TCBCast 194: Elvis's Vocal Evolution (1953-1963) feat. Bec Wyles

For this month's Patreon-picked topic, Justin ropes Bec back in for a relaxed, loosely chronological listen to Elvis's progression as a vocal performer in his first decade of making recordings: from the thin-voiced teenager whose only real training consisted of timidly singing along with pop records, to the full-throated man who works himself up to the semi-operatic final notes of "Surrender," and everywhere in between. Also given a spotlight are the importance of technology, experience, diverse musical influences and (maybe most significantly) time off on Elvis's development as a singer. Then, for Song of the Week, Bec's going up, going down, and going where the patrons want her to roll covering the history behind "Baby What You Want Me To Do," the Jimmy Reed blues number Elvis pulled out multiple times during the making of the 1968 TV special. Justin closes out taking a closer listen to the dramatic "It's Easy For You," from Elvis's last album, Moody Blue, which was written expressly for Elvis by famed theatre songwriters Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. If you are unable to support us via Patreon, but want to support us another way, please make sure to leave a positive review or mention our show to another like-minded music history and movie enthusiast.