Elvis Recorded Two-Sided Hit “HOUND DOG/DON’T BE CRUEL” This Day 1956

Elvis Presley was in the studio recording what would become a legendary two-sided single this day in 1956. "HOUND DOG" was a cover of a huge R&B single by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller). The other side, "Don't Be Cruel" was written by Otis Blackwell and originally had been offered to a doo wop group called the Bachelors, but the song wound up in the hands of "the King of Rock and Roll." The rest, as they say, is history. See a live performance of "Don't Be Cruel" by clicking below.