Elvis Presley: Hidden Secrets of The Jungle Room Sessions
Elvis Presley recorded only one time at Graceland. This group of songs was called “The Jungle Room Sessions,” and they took place in 1976. In a video titled “Gates of Graceland,” these sessions were discussed at length, and some secrets were revealed that may surprise even the most die-hard Elvis fan.
The hidden secrets of the Jungle Room Sessions
By 1976, Elvis Presley was reportedly tired of driving to Nashville to record. Therefore, he wanted to find a way to complete his obligations to RCA Records from the comforts of the place he loved the most, his beloved Graceland home.
RCA, in turn, helped build a makeshift studio in the den, also known by fans as the Jungle Room. This iconic Graceland room was the perfect place to record.
Angie Marchese, VP of Archives and Exhibits at Graceland discussed how the sessions came to be in a YouTube video titled Gates of Graceland. She explained that to soundproof the room, “They put blankets on the walls. The carpeting on the ceiling already made this room ideal for recording due to its acoustic value. They shut the waterfall.”
“They pushed everything out of the way. [RCA] brought in the musicians. All Elvis had to do was come from upstairs down here,” she continued.
How many tracks did Elvis Presley cut during the Jungle Room sessions?
From Elvis Presley Boulevard: Memphis Tennessee and Moody Blue were two albums where the music from the Jungle Room sessions appeared. From Elvis Presley Boulevard became the King of Rock and Roll’s fourth album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Country Music Album Sales Chart within four years
“They were hoping to get 20 tracks at the time,” Angie Marchese revealed in a YouTube video about the sessions. “My favorite part of the studio is that in bringing the studio here, the RCA truck broke down,” and it had to be towed over 100 miles through the gates of Graceland.
“The sessions were so iconic because he was at home,” Marchese continued. “He might have been even more comfortable because it was his environment, but he was going through a lot.”
She concluded, “The songs he was singing during that time showed he was going through something. Then, Elvis’s music fit exactly what he was experiencing.”
There was a ‘whole lot of fun’ during these sessions, says Angie Marchese
Sharing further details, Angie Marchese revealed there was a “whole lot of fun” during the Jungle Room sessions. She shared some of the moments embedded in Elvis Presley’s history.
“The telephone ringing,” she began. “The house was alive.”
“There was a lot of music. There was a lot of fun,” Marchese continued.
“Elvis was the first to record in here,” she explained. “The last one to record in here was Lisa Marie Presley.”
Marchese concluded, “Between Elvis and Lisa, we’ve had everyone from John Mellencamp to Kid Rock record here. The room is still very much alive with music.” Most recently, during the Christmas at Graceland special, recorded in 2022, Lana Del Rey sang a soulful rendition of the song “Unchained Melody.”
The song was initially recorded in 1977 by the Righteous Brothers. Elvis famously covered it on June 21, 1977, at a show in Rapid City, South Dakota, two months before his death in August of that year.
