Elvis had the biggest hit of his career with both sides of this classic single. He recorded both songs during a marathon session on July 2, 1956 at RCA studios in New York City. 'Don't Be Cruel' was the first song that his publishers brought for him to record. Otis Blackwell gave up half of the royalties and a co-writing credit to induce the hot new singer to record it. The song featured Scotty Moore on lead guitar, Bill Black on bass, D.J. Fontana on drums, and backing vocals from the Jordanaires. Steve Sholes may have been the producer; but Presley took charge of the session by reworking the arrangement on piano and insisting on twenty eight takes. He also recorded thirty one takes of 'Hound Dog'.
Presley had decided to cover Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's 'Hound Dog' after hearing Freddie Bell and the Bellboys perform it in Las Vegas. When he performed it live on the 'Milton Berle Show', Milton advised him to leave his guitar backstage so the audience could see him better. His dancing during the song caused a stir with fans and critics alike. He was dubbed 'Elvis the pelvis' and branded an "influence on juvenile delinquency". The single was released on July 13, 1956 and at first the b-side 'Hound Dog' was the bigger hit, going to number two on the pop chart amid the controversy. It was passed by 'Don't Be Cruel' which took the number one spot on the pop, country, and R&B charts. The sales of both songs made the single the biggest of the year with more than four million copies sold in 1956. It held the number one spot on the pop chart for eleven weeks, a record that stood for thirty six years.
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