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| Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 26, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | September 17–20, 1985 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:14 | |||
| Label | America/Smash | |||
| Producer | Chips Moman | |||
| Roy Orbison chronology | ||||
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| Johnny Cash chronology | ||||
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| Jerry Lee Lewis chronology | ||||
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| Carl Perkins chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming | ||||
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Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming is a collaborative studio album byRoy Orbison,Johnny Cash,Jerry Lee Lewis, andCarl Perkins. It was released on May 26, 1986, by America/Smash Records, a subsidiary ofPolygram Records. The album was produced byChips Moman.
While the album was in part a tribute toElvis Presley, it was mainly a commemoration of those young performing hopefuls, the four album participants, who — as had Presley — all began their careers withSun Records in the 1950s. Recorded atSam Phillips'Sun Studios and completed at American Sound Studios, the album was documented by Dick Clark Productions, which filmed it from start to finish; by The Commercial Appeal, the Mid-South's largest circulation newspaper; and byNine-O-One Network Magazine, the first edition of which was sold with the album in a telemarketing package.[1]
The final song of the session, "Big Train (from Memphis)", written by John Fogerty, includes the blended voices ofJohn Fogerty,The Judds,Dave Edmunds,Ricky Nelson,Sam Phillips, andJune Carter Cash. Fogerty told a reporter that he was thinking about the old Sun Records sound when he wrote the song.[2] The extended finale of the song features the singers singing lines from various Sun Records songs, including "That's All Right Mama", "Blue Suede Shoes," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", "Folsom Prison Blues" and others.
ProducerChips Moman encountered a major issue following the recording sessions, as Cash was still under contract toColumbia Records at the time and proper permissions had not been obtained. Faced with the possibility of having to remove Cash's voice from the recordings, Moman paid Columbia $100,000 for the rights to keep Cash on the record.[3] At this time, the America/Smash label was affiliated withPolyGram, which in turn also ownedMercury Records to which Cash would sign shortly after recordingClass of '55.
The recorded "Interviews from the Class of '55 Recording Sessions," written and produced by Rose Clayton, earned the 1986Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for the four performers, plus for producer Chips Moman,Sam Phillips andRicky Nelson. For Nelson, it was his last recording session and onlyGrammy Award of his career.
A music video from Perkins' "Birth of Rock and Roll," starring Perkins, Lewis, andRon Wood ofThe Rolling Stones, promoted the "Class Of '55."
Cash, Lewis and Perkins had previously collaborated in 1956 with theMillion Dollar Quartet and in 1982 withThe Survivors Live.
Dick Clark hosted a TV special with footage of the studio sessions aired onTBS in 1989.[4]
After being out of print for decades, the album was re-released separately and as part of the Cash box set “The Complete Mercury Recordings: 1986-1991.”[5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [6] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
| MusicHound | [8] |
Steve Huey ofAllMusic said it "include renditions of Perkins' "Birth of Rock and Roll," "Sixteen Candles," Waylon Jennings' "Waymore's Blues," Cash's "I Will Rock and Roll With You," and John Fogerty's "Big Train (From Memphis)."[6]
Billboard selected the album for a "Country Spotlight" review, and stated that "The songs effectively blend standards with worshipful derivatives"[9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Birth of Rock and Roll" | Carl Perkins, Greg Perkins | Carl Perkins | 4:21 |
| 2. | "Sixteen Candles" | Luther Dixon, Allyson Khent | Jerry Lee Lewis | 3:48 |
| 3. | "Class of '55" | Chips Moman,Bobby Emmons | Carl Perkins | 2:56 |
| 4. | "Waymore's Blues" | Waylon Jennings, Curtis Buck | Perkins, Lewis, Orbison & Cash | 2:25 |
| 5. | "We Remember the King" | Paul Kennerley | Johnny Cash | 2:58 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Coming Home" | Roy Orbison,Will Jennings,JD Souther | Roy Orbison | 3:59 |
| 2. | "Rock and Roll (Fais-Do-Do)" | Michael Smotherman | Perkins, Lewis, Orbison & Cash | 3:17 |
| 3. | "Keep My Motor Running" | Randy Bachman | Jerry Lee Lewis | 2:52 |
| 4. | "I Will Rock and Roll with You" | Johnny Cash | Johnny Cash | 2:01 |
| 5. | "Big Train (from Memphis)" | John Fogerty | Perkins, Lewis, Orbison & Cash | 7:56 |
Album -Billboard (United States)
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Top Country Albums | 15[10] |
| Billboard 200 | 87[10] |
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