the-rocky-mountain-boys_gbia0008213b
Al Rogers had appeared on Nashville's Grand Ole Opry program, and around the time of this single for MGM he had a show on WMPS Radio in Memphis called "Hi Noon Roundup, " which featured guests such as the Blackwood Brothers. Elvis must have heard him.
Al Rogers, circa 1951
Interestingly, the single was covered as an r&b release in Billboard:
Billboard - June 3, 1950
However, another version was issued much closer to Presley's early 1954 visit to the Memphis Recording Service, and one listen tells us.
It's sweeter, more yearning. THIS is the one!
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Lily Ann Carol "It Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You)" (RCA 47-4985, October 4, 1952)
Billboard - October 11, 1952
Lily Ann Carol, circa 1945
Carol originally started out at 18 as the vocalist in Louis Prima's Orchestra back in 1940, with her best known recording being "I'll Walk Alone” in 1944. She left Prima’s band in 1946 for a solo music career, her spot taken up by Cathy Allen, then Florida Keyes, until Prima found Keely Smith in 1948. Carol would later form a successful nightclub act with husband and saxophonist Joe Barone, in a style not unlike her work with Prima.
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"It Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You)" is a sweet little ballad, an interesting choice for the teen-aged singer to brandish at the Memphis Recording Service in early January 1954.
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Elvis Presley, "It Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You)" (January 1954 acetate)
Notice how Elvis coolly drops to a baritone just once, as he begins the reprise of the bridge, a hint of how he would change the world in just two year's time.
It Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You)
Fred Rose, Jimmy Wakely
© Milene Music, ASCAP
I could wander the byways that we wandered through
But it wouldn't be the same without you
Those familiar old places would just make me blue
I just wouldn't be the same without you
I wasted my love on a careless romance
But I'd do it again if I had the chance
I could start my life over with somebody new
But it wouldn't be the same without you
I wasted my love on a careless romance
But I'd do it again if I had the chance
I could start my life over with somebody new
But it wouldn't be the same without you
Even before finding Carol's version on YouTube, it was clear the Presley rendition felt more "pop" than country, and the other number he brought to 706 Union that day was a recent top 25 hit by another female pop singer, Joni James ("I'll Never Stand In Your Way," November 1953, US Pop #23).
On June 26, less than six months after this 1954 demo session, Elvis would be called to Sun by Marion Keisker for an official try-out with owner and producer Sam Phillips.
Elvis Presley, circa 1952