Rock and Roll
The year is 1956. “Don’t Be Cruel” was written by Otis Blackwell, who was having success at the time with Little Willie John’s “Fever.” Elvis Presley recorded the song at the RCA studios in New York City. The story goes that there were 28 takes that helped the song to evolve to have an off-hand kind of feel. Guitarist Scotty Moore came in during the beginning and the end. Gordon Stoker of The Jordanaires sang a duet with Elvis on the chorus. Drummer D.J. Fontana played the back of Elvis’ leather-covered guitar with a mallet to get a snare effect. The song was released in July, 1956, as the A-Side with “Hound Dog” as the B-Side (another song for Elvis that became a monster hit and signature song). And the rest is rock and roll history. “Don’t Be Cruel” went to #1 on the Billboard Top 100, R&B, and Country charts. Over the years, it has been awarded RIAA 4x multi-platinum status. It is on Rolling Stone’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”