I'll Follow The Sun •Elvis Presley•

22: Million Dollar Quartet

October 1956

"Momma!" Elvis called once we walked through the front door of his house.

"Yes?" Gladys called back from the living room. "I gotta surprise." He grinned at me. I smiled back. I knew Gladys would love it.

Gladys appeared from the hallway and her face lit up. "Oh, a puppy!" She cheered and walked to Elvis. Elvis chuckled and handed her the small, cream colored puppy.

"Thank you Elvis," she wrapped an arm around her son. "Thank you Lizzie." She turned to me with a tear running down her cheek. "You're welcome, Gladys." I said and hugged her back. "I love you both so much. I'm so grateful." She said as she held the dog close.

"Honey!" Vernon called from the other room. "Yes?" Gladys called back. "Don't forget you have dinner ready." Benton responded. Gladys sighed jokingly and rolled her eyes. "Men," she looked at me and I chuckled. "Now of course you guys are hungry. Cmon, let's eat." She said.

"One second," Elvis said and turned to the door. "I have to bring in the stuff for dog." Gladys nodded and brought the puppy to the kitchen. I helped Elvis and grabbed the bag of dog food and a couple toys from the pink Cadillac. Elvis grabbed the cage and dog bowls.

We went back inside with full hands and put the items on the living room carpet.

We walked to the kitchen but we stopped behind the wall where Vernon and Gladys couldn't see us.

"I don't want no other love, baby it's still you I'm thinking of." Vernon sang along with the record to Gladys. I peaked around the corner at the and saw them dancing with the puppy jumping around and tipping at their feet.

He dipped her and pressed his lips to Gladys'. I leaned back and pressed a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing and how cute the scene was. "What?" Elvis whispered. I pulled my hand away and pointed around the corner. Elvis leaned over me and saw his parents conjugating. "Oh lord." He shook his head with a sly grin. "And to my song."

I chuckled and pushed Elvis into the kitchen. "Where's Dodger?" I asked. Vernon looked up at us and brought Gladys back up. "On a hot date with the elderly man down the street." Vernon smiled then shuddered. "It's strange. My sixty six year old mother is on a date." And we all laughed.

*******

December 4th, 1956

"Jerry Lee, you have one minute to stop bothering me or I'll kick you, you know where." I threatened Jerry, who wouldn't leave me alone while I sat at a table in the Sun Records recording studio writing song material. Carl and Jerry were having a jam session and I just sat on the side, tuning them out.

Jerry Lee put his arms up. "Sorry, darlin. You're just so beautiful. You stole my poor Jerry Lee heart." He said while dramatically gripping his chest above where his heart was.

"Jerry Lee get your ass over here," Carl said as he was tuning a guitar. "Stop bothering poor Lizzie." He looked at me with a grin. "Thank you," I said to him. Jerry Lee smirked. "Fine then," he said and sat at the piano.

Sam sat in the booth behind the controls, and from I could see I thought he was reading a book.

I turned back to my notebook and black ink pen with my head resting on my bent elbow and my knuckles pressed to my temple. "But honey," Jerry whined to me from across the room. "Can it Jerry Lee!" I said.

A half hour later in the jam session, the door opened and I saw Johnny. I exchanged warm smiles. "Hey Johnny." I said. "Oh so you'll be nice to him but my me?" Jerry asked.

I was still looking at Johnny and I rolled my eyes. Johnny laughed. "What are you doin here Cash? Come to join us?" Carl asked.

"Sure, what are you guys doing?" He asked. "Jammin. Grab a guitar." Jerry replied.

Them not ten minutes later, Elvis showed up.

"Hey guys," he said brightly. I jumped up and jumped into his embrace. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and pressed his lips to my neck and I smiled to myself with my eyes closed.

"I'm glad your here," I said once we pulled away. He smiled at me and opened his mouth to reply but Jerry spoke up. "Again! You'll pay attention to them but not me?"

"Stop whining Jerry Lee!" I said. Jerry made a pouty face as Johnny, Carl, and Elvis all laughed.

Elvis joined in with them as they played random songs and goofing around.

After awhile I asked, "Are you guys thirsty?" They all looked at each other then back at me. "Yeah," they all said. I took a break from writing and got up and went to the back. I opened the fridge and pulled out six coca cola bottles, hugging them tightly in my arms.

I walked into Sam's booth and handed him one. "Thanks," he said. Then he looked up at the group of guys all messing around with instruments, looked down at the control board, and pressed 'record'. He looked up at me. "Don't tell anyone. I don't have Elvis on my label so I'm technically not allowed to record him. But who gets anywhere by following the rules?" He said. He made a good point.

I nodded. "I won't." I assured him.

I walked into the studio and handed the guys a coke each. There was a chorus of thank you's.

I went back to writing as they began playing songs.

Elvis was strumming the guitar loudly, I couldn't really make out what he was saying.

"He was tryin so hard, I said youre better boy. Much better than that record of mine. No, wait wait wait a minute, he was real slim." Then changed topic. "What key is don't be cruel?"

"Maybe G?" Carl replied.

Then Elvis began singing. "You know I can't be found. Sittin home all alone."

Then Jerry joined in on piano.

I looked up at Sam and he motioned for me to come into the booth. I slid out of my chair and quietly went to the booth.

I shut the door behind me. "What?" I asked. "Call the newspaper. I want them to be in the papers tomorrow morning." Sam said. I nodded and went to the phone. I pulled out the phone book and found the number for the newspaper.

"Hello?" A man answered.

"Hi, Sam Phillips told me to ask for a reporter to, uh, report on the jam session here at Sun Records with Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins." I said.

He chuckled. "You're kidding, right?" He asked. "No, I'm really not."

Twenty minutes later, the reporter arrived. Sam stopped recording the session for the reporter to take the picture.

"You weren't kidding..." The man I spoke to on the phone said to me as he laid eyes on the four singers. I smiled at him. "Told ya."

Jerry Lee looked between me and the man and made a face and was about to open his mouth.

"CAN IT, JERRY LEE." I said before he could say anything.