On July 18, 1953, an 18-year-old truck driver from Tupelo, Mississippi named Elvis Presley walked into the Memphis Recording Service at Sun Records. He paid $3.98 to record a double-sided acetate, allegedly a belated birthday gift for his mother. Thus began not only an incredible singing career that changed the edifices of popular music, but a relationship with Tennessee's second most-populous city - one that would last the rest of his life. This summer, a new box set from Legacy Recordings will chronicle that historic relationship, more than 70 years after it first began.

Simply titled Memphis, the 5CD set (also available as a double vinyl album of highlights) showcases five crucial periods in which The King of Rock and Roll recorded in Memphis: the fiery 1953-1955 sessions at Sun Studio that first proved his worth as a singing sensation; a restorative 1969 session at American Sound Studios that remains to many his career highlight; a trek to Stax Studios in 1973; a celebrated show at the city's Mid-South Coliseum recorded for a 1974 live album; and Presley's final studio-quality recordings from 1976, taped from RCA's mobile recording truck fed into the plush "Jungle Room" of his Memphis mansion Graceland.

Though none of the tracks are previously unreleased, four of the five discs - everything except the Sun sessions, for which no multitrack tape exists - have been restored and revisited by engineer and longtime Elvis catalogue associate Matt Ross-Spang, whose restorative mixes have fueled previous Elvis archival projects like Way Down in the Jungle Room, Live 1969, From Elvis in Nashville, Elvis on Tour and others. These new mixes present rawer versions of the original tracks without overdubs and sweetening that ended up on the final albums and singles - a "you are there" approach to the work. Like all of The King's archival titles going back decades, this box was produced by Elvis authority Ernst Mikael Jorgensen; Memphis author Robert Gordon (a two-time Grammy winner for production and notes on last year's Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos) contributes liner notes.

The Sun sessions, most recently and definitively presented in the box set A Boy from Tupelo, showcased the birth of Elvis' uncanny sound. While early acetates ("My Happiness," "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," "I'll Never Stand in Your Way," "It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You") showed only traces of Elvis' signature style - a blend of rhythm and blues and country that no white performer had had the temerity to perform - Sun owner Sam Phillips saw potential, and believed Presley could help popularize R&B among non-Black audiences. Working with electric guitarist Winfield "Scotty" Moore and slap bassist Bill Black, the July 1954 sessions proved fitful until Presley broke into a cover of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right, Mama," an upbeat blues number that became his first single and a regional hit throughout the South. Presley released only five singles for Sun - including sides like "Good Rockin' Tonight," "You're a Heartbreaker," "Baby, Let's Play House" and "Mystery Train" - before an intrigued RCA Records paid the then-record sum of $40,000 to buy Presley's contract. Five unused Sun masters were included on Presley's self-titled debut album for the label in 1956, and the rest here were meted out on compilations through 1999!

Elvis' star rose astronomically in the '50s thanks to killer singles like "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel" and "All Shook Up"; groundbreaking and hip-shaking television performances and a transition to film idolatry that would stagnate his artistic growth by the end of the '60s. Looking for a change, Presley taped an intended Christmas special for NBC in 1968 that ended up becoming an honest-to-God comeback, showcasing powerful new versions of his hits (including intimate "sit-down" sets with Presley's former live bandmates Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana) and a fiery new single, "If I Can Dream." Rejuvenated by the project, Elvis booked studio time shortly after it aired at American Sound Studios in Memphis, working with longtime producer Felton Jarvis as well as the studio's producer, Chips Moman, and a crack team of local musicians. (A 2019 box set dived even deeper into this material.) These gritty sessions yielded the smash hits "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto," which landed at No. 1 and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, plus the favorite "Kentucky Rain" and the 1969 album From Elvis in Memphis, widely considered to be The King's most artistically rewarding platter.

1969 also saw Elvis' vaunted return to live performance at Las Vegas' International Hotel, and theatrical shows - clad in rhinestone-encrusted jumpsuits and capes, backed by the ace T.C.B. Band and the backing vocals of The Sweet Inspirations and J.D. Sumner and The Stamps Quartet - would become part of Elvis' repertoire for the rest of his life. One such show, captured here on Memphis and originally released as Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis, took place on March 20, 1974, the day Elvis released the album Good Times. While The King's '70s LPs were on their face similar in nature - guaranteed hits for loyal country album buyers who could tell apart the various shots of their hero on stage - Good Times was one of three albums featuring material Presley recorded at the legendary Stax Studios on McLemore Avenue over two sessions in 1973. While portioning the cream of that material between albums was a debatable creative step (one fixed with 2013's Elvis At Stax box set), the third disc of Memphis offers the chance to hear the material anew.

Memphis concludes with the last chapter of Elvis' life on record. Presumably tired of 20 straight years booking studio time - and  just as worn down by health issues and drug abuse - Presley and RCA came to a decision: the only way he would make records would be from the comfort of his own home, with members of the T.C.B. Band backing him up at his discretion in the jungle-themed den of his mansion, with an RCA mobile truck recording it all. Though Elvis was not long for the world, his vocals on songs like "Hurt," "Moody Blue" and "Way Down" (the last single released in his lifetime, and a posthumous smash) were as mighty as anything in this period.

The box set edition of Memphis is packaged like nearly every Elvis archival release in the last decade: a 7" x 7" slipcase box with cardboard media carriers and an accompanying booklet of liner notes and rare photos. Both formats are due out August 7, just 70 years past the release of "That's All Right" and just in time for the annual Elvis Week festivities at Graceland. Pre-order your copy at the links below; as an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases at those links.

Memphis (RCA/Legacy, 2024)

5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

* newly remixed by Matt Ross-Spang
** included on 2LP edition

Disc 1: Memphis Recording Service/Sun Studio, 1953-1955 (Sun single masters, 1-10; RCA LP masters, 11-23)

1. That's All Right **
2. Blue Moon of Kentucky **
3. I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine
4. Good Rockin' Tonight **
5. Milkcow Blues Boogie
6. You're a Heartbreaker
7. Baby, Let's Play House **
8. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
9. I Forgot to Remember to Forget **
10. Mystery Train **
11. I Love You Because
12. Just Because
13. Trying to Get to You
14. I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin')
15. Blue Moon
16. Harbor Lights
17. I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version)
18. When It Rains, It Really Pours
19. Tomorrow Night
20. My Happiness
21. That's When Your Heartaches Begin
22. I'll Never Stand in Your Way
23. It Wouldn't Be the Same Without You

Tracks 1-2 released as Sun single 209, 1954
Tracks 3-4 released as Sun single 210, 1954
Tracks 5-6 released as Sun single 215, 1954
Tracks 7-8 released as Sun single 217, 1955
Tracks 9-10 released as Sun singe 223, 1955
Tracks 11-15 released on Elvis Presley - RCA Victor LPM-1254, 1956
Track 16 released on Elvis: A Legendary Performer Vol. 2 - RCA Victor CPL1-1349, 1976
Track 17 released on The Complete Sun Sessions - RCA 6414-2-R, 1987
Track 18 released on Elvis: A Legendary Performer Vol. 4 - RCA 6414-2-R, 1984
Track 19 released on Elvis for Everyone - RCA Victor LSP-3450, 1965
Track 20 released on Elvis: The Great Performances - RCA 2227-2-R, 1990
Track 21 released on The King of Rock and Roll: The Complete '50s Masters - RCA 07863 66050-2, 1992
Track 22 released on Platinum: A Life in Music - RCA 07863 67469-2, 1997
Track 23 released on Sunrise - RCA 07863 67675-2, 1999

Disc 2: American Sound Studio, 1969 *

1. In the Ghetto **
2. Suspicious Minds **
3. Don't Cry Daddy **
4. Kentucky Rain
5. Mama Liked the Roses
6. Do You Know Who I Am
7. You'll Think of Me **
8. True Love Travels on a Gravel Road
9. Long Black Limousine
10. After Loving You
11. I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)
12. From a Jack to a King
13. Without Love (There Is Nothing)
14. Medley: It's My Way/This Time/I Can't Stop Loving You (Studio Jam)
15. It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'
16. I'm Movin' On **
17. Power of My Love
18. Stranger in My Own Home Town
19. Wearin' That Loved On Look
20. Any Day Now **
21. Only the Strong Survive
22. Gentle on My Mind
23. The Fair's Moving On
24. Hey Jude

Tracks 1, 8-11, 15-17 and 19-22 released as From Elvis in Memphis - RCA Victor LSP-4155, 1969
Track 2 released on RCA Victor single 47-9764, 1969
Track 3 released on RCA Victor single 47-9768, 1969
Track 4 released on RCA Victor single 47-9791, 1969
Track 5 released on RCA Victor single 47-9835, 1970
Tracks 6-7, 12-13, 18 and 23 released on From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis - RCA Victor LSP-6020, 1969 and Back in Memphis - RCA Victor LSP-4429, 1970
Track 14 released on From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential '60s Masters - RCA 07863 66160-2, 1993

Disc 3: Stax Studios, 1973 *

1. Promised Land **
2. Raised on Rock **
3. I've Got a Thing About You Baby
4. If You Talk in Your Sleep **
5. My Boy
6. Spanish Eyes
7. Help Me
8. I Got a Feelin' in My Body
9. It's Midnight **
10. Find Out What's Happening
11. If You Don't Come Back
12. For Ol' Times Sake
13. Just a Little Bit
14. Talk About the Good Times
15. Loving Arms
16. You Asked Me To
17. Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues
18. Your Love's Been a Long Time Coming **
19. There's a Honky Tonk Angel (Who Will Take Me Back In)
20. Take Good Care of Her **
21. She Wears My Ring
22. If That Isn't Love
23. Three Corn Patches

Tracks 1, 4, 7, 9, 16 and 18-19 released on Promised Land - RCA Victor APL1-0873, 1974
Tracks 2, 10-13 and 23 released on Raised on Rock/For Ol' Times Sake - RCA Victor APL1-0388, 1973
Tracks 3, 5-6, 8, 14-15, 17 and 20-22 released as Good Times - RCA Victor CPL1-0475, 1974

Disc 4: The Homecoming Concert - Live at Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN - 3/20/1974 *

1. Also Sprach Zarathustra
2. See See Rider
3. I Got a Woman/Amen
4. Love Me
5. Trying to Get to You
6. All Shook Up
7. Steamroller Blues
8. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel
9. Love Me Tender
10. Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On/Your Mama Don't Dance/Flip Flop and Fly/Jailhouse Rock/Hound Dog
11. Fever
12. Polk Salad Annie
13. Why Me Lord
14. How Great Thou Art **
15. Suspicious Minds
16. Introductions
17. Blueberry Hill/I Can't Stop Loving You
18. Help Me
19. An American Trilogy
20. Let Me Be There
21. My Baby Left Me
22. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
23. Funny How Times Slips Away
24. Can't Help Falling in Love
25. Closing Vamp

Tracks 1, 6-9, 11-12 and 15-16 released on Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis (Expanded Edition) - Follow That Dream 82876 60987-2, 2004
Tracks 2-5, 10, 13-14 and 17-25 released on Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis - RCA Victor CPL1-0606, 1974

Disc 5: The Jungle Room, Graceland, 1976 *

1. Hurt **
2. Never Again
3. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
4. Danny Boy **
5. The Last Farewell
6. For the Heart **
7. Bitter They Are, Harder They Fall
8. Solitaire
9. Love Coming Down
10. I'll Never Fall In Love Again
11. Moody Blue **
12. She Thinks I Still Care
13. Way Down **
14. He'll Have to Go
15. Pledging My Love
16. It's Easy for You

Tracks 1-10 released as From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee - RCA Victor APL1-1506, 1976
Tracks 11-16 released on Moody Blue - RCA Victor AFL1-2428, 1977