If you go to 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, you will see Sun Studios. It is remodeled and modernized for state-of-the-art recordings, but the ghost of Elvis Presley still hovers over the place. On December 4, 1956, Elvis, who had already achieved national prominence, returned to attend a recording session of Carl Perkins for old times sake. Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, who were also Sun artists were there. Jerry Lee Lewis had just recorded his first Sun record a week before. Someone had the good sense to turn on a tape recorder and in 1980, history was served when a CD of the jam session was released under the title “The Million Dollar Quartet.” Pictures at Sun, and on the CD, show the four together. There is, however, one little problem. The photo shows the million dollar quartet, but the two tracks made by Johnny Cash with the other three have never been found. Thus, what we have on the CD is only the Million Dollar Trio.
Most of the numbers are gospel, but there is a good deal of blues and country/western, but surprisingly little rock and roll. The boys show off their roots. Of the rock numbers, Elvis sings three versions of “Don’t Be Cruel.” Most are Elvis’ mimicking Jackie Wilson’s mimicking Elvis singing the song. That in itself is worth the price, not to mention the historical value.
There was a day in 1784 when some friends got together to play quartets. None of these friends had any talent as a singer, besides in those days quartets did not usually involve singing. Luckily for us, a singer, Michael Kelly (sometimes known as O’Kelly) was there to describe the event. Michael Kelly was an Irish tenor who spent some four years in Vienna. He became friends with the leading composers of the day. His reminisces of interacting with Mozart are invaluable. He himself created Don Basilio in The Marriage of Figaro. In any case, as to that day in 1784, Michael Kelly says: “The players are tolerable; no one of them excelled on the instrument he played, but there was a little science among them.” Oh! Who were the four?
Joseph Haydn held down the first violin. He was never noted as a virtuoso on any instrument, let alone the violin. Lucky for him he had the great Tomasini to help him with the technical parts of violin playing. The second violin was Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf. A most underrated composer known mainly for his symphonies. According to Groves he was known as a virtuoso on the violin when he was younger. In 1784, he would have been 45. Either Kelly is kidding or Dittersdorf lost some of his skill.
The cello was played by Johann Baptist Vanhal, perhaps the least famous of the four. However, he composed some 100 symphonies. They had an individuality of their own, yet many were confused with Haydn’s which in itself is a compliment. He was a pupil of Dittersdorf and taught Pleyel. The viola that was Mozart. He was definitely a virtuoso as to both the piano and the violin, but apparently not the viola. Then again, Kelly may have been kidding as to the ability of the quartet on their instruments. He does conclude that: “A greater treat, or a more remarkable one, cannot be imagined.”
The million dollar quartet can be heard on RCA/BMG CDs. For the million gulden quartet, you will have to die and go to heaven. They cannot be heard in the other place!