It's May 20th, and on this day in 1971… Elvis Presley was deep into a week-long marathon recording session at RCA Studios in Nashville. Beginning each night around 7 p.m., these sessions were intended to yield both a Christmas album and pop singles for an upcoming studio release. While a rumored cover of The Carpenters’ Merry Christmas Darling never materialized, Elvis did lay down his now-classic bluesy jam Merry Christmas Baby—a gritty, extended session that would be trimmed and polished for future release. Accompanied by pals Charlie Hodge and Joe Esposito on guitar, and later overdubs by the Imperials and a full violin section, this intense stretch produced thirty tracks in total—showcasing Elvis’s enduring creative drive even in the midst of the 1970s.

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