Elvis Presley at the William Morris Agency, January 31, 1956
Author: Cliff Malloy — Published: Jun 21, 2006 at 5:34 am 1 comment

if (preg_match('/]+)?>/', '') { echo '

' } else { echo 'On January 31, 1956, the face of music was changed forever. That's when Elvis Presley and Col. Tom Parker signed with the William Morris Agency and set into motion the series of events that caused the creation of Elvis Presley as an American icon.

'; }

This is also the starting point of my new online column "MusicXposed." This column, along with the assistance of the greatest music photo archive known to man (The archive of William "PoPsie" Randolph, the Legend of Broadway), will recap the greatest musical moments of the 20th Century and give you access to the archive that, up to now, has been safely tucked away from public view. I started working with the estate a few years ago and I am amazed at the wealth of photos that "PoPsie" produced. I will, during the course of time, shed light on the life and times of PoPsie as well and do my part to get him recognized as the great photographer he was.

Now, back to the event in question.

if (preg_match('/]+)?>/', '') { echo '
' } else { echo 'Elvis, at this time, was just starting to make a stir and turn a few heads on the musical horizon. I won't recap all of the details here, but let's just say when RCA Victor contacted PoPsie about their new discovery, PoPsie was less than impressed.

'; }

According to his son, PoPsie was not crazy about rock music or its impact on New York City at the time. Oh sure, he had a lot of paying gigs from the new labels that sprung up like weeds around the city, but he was a jazz cat at heart and his passions were placed with the musicians who kept in touch with him from his days as a band boy with the Benny Goodman Orchestra.

Continued on the next page Page 1 — Page 2

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Article Author: Cliff Malloy

As a long time music collector and supporter of all things recorded, Cliff has spent time as a record store owner, disc jockey, photographer and now historian for the Estate of William "PoPsie" Randolph (1920-1978), The Legend of Broadway. …

Visit Cliff Malloy's author page — Cliff Malloy's Blog

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  • 1 - Jeff Schrembs

    Aug 10, 2011 at 11:49 pm

    Interesting article.
    Take care and may God bless you.
    Jeff Schrembs

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