Elvis’s first LP released: March 23, 1956

 

Elvis's first LP released: March 23, 1956

As "Heartbreak Hotel" rushed up the singles chart in March 1956, RCA released Elvis's first record album, titled simply "Elvis Presley." "This young singer from the south is the latest performer to cash in on frenetic highjinks," read Billboard's review on March 14, 1956. "In this collection Presley works through a repertory that's a blend of hillbilly and rock 'n' roll, ranging from such contemporary classics as 'Tutti Frutti' to the Rodgers & Hart oldie, 'Blue Moon,' in which an echo effect and some falsetto piping almost succeeds in making the song unrecognizable."

A full-page in Billboard (another first for Elvis) on March 31 announced, "A Red Hot Star Is Born on RCA Victor Records!" The LP quickly rose to the top of the LP chart, where it stayed for 10 weeks. It became the first RCA album ever to sell over 300,000 copies on its initial release.