Little Sister (Elvis Presley song)

"Little Sister" is a rock and roll song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. It was originally released as a single in 1961 by American singer Elvis Presley, who enjoyed a No. 5 hit with it on the Billboard Hot 100. The single (as a double A-side with "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame") also reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart. Lead guitar was played by Hank Garland and the rhythm guitar was played by Scotty Moore with backing vocals by the Jordanaires featuring the distinctive bass voice of Ray Walker.

Presley performs it as part of a medley with "Get Back" in the 1970 rockumentary film Elvis: That's the Way It Is. "Little Sister" would later be covered by such artists as Dwight Yoakam, Robert Plant, The Nighthawks, and Pearl Jam. A version by Ry Cooder, from his album Bop Till You Drop, was a number-one hit in New Zealand.

The lyric makes mention of "Jim Dandy" which was the title of a 1956 tune "Jim Dandy" by LaVern Baker. An answer song to "Little Sister", with the same melody but different lyrics, was recorded and released under the title "Hey, Memphis" by Baker on Atlantic Records (Atlantic 2119-A) in September 1961.

Original 1961 studio recording
Recorded in RCA Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee, June 25, 1961.
 * Elvis Presley - lead vocals
 * Scotty Moore – acoustic guitar
 * Hank Garland – electric lead guitar
 * Harold Bradley – six-string “tic-tac” bass guitar
 * Bob Moore – double bass
 * D. J. Fontana and Buddy Harman – drums
 * The Jordanaires (Gordon Stoker, Hoyt Hawkins, Neal Matthews Jr., Ray Walker) – backing vocals
 * Scotty Moore - rhythm guitar
 * DJ Fontana - drums

1970 live performance from That’s The Way It Is

 * Elvis Presley - vocals, electric rhythm guitar
 * James Burton - (electric) lead guitar
 * John Wilkinson - electric rhythm guitar
 * Charlie Hodge - acoustic rhythm guitar
 * Jerry Scheff - bass
 * Glen D. Hardin – piano
 * Ronnie Tutt - drums

Music video
The music video for Dwight Yoakam's 1987 version of "Little Sister" was directed by Sherman Halsey.

Other recorded versions

 * Ry Cooder as the opening track on his 1979 album Bop Till You Drop.
 * Rockpile with Robert Plant on the 1981 album Concerts for the People of Kampuchea.