The Steel Guitar Forum

Well I just found out that the writer of Heartbreak Hotel was a steel player named Tommy Durden. Always thought Mae Axton wrote it,,,but the Bio I read says that Tommy went to her house to write the song,,,wound up sharing the credit,,,,offered a third of it to another guy,,,,TWICE,,,and he turned it down! Man,,,,30-40 years of royalty checks!!!!!

https://musicianguide.com/biographies/1 ... urden.html

Anyone knew Tommy???,,,,looks like he passed in 1999

Didn't Mae Axton also include Elvis as a writer also. She was trying to help Elvis financially.

Somewhere I have an ancient copy of an RCA EP that includes "heartbreak Hotel". Says the composers are "Axton-Durden-Presley". So it looks as if El got a piece of the writer's take.

Elvis and Col. Tom demanded 33% to record it, according to Hoyt Axton who was a teenager and present as his mother and Tommy Durden were writing the song. (My interview with H.A. for the New Times Weekly Phoenix, 1980.)

Years later, Elvis wanted to record “Joy to the World” for a similarly sharkish shared writing participation. Hoyt basically told Elvis and the “colonel” to go to hell. Elvis cut the song anyway, all writing royalties to Hoyt.