Elvis Is Back!

Elvis Presley’s fourth studio album, Elvis Is Back!, came out on April 8, 1960, through RCA Victor. It was his first collection of new songs since the King Creole soundtrack from 1958, and also the first of his albums to be both recorded and issued in stereo. The record signaled his comeback to music after being released from the U.S. Army.

While Presley served two years in Germany, RCA Victor and Paramount Pictures steadily put out material he had finished before enlisting. In his final months of service, he started picking songs and working on his singing, aiming to improve for his first Nashville session once he got home. He returned to the United States in March 1960 and reunited with guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D.J. Fontana—both from his original band, the Blue Moon Boys—for two sets of recording dates in late March and early April. The album draws on the rock and roll of his early work, but also mixes in sophisticated pop, blues, R&B, and the polished “Nashville sound” production style linked to Chet Atkins, who co-produced the sessions with Steve Sholes.

Because public excitement was high, RCA rushed Elvis Is Back! and the separate single “Stuck on You” into stores just days after Presley finished recording. The LP reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and number two on Billboard’s Top LP’s chart. Early reviews were mixed, but over time critics warmed to it, often praising its range of styles, production quality, and more mature sound. The Recording Industry Association of America certified it Gold on July 15, 1999.

Background and Army years

After his third and final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Presley got a notice from the Memphis draft board on January 8, 1957. The board gave him a 1A classification and said he could be drafted before the end of the year. In the first half of 1957, he scored three number one hits: “Too Much,” “All Shook Up,” and “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear.” His second film, Loving You, opened on July 30 and did well at the box office. His Christmas album came out on October 15, and his third movie, Jailhouse Rock, premiered on October 17.

On December 20, Presley received his draft notice. He got a deferment so he could finish the upcoming film King Creole, which Paramount Pictures and producer Hal Wallis had already invested $350,000 in.