Sun Sounds: “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”- Elvis Presley. “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” was first written and performed by the King of Bluegrass- Bill Monroe back in 1945. It is the official state song now of the state of Kentucky.
Elvis was looking for a song to put on the b-side of “That’s All Right” in the summer of 1954- and came up with a cover of “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” which was a lot different from Bill Monroe’s original which was a slow waltz- Elvis was encouraged by Sam Phillips to make it more an upbeat song. How did Bill Monroe feel about Elvis’s version- he didn’t like it- until the first royalty check came in for $15,000.
Great song!
With Elvis being my childhood idol, I may be a bit biased here, but he, Bill Black and Scotty Moore really kicked up that tune by a few notches!
I am a big Bill Monroe fan- but love Elvis’s version too.