Marion Keisker
| Marion Keisker | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 23, 1917 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Died | December 29, 1989 (aged 72) |
| Occupation | Radio show host |
| Known for | First person to record Elvis Presley |
Marion Keisker MacInnes (September 23, 1917 – December 29, 1989), born in Memphis, Tennessee, was a radio show host, station manager, U.S. Air Force officer, and assistant to Sam Phillips at Sun Records. She is best remembered as the first person to record Elvis Presley on July 18, 1953.
Keisker was alone in the office of Sun Records, which also served as recording studio called Memphis Recording Service, when Presley recorded two songs "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" for a fee of $3.25. Her exchange with Presley on that occasion has since become part of Elvis lore: I said, "What kind of singer are you?" He said, "I sing all kinds." I said,"Who do you sound like?" He said,"I don't sound like nobody."[1]
She was portrayed by Ellen Travolta in the 1979 film Elvis, by Jill Jane Clements in the 2005 CBS miniseries Elvis, and by Paula Person in the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire!.
References
- Peter Guralnick: Last Train to Memphis — The Rise of Elvis Presley, New York: Little, Brown 1994 (ISBN 0-316-33220-8).