That’s All Right / Blue Moon of Kentucky 

Modified: December 23, 2012

Artist: Elvis Presley
Release: Sun 209 That's All Right / Blue Moon of Kentucky (45)
Release Date: 7/19/1954

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Disc: (7/1954)1. Yellow label, SUN. Credits Elvis Presley on one line, Scotty and Bill on another. Release number at bottom of the label. Manufacturer push marks.2
Matrix numbers: U-128-45-72/U-129-45-72 (machine stamped)

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Variations: Here are at least four variations of the Blue Moon of Kentucky side of the label. From left to right, the more notable variations. Wabash Peer far left, 209 on bottom.3 The second is Peer BMI with upside 209 on left side.4 The third copy is Peer BMI with 209 on left side.4

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Variations: Here are at least four variations of the That’s All Right side of the label. From left to right, the more notable variations. Wabash BMI far left, 209 on bottom.3 The second is Wabash Music Co. BMI on far left, 209 on bottom. The third copy is Wabash, BMI, 209 on far left side.7 The forth copy is Wabash Music, BMI, and 209 on far left side.8

Reportedly there are 37 variations of SUN labels.9 That is considerable by any standard, particularly in this case where only 101,578 copies were sold.10

Sleeve: Originally issued in generic brown.

In November 1998, Graham Knight rediscovered two Elvis Presley singles he bought in 1968 while in Memphis. The two unmarked, metal plates were bought for just 30 cents. One plate features “That’s All Right Mama” originally released as Sun 209. The other plate “Mystery Train” on Sun 223.11 The other sides two these records have never been found. In 2005, the Memphis Recording Service released “Elvis Presley – Memphis Recording Service – The Beginning of Elvis Presley – The Birth of Rock n’ Roll, volume 1: 1953-1954”. This package includes a DVD audio disc, a 100 page book, and a 45 RPM record. The record is “That’s All Right Mama” pressed with the metal plate complete with push-marks discovered by Graham Knight. The other side of the record is blank.12 Since “That’s All Right Mama” is pressed from a metal plate that had been in various states of storage for nearly 50 years, the playback will reflect all the imperfections of the metal plate. While the record is valued at $20 in the most recent edition of Presleyana VII, realized auction prices do not reflect this value. On March 6, 2010, a copy sold for $20013. More recently, a copy sold for $17514. These auction prices may be due to the lack of information or misinformation provided in the auction detail or that there is a general demand for this particular re-issue. Buyer beware, no original pressing of this single is known to exist with only one side pressed.

Released in 1954 by Sun Records on 78 RPM as That's All Right / Blue Moon of Kentucky.
Released in 1955 by RCA Records on 45 RPM as That's All Right / Blue Moon of Kentucky.
Released in 1955 by RCA Records on 78 RPM as That's All Right / Blue Moon of Kentucky.
Released in 1959 by RCA Records on 45 RPM as Blue Moon of Kentucky / That's All Right on the Gold Standard Series label.

  1. Date from “Sun Record Company.” 4 February, 2011. ↩
  2. Images are from a collection of Internet images that date back to 1998. ↩
  3. Image is from a collection of Internet images that date back to 1998. ↩
  4. Images courtesy of Boija, John. “First pressings of US Elvis Presley 45 rpm singles.” John Boija’s Home Page. 2 February, 2011. ↩
  5. Images courtesy of Boija, John. “First pressings of US Elvis Presley 45 rpm singles.” John Boija’s Home Page. 2 February, 2011. ↩
  6. Image is from a collection of Internet images that date back to 1998. ↩
  7. The second and third images are from old eBay images from between 1999-2002. ↩
  8. Juan Luis, “Original SUN Records – How Can I Tell?” 3 Dec. 2005. For Elvis CD Collectors. 28 May 2010. ↩
  9. Juan Luis, “Original SUN Records – How Can I Tell?” 3 Dec. 2005. For Elvis CD Collectors. 28 May 2010. ↩
  10. ColinB, “The Sun Singles Sales Figures” 20 May 2010. For Elvis CD Collectors. 28 May 2010. ↩
  11. “Discovery of the Original Sun Master ‘Mother’ Stampers for ‘That’s All Right’ and ‘Mystery Train’“. Memphis Recording Service. 15 November 2012. ↩
  12. “Elvis Presley – Memphis Recording Service – The Beginning of Elvis Presley – The Birth of Rock n’ Roll, volume 1: 1953-1954“. Memphis Recording Service. 15 November 2012. ↩
  13. eBay reference 280471290054 (March 6, 2010) ↩
  14. eBay reference 121016974626 (November 15, 2012) ↩