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1955 Historically Significant Elvis Presley Signed Contract Rider with Hill and Range Songs
<p>Elvis Presley was "The King of Rock and Roll," and his nickname actually represents an enormous understatement. Elvis was much more than a mere king, and his domain was far more than a kingdom. Elvis Presley's royal influence transcended music and reached up to the heights of world culture. In short, Elvis was one of the most culturally important public figures of the Twentieth Century. Presented is the November 21, 1955, signed rider to Presley's contract with Hill and Range Songs, Inc<em>.</em> The rider has the signatures of Elvis Presley, and Presley's parents, Vernon and Gladys Presley. There are two particularly significant parts of the signed rider. The first item of particular importance is found in Paragraph 20. Apparently, Elvis Presley had already agreed to record with RCA Records, or was in the process of doing so, and thus Hill and Range Songs, Inc., a musical publisher, basically had to agree to the rider if they wanted Elvis to record songs that were Hill and Range's intellectual property. The second especially significant part of the rider is in Paragraph 25. This paragraph of the rider shows that Hill and Range Songs agrees to "organize a corporation in the State of New York under the name of "Elvis Presley Music." </p><p>Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935, and as a young boy, he lived in a largely African American neighborhood, and he was heavily influenced by gospel singing at his local Assembly of God church. He lived with his parents, Vernon and Gladys Presley, and Elvis was particularly close to his mother. He began his recording career in 1954, when he signed with Sam Phillips and Sun Records. <span style="font-size: 13px;">Phillips had wanted to bring wider awareness to African American music, and he more than once said, "If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars." Thus, Presley, heavily</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> influenced by African American music, was just the right musical artist at just the right time. Presley became part of a quartet: Elvis played rhythm acoustic guitar; Scotty Moore was on lead guitar; Bill Black was on bass; and D.J. Fontana was on drums. Presley infused the band with a "rockabilly" sound - a blend of rhythm and blues (R&B) music with country music. In 1955, in a deal set-up by Colonel Tom Parker, RCA bought the contract to Presley's recordings from Sun Records. Parker officially became Presley's manager in 1956, and Parker would manage Elvis' career for over two decades. "Heartbreak Hotel," Presley's first released RCA single (Jan. 1956) quickly became the Number 1 hit in the country. In less than a year, RCA sold over 10 million Presley singles. The first RCA album was simply titled </span><em style="font-size: 10pt;">Elvis</em><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><em style="font-size: 10pt;">Presley.</em><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> The album included covers of Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes," and a cover version of Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti." Later, Elvis' hit recordings for RCA included "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" "It's Now or Never," "Love Me Tender," "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "All Shook Up," and on and on. After Elvis' move to RCA, his popularity reached the stratosphere, so his first signed contract with RCA was an enormous step forward in Presley's career. This signed contract rider consists of four pages, each measuring 8.5" x 14". The first page of the signed contract with Hill and Range Songs is missing. Most likely this first page was the general contract, without this included rider. The clever hand of Colonel Tom Parker can be seen in this rider. The document is a fascinating example of Colonel Parker maximizing the great leverage Elvis had acquired by his recent rise to fame. Colonel Parker was in effect putting Hill and Range Songs, Inc. over a barrel. One key portion of the rider is in Paragraph 20. This paragraph basically says that if Elvis Presley records a song or songs for RCA Victor that are the property of Hill and Range, that "Hill and Range Songs, Inc. shall have the option to do either of the following: (a) either assign to the music publishing corporation to be organized under this agreement, all of its existing rights in such composition, or (b) pay to Elvis Presley an amount equal to fifty (50%) of the publisher's share (which is one-half of the net receipts) of the mechanical fees actually paid to it by RCA Victor for its sales of the Elvis Presley record of such composition...." The second key portion of the rider is in Paragraph 25, in which Hill and Range Songs agrees to form a corporation called "Elvis Presley Music." Paragraph 25 designates that Elvis was to own 50% of the stock and Hill and Range Music was to own the other 50% of stock. Also, Paragraph 25 stipulates that Elvis Presley can designate the four officers of the corporation. The signatures of Elvis, Vernon, and Gladys Presley (signing as Mrs. Vernon Presley) are each in blue ballpoint pen and are clearly written on Page 4, at the end of the rider to the contract. The rider does exhibit some darkening because of age. The pages each have holes punched at the top, to facilitate being fastened. Page 3 has a small tear at the top right. The pages exhibit a few small smudges, some small stains, and some check marks. Despite the foregoing minor imperfections, the pages of the rider are in very good condition. An interesting factor is that the first three pages of the contract appear to have the handwritten initials of Elvis and his parents on each page, but this cannot be confirmed. The signed contract rider comes with a PSA/DNA Letter of Authenticity that certifies the signatures of Elvis Presley, Vernon Presley, and Gladys Presley are authentic. Elvis Presley, according to Guinness World Records, is the top solo recording artist of all time - with sales estimated to be between 500 million and one billion. He also holds the records for most Billboard Top 40 hits (115) and Top 100 hits (152). This offered signed contract rider is a wonderful memento of the agreement Presley made with Hill and Range Songs before or during Presley's move to RCA Victor, a strategic move orchestrated by Colonel Tom Parker. a move that took Presley to unimaginable heights of fame and changed musical history.</span></p>
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