Marty Robbins, Tom's friend

Although we now think of it as a definitive Elvis recording, for most Southern listeners in 1955, "That's All Right" was a hit song for Marty Robbins, not Elvis Presley.

Robbins recorded it in December 1954 after Elvis' ground-breaking debut Sun record release began to finally run out of steam. It was released on the mighty Columbia label early the following year and peaked at number 7 hit on the Billboard country music charts, ending a period of falling sales for the singer.

Robbins had been in show-business since the beginning of the decade and was fascinated by stories of the Old West. He was also well-known to Colonel Tom Parker and owed him a mysterious debt of gratitude, and he played on the same bill as Elvis during the Florida tours of mid-1955, which are central to the story of "Heartbreak Hotel".

Robbins was a great story-teller-in-song, and his signature hit "El Paso" was recorded in 1959.

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