When The King’s people call, it’s a good idea to listen.
On June 11, blues rocker Mean Gene Kelton got a call from Elvis Presley Enterprises, representatives of the legend himself. After months of negotiations, Kelton and his band were headed to Memphis, Tenn., to record a CD of Presley’s hits, banged out in the band’s signature style — a style built on bikers and blues and brewed in Baytown. Kelton will perform in Baytown tonight as part of the city’s Independence Day festivities.
Mean Gene Kelton & The Die Hards stepped into Sun Studios, the hallowed recording studio in which legends such as Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash got their start in the 1950s, and where a certain Memphis rock ‘n’ roll heartthrob recorded, too. The studio has been restored to its original appearance, and is now a major tourist attraction.
In one marathon session June 23, the band recorded 13 songs live, with almost no overdubbing or studio trickery. The songs were Presley standards — Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog, Heartbreak Hotel, Steamroller — but featured different arrangements, highlighting the guitar, harmonica and a mean bass played by Wolff DeLong.
“I wanted to capture the true, unpolished, raw sound and live feel of the band’s unbridled enthusiasm for the project,” Kelton said. “One thing’s for sure, it’s all real. And that’s the beauty of the whole thing.”
The result was “Going Back to Memphis: a Biker Band Tribute to Elvis,” which will be available at the end of the month. Some of the money from the album’s sales will go to a pair of charities, Bikers Against Child Abuse and the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis.
“When I told my mom that we were donating a portion of the proceeds to charity, her voice started to crack,” Kelton said. “When I was 8 years old, we lived in Memphis where I almost died of pneumonia. St. Jude’s saved my life, and did not charge my mother a single dime. I am proud to be in a position in my life and career to be able to help give something back to help other young families like St. Jude’s helped us.”
Kelton has carved out a niche as one of the premier entertainers at biker rallies across the country, having played at shows featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd, Canned Heat, Bad Company and Steppenwolf, among others. At many of those concerts, Kelton said, bikers request his versiosn of Elvis tunes.
In 2003, Kelton became one of five house bands at Elvis Presley’s club on Beale Street in Memphis. The club’s owner, Judith Parra, originally told all the bands not to play any Elvis songs. But after hearing him play and seeing the audience response, Parra told him to shake, rattle and roll out as many Elvis hits as he liked.
Born in Mississippi, Kelton moved to Baytown in the 1980s, and has long been a favorite of area folks. In 1987, he penned the song “Cruisin’ Texas Avenue,” a reference to the glory days of Baytown’s downtown drag.
The song will no doubt be on the set list tonight, when Mean Gene Kelton & The Die Hards take the stage at Bicentennial Park for Baytown’s Independence Day celebration. Kelton will perform from 6:30 to 8 p.m., followed by Johnny Lee – who is filling in for John Conlee – from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. For more information, visit the city of Baytown Web site at www.baytown.org.
For more info on Kelton’s upcoming performances, or to pre-order his new CD, visit www.meangenerocks.com.
