Ep. 3.7: Perkins & Cash

We continue with the story of Wanda Jackson in this episode and then finish off by tackling the tale of Brenda Lee. This episode features clips of an interview Brenda Lee did with Tanya Pearson on the podcast "Women in Rock Oral History Project," which I strongly recommend everyone checking out!

In what was originally intended to be a single episode on the three Founding Mothers of Rockabilly--Janis Martin, Wanda Jackson, and Brenda Lee--this is being released as "Part 1" in which we'll visit the story of Janis Martin and half of Wanda Jackson's. These women were breaking boundaries long before Madonna or Courtney Love, and have continued to rock even up 'til today. You can't listen to this episode and not come away a fan of these women.

Wrapping up our coverage of Sam Phillips' cadre of rock pioneers, we will look at the last two artists to come out of that cohort: Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis. However, other than recording with Sun Records, these two men had almost nothing else in common. One was a reluctant rocker pining for a career recording soulful ballads, while the other was an impulsive-yet-repressed sex addict who lived a life filled with equal parts pleasure and guilt.

After selling Elvis' contract to RCA, Sam Phillips could turn his attention to other artists he'd signed, all who were just as hungry and talented as Elvis. This episode we'll cover two of those artists: Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. We'll be talking about overcoming trials and coping with tragedies--you won't just be informed: you'll be inspired!

Moral outrage and outright racism ignite the explosive reactions to Elvis' performance of "Hound Dog" on the Milton Berle Show.

Col. Parker had his sights set on country artists as his ticket to big money. After somewhat reluctantly allowing a young punk kid named Elvis Presley to tag along on his most recent Hank Snow tour, Parker soon came to realize that this kid was the "white whale" he'd been searching for all along. Everything would change in a concert in Jacksonville, Florida, after Elvis announced to the women in the audience, "Girls, I'll see you all backstage."

The man known as "Colonel" Tom Parker would be arguably the most impactful thing to happen to Elvis Presley. Being accused of both creating and destroying the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Parker is a controversial figure in rock history. Add to that his own mysterious and murky personal past, and you've got a juicy topic for a rock history episode. So, buckle up as we take this "side quest" into Parker's origin story before diving back into where we left off with Elvis!

Elvis achieves success in his collaboration with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black! The trio find their recordings of "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" dominating the airwaves! But, what comes next...?

Last episode we left off with Elvis' family leaving their familiar surroundings in Tupelo, Mississippi for the big city life in Memphis, Tennessee. This episode we'll pick up where we left off and see him make his first recordings with Sun Records!

Kicking off Season 3 of Deep Tracks we explore the birth of the King of Rock 'n' Roll himself, Alan Greenspan! Okay, just kidding, we're gonna be FINALLY diving into the life of Elvis Presley! But, in order to lay some groundwork for the launch of his career, we also have to talk about the people who helped make that happen. So, this episode will also feature "minisodes" about Dewey Phillips and Sam Phillips. Then we look at the birth of Elvis, his childhood in Tupelo, leaving off when his family is just about to make the move that would change their lives forever, to Memphis, Tennessee...