Introduction:
“Just a Little Bit” by Elvis Presley is a notable track recorded during his legendary sessions at Stax Studios in Memphis in 1973. The song was included in his 1973 album Raised on Rock/For Ol’ Times Sake, which represented a period where Presley experimented with various musical styles while drawing from the roots of blues and rock.
The track itself is a blues-infused rock song that showcases Presley’s ability to bring intensity and charisma to even more straightforward musical material. While the song wasn’t released as a single, it remains one of the gems from these important sessions. Raised on Rock/For Ol’ Times Sake was released on October 1, 1973, and represents a phase in Elvis’s career where he was striving to maintain relevance during a changing musical landscape dominated by new genres such as disco and hard rock.
Musically, “Just a Little Bit” is a cover of a 1959 blues song by Rosco Gordon. Presley’s version maintains the energetic vibe of the original, but with a touch of his own vocal stylings and the Memphis sound from Stax Studios. Stax had a rich history of blues, soul, and R&B, and Elvis’s time there allowed him to tap into that well of influence.
Although it didn’t chart as a standalone track, the Raised on Rock album made a notable impact, reaching #4 in the UK charts and #20 in the US, highlighting Presley’s continued influence on the music scene during the 1970s. His ability to blend blues, rock, and a touch of soul into his music is evident in “Just a Little Bit”—a track that stands as a reminder of his deep connection to American roots music