ElvisNews.com: Ernst Jorgensen's SUN Project Updates

Ernst Jorgensen's SUN Project Updates

In an interview with the Elvis Information Network Ernst Jorgensen shared a few updates on his upcoming Follow That Dream SUN project.

The final manuscript is nearly complete and contains 58 chapters. The first six are the 6 months of 1954 and followed by next 52 week by week chapters running through 1955. The texts consists basically of hundreds of quotes and interviews, facts and people’s stories. A lot of dates and figures will be corrected and about two hundred new images will be featured in the book.

The three CDs with will be an extra added bonus. The first will be The Masters, the second The Outtakes and then the third with everything else they could get hold of. It does not contain songs like "Uncle Penn", "Tennessee Saturday Night" or "Rock Around The Clock" but it does have a recording of "That’s All Right" from Meridian 1955, remasterd radio recordings like "Fool, Fool, Fool" plus a handful of other pieces that people have never heard before. Thanks to Kevan Budd it is going to sound better than ever.

Ernst Jorgensen is pretty sure the Follow That Dream label will release it this year, but whether it is May, August, or October/November he still doesn’t know.

You can read the complete interview on the Elvis Information Network website.

Source: Elvis Information Network / Updated: Feb 14, 2007

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Reactions

RonBaker (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 27, 2007report abuse

Giving Elvis fans music that the mainstream public isn't interested in is the whole idea behind the FTD releases. They are for hardcore Elvis fans like me who want as much Elvis music as we can get. Sony/BMG do the releases for the mainstream fans who probably would not want some of the music we get...they want the mass market $$$. FTD is not motivated, as some posters think, by greed but by genuine care over Elvis' music. True, the artwork hasn't always been the greatest, but it has improved substantially. Most of the new releases have great covers. I'm sure Sony/BMG will have a big release sometime this year...hopefully a boxed set as well as the remix album. The general public has 'Elvis at Sun' or 'Sunrise' (I have both) or 'The Complete Sun Sessions' (I have it on vinyl), we will be getting a great book and some new material from the Sun sessions. It isn't 'milking' Elvis fans, it's going to be great. If you don't want to buy it, then don't. I will be buying it because it will be the ultimate presentation of Elvis' Sun career.

Mystery Rider (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 25, 2007report abuse

If this is that good, why is it not go to be released in stores, and only available from follow that dream? I have a feeling i'm on Elvis' rollar coaster car thats still stuck in memphis, and we are all about to be taken for a ride. They keep pumping this stuff out, and it never hits stores, must say something for whats in it. they just keep milking fans.

JimmyCool (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 21, 2007report abuse

I read that too... it was in 1979, but the songs wasn't "Uncle Penn", it was "Without You". But now, I'm pretty sure that it was "It Wouldn't Be The Same (Without You)" the song he played that time.

tmorelli@hughes.net (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 20, 2007report abuse

I have an old Elvis reference book that was released in 1979 or 1980 that mentions that one of Sam Phillips' sons (Knox?) played a version of Uncle Penn that Elvis recorded at Sun. He played the song from a tape in front of an auditorium at a college somewhere in TN after Elvis' death. I'll have to go look up the book but since there is so much speculation about whether Elvis even recorded the live or otherwise I thought I would add what I remember reading in the book. Have anyone else ever heard this story before?

JimmyCool (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 19, 2007report abuse

Not long ago I read that there's a song called "Little Mama", performed live by Elvis on April 2, 1955 at the Louisiana Hayride, that was offered to BMG but no deal made. Also, about "Rock Around The Clock", performed live by Elvis on November 19, 1955, and I read that a "poor" tape source exists, possibly taken from acetate.

RonBaker (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 17, 2007report abuse

I'm sure Ernst checked out all those sources (the newspaper articles, etc.). I wonder since the "Elvis for Everyone" article appeared in the UK if perhaps RCA UK has a master reel with "Tennessee Saturday Night" on it????

memphisblues (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 17, 2007report abuse

Just a footnote to the Pied Piper film. Ray Santilli he of Roswell alien autopsy fame who at the time was trying to track down Jack Barnet the camara man who shoot the Roswell film and the Elvis segment of the pied piper, was supposed to have bought the Pied film from Randle in 1992 for just under 2million and sold it for a profit to a Gary Shoefield of Polygram Picture's, so Polygram own the film and keep it in a vault somewhere in Europe. Anymore info anyone

mature_elvis_fan75 (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 17, 2007report abuse

No whining here,i just have enough sun stuff for my taste!

Tony C (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 16, 2007report abuse

I have always been intrigued by the story about "Uncle Penn" being released as a bootleg single in the mid fifties. I am yet to hear of a single copy being in the collections of the most ardent Elvis fans worldwide. Surely one would have surfaced by now, which makes me believe that the story is erroneous. As for the "Elvis For Everyone" story, it is true that the New Musical Express in Britain did report that other Sun tracks were being considered for this LP, but the source of their information have never been verified. I am looking forward to this package greatly. For those worried about the price, hold back, because as soon as this package is released cut-price versions will be available in Europe on a variety of labels because the material is all out of copyright.

Hans Otto (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 16, 2007report abuse

Hear-Hear, Theo! I fully agree. Ernst has spent years and years digging up new material (recordings, historical facts and unpublished pictures) on Elvis' Sun period. This will undoubtebly be the best publication on 1954-55 ever! I, for one, will queue up when it is released. And a couple of advices to all you notoriously negative whiners out there: How about waiting to you see the next FTD product before criticizing the actual content...?Please also keep in mind that Ernst is doing this remarkable work out of genuine respect and love for Elvis' artistic legacy. If he, like most other writers out there, had charged us for the actual hours he have put down on this project, the final product would probably cost many times as much.

benny scott (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 16, 2007

Invisible because there was a link/email included

Lou A (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 16, 2007report abuse

Like most fans I'm looking forward to this release. But I agree that the CD's should have thier own digipaks. I'd go as far as to say that I'd buy digipaks for the other previously released books if FTD would sell them. Then, the CD's from the books could be stored with the other FTD releases. The plastic envelopes glued inside the books will cause scratches over time, and these CD's won't be re released any time soon.

Rita (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

Regarding "Uncle Penn" this was to be released in the UK in the mid-60's on the Pyramid label with an orchestral version of a medley of Elvis songs on the 'B' side of the single. Unfortunately, due to faults on the tape the single was never released. I did hear way back in the '60s that "Uncle Penn" was released on a bootleg single (probably the first ever Elvis bootleg record) in certain Southern States, the track could have possibly have been a live recording from one of his concerts but I am not sure about this. If it is true then there could be a copy lying around somewhere.

mature_elvis_fan75 (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

In regard to the cd's that comes in these type of releases, they should comes with there own digi pack case ,not put in the back of the books,for the price, i think they could swing that!

benny (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

will it have all the outtakes from the su era like all the things on the master & sessionns?

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

I cant believe some folks aren't excited about this releases. It will prob be the best release so far from FTD, yes much better than the classic Clambake or another boring live show, which folks seem to get excited about. Elvis At Sun was good but incomplete. Sunrise was more complete but the sound wasnt mastered yet. This set will be compelte, have the best sound possible and a book to top it all off. I guess the price is what is turning people off. I cant believe its the content, but then again it doesnt contain outtakes of Confidence.

Tupelo (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

Well I'm looking forward to this release, book and cd's.

Theo (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

I don't understand why a lot of people are so negative about this set. They are writing about 'rehashed stuff on 3 discs', 'this release holding nothing of interest' and 'the sound not being better than Elvis At Sun'. Of course there will not be much new material, since most is already out there, but there will be some and I'll be glad if the sound is as good as Elvis At Sun. OK, songs like Satisfied, Uncle Penn, Tennessee Saturday Night or Rock Around The Clock are not included, because they haven't been found, but I assume Ernst has done a great deal to find these songs and would have loved to include them. He has been researching this for 10 years. If these songs actually were recorded at all (I read one outtake of Satisfied was), they are probably lost, destroyed in 1959 or sitting in a box in some collectors' attic or basement. Besides the 19 tracks from Elvis At Sun there's two more discs of songs included (outtakes & other material) and to have those with corrected speeds and at the same audio quality level as Elvis At Sun is really a buying point for me. I have good hope this set will include all the live stuff and all the outtakes from '54-'55 ever released (stuff like the tryouts of I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone - even if it's only 10 seconds - & How Do You Think I Feel and all the outtakes of I’m Left, You’re Right, My Baby’s Gone & I Love You Because - some of these have never been released officially on cd). And there will be some new unreleased (live) performances. That's All Right from Meridian has been confirmed and there has been talk about Little Mama to be included. And that's only the music! There will also be the book, with lots of unreleased pictures and stories sorted by month ('54) or week ('55). I think it'll be awesome. I've been waiting and saving up for this ever since I read about it in 2004. I'm really glad to hear the Sun project is almost done now and it will be released this year. Yep, I'm really looking forward to it. Bring it on, Ernst!

FJE (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

whetherman, that's also exactly what I did to the CDs included with all the FTD books you mentioned. I never liked the idea of keeping them in the wallets attached to the books. I fully endorse your suggestion to Ernst with providing us with the right artwork to have them inserted in an appropriate jewel-box.

whetherman (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

When I bought the books "The Way It Was", "Flashback", "Rockin' Across Texas" and "Writing For The King" I wanted to put the CD's into my CD collection which meant designing and printing my own art work and providing boxes. Now, if the Sun book is going to be as costly as some people think and I've no doubt it will be expensive - but I'll still buy it, surely it would be possible and inexpensive for Ernst and his team to print up some CD art work for the CD's and slip them into the book along with the CD's. I don't mind still providing the boxes. What do say FTD/Ernst?

RonBaker (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

I think "Tennessee Saturday Night" was due to be on the Elvis for Everyone album. Don't know where I read that, but I did read that somewhere.

Rhythm55 (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

Concerning "The Pied Piper Of Cleveland": Joan Deary who was at RCA in New York was a friend of mine and when she was transferred to L.A. I asked her to check with the movie company that filmed the show. She said the executive who researched the film could find no record of it. I also have friends from Cleveland who knew Bill Randle and they said that Randle claimed he had the film. However he also claimed that he never got proper credit for being instrumental in the popularity of Elvis "up north" and helping foster the start of Rock N Roll and no one would ever see the film. Secondly, I believe that the "Uncle Pen" legend began because when Elvis' first music book was published in 1956 it contained his hits as well as "filler" from Hill & Range Publishing Company and they owned "Uncle Pen" as well as some of the other songs in the book that Elvis didn't record. I don't think it was ever recorded. Just one man's opinion

JerryNodak (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

I know the Sun stuff is the birth of Rock 'n' Roll/historical and all that, but I won't be buying this set. I've got all the Sun I need on "Elvis At Sun".

JimmyCool (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

The Pied Piper of Cleveland was the title of a film produced in November 1955 documenting the career of disc jockey Bill Randle. The full title of the film is The Pied Piper of Cleveland: A Day in the Life of a Famous Disc Jockey. Arthur Cohen, directed, and Bill Randle produced. The film showcases live performances of Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Pat Boone, LaVern Baker, Roy Hamilton, Johnnie Ray and others. The original forty-eight minute film was supposed to be cut down to a twenty minute "short" for national distribution, but has never made it that far. There is some dispute over whether or not this film actually exists, as it was only shown publicly once. Randle has repeatedly asserted that the film does indeed exist. Due to problems over legal ownership, the film has not been officially released, and remains 'misplaced' to this day. It is reported that Universal Studios has the negatives of the film in its vaults. This film is the first on-screen appearance of Elvis Presley.

Weekend Edition - Saturday, October 29, 2005 · Fifty years ago this month, a high school in suburban Cleveland played host to an early concert appearance by Elvis Presley. Cleveland disc jockey Bill Randle regularly used his influence to stage afternoon music assemblies at local high schools, and Elvis' Oct. 20, 1955 performance at Brooklyn High School was captured as part of a documentary about Randle. But, soon after that, the film disappeared and ever since, the missing footage has become the holy grail of Elvis fans. New Jersey musician Chris Kennedy grew up in a family of Elvis fans, and has made it his mission to find the footage. From member station WCPN, David C. Barnett reports.

BROOKLYN -- DJ Alan Freed may have started rock and roll music in Cleveland but 50 years ago this week it was another influential Cleveland disc jockey who changed everything when he decided Elvis Presley was something more than just a country singer. In 1955, young Elvis Presley was a hillbilly novelty act; opening shows for Johnny Cash and Slim Whitman. Cleveland was the first northern city to see Elvis, booked on country shows at the Circle Theater by DJ Tommy Edwards. "Tommy did a lot of country shows and, as you know, Elvis started as a hillbilly act," Chuck Rambaldo with Tommy Edwards Records says. And he might have stayed just a hillbilly act if he had not crossed paths with Cleveland's star-making disc jockey Bill Randle who would introduce Elvis to the nation on network television. Three months before the nation first saw Elvis, Brooklyn teenagers would see him at their new auditorium as Randle made his movie. "I remember the trucks, movie trucks outside on the circle there, [with] lighting. Cameras," Paul Smith of the class of ' 57 says. Those 1955 teenagers were excited that the top recording stars of the day were coming to their school. "I loved Pat Boone, probably most impressed with Bill Haley and the Comets," Pat Smith of the class of ' 50 says. But no one had ever heard of Elvis Presley. The high school guys that day thought he looked weird in his red-orange sports coat. Pat Boone thought he looked like a grease monkey. But when the girls walked home from school later that day. "The girls were saying 'Wow, wasn't he something, wasn't he cute," Joyce Harrison of the class of ' 59 says. "And I think that really started it." Joyce still has the snapshot she took of Elvis that day, folded over from caring it in her wallet. The movie of what would become rock's "big bang" is lost. Randle died last year. His daughter says she's found no trace of it. Saturday night at the Brooklyn High auditorium they'll have a 50-year reunion concert to mark the anniversary, with Bill Haley's Comets, The Four Lads and others.

Introducing Elvis, Bill said; "We'd like at this time to introduce to you a young fellow who, like many performers, Johnnie Ray among them, come up out of nowhere to be overnight very big stars. This young fellow we met for the first time while making a movie short. We think tonight that he's going to make television history for you. We'd like you to meet him now - Elvis Presley. And here he is!". After a concert in 1955, referring to Elvis, Bill said : "This guy is going to be the biggest star in America". Tickets are available at the door. © 2005 WKYC-TV

discking (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

I'm sure that I read somewhere that Uncle Penn exists and was due to be released as a single in the UK as the first release on the NME record label in the mid sixties. If this story is true it would mean several things: a) the quality is very good b) the tape must be in England somewhere. Can anyone else throw any light on this?

ptgelvis (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 15, 2007report abuse

2 stories on the pied piper of cleveland. bill randle or arthur cohen, the owner of the film didn,t like the finished work so he distroyed it! the other is he sold it to someone for $2,000,000. with a promise never to release it to the plubic. if true too bad. i,d pay to see it.

PaulFromFrance (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 14, 2007report abuse

KingElvis... MemphisBlues is talking about "The pied piper of Cleveland", a movie filmed in 1955 by Arthur Cohen and Bill Randle, a famous DJ at this time (he interviewed Elvis). The movie is supposed to show Pat Boone, Bill Haley, Roy Hamilton, and... Elvis. Legend say this 45 minutes movie (if I remember well) has been showed only one time (in Cleveland) and never surfaced again. This is very surprising and I wonder if it really exists, because it makes no sense to hide it in some vaults for all these years. But it so good to dream... :-)

KingElvis35 (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 14, 2007report abuse

memphisblues, what do you mean about the "Pied Piper", I've never heard about what you are talking about.

memphisblues (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 14, 2007report abuse

Would have been nice to get some stuff that we havent got and i for one am sure that there is early stuff out there, let's not forget the Pied Piper film that's locked up in someone's vault, but FTD/BMG or whoever they call themselves this week don't have a pot of gold to keep buying these thing's plus any more expense to get clearence to use the stuff. But maybe one day it will appear somewhere

mature_elvis_fan75 (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 14, 2007report abuse

Sun may have been the dawn of the rock & roll,but nothing that i care to buy again,im not a book collector,and dont think the sound can be updated any better than on releases like elvis at sun, if it is, then surely its been tampered with,i know many of you will love this release and have been waiting on it,but for the high price its sure to cost,it just does nothing for me,and that doesnt make me a idiot or a non fan or other things some like to say to those who dont like certain things,ill admit im not big into the 50's part of elvis work,wirting for the king was saved because it had new music,but this release holds nothing of interst for me,the new songs that everyone thought might have been there would have sound terriable to begin with and even they wont be on this,this book will probally be well over $100 right? these ftd's are getting higher and higher,ill turn my attention to the regualr releases that seem to be taking a back seat to these high priced releases, with that said,there should be booklet with the regular releases. Ftd has given many great cd's but the prices are getting to be too much,for those who are looking forward to this releases im happy for you,but for us who arent, remember its just our personal view and likes and dislikes will always be,for that is what makes an oppion!

genedin (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 14, 2007report abuse

i dont know ive been waiting for this to complete my collection but it seems itll just be rehashed stuff on 3 disks instead of 10. remastering again?does this mean the previous stuff was done by a ametuer,if so why did we pay bucks for it. forget the 3 cds make ove a dvd of home clips and stage stuff from those years. give me something to wet my whisltle for will ya. and i doubt if it will have 200 new images. mark my words it'll be around a hundred unless they count non elvis images too

Steve V (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 14, 2007report abuse

Yes this will be expensive, prob much more than Writing For The King, but the subject matter cannot be disputed. SUN was the dawning of Rock N Roll as we know it and this will be the ultimate SUN package making all others that came before seem non-essential (to the serious Elvis collector that is)

Jth (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 14, 2007report abuse

I have a terrible feeling that this release is going to cost extremely much - I better start saving now and buy it after about 3-5 years; I will be looking forward to hear the Kevin Bu"tt"'s remastering of "Fool, Fool, Fool" which is a great song

JimmyCool (profile/ contact) wrote on Feb 14, 2007report abuse

"It does not contain songs like 'Uncle Penn', 'Tennessee Saturday Night' or 'Rock Around The Clock'". That's very sad. I was hoping they would find scratchy acetates of them in some dusty basement. Now I know they're gone forever. About 7 songs lost forever... a real crying shame. Sometimes I blame on Sam for beign so careless about his tapes, using them over and over, taping over other songs, etc. Maybe we lost so many ges because of that. I think the 3 CDs will be same ol' same ol', only with better sound. So, I think this time the highlight of the release will be definitively the book.