Elvis Collectors Brazil is proud to present you this interview with Ronnie Tutt,
who played drums for Elvis, both in studio as well in live concerts, between
1969-1977. Tutt talked to Brazilian fans for the first time about various
subjects of his career as well of his time with Elvis. We hope you enjoy this
interview as much as we enjoyed doing it.
Our
sincere thanks to Ronnie Tutt for sharing his time and give us this interview,
and to Jacqueline Ulmo, who sent him our questions.
On The Drums from Dallas, Texas, Is hard-working Ronnie Tutt....
ECB: Elvis Collectors Brasil
ECB: (SERGIO) Could
you start by telling us a little about your background and how did you end up
playing with Elvis?
RONNIE:
I
started singing & dancing at about 3 1/2, my mom would drag me along to tap
dancing lessons and I also started playing the trumpet. Between my Jr. and
Sr. year in high school I traded my trumpet on an old drum set. I had enough of
the trumpet and wanted to express myself rhythmically. I studied at a music
college for about 3 years then started on staff in the "jingle" business in
ECB:
(SERGIO) What was your first impression about Elvis Presley when you first met
him?
RONNIE:
I liked him instantly--this man had tons of charisma--we had great rapport from
the very first.
ECB:
(SERGIO) How it was to play with Elvis in the arenas around the
RONNIE:
We all loved the actual performing of the live concerts with the instantaneous responses from the vast audiences. However, our tour was "technologically challenged" as to sound, monitors, lighting & staging, compared to other major tours of that time. Keep in mind that the large majority of arenas were not originally built for sound and concert acoustics but for all types of events, mostly sporting. Somewhere along the way in the early history of rock concerts, a bright -if not somewhat greedy- promoter figured out how to get as many people as possible in one place to pay to hear a concert and be part of the "event". The really hard part was the logistics-getting from one city to another and too many shows in a row without enough rest=($ ?)ECB:
(SERGIO)what shows you recall, that stood out as fantastic performances during
the years on the road?
RONNIE:
I
would say beginning in Vegas, August '69 our second shows ( at midnight) were
consistently electrifying-as we were all trying our absolute hardest to impress
all the many fans, celebrities, artists, and entertainers that nightly were in
the audience. There were three more unforgettable shows: at the Astrodome in
Ronnie Tutt rocking the Astrodome in March 1974.
ECB: (MARCO) Was
there any song in particular that you most liked to play
live?
RONNIE:
Yes,
"Big Boss Man" because he never slighted or rushed thru the song, but let it
keep I´ts groove & funky-er rhythm. I can tell you a few songs that I
disliked most to play: "Polk Salad Annie", "Suspicious Minds", "Patch It Up",
& "Fever". The first 3 were fun as well as challenging in the beginning but
eventually became a parody of themselves
.
JACQUELINE:
Was there a big difference between playing in Vegas and playing on the road?
Could you give some examples, please?
RONNIE:
It's
kind of like the difference between running a sprint and a marathon....road
shows were one show per night- no holding back -give it all-as fast as you
can...and with Vegas shows you had to "pace" yourself as you had to do two
shows-seven days a week-and three shows on the weekends! The two Vegas shows
were very different in that the first show was a "dinner" show with all the
sounds of people eating- plates, glasses, people loudly talking & laughing,
waiters dropping trays. It drove us all crazy.But the second show was drinks
only and the audience came in fired-up, ready to listen to the show of a
lifetime!
ECB:
(LUIZ) In the last two years of Elvis career, the tours started to be almost
monthly. Did the band get any orientation about the set list before the start of
it?
RONNIE:
No, there was rarely any rehearsal before tours, only before the long Vegas
stints.
Ronnie Tutt and Elvis at The Boston Gardens, November 1971.
ECB: (LUIZ)Was
there any kind of contact between the band and Elvis before or after the
tours?
RONNIE:
If
he wanted, he was always welcome to contact us about anything, but usually only
if we were doing a recording with him--like in L.A. at RCA, Memphis at
Stax, Nashville, and of course Memphis at Graceland.
JACQUELINE: In
March 1972 you recorded with Elvis at RCA Hollywood, which was the first time
you recorded in a studio with him. What were your impressions of working in the
studio with Elvis?
RONNIE:
Pretty
much like a rehearsal-in that he did what he wanted...when he wanted. I quickly
learned that he was basically uncomfortable in the studio as they tried to make
him stay and sing behind "flats" or sound barriers which crazed & frustrated
him. So at times, he would take the mic off the stand and carry it around like
it was a hand held kind, and come and stand in front of me like he was used to
doing on stage so he could "feel" the rhythm, not just hear it! He was a
"purist" when it came to recording. I think he believed the purpose of recording
was to record/capture a live performance. If not, why are his live recordings so
much more exciting and energized than his studio ones?
ECB:
(RENAN)Elvis’s last studio sessions were recorded at his home in
RONNIE:
I honestly Don't Remember.
ECB:
(SERGIO) Among all of them, what was your favorite recording session of the ones
you did with Elvis and why?
RONNIE:
I
would have to say the RCA session when we did "Burning Love". We had been trying
to encourage him to do more "rockers" and man... Was this one....Elvis' producer
Felton Jarvis was having severe kidney trouble and had to lay down on the
control room floor, so I basically had to jump in and produce/arrange the basic
track. The guys (James
ECB:
(SERGIO) After the Aloha from
RONNIE:
No, not his discontentment...only his desire, as he told me on two separate
occasions, that he wanted to go abroad and tour overseas. Quite regrettably, as
he could have gone almost anywhere in the world to perform.
ECB:
(SERGIO) In August 1974, Elvis opened a new season in Vegas. He rehearsed many
new songs, most from his newer material. Even the opening act had changed from
“See See Rider” to “Big Boss Man”. However, after the Opening Night, half of
those songs - like “Good Time Charlie Got the Blues” and “Down in the Alley”,
had gone forever. It was said that the audience didn’t like the “new” show and
therefore, Elvis returned to the old pattern. But when you listen to the record,
it seems that the audience reacted very well to it. So, what really happened
that made Elvis return to his old show, after so much
work?
RONNIE:
Elvis and Ronnie. Vegas, August 1974
ECB:
(RENAN) Ronnie, as you probably know, a tape containing the August 1974
rehearsals, surfaced some years ago with new songs being rehearsed for the
upcoming Las Vegas August 1974 season, including a beautiful version of “The
twelfth of never”, “Softly As I Leave you”, among others. Do you have any
particular memories of those pivotal rehearsals?
RONNIE:
Unfortunately,
I do not. But I do remember Shawn Neilson singing "Softly" as Elvis spoke the
story--an extremely touching moment. Not many dry eyes in the audience.
ECB:(SERGIO)
After the brilliant opening night, things seemed to slide a little, and at the
last show of the season, Elvis reacted strongly about the rumors of drug usage
that the press had publicized .You were present at that infamous Closing Show on
September
RONNIE:
Honestly,
no, he did not and I also do not remember anything about
this.
ECB:(SERGIO)After
the end of most Vegas’s seasons, there was a private party on Elvis’s suit. How
those parties were like? Do you have any special moment that stood out in your
memory?
RONNIE:
Actually,
there were two parties after most shows, the fist one was in his dressing room
suite after the show to entertain mostly celebrities, and the second was up in
his penthouse suite for friends and guests we were welcome to bring up. One
night I came into his dressing room and there was Lucille Ball. She looked at me
with those beautiful blue eyes and told Elvis: "I think I might take this guy
home with me...as you know I'm partial to drummers".
ECB:(SERGIO)
Did you recall any funny moment in studio or in concert that particularly stood
out in your mind? What are the best memories you have about
Elvis?
RONNIE:
There was this show in Buffalo,New York...all throughout the show people were
extremely "rowdy" and having a great ol' fun time...then at the end of our
closing song: ("I can't help falling in love with you") I went into the
familiar drum solo pattern followed by the orchestra playing:
duh-dunt-tah....duh-dunt-tah..
... The audience went wild out of control and started rushing the stage.
Elvis was already on his way off stage when he looked back and saw, with great
amusement, the following: Charlie Hodge in a ridiculously hopeless but
courageous effort, launched himself sideways into the front of the onrushing
crowd in an effort to block their progress....he immediately vanished from view,
swallowed up by the onrushing crowd...a few seconds went by and out from the
crowd came Charlie, rolling head over heels, as if the crowd had swallowed him
up and then spit him out. I looked over towards Elvis, who in the meantime had
found a good vantage point to watch and make a fast exit, he was falling over
laughing as we all were.
Favorite memories can be summed up by saying:
his laughter, his sense of humor, his desire to have a good time and fun in such
a demanding business. His generosity. His spirituality.
JACQUELINE:
Can you tell us a little more about your friendship with Elvis? Did you see him
often in private?
RONNIE:
Yes,
upon occasion, but I was careful not to be identified as one of the "hangers-on"
who at times, surrounded him. Karate classes were held frequently up in his
penthouse which my wife & i attended. I realized that in order to "catch" or
read his moves on stage, I could help myself to do this by studying karate.
He taught us as well as brought in visiting instructors such as Master Kang Rhee
and of course the father of American karate, ED Parker, was usually there.
JACQUELINE:
Did you talk to him man-to-man about personal things?
RONNIE:
Yes,
I did, but these talks are too personal and private for me to discuss in a
public forum. Maybe someday...
JACQUELINE:
What did you think of Elvis Presley at that time years ago - and now at these
days?
RONNIE:
I
saw Elvis for the first time in 1955. I had recently started playing the drums
and was playing with this very good "western swing" band that was the "house"
band for the Saturday night radio broadcast live from ft. Worth Texas, called :
"The North Side Jamboree". It was Texas' version of the "Grand Ole Opry" and
"the Louisiana Hayride". I had driven over with my girlfriend and Elvis arrives
for the show with Scotty Moore and Bill Black, just three of them, so Elvis had
to play the rhythm on his acoustic guitar. So after breaking most of the strings
on his own guitar he reached over and grabbed our guitar player’s very nice and
expensive Martin and after his set, handed it back with strings missing and deep
pick scratches all over the front wood of the guitar. Not a very cool thing to
do, so I didn't have too good of an opinion of him at the time, especially since
my girlfriend was going crazy over him.
As the old expression goes; "absence
makes the heart grow fonder" this is very true because I only think of the good
times and great experiences with this highly gifted and talented man...but
always remembering, after all, he was just a man...
JACQUELINE:
Around that time, it became quite common that all musicians were given credit n
the albums, but Elvis’s musicians never did. Was this ever
discussed?
RONNIE:
Not directly with Elvis, but it was embarrassing and frustrating to us as we
were listed on many other artist's albums. One explanation was that the singer's
union (AFTRA) requires all albums to credit/list singers and our musicians union
(AFM) does not. So obviously, the
JACQUELINE: How was the
relationship between the Band and Elvis manager, Colonel Tom Parker? Could you
highlight the good and bad points about him Parker in your
opinion?
RONNIE:
From my perspective, I believe he thought musicians were "a dime a dozen" and
the only person of value was Elvis, which from his viewpoint is
understandable. I don't know the details, but I believe it all goes way back to
when Elvis, Scotty, Bill, and later DJ, were a band and Scotty was the manager.
Possibly there could have been some major issues and problems in breaking Elvis
away from these guys for the
ESPECIAL
FAN QUESTION FROM PAULA: Looking back now, was there ever a feeling that you and
the Band were doing something so big and so great, that would be heard and
praised so much in the decades to come?
RONNIE: Actually, not really. In my opinion, we were working musicians doing what we did best for a living. We had no delusions of grandure. Sure we were known & respected & "in demand" in our industry but no one could foresee the phenomenon that was to come. The one time that came close to "so big & so great" was the Aloha From Hawaii live satellite around the world TV show, which was an amazing experience, now that I look back on it. So many millions of people watching us live, simultaneously around the world....an awesome experience.
Ronnie
Tutt goes live, worldwide. Aloha From
ESPECIAL
FAN QUESTION FROM PAULA: Did Elvis know that he was so loved in your
opinion?
RONNIE:
I
don't think he fully & completely knew-as he was mostly sheltered from his
fans and admirers-unfortunately for good reason. As crazy as it sounds, he had
an insecure side of his personality that was constantly looking for acceptance.
ECB:(MARCO)Ronnie, before we finish this interview, we would like
to know if you could tell the Brazilian fans, what are you doing now and what
are your future projects?
Another
project that will be released in the near future is a DVD of the 25th
anniversary concert from the Pyramid in
As to the future,I’d like to still be playing as long
as I’m healthy enough to keep doing' it. There's a lot of fans all over the
world I’d like to meet and so many interesting places to go and see-so for now,
my outlook is to continue doing what I’ve always done…I’m not sure what else I’d
do, but God only knows what I should be doing.. He has given me a gift-as he has
all of us, so I will continue to use it to the best of my ability. Maybe someday
we'll not travel so much, but that's not a decision to be made as of the
present.
We once again like to thank Ronnie Tutt for this interview and wish him the best luck in his future projects.
® 2006 Elvis Collectors
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