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Monday, August 11, 2008

When I recorded at Sun

In Memphis, Elvis Week 2008 is at full swing. I was there three years ago, and while Graceland was the highlight of my visit then, I also treasured my trip to Sun Studio. After all, it was there it all started.

And like Elvis, I paid to make a record. But, unlike Elvis, I had to choose a karaoke track of a song and then record my own voice to it on a CD. I thought "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" was a proper choice and was led into a tiny cubicle at the back of the studio.

In the cubicle there was a TV-screen mounted in one of the upperhand corners showing the lyrics, and in front of me stood a microphone. The girl at Sun who was helping me out told me I had one practice run before doing the actual recording.

Man, it was hot in that cubicle, and sweat was pouring down my back as I started to sing, "If I could be you, if you could be me, for just one hour..." Still, I thought it went pretty well.

So well, in fact, that I asked my "engineer" if I could record a short poem ("Men With Broken Hearts") before she played the actual karaoke track. "No problem," she answered helpfully, "just start when I knock at the door to the cubicle."

So, there I was, not only trying to sing like Elvis, but also to talk like him! Anyway, it went OK the second time around as well, and I got my record. And though it never will be as famous as the one Elvis did there back in 1953, it was, and still is, a great souvenir from my time in Memphis.

Do you want to hear it? Click here to play the song.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

A great performance!!!

Anonymous said...

You rock!