Editing Elvis Presley (section)

==== ''Louisiana Hayride'', radio commercial, and first television performances ====
In November 1954, Presley performed on ''[[Louisiana Hayride]]''—the ''Opry''{{'}}s chief, and more adventurous, rival. The show was broadcast to 198 radio stations in 28 states. His nervous first set drew a muted reaction. A more composed and energetic second set inspired an enthusiastic response.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|pp=127–128, 135–142}} Soon after the show, the ''Hayride'' engaged Presley for a year's worth of Saturday-night appearances. Trading in his old guitar for $8, he purchased a [[C. F. Martin & Company|Martin]] instrument for $175 ({{Inflation|US|175|1954|fmt=eq|r=-2}}) and his trio began playing in new locales, including [[Houston]], Texas, and [[Texarkana, Arkansas|Texarkana]], Arkansas.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|pp=152, 156, 182}} Presley made his first television appearance on the [[KSLA-TV]] broadcast of ''Louisiana Hayride''. Soon after, he failed an audition for ''[[Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts]]'' on the [[CBS]] television network. By early 1955, Presley's regular ''Hayride'' appearances, constant touring, and well-received record releases had made him a regional star.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|pp=144, 159, 167–168}}{{sfn|Nash|2003|pp=6–12}}
[[File:Elvis Presley - TV Radio Mirror, September 1956 01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.04|Presley performing with [[Scotty Moore]] and [[Bill Black]] in 1956]]
In January, Neal signed a formal management contract with Presley and brought him to the attention of [[Colonel Tom Parker]], whom he considered the best promoter in the music business. Having successfully managed the top country star [[Eddy Arnold]], Parker was working with the new number-one country singer, [[Hank Snow]]. Parker booked Presley on Snow's February tour.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|pp=144, 159, 167–168}}{{sfn|Nash|2003|pp=6–12}}

By August, Sun had released 10 sides credited to "Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill"; the latest recordings included a drummer. Some of the songs, like "That's All Right", were in what one Memphis journalist described as the "R&B idiom of negro field jazz"; others, like "Blue Moon of Kentucky", were "more in the country field", "but there was a curious blending of the two different musics in both".{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|p=163}} This blend of styles made it difficult for Presley's music to find radio airplay. According to Neal, many country-music disc jockeys would not play it because Presley sounded too much like a black artist and none of the R&B stations would touch him because "he sounded too much like a [[hillbilly]]."{{sfn|Bertrand|2000|p=104}} The blend came to be known as "rockabilly". At the time, Presley was billed as "The King of Western Bop", "The Hillbilly Cat", and "The Memphis Flash".{{sfn|Hopkins|2007|p=53}}

Presley renewed Neal's management contract in August 1955, simultaneously appointing Parker as his special adviser.{{sfn|Guralnick|Jorgensen|1999|p=45}} The group maintained an extensive touring schedule.{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|p=29}} Neal recalled, "It was almost frightening, the reaction that came to Elvis from the teenaged boys. So many of them, through some sort of jealousy, would practically hate him. There were occasions in some towns in Texas when we'd have to be sure to have a police guard because somebody'd always try to take a crack at him."{{sfn|Rogers|1982|p=41}} The trio became a quartet when ''Hayride'' drummer Fontana joined as a full member. In mid-October, they played a few shows in support of [[Bill Haley]], whose "[[Rock Around the Clock]]" track had been a number-one hit the previous year. Haley observed that Presley had a natural feel for rhythm, and advised him to sing fewer ballads.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|pp=217–219}}

At the Country Disc Jockey Convention in early November, Presley was voted the year's most promising male artist.{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|p=31}} After three major labels made offers of up to $25,000, Parker and Phillips struck a deal with [[RCA Victor]] on November 21 to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $40,000.{{sfn|Stanley|Coffey|1998|pp=28–29}}{{refn|Of the $40,000, $5,000 covered back royalties owed by Sun.{{sfn|Stanley|Coffey|1998|pp=28–29}}|name=royalties|group=lower-alpha}} Presley, aged 20, was legally still a minor, so his father signed the contract.{{sfn|Escott|1998|p=421}} Parker arranged with the owners of [[Hill & Range]] Publishing, [[Jean Aberbach|Jean]] and [[Julian Aberbach]], to create two entities, Elvis Presley Music and Gladys Music, to handle all the new material recorded by Presley. Songwriters were obliged to forgo one-third of their customary [[royalty payment|royalties]] in exchange for having Presley perform their compositions.{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|pp=36, 54}}{{refn|In 1956–57, Presley was also credited as a co-writer on several songs where he had no hand in the writing process: "[[Heartbreak Hotel]]"; "[[Don't Be Cruel]]"; all four songs from his first film, including the title track, "[[Love Me Tender (song)|Love Me Tender]]"; "[[Paralyzed (Elvis Presley song)|Paralyzed]]"; and "[[All Shook Up]]".{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|pp=35, 51, 57, 61, 75}} (Parker failed to register Presley with such musical licensing firms as [[ASCAP]] and its rival [[Broadcast Music, Inc.|BMI]], which eventually denied Presley annuity from songwriter's royalties.) Presley received credit on two other songs to which he did contribute: he provided the title for "[[That's Someone You Never Forget]]" (1961), written by his friend and former Humes schoolmate [[Red West]]; they collaborated with another friend, guitarist Charlie Hodge, on "[[You'll Be Gone]]" (1962).{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|pp=157–158, 166, 168}}|name=cowriter|group=lower-alpha}} By December, RCA had begun to heavily promote its new singer, and before month's end had reissued many of his Sun recordings.{{sfn|Stanley|Coffey|1998|p=29}}