In 1950, country singer Ernest Tubb recorded “Blue Christmas.” Per The Bulletin, Elvis Presley was a massive fan of Tubb, and he actually met him in 1954 (via Holler). Supposedly upset about not being able to sing the type of music he wanted to, Presley was feeling down when he encountered Tubb, who encouraged Presley to go along with what he was being told to do and then create his own music later on when he was making money.
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Of course, Presley would soon become one of the most famous performers of the 20th century. However, it seems Tubb’s advice stuck with him. When he recorded “Blue Christmas” in 1957, by all accounts he didn’t want to do so. Millie Kirkham, a backing singer who was in the studio with Presley, spoke about how the recording session went. “He [Presley] didn’t wanna do it,” she shared. “He said, ‘I don’t wanna do this song.’ And they said, ‘Well, you’ve got to because it’s already been scheduled,’ and so he said, ‘Well okay,’ and he turned round to us, the musicians and the singers, and said, ‘Let’s just get this over with.'”
