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Welcome to the "Elvis Information Network", home to the best news, reviews, interviews, Elvis photos & in-depth articles about the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley...
The latest on www.ElvisInfoNet.com:
July 31 1969 - Such A Night! : It was 46 years ago today, July 31, 1969 which marked a major historic milestone in Elvis' career. Bolstered by the runaway success of the '68 Comeback show and energized by productive recording sessions at American Sound Studios, which would spawn such timeless hits as "Suspicious Minds", "In The Ghetto" and "Don't Cry Daddy," Elvis launched his return to live performance at Las Vegas's International Hotel in the summer of 1969.
As super-fan Ian Fraser-Thomson noted, "The room exploded and a deafening roar came from the crowd and Elvis was bathed in praise and received his first standing ovation. After Elvis traversed both sides of the stage he found his way back to the centre where the microphone stand was situated and I was only 10 feet away from him!
I was amazed with the sight of Elvis reaching out with his right hand to take the mic and utter the first words of the evening and I saw his hand was shaking. Holy smokes, Elvis was trembling!"
Please check out our interview with Ian Fraser-Thomson, the only fan to witness Elvis' astounding July 1969 rehearsal, Las Vegas Opening Night and the Press Conference afterwards (see below).
Also if you don't already own a copy of the book 'ELVIS:Vegas 69' - check out our EIN review here.
(News, Source/ElvisInfoNet) |
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Ian Fraser-Thomson 1969 fan Interview: Ian Fraser-Thomson was the only fan to witness Elvis' astounding July 1969 rehearsal, Las Vegas Opening Night and the Press Conference afterwards. As we all know July 31, 1969 marked a historic milestone in Elvis' career. Bolstered by the runaway success of the '68 Comeback show and energised by productive recording sessions at American Sound Studios, Elvis launched his return to live performance at Las Vegas's International Hotel in the summer of 1969.
(Interview, Source;EIN) |
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Elvis and Herman's Hermits: With more than 50 years in the music industry Barry Whitwam of "Herman's Hermits" fame has plenty of stories to tell and there's no doubt that he's really lived the rock and roll lifestyle.
Along the way he met The King, Elvis Presley, got blown up by Keith Moon from The Who and remembers the band getting a $25,000 dollar hotel bill after trashing it with birthday cake.
Even after all these years Herman's Hermits still have a great fan base all around the world, performing more than 160 shows each year and to date they've sold more than 75 million records.
The band were in and out the charts many times in the 60s with hits such as 'I'm into Something Good' and 'Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter'.
At their peak, the band were playing alongside and meeting music legends including Elvis.
"It all came about in the summer of 1965. Herman's Hermits had just finished a big tour of America in Hawaii at the Coliseum and we were booked to fly home the |
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next day, but that night after the last show we got a telephone call from Colonel Tom Parker, who managed Elvis. He said that Elvis Presley would like to meet Herman's Hermits on his film set the next day. I and Peter were delighted to be invited and we managed to change our tickets home for a flight 24 hours later.
Elvis was filming Paradise Hawaiian Style and we were to meet him on the film set."
When Barry (photo, far right) and Peter arrived Elvis was nowhere to be seen as the music legend had gone for a ride on his motorbike.
Before long they heard a roar and saw a sight they'd remember forever.
"There were about 15 Harley Davidson bikes coming towards us in a the shape of a V and Elvis was in the centre. It was certainly an entrance. I was very nervous as I didn't know what to expect, but he was a very warm person and a gentleman and we got on really well. He got off the bike and not a hair on his head moved. We found out later that Elvis had bought each of his friends their motorbikes. He was such a generous person.
As Elvis approached us I was spell bound, it was as if God had come down from heaven. Altogether we had about two hours with Elvis and talked about our tour of America.
"He knew we had millions of fans there, but I don't think he really understood why, Elvis seemed to want to know what our secret was - how five young lads from Manchester could make such a big impact around the world."
Now a days life on the road is a lot calmer and the band is still going strong. "We visit some great places and still love what we do," said Barry.
EIN note: This story of meeting Elvis is regularly used to publicise their new tours. Marty Lacker who was there sent EIN these relevant points about the meeting and the quotes above...
"Let's set the record straight. They called Colonel wanting to meet Elvis, not the other way 'round.
Secondly, we did not ride motorcycles in Hawaii we used cars, we were already on the set when Herman and The Hermits showed up."
Go HERE for the full story of Elvis being interviewed by Peter Noone.
(News, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet) |
Elvis Files Magazine #13: Erik Lorentzen has posted the cover of the September Elvis Files Magazine and at the same time noted that back-issues are still available
The magazine, four issues per year, costs €58 subscription which includes world-wide postage.
CLICK HERE to 'Elvis Files Magazine'
(News, Source;EL/ElvisInfoNet) |
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Thursday 30 July 2015 * * * Today's Update with TEN Big Stories * * * |
"Elvis: The Best Of British, The RCA Years 1959 – 1960" New FTD Book: The final UK book concluding the Trevor Simpson "Best Of British" trilogy. 'Elvis: The Best of British' this time focuses on the RCA recordings of 1959-1960 and, consistent with the previous volumes, contains over 500 pages. Discover exactly how Elvis, on his triumphant return from army service, reinvented his career at the top of the entertainment world when RCA declared ‘Elvis is Back!’ before the movie G.I. Blues changed his life forever. His story is graphically told through the music with over FIFTY iconic songs, originally released on the British RCA label, having been extensively researched. Over 1100 rare or previously unpublished photographs, charts and unique memorabilia, create a visually enhanced record of a superstar with unsurpassed acclaim. Read about the management strategy to keep Elvis’ name in the public eye whilst he was away, which not only succeeded in retaining his image of more than just a singer, but as the pulse at the heart of a generation. With its wealth of invaluable information, this book includes: -
- Every known photograph and press cutting of Elvis in Scotland, his only time on British soil! |
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- Photographs from the pivotal meeting with Hal Wallis in a German restaurant where Elvis’ future movie career was mapped out!
- The New York Elvis songwriter who was thrown into the East River by mobsters and the British composer who appeared on a £10 bank note!
This book includes a 30 track CD featuring many performances officially released for the first time (these are mainly "film" versions and radio adverts). Hear Elvis personally introduce his British chart toppers during this two year period along with other classic tracks, rare movie versions and audio movie promotions. Add to that, exciting songwriter demos as Elvis first heard them and you will own a unique CD to treasure.
Go here to All The SONY FTD News 2015 for tracklistings and info
(News, Source;FTD/ElvisInfoNet) |
'Live In Las Vegas' Box set Re-Release: Sony is re-releasing the 2001 original "Live In Las Vegas Box-set" with the original 4 CDs but this time in the new cheaper "mini-book" format.
CD1. Features Elvis' Dinner Show from August 24, 1969.
CD2. Features Elvis' Midnight Show from August 11, 1970.
CD3. Featured the then previously released 'On Stage' / 'Burning Love' Feb 1970 & 1972 compilation.
CD4. Features Elvis' 1956 Las Vegas performance plus 20 soundboard recorded tracks from 1974 and 1975.
Keen Elvis fans will already own the original 2001 box-set so EIN hopes that there is some new publicity to attract more of the "general" Elvis fans.
It is also a shame that this set hasn’t been remastered for 2015.
But priced at £12.99 = US$20 it is a cheap bargain for four live concert cds.
From Sony Music, the release date is 18 Sept. 2015.
You can Pre-order it at Amazon UK here > 'Live In Las Vegas'
(News, Source;Sony/ElvisInfoNet)
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Graceland Auction Online bidding now open: The third auction of rare and authentic Elvis artifacts and memorabilia will be held during Elvis Week 2015, featuring an impressive 174 lots, making it the largest and most comprehensive auction yet held on the grounds of Graceland. The live Auction will take place in the Graceland Archives Studio on Thursday, August 13, 2015, at 8:00 pm
You can start bidding now at GracelandAuctions.com.
Fans, music collectors and pop culture enthusiasts from around the world are expected to participate on site and online in this unprecedented auction, with all 174 lots expertly authenticated by the staff of Graceland Authenticated. All of the items in the auction will be offered from third-party collectors and none of the items included in the auction will come from the treasured Graceland Archives. NOTE - the mansion and all artifacts in the Graceland Archives continue to be owned by Lisa Marie Presley and are not for sale.
Among the 174 items to be included in the August 13 auction, notable items include:
Elvis Presley Light Blue “Starburst” Jumpsuit worn in 1973 at the Las Vegas Hilton and other concerts
(Estimated $100,000-150,000)
EIN notes there is an oddity about this jumpsuit and where are all the photos of Elvis wearing it? The auction catalogue says, “Sometimes tragedy becomes serendipity, as is the case with this Elvis Presley stage-worn jumpsuit from his 1973 Las Vegas Hilton shows and concert tours. With its parts damaged, disassembled and then reunited after decades, it has emerged as a complete and original stage worn artifact from the peak of Elvis' 1970's performing career.“
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Elvis Presley Jacket from the “Viva Las Vegas” dance scene with Ann-Margret. Worn in the movie during the Nevada gymnasium stage "C'mon Everybody" scene.
The offered jacket is one of two created by Sy Devore, noted Hollywood wardrobe designer.
(Estimated $30,000-50,000)
Elvis Presley-Owned Gold Owl-Shaped Ring gifted to a fan from the stage
(Estimated $15,000-20,000)
Elvis Presley's Personal Walther Model PPK/S 9mm Kurz Handgun - Ornately Engraved "Elvis" and “TCB"
(Estimated $100,000–125,000)
Elvis Presley and Colonel Parker Signed Hollow Body Electric Guitar -
This six-string Conrad hollow body double-cutaway |
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electric guitar, model 40185, has been signed by both Elvis and Colonel Parker on the body. Elvis has inscribed a big, bold signature — "Respectfully yours Elvis Presley" — and Colonel Parker has simply signed "Col. Tom Parker." The guitar was taken backstage concert on December 31, 1976, in Pittsburgh, PA where it was handed to Elvis in his dressing room. He he signed 'Respectfully Yours Elvis Presley.' It is likely that he may have strummed the guitar before he handed it back. Col Parker autographed this guitar in Las Vegas at a later date.
(Estimate: $25,000 - $35,000)
1957 EPE Elvis Presley Doll in rare original box
(Estimated $7,000-10,000)
You can start bidding now at GracelandAuctions.com. Click Here
(News, Source;EPE/ElvisInfoNet) |
July 30 Proclaimed 'Elvis in Asheville' Day: Forty years ago this month, Elvis Presley sold out in Asheville.
The memory of Elvis Presley’s visit there in 1975, which resulted in three performances, still looms large. In fact, a fundraiser for Grateful Steps Foundation celebrates the Elvis anniversary on July 30 at The Orange Peel with storytelling, silent auction, music and dancing.
“I grew up here, and I was too young to go to the Elvis concert, but I remember hearing legends about it for years afterward,” said Jon Elliston, a local writer, editor and historian who is organizing the benefit event. “With the advent of the Internet, Facebook in particular, all of a sudden all these local people have shared even more of their memories.”
The event includes an open mic session, so people who attended the concert can share those stories. Apparently, it was a wild event. Asheville clamored for tickets, and the concert that was originally scheduled for one day stretched into three with about 22,000 tickets sold.
To honor his visit to Asheville, today, July 30 will be proclaimed as Elvis in Asheville Day.
The proclamation was made during Tuesday's Asheville's City Council meeting to honor the residents' "Burning Love" for the king.
Presley sold out three nights at the Asheville Civic Center in 1975.
(News, Source;NP/ElvisInfoNet) |
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Australian Parkes Elvis Festival Wins Tourism Award: The Australian Parkes Elvis Festival has won the Festivals and Events category at the 2015 Inland Tourism Awards.
Parkes Tourism representatives including Emily Mann the Festival Director were on hand to collect the prestigious award.
The Inland Tourism Awards are held annually to acknowledge excellence in tourism in the four regional tourism areas.
Parkes Elvis Festival was part of a record-breaking year, with 51 finalists competing in 19 categories across the four tourism regions.
There were three finalists with Parkes Elvis Festival in the company of the Tamworth Country Music Festival and Dubbo Stampede Running Festival.
“2015 was the first year of the Festival’s organisation under the stewardship of Parkes Shire Council, with the strong support of volunteers and the local community. This award is a credit to all involved,” Emily said.
“The award further cements Parkes Elvis Festival’s status, this year’s Elvis Festival attracted some 20,000 visitors and generated up to $12 million in the local district economy.
Go here for more about the Australian Parkes Festival
(News, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet) |
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"Elvis Meets The Beatles" New BBC radio Play: The historic moment the Fab Four met the king of rock 'n' roll will be recreated in a new radio play almost 50 years to the day since it happened. Presley is played by Kevin Mains, who previously starred as the US singer in the West End show Million Dollar Quartet and portrayed Paul McCartney in ITV's drama 'Cilla Black'.
Two other stars of Cilla, Tom Dunlea and Michael Hawkins, recreate their roles from that show, playing Ringo Starr and George Harrison respectively, with Shaun Mason as Paul McCartney.
The meeting, which took place at Presley's Bel Air mansion on August 27 1965, was not filmed or taped and only a few people know what really happened.
It has been recreated by writer Jeff Young who said it made for "a strange and compelling narrative".
He said, " The piece that has emerged is a kind of fake documentary. Elvis's life was an American tragedy and the seeds of it are sown here in this meeting between the King and the pretenders to the throne."
'When Elvis Met The Beatles' airs on BBC Radio 2 at 7pm on Monday August 31 as part of a series dedicated to Presley and the Beatles.
Go here as EIN explores 'Elvis Meets The Beatles'
(News, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet) |
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More ELVIS on BBC Radio 2: This August, BBC Radio 2 will be marking the 50th anniversary of a momentous meeting between Elvis Presley and the young pretenders of pop The Beatles, with a weekend of programmes, including the drama 'When Elvis Met The Beatles' (see above) plus a series of documentaries, special features and some great music.
Other programmes include:
'Johnnie Walker Meets Priscilla Presley' (Thursday 27 August, 6pm UK), an in-depth personal conversation in which Priscilla talks about meeting Elvis, his extraordinary music and film career, the ‘68 Comeback Special, the profound effect he had on her life, plus a brand new project involving Elvis recordings backed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
'Elvis’s Suitcase of 78s' (Wednesday 26 August, 10pm UK), tells the story of Elvis Presley’s personal collection of 78 records. In 1968 Scotty Moore owned a recording studio in Nashville and Presley was so worried about his precious collection getting broken that he took them to Scotty in a small suitcase and asked him to dub them on to reel to |
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reel tape so he could listen to them at home without worrying about damaging them. Elvis then recorded the ’68 Comeback special with Scotty, after which Elvis never saw Scotty again. Elvis never collected his suitcase. In this documentary Chris Issak travels to Nashville to meet Scotty, and discover more about Elvis’s 78s collection.
There will also be Beatles and Elvis features within the network’s regular weekend shows
Go here to BBC Radio 2 media release for more info
(News, Source;BBC/ElvisInfoNet) |
Elvis Presley Boulevard also to be Rebuilt: Whitehaven has a lot going on - even before a $30 million to $50 million redevelopment plan gets underway.
At a recent City Hall meeting a "state of Whitehaven" report outlined millions of dollars in projects.
Jack Soden, CEO of EPE, said a crane just arrived for the construction of a 450-room hotel, part of an $84 million project near Graceland.
But outside of Graceland, along Elvis Presley Boulevard, is one of the most significant projects in the area.
"Rebuilding Elvis Presley Boulevard is going to be one of the most - if not the most - catalytic projects in the whole city," he said.
In another member update, Memphis International Airport is looking forward to the $114 million modernization plan.
"We're going from Delta's hub to Memphis' hub," he said, a reference to Memphis losing its hub status with Delta.
The committee decided to have its next meeting at Graceland. All of the meetings are open to the public.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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'Atlanta Loves Elvis' New Import CD: As 1976 came to an end, in spite of well visited concerts and a constant high interest of his fans his live concerts were reaching a low point in summer, which was noticeable at less euphoric feedback's from the press and his fans who were sometimes disappointed by his performance. The following autumn brought an upturn for Elvis. Towards the end of the year Elvis managed to turn his low point into his last golden age. His concerts were getting exiting with an Elvis who became more healthy and in shape again. The great mood of the King was showing of in his concerts which made his last tour 1976 to one of the greatest in the 70s. Touchdown presents an Audience Recording of the December 30 1976 concert on a new 2 Disc set. Elvis and Atlanta always had a special connection to each other which made concerts in Atlanta even more exiting. Elvis loved Atlanta and Atlanta loved him. An amazing set list and an artist who gave everything for the audience made this show the favorite for many fans. Even though this is just a record from the crowd the quality is amazing and much better than all others known so far what you can hear in the sample. Furthermore this evening Elvis sang and ultra rare and full length "Such A Night“ for his fans. |
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'Elvis Closing Show 1975' new Import CD: New from AudiRec 'Elvis Closing Show 1975' a brand new CD Set which will be released shortly. It includes an audience recording of the complete performance from Las Vegas "Closing Night" December 15, 1975. The complete concert has never been released before.
Expectations were high when Elvis returned to Las Vegas in December of 1975. Will the “King” reign again or will he again leave tons of disappointed fans who were waiting for “their” concerts back in August of the same year, only to learn that Elvis had to cancel the main part of his two-week engagements at the Showroom then? To cut it short: Elvis delivered mainly great shows. He seemed to be relaxed and enjoying himself on stage. The fans loved the performances and from what we can hear on several audience recordings and soundboard recordings, too, this Las Vegas Winter season of ´75 was a very good one.
The concert is now being released for the first time in its entirety.
Expect a fine, decent 2 CD Set containing a great show and be sure to get your copy at your local dealer! Accompanied by a 16-page booklet with lots of information and pictures from the show itself.
Go HERE to 'All The 2015 CD News' for the tracklist
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Elvis Festival takes over Collingwood: Hundreds of tribute artists and thousands of Elvis fanatics shake, rattled and rolled their way into Collingwood, Canada this weekend for the 21st annual Collingwood Elvis Festival which ran July 23 to Sunday, July 26.
The event sees 100 tribute artists from around the world, competing for the right to be called grand champion and earn a spot at the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Competition in Memphis.
This year’s theme was “This is Elvis”. It’s a chance to learn about the man his music, his attitude and his iconic image. You’ll find out what made Elvis a pop culture giant and how he continues to influence music and culture even today.
Austin Irby is from South Carolina and is making his first appearance in Collingwood. The 19-year-old has been performing as a tribute artist for about a decade and was always eager to perform in Collingwood.
“It’s amazing,” he said.
Over the past 20 years, the Collingwood Elvis Festival has helped to preserve the legacy of Elvis Presley, the original rock star, and has provided visitors with the opportunity to hear Elvis’ music performed live once again. In 2015 they introduced a new music series to give aspiring singer/songwriters the chance to showcase their unique talents through live performances of their original compositions to a crowd of music fans who know what it looks like when an artist tries something original, puts |
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themselves into their songs, and can deliver an amazing live performance.
These are not tributes. These performances will be raw, real, and relatable – just like the story of Elvis’ climb from truck driver and aspiring singer…to legend.
Nearly 30,000 people attended the 2014 Collingwood Elvis Festival, but the event cost the municipality an extra amount due to the attendance of Priscilla and other costs.
The number of visitors this year has not yet been counted.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Elvis Music FAQ released in ebook format: In late 2013 EIN reviewed Mike Eder's book, Elvis Music FAQ. Mike has advised us that his book is now available in ebook format. Mike also said: ".....the pictures are all in color, like they should always have been, and look really nice now. I know that was a sticking point for some people who don’t realize these things aren’t within an author’s control who doesn’t self publish."
(News, Source: Mike Eder/ElvisInfoNet) |
Jon Abbott interview with EIN - your feedback added - Noted pop culture author Jon Abbott recently took time out of his busy schedule to discuss Elvis' film career and Jon's passion, pop culture TV and film with EIN's Nigel Patterson.
Along the way Jon reveals a multitude of things about Elvis' films and offers often strong commentary and keen insight on a range of subjects including:
- how the Colonel protected Elvis
- why Elvis' film career worked
- could Elvis' film career have been better?
- will Elvis' film canon survive as an area of interest for future generations?
why Barbra Streisand's A Star Is Born would have been a bad idea
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Bad Nauheim Elvis Week Festival 2015: From 14th to 16th of August 2015 Elvis fans from all over the world celebrate their idol with concerts, exhibitions, a Cadillac-parade, a fan market, guided tours and so much more in Bad Nauheim, Germany.
From 1958 to 1960, Elvis Presley had his “European home“ in the Hessian town close to Frankfurt. Every year since 2002, Bad Nauheim has hosted the “European Elvis festival” to mark the anniversary of the King’s death on August 16th. During the festival, Bad Nauheim celebrates Rock'n'Roll as a way of life.
There will be a music contest at the 14th European Elvis Festival. The best male and female singers and the best bands in Europe will be selected. A jury preselected the best candidates and those selected are welcome to perform throughout the daily live programmes during the 14th European Elvis Festival. In the course of the festival the panel of experts and the audience will judge the final contestants. The winner’s prize is to perform as the supporting act of the original TCB-Band on the afternoon of August 16th, 2015 as well as a professional live act at the “15th European Elvis Festival” in 2016!
Saturday Afternoon features "Conversations with The TCB Band, The Imperials and Sam Thompson"
Members of both bands reminisce about their encounters and adventures with Elvis. Take advantage and ask the questions you always wanted to! Listen to the exciting memories of the musicians and friends of Elvis! |
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The main saturday night concert is "The TCB Band Plus Dennis Jale and The Imperials"
The TCB-Band with James Burton, Glen D. Hardin and Ronnie Tutt are going to perform with Dennis Jale.
Go HEREm to the Bad Nauheim website for more info
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
'The Elvis Files Vol. 7 1974-1975': Due to the extra work that had to go into the deluxe '1957 A Touch of Gold Lame' there is no confirmation that Volume 7 of the great Elvis Files series will be published in time for August - However Erik Lorentzen assures EIN that "the whole staff is now working on Elvis Files Volume 7. Here's a
few pages from the tour of July 1975. I was fortunate to attend several
of the shows on this tour. And working on this pages bring back a lot of
great memories."
The sixth volume of the Elvis Files story chronicles Elvis' years on tour through the USA, the Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe seasons..
All ELVIS EVENTS in this Time Frame 1974-1975 are shown
- Every Working Moment...
- The Mid-Seventies Tours
- The Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe Seasons
- Plenty of CANDID Moments
- The Recording Sessions
- Previously Unpublished Photos.
The cover photo is taken by our friend Keith Alverson.
Go HERE for info 'Elvis Files 2015' and full-size example pages |
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Latest Billboard Album Charts: The feeling of love continues for 'Heart And Soul'.
'Heart And Soul' drops from 18 to 24 on the Billboard Country Catalog Album Chart for w/e 1st August,2015
Elvis has no other entries on the Billboard Charts.
(News, Source;BrianQuinn/ElvisInfoNet) |
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New Guests At Elvis week: EPE are excited to announce some great new guests for Elvis Week 2015! Elvis' back-up singers, Susan Pilkington, Mary Holladay, and Ginger Holladay - who backed Elvis on some of his greatest hits - have been added to the Graceland Insiders Conference on August 14 to share their stories of working with Elvis. Susan Pilkington, Mary Holladay Pederson, and Ginger Holladay, along with Jeanne Green and Donna Thatcher, sang back up for many of the top artist in the late '60's and 70's. These five vocalists (in various combinations) sang on the Memphis recordings for B.J. Thomas's "Hooked on a Feeling," Neil Diamond's "Holly Holy," The Box Top's "Cry like a Baby" and such artists as Percy Sledge, Joe Tex, Joe Simon, Sonny and Cher, Merrilee Rush and Joan Baez. However, it was Elvis Presley's 1969 American Sound Studio's recordings of "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto" |
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that was the zenith of their careers. “Long Black Limousine,” “Kentucky Rain,” and "Any Day Now” are among the numerous songs they did with Elvis at American Sound. They also recorded backup vocals in Memphis for Elvis on both of the 1973 Stax Studio sessions. Mary and Ginger later toured with Ronnie Milsap, Linda Ronstadt and others.
Priscilla Presley will also make an appearance at the Official Graceland Insiders Conference on August 14 as part of the Sony Panel on Friday afternoon. (EIN notes - Hopefully she will reveal more than last year)
Elvis' friend and TV game show host Wink Martindale will share his memories of the King of Rock 'n' Roll at Conversations on Elvis on Saturday, August 15.
(News, Source; EPE/ElvisInfoNet) |
Wayne Carson, 'Always On My Mind' composer, dies at 72: Wayne Carson, a prolific songwriter whose hits include the Elvis classic 'Always On My Mind' has died aged 72.
"Our music community has lost an immense talent much too soon," Recording Academy president Neil Portnow said.
Carson, a two-time Grammy winner, said he wrote Always On My Mind in 10 minutes at his kitchen table in Springfield and initially did not think the song needed a bridge.
Under pressure from his producer, he was sent to a piano and quickly came up with the song's memorable bridge — two lines that begin, "tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died".
Such speed in songwriting was common for Carson, who played piano, guitar, bass and percussion.
"A song ain't nothing but a story waiting for somebody to tell it. It's like putting one foot in front of the other", he told music biographer Gary James.
'Always On My Mind' became a classic for Elvis, whose version was especially poignant as it came out shortly after his separation from wife Priscilla in 1972.
But Carson, along with two co-writers Johnny Christopher and Mark James then won Grammys for the song in 1983 after it became a hit for country giant Willie Nelson.
Other notable versions included
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a dance pop rendition by the Pet Shop Boys in 1987.
Other hits by Carson, whose full name was Wayne Carson Thompson, included The Letter, a number one song in 1967 for Memphis soul-influenced rockers The Box Tops, and country singer Conway Twitty's I See The Want To In Your Eyes.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
Celebrity memorabilia up for auction: Vancouver impresario Hugh Pickett booked big names like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and the Rolling Stones, and had close friends in Hollywood
Love's Auctioneers and Appraisers are now sorting through thousands of items from the estate of the late Hugh Pickett, a Vancouver promotor who was an agent to the stars.
Pickett, who died in 2006 at age 92, booked the big names and had close friends including entertainers Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers and Mitzi Gaynor.
His estate now settled, the Richmond auction house is organizing thousands of items for an August auction.
"There's so much history here, it will all be sold on the auction block. It has not been categorized how we are selling it yet."
Pickett, born and raised in Vancouver, was an impresario who brought Vancouver stars such as Igor Stravinsky, Marlene Dietrich, Jack Benny, Fred Astaire, Maria Callas and Bob Hope. He was the longtime press agent for Theatre Under the Stars and led a campaign in the 1970s to save Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre.
The memorabilia collection includes signed and autographed photos and books of screen and stage stars, musicians, comedians, composers and dancers. Handwritten letters from celebrities, jewelry (most gifted to Pickett), antiques, posters and artwork are also up for auction.
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There's even a signed photo from Elvis Presley, along with concert tickets and the official backstage pass to his show.
The memorabilia suggests Pickett hung on to anything with celebrity attached. He saved many documents — which help authenticate items — and often attached notes to photographs.
"He was very very organized. If he got a book sent to him, for example, the letter is inset into the book when he got it," said Jones.
The auction is open to the public and scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Aug. 26 at Love's, 2720 No. 5 Rd.
(News, Source;RR/ElvisInfoNet) |
Mark James and Rosanna Cash to Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame: Mark James, Rosanne Cash, Even Stevens and Craig Wiseman will be inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in October.
The four new inductees will join the 196 existing members of the elite organization when they are officially inducted during the 45th Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on Sunday, October 11, at the Music City Center.
Mark James’ songwriter credits include “Hooked On A Feeling” (B.J. Thomas), plus Elvis' 'Suspicious Minds', 'Always On My Mind', 'Raised On Rock, 'It's Only Love' and 'Moody Blue'.
Rosanna Cash is a Americana mainstay and also has the Elvis connection being the daughter of country legend Johnny Cash. She will be inducted as a songwriter/artist. Many of her biggest hits were self-penned, including “Seven Year Ache” and “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me.”
Craig Wiseman’s is known for “Live Like You Were Dying” (Tim McGraw), “Believe” (Brooks & Dunn) and “The Good Stuff” (Kenny Chesney). Even Stevens is the tunesmith behind “Suspicions” and “Drivin’ My Life Away” (Eddie Rabbitt) and “Crazy In Love” (Conway Twitty).
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The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala is one of the music industry’s premier events of the year. The evening features tributes and performances of the inductees’ songs by special guest artists. In recent years artists such as Garth Brooks, Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, and Trisha Yearwood have performed at or participated in the event.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
Maori Woman Remembers Elvis: It has been 50 years, but Amoe McGrath still remembers meeting Elvis Presley.
The 75-year-old Auckland grandmother was studying at the Church College of Hawaii when she heard the hip-shaking star would be touching down to film part of his 1966 flick Paradise, Hawaiian Style.
She is one of four New Zealand woman in a historic picture taken with Elvis during filming.
Amoe McGrath explained, "I just couldn't believe it when I heard Elvis was coming, It was quite exciting. Everywhere he went he had security, I mean he couldn't take two steps without the others following him around. But it was great.
I've actually still got the original photo in a frame."
Mrs McGrath lived in Hawaii for 18 months |
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after going over to visit her relatives, who were coordinators for the Maori Village at the Polynesian Cultural Centre in Laie.
She was just 25 in 1965 when Elvis touched down on the island just before Christmas.
The New Zealand students did traditional dances at the centre nightly alongside Hawaiian dancers.
"In that particular photo there are only four actual Kiwis. I'm right on the end, calling to my friends 'Hurry up, hurry up, get in the photo'.
"Because it was just a short clip you just jiggled around and jiggled around. This photo was actually in the finale. Everything stopped and we just took photos and that was the end of that."
Mrs McGrath returned to New Zealand in 1966 and was married just five months later, before teaching at Pakuranga Heights School for 26 years.
"It was a fun time. A really fun time."
(News, Source;NZME/ElvisInfoNet) |
'Las Vegas' Voice - Vol.1' New Import CD: Out soon from the Rock Legends label is the first volume of ''Las Vegas' Voice'', featuring the complete February 3, 1974 Midnight show. It's not often recordings from Elvis' 10th concert season in Las Vegas were released in such good quality. This show is taken from an unreleased Audience Recording (original booth recording). The sound quality is excellent and reveal altogether that Elvis was happy to be back in Vegas, especially with his new contract for appearing only two weeks instead of the usual four weeks. Besides the only released soundboard from the January / February Las Vegas season this is certainly one of the best sounding show ever put out from this engagement.
Watch out for the second volume with a complete unreleased show from the very same season !
EIN notes that this CD was released only a couple of years ago from an audience recording 'With a Humble Heart' by the Straight Arrow label. This is supposedly a better quality tape.
FTD released Elvis' Jan 27th Dinner Show from a few days earlier on the very enjoyable 'I Found My Thrill' (review here)
Go HERE to 'All The 2015 CD News' for the tracklist
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Friday 17 July 2015 - - - 2nd News Update - - - |
Elvis London O2 Exhibition EIN Review: Having visited Graceland several times the lure of being able to see more than 300 of Elvis’ personal belongings in a less tour-group-timed environment was an opportunity not to be missed.
The display is sorted into 10 different rooms focusing on Elvis’ fabulous career from his very early beginnings in Tupelo, to the start of Elvis Mania, his Army Years, Hollywood, the 68 Special, his later concert years and the lovely section dedicated purely to Graceland.
In each room relevant Elvis music helps create the right atmosphere along with various interviews, recording sessions and suchlike.
To be honest I was expecting something a little more tacky but, surprisingly, a lot of thought and attention has been put in to the display and what has been chosen to be exhibited.
Some of the items on display were a delight to linger over.
Go here for EIN's Piers Beagley's look at the London ELVIS O2 exhibition - now open until January 2016!
(Review/Spotlight, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Elvis At The Springfield Civic Center 40 years ago: Elvis has long left the building, but 40 years ago he caused a stir in the City of Homes. The King held court three times at the Springfield Civic Center – the first time took place on July 14, 1975.
At legendary manager Col. Tom Parker's request, tickets - which ranged in price from $5 to $10 - were put out for sale on March 20, 1975, a day after the July 14 show was announced.
The strategy was to take maximum advantage of the excitement caused by the announcement.
All 9,969 tickets were sold from the arena's main box office.
Lines formed 12 hours before the box office opened at 9 a.m. The weary box-office staff sold the last ticket at 3 a.m. the following day.
Demand was so great that a July 15 show was added – and promptly sold out.
"The crowds, the lines we had for tickets, there was nothing like it," Gerald M. Healy, who managed Civic Center at the time, noted in a 1992 interview.
"We sold so many tickets, we were offered a third night," Healy said. "Instead, we asked for a return engagement (on July 29, 1976)."
(Healy also negotiated a fourth concert set for February 1978 prior Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977).
Warming up the crowd in the summer of 1975 was a comedian and songs by The Sweet Inspirations and J.D. Sumner and The Stamps.
When Elvis began his set, fans rushed the stage for a closer glimpse of The King or to catch one of the white scarves he tossed into the crowd.
He was in fine voice, belting out early hits such as "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel," as well as his later favorites like "Burning Love" and "Funny How Time Slips Away." |
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The newspaper review of the time noted, "They came from near and far, all ages, to see the King do his thing and Elvis Presley didn't disappoint. A capacity audience clapped, shouted, whistled and screamed for the man who made it a night to remember, especially for that group who lived through the '50s.
.... Elvis wound it all up with Time Slips Away, Little Darling, Mystery Train, a few handshakes around the stage and Elvis was whisked away by a cordon of bodyguards to a waiting limousine and an undisclosed hideaway. Was it all worth waiting in line last March in the cold and having to plunk down $10 for a ticket? You'd better believe it!"
Go here to MassLive for more pictures
(News, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet)
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'Elvis Today' Officially Announced!: SONY has finally announced the Legacy 40th anniversary version of "Elvis Today".
The promo notes, "In the lead up to the Today sessions, Elvis won a Grammy® for 'Best Inspirational Performance' of 1974. The award was for an in-concert version of "How Great Thou Art," and it couldn't have come at a better time. The chance to take possession of the treasured trophy came when Elvis flew out to the coast in readiness to rehearse and record at RCA's studio in Hollywood. Elvis' last studio album, like his first, was made up of songs he chose and loved.
This 40th anniversary Legacy Edition contains the original album featuring the hit single "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" and 10 undubbed session mixes. Disc 2 features live performances given within weeks of the album's release. Previously issued in 1980, this constructed show has been remastered and reassembled from original source tapes to offer improved audio definition.
Like a true premier vintage, Today has matured with age and needs to be savored." Release date August 7 2015
Go HERE To EIN's SONY 2015 CD News for the full tracklist
BUY IT HERE>>> . ELVIS Today special
AT AMAZON for only US $13.88 - great value for a double CD!
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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'Elvis Encore Performance Volume V' New JAT Book: Joe Tunzi has announced a new book 'One Performance Only: Featuring Chicago 57'.
Rather interestingly this obviously competes with the Elvis Files soon to be released book 'A Touch Of Gold Lamé' that covers the Chicago concert and so much more from 1957.
No info yet regarding number of pages or whether it contains unreleased images.
Retail $79.95 & $35 (Shipping) = US$115
Go HERE to JAT to pre-order
(News, Source;JAT/ElvisInfoNet)
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Tuesday 14 July 2015 - - - 2nd News Update - - - |
Elvis Hologram for 15 Shows Next Year In Las Vegas!: According to a recent interview with the managing editor of Pulse Evolution, the company is working on a hologram of Elvis Presley for use in a live concert setting.
Pulse Evolution currently owns the rights to creating holograms of Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Michael Jackson. The company was responsible for last year’s Michael Jackson hologram performance at the Billboard Music Awards.
If the Jackson example is any indication, a full show performed by a Presley hologram could change the game when it comes to the deceased entertainer’s drawing power. Presley was arguably the biggest draw in the history of Las Vegas, and it’s not a stretch to imagine a realistic, hologram of The King drawing thousands back to the city that he once ruled. Presley sold-out 636 consecutive shows in Las Vegas between 1969 and 1976.
Rudy Mazzocchi, Pulse Evolution’s managing editor, recently confirmed the 15 show opportunity for the Presley hologram to perform in Las Vegas next year. Mazzocchi also spoke of how simple the process would be for the hologram to tour the world, requiring only a crew to set up the stage equipment and a thumb drive containing the hologram’s file. Unlike real-life entertainers, the show’s producers don’t have to worry about travel, security, or keeping the stars happy backstage.
There is no word yet on which version of Presley will grace the stage in Las Vegas, but one would imagine it would be an early 1970s Elvis. Though the process of creating the hologram involves creating a hyper-realistic animation of the star, the highest quality film of ELVIS stage comes from 1970’s Elvis: That’s The Way It Is and 1972’s Elvis: On Tour, documentaries that were shot on 35mm and 16mm high resolution film. |
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By comparison, Presley’s 1968 television special Elvis and Aloha From Hawaii were recorded on video tape. Thus, the video quality is far below what was captured by the 35mm and 16mm cameras during the 1970 and 1972 Elvis concert documentaries. The same goes for 1956 era Elvis.
No location has been announced for the Presley hologram performances, but the new Elvis Presley Theatre at the Westgate Hotel and Casino would seem like the most obvious location. EPE recently had a limited run Elvis impersonator show in the theatre which starred Martin Fontaine.
(News, Source;Inquisitir/ElvisInfoNet) |
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ASK Marty: Today Marty Lacker answers your questions about....
-Did Parker want dancing girls with Elvis on stage during his Vegas act in 1969.
- Was any of the upstairs 'This Is Elvis' footage actually shot at Graceland
- Elvis and his crash diets
- Why did no one photo or tape Elvis and The Beatles
- Do you think Elvis could ever have left his comfort zone and played leading roles in major dramatic movies like Lawrence of Arabia
- Did Elvis ever mention Australia to you
- Can everything after American studios be that bad, what about Nashville's “I really don´t want to know”
Go here to 'ASK MARTY' for his answers plus how to send in your questions.
(Ask Marty, Source;ML/ElvisInfoNet)
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'Officer Elvis' New Fiction book: In the vein of Harlan Coben and Lisa Gardner, author Gary Gusick takes readers on an explosive ride - along with Mississippi detective Darla Cavannah, a Yankee transplant making her name in the Deep South.
After performing at a local old-folks home, off-duty police officer and part-time Elvis impersonator Tommy Reylander smoothes out his pompadour, climbs into his pink Caddy, and gets all shook up - fatally so, when a bomb explodes. Whether he was killed for his police work or bad singing is a mystery that detective Darla Cavannah is determined to solve.
She soon embarks on a roller coaster ride through the world of Elvis tribute artists while tracking down one of the most bizarre serial killers in the history of the Magnolia State.
Reviews include, "With its comical Down South style and its wide variety of sequined, pompadoured characters, Officer Elvis is an intriguing mystery with more than its share of quirks. Even if you’re not a fan of the King, you’re sure to get plenty of laughs out of this rockin’ and rollin’ whodunit.”
Get it here on Kindle
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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New "Elvis At 80" USA magazine series: In the US there is a series of Elvis magazines celebrating "Elvis At 80" from Topix publishers.
The first volume 'In His Own Words' was published back in May, while Issue 2 'On The Road' has just hit the US newsstands.
They focus on Elvis in the fifties.
100 pages each, nicely printed but mostly photos you will have seen before.
Only $10 each.
Check out your local Walmart or larger news agencies.
Issue 3 - the '80 Year Scrapbook' should be out in September
(News, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet)
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'The Man From Memphis' New Import CD: Coming soon is the 6th and last volume of Straight Arrow's "From The Rick Rennie Mastertapes“ series - a double-digipak CD release, called "The Man From Memphis", featuring the Lake Tahoe May 13th 3am 1973 and Portland, November 26th, 1976 shows.
Technically, Lake Tahoe show is one of Rick's finest recordings. Yes we are aware that FTD label released a soundboard of this highly unusual concert back in 2003, but we feel that this tape is very much listenable and definitely more atmospheric, compared with rather sterile soundboard that they put out. Additionally, Rick's recording captured moments from this show that are not on the soundboard, including the reprise of the 2001 Theme and the second Closing vamp.
The Portland '76 show was the last one captured by Rick. A lot had happened in the three years between the shows on this release, but the Portland concert is actually a pretty decent one for the time. Elvis had lost some weight since the previous tour, he was in good voice.
Beautifully designed double-digipak edition limited to 500 copies
Go HERE to 'All The 2015 CD News' for all the tracklists and details
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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'Elvis In Fine Form' New Import CD: Out soon is the new CD from the E.P. Collector label 'In Fine Form' from Las Vegas, NV, February 9th, 1973 Midnight show.
It's not often that a totally "unknown" concert recording turns up, so we are rather pleased to be able to release this unreleased audience-recorded tape for collectors worldwide. And a rather nice one it is too, with EP in fine form and presenting a more solid and vocally satisfying show than at some of the other shows from this engagement. This tape, recorded during the February 9th, 1973 midnight show, it's very good-sounding recording, and Elvis' strong, no-nonsense delivery that night makes this release a worthwhile addition to your collection!
The CD is packaged in a nicely designed digipak with some less-known, cool images taken on January 14, 1973, in Hawaii.
EIN notes that this is a never before heard show (even as a CDR) - but as an audience recording we have yet to check the quality.
Go HERE to 'All The 2015 CD News' for all the tracklists and details
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Jon Abbott, author of The Elvis Films and acclaimed author on pop culture talks to EIN: Noted pop culture author Jon Abbott recently took time out of his busy schedule to discuss Elvis' film career and Jon's passion, pop culture TV and film with EIN's Nigel Patterson.
Jon's fascinating interview is one in two parts. In the first part Jon discusses the Elvis film canon and in the second part he takes us on a rollercoaster ride back to a time many readers will fondly remember, the swinging 60s' and 70's when pop culture ruled, particularly in television and film.
Along the way Jon reveals a multitude of things about Elvis' films and offers often strong commentary and keen insight on a range of subjects including:
- how the Colonel protected Elvis
- why Elvis' film career worked
- could Elvis' film career have been better?
- will Elvis' film canon simply be an artefact of 20th century teen culture or can it survive as an area of interest for future generations?
- why co-starring with Barbra Streisand in A Star Is Born would have been a bad idea
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- Mae West considered for Roustabout
- the special type of film director needed to direct Elvis
- why pop culture resonates with us
- marketing and the re-evaluation of pop culture hits
- the role of guns on TV and film
- the use of CGI in film
- the vagaries of what becomes a pop culture hit
- the good and bad of comic book super heroes on film
- classic TV shows including The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Avengers, The Prisoner, Danger Man, Lost In Space, Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea, Time Tunnel, My Favorite Martian, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies
- Stephen J. Cannell, the man behind TV hits such as The Rockford Files, Adam-12, The A-Team, Hunter, and Hardcastle and McCormick
- his latest book releases Cool TV of the 1960s: Three Shows That Changed The World and Strange New World: Sex Films of the 1970s
With a healthy serving of thought provoking Elvis and dollops of juicy pop culture this is a flavorsome interview which will satisfy the tastes of many fans and stimulate one's thought processes. (Interview, Source: EIN)
Read EIN's full interview with Jon Abbott
Torchbearer - Larry Geller talks about Elvis' view on who invented rock 'n' roll: Elvis' close friend and spiritual confidante, Larry Geller
wrote the following article about a discussion Elvis and he had about the of rock and roll. EIN thanks author Bruno Tillander (The world knows Elvis Presley- but they don't know me) for providing Larry's article for EIN to publish:
It was sometime during our hiatus in June of 1965, at Graceland. The Memphis days were long and humid. In a few weeks we’d be off to Hawaii to make another movie, “Paradise Hawaiian Style.”
Graceland from the beginning had been Elvis’ center of gravity. His refuge and sanctuary, the quintessential oasis in the midst of his fishbowl life. He thrived on being there.
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On most lazy, skyblue afternoons our pattern was for the two of us to retreat upstairs where I would take care of Elvis’ hair. The ideal setting to relax and talk before our midnight run to the Memphian Theater with everyone to watch movies til the wee hours of the morning. Our days were filled with laughter, excitement and exuberance. Life was radically amazing - could anything be any better than this? Elvis was always Elvis. A man of many sides and endless depth, always radiating a magnetic force, a soft smoldering sulkiness, raw, vulnerable - a troublemaker.
One afternoon Elvis decided to stop by the office outside in the back of Graceland to visit for a few minutes and say hello. When we left he grabbed a stack of the fan mail that poured in every day, just before we headed upstairs to his special dressing room down the hall from his bedroom.
I began brushing Elvis’ hair as he read a few letters. As he was reading one particular note from a fan, he shook his head from side to side, “No, this girl has it all wrong.” A self-deprecating look stole across his face. “I’ve heard all this before, but I wasn’t the one who invented Rock ‘n Roll. No way, no way!”
“Larry,” Elvis began passionately, “let me tell you the real truth that most people have no idea about; how the whole thing really happened.”
Elvis was silent for a moment, as his mind wandered back over the years. He stared into the distance and beganto point with his index finger, indicating the stretch of time.
“It all began not too far from where we are right now, in the heart of the deep ol’ South. Man, back in those days the poor ol’ colored slaves were forced to work their asses off. They had to, or they’d be whipped, tortured or even killed by the sons of bitches in charge. Those slaves really knew what pain and suffering was, more than most people can ever imagine. From the time the sun came up til it went down, they worked in the fields picking cotton, or whatever else they had to do. It broke their damn backs and bodies, bending down and working all day long in the hot blistering sun. But it didn’t break their spirit.”
I was soaking in every word Elvis spoke, his entire body reflecting the deep, overwhelming emotions he was experiencing. His focus momentarily fell to the ground - then his eyes carefully looked into mine.
“And do you know how they survived, Larry, how they got through it?
They sang. It was their music and their faith, that’s how. Slavin’ their lives away they did what came natural to them, they sang. They sang their hearts out, from deep down in their very souls. All day long working in the fields they would all sing out together, makin’ up the words as they went along. And some of those songs from back then are still with us today.
What blows me away is that during all that, they never lost their faith in God. Their faith was something else, and that’s what got them through it all. Man, a lesson for all of us, that’s for sure. What a message! They brought their music right into their churches, and then white people started copying what they did. As time went by their music spread outside the churches to become honky-tonk and ragtime in places like New Orleans, and Beale Street right here in Memphis. Later it became the birth of the blues in St. Louis, Chicago and New York; then it eventually evolved down to our times in the form of rhythm and blues.”
I pretended not to notice as Elvis brushed his hand across his eyes.
“Look, real truth is that I wasn’t the one who invented Rock ‘n Roll. I was just lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time. All I did was to introduce their music to a white audience. And right there is why I love this country so much. I mean, no matter who you are, or where you came from, or even if all the odds are all against you to making it, you can dream the impossible dream and get the chance to achieve it. That’s what America is all about. Believe me, I know; I’m so damn grateful - because I’m living that dream.” (Article by Larry Geller, courtesy of Bruno Tillander)
The world knows Elvis Presley- but they don't know me: Bruno Tillander has advised EIN that a 'revised' second printing of his unique approach to the Elvis story is in development. The book was recently released in Germany (EIN expects it should cause an interesting reaction from German readers given its coverage and photos of Elvis' collection of Nazi uniforms and guns). A Swedish edition is also planned. (News, Source: EIN) |
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Rock’n’roll America review – the gospel truth about a music revolution - Lucy Mangan reviews BBC4's 3-part documentary Rock 'n' Roll America: It wasn’t that long ago that Elvis Presley was denounced as the devil’s disciple. The way the first rockers tell it, though, it was more about impressing girls…
You kinda assume that they’ve just been printing the legend since the day he died. But watch the footage of radio presenters smashing records on their turntables and promising not to play any more of the devil’s music, or of severe women in severer hats saying things like “I watched him gyrate his legs and swivel his hips and our parent-teachers’ group feels he should not be on TV” and you goggle and you boggle and you realise that there was a time, there genuinely was a time when Elvis Presley was the greatest, filthiest threat to innocence, to society that there had ever been.
Almost more implausible, when you watch the likes of BBC4’s three-part documentary Rock’n’Roll America, is the fact that it happened well within living memory. There’s his drummer and his guitarist. There’s Wanda Jackson, who toured with Presley early in her career. Still hale, hearty and full of stories about the turbocharged years of undreamed-of fame, courtesy of that lividly beautiful, hip-swivelling man channelling Memphis gospel music and turning everything he sang into gold.
Pat Boone … reworking Fats Domino. Photograph: Everett/Rex Shutterstock
Pat Boone (who must have some terrible be-cardiganned portrait in the attic because he looks 40) gave us his account of reworking Fats Domino’s Ain’t That a Shame. He was majoring in English at Columbia and changed it to Isn’t That a Shame. His producer persuaded him to change it back. The radio stations began playing the original as a novelty item. The teenagers bought it in droves.
Jerry Lee Lewis – perhaps slightly less hale, but still almost dangerously hearty – gave us his account of setting fire to Chuck Berry’s piano on stage when they were touring together. The former bible-college boy once asked Elvis if he thought they’d go to hell for inventing rock’n’roll. “Jerry Lee, don’t you ever say that to me again,” came the reply.
Don Everly and a couple of Buddy Holly’s Crickets contributed too. Tales of demos being made and released straight off as number one singles, of eternal classics springing forth at late-night bars or out of John Wayne quotes between friends, of last-minute title changes to impress girlfriends named Peggy Sue came thick and fast. Who’s to say it isn’t all as simple and as true as that? Maybe the legends are only a B-side. (Review by Lucy Mangan, The Guardian.com)
History Lesson - America crowns Elvis Presley as "The King":
"Before Elvis, there was nothing." — John Lennon
Having declared independence from an English king on July 4, 1776, it might seem surprising that America subsequently crowned its own king on July 5.
Surprising, except that 178 years separated the two events, and the throne room was a recording studio instead of a cathedral. On July 5, 1954, "The King," Elvis Presley, made his first commercial recording, the blues song "That's All Right," in Sam Phillips' Memphis studio. After the record was cut, Phillips sent it to a disc jockey friend, who played it on the air.
The radio station's switchboard lit up immediately, and the reaction was so enthusiastic that the DJ played just that one song the remainder of his show. "That's All Right," with the song "Blue Moon of Kentucky" on the B-side, became Elvis' first commercial record and a huge hit. Thus began the cultural phenomenon that would forever change America.
Its unlikely instigator was a shy geek that the football players at his high school enjoyed pushing around. Elvis Aron Presley turned to music because it was the one thing he was good at, and although he couldn't read music, he had an uncanny ability to assimilate almost any musical style into his own. |
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That talent would serve him well in 1954, because what a large segment of America's listening public was looking for (although no one knew it at the time), was a white singer who could sing black. Unlike white artists of the 1950s, who were singing syrupy ballads and patriotic anthems, black musicians were recording songs with a strong beat that almost compelled listeners to dance. Unfortunately, the era's racial prejudices confined these artists to one-room "clubs" in the black sections of towns and confined their records to all-black radio stations with weak broadcast signals.
But with strong audiences that included many white teenagers, Elvis among them, and his interpretive gifts, musical talents, good looks and (the game-changer) white skin propelled him to stardom and made rock 'n' roll an American institution. Approximately 80 of Presley's records sold at least a million copies, a feat that has never come close to being equaled and probably never will.
Wealth and fame, of course, did not guarantee happiness, and in his adult life he suffered a broken marriage, dangerous weight gain, a fade to obscurity (interrupted briefly by a brilliant comeback) and a drug addiction that contributed to the overdose that killed him on Aug. 16, 1977.
Or so they say. But thanks to countless "Elvis sightings" and their own fanatical devotion to him, millions of fans (kind of, sort of) don't believe the King is dead. So long live the King. (Article, Source: Bruce Kaufmann on Twitter: bruce@historylessons.net @brucekauffmann on Twitter and ldnews.com)
Pitching Elvis to WalMart: Pair up with the right American icon and you could score a coveted deal to sell your goods at Wal-Mart. For entrepreneurs David Bursteen and Ines Brigman, it was Elvis Presley. The duo was invited to Wal-Mart's headquarters last March to pitch their Elvis Presley bedding collection. If things went well, it would be their second successful encounter with the retail giant.
L.A.-based Legends Home Bedding was one of two winners of Wal-Mart's "Get on the Shelf" contest in 2013, which searched for hot new products to sell on WalMart.com. But the win didn't actually get the bedding on the shelves in Wal-Mart's 4,000-plus U.S. stores.
"It didn't matter that our collection was already selling on Walmart.com," said Bursteen,adding that they'd sold "in the low thousands" of sets online in the last two years. To get picked up for Wal-Mart stores, we had to start our pitch from scratch. It's probably easier getting into Harvard than getting your product into Wal-Mart."
In Bentonville, Bursteen and Brigman had 45 minutes to pitch to eight Wal-Mart buyers.
"We tailored our presentation to why the collection made sense for Wal-Mart stores," said Bursteen.
An hour-and-a-half later, they got a deal to sell the collection in 200 Wal-Mart stores during the 2015 holiday shopping season.
He and Brigman decided to create an Elvis bedding collection, "in Wal-Mart blue," exclusively for the retailer, priced at $73.
"If we sell through at least 85% of the product during that time, we'll be in a good position to get into all of Wal-Mart stores," said Bursteen.
Bursteen said it took his small startup about a year to find a new manufacturer to ramp up production to handle the volume that Wal-Mart requires -- instead of a few thousand sets, they'll need hundreds of thousands.
"We have a bigger warehouse and five full-time employees now," he said. "Wal-Mart buyers told us who they'd like to see next in our collection," said Bursteen. "Marilyn Monroe." (News, Source: CNN Money)
Available from Amazon USA and Amazon UK:
Friday 10 July 2015 - - - 2nd News Update - - - |
Songwriter Roy C. Bennett Dies aged 97: The composer Roy C. Bennett, who with Sid Tepper, wrote 43 songs for Elvis as well as an extraordinarily wide range of artists including Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra died July 2 in Queens, New York. He was 97.
The duo wrote 43 songs for Elvis mainly for his movie sountracks, including most of the songs in the film “Blue Hawaii”. Their best tracks included 'Puppet On A String', 'Hawaiian Sunset', 'GI Blues', 'Am I Ready', 'Shoppin' Around', 'New Orleans' and 'Relax' but they also wrote some true stinkers such as 'Confidence', 'Petunia' and 'Ito Eats'.
In 2002, Bennett and Tepper were honored in Memphis for their part in Presley’s career.
Many of the songs they penned – most notably, “Red Roses for a Blue Lady” – are what the industry calls “evergreens.”
Bennett began his career writing songs at the age of 11 — with Tepper, who was to become his decades-long partner. Tepper died in April at the age of 96.
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In his autobiography Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones fame makes note of one of their songs (“Travelin’ Light,” recorded by both Cliff Richard and Herman’s Hermits). It was among the records that influenced Richards early on and was an important part of what he and others referred to as “the Awakening – the birth of rock and roll on U.K. shores.”
In addition to Armstrong, Ellington, Charles, Sinatra, the Beatles and Presley, Tepper and Bennett also wrote songs for Carl Perkins, Jeff Beck, Herman’s Hermits, the Dave Clark Five, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Ray Charles, Cliff Richard, Eddie Arnold, Marty Robbins, Slim Whitman, Bert Kaempfert, Wayne Newton, Robert Goulet, Dean Martin, Dinah Shore, Nancy Wilson, Connie Francis, Sarah Vaughn, Guy Lombardo, Eartha Kitt, the Ink Spots, Louis Prima, Arthur Godfrey, Tommy Dorsey and Lawrence Welk.
Among the songwriters’ hits were “The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane,” “Kiss of Fire,” “Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart,” “Kewpie Doll,” “Stairway of Love,” “Nuttin’ for Christmas,” “The Woodchuck Song,” “Glad All Over,” and "Don’t Come Running Back to Me.”
Bennett was born Israel Brodsky – known as Izzy — to a poor family in Brooklyn. He was a quiet boy, but his singing ability was evident at an early age, and early on, he was torn between his two major talents, singing and |
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writing. His vocation was songwriting, but his avocation, to which he was passionately dedicated for decades, was choral singing.
He went to City College in New York but returned in his mid 40s to graduate, making that final push because he thought it was important to set an example for his children.
They won a BMI Award for 1 million plays of “Kiss of Fire”and a Country Music Award for Eddie Arnold’s rendition of “Red Roses for a Blue Lady.”
His creativity did not diminish in his old age. Not that long ago, he finished a new composition – a love song entitled “Cuando” (or “When”), put to the melody of “La Paloma.”
In interviews Roy Bennett would justify their sometimes corny movie songs noting that, "Our movie ballads for Elvis were some of the best songs we ever wrote including 'Hawaiian Sunset', 'All That I Am' and 'Beginner's Luck'. We also deliberately tried to inject humour into Elvis' sillier movie songs such as 'The Bullfighter Was a Lady', 'The Lady Loves Me', 'Beach Boy Blues' and others."
Bennett considered giving up a percentage of their composer royalties to Parker and Elvis was totally unfair - but he considered it Parker's idea not Elvis'. - RIP Roy C Bennett
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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D.J. Fontana To Be Honored This Weekend: D.J. Fontana, a Shreveporter and one of the rock world’s legendary drummers, will be honored in Nashville this weekend.
Fontana, who was Elvis' drummer during the singer’s pioneer years, will be honored Saturday with the Church’s Chicken Legends Series Award.
Fontana will be one of three top drummers honored at the Music City Center during the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) / World’s Fastest Drummer World Finals. Those drummers are W.S. Holland, who played with Johnny Cash, and Richie Albright, who worked with Waylon Jennings.
Born Dominic Joseph Fontana on March 15, 1931, he performed with Presley 14 years, after being hired to provide percussion for the then-unknown Mississippi singer in late 1954, though some sources also say he was brought on board in 1955. Fontana had been an in-house drummer with the Louisiana Hayride, the popular radio show in the Municipal Auditorium sponsored by radio station KWKH and its owner at the time, The Times.
Fontana performed on almost 500 RCA recordings for Elvis during that time and became one of the nation’s most recognized drummers. Songs on which he performed include “Jailhouse Rock", "Heartbreak Hotel,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Me Tender,” “All Shook Up,” “Little Sister,”
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“Return To Sender,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and “Viva Las Vegas”.
The last time he performed with Elvis was on the career-changing 1968 NBC television special that served as Presley’s comeback vehicle after the hiatus of the "Movie Years".
Fontana noted, “I learned the value of simplicity at the Hayride. I heard Scotty (Moore) and Bill (Black) and Elvis one night and knew that I couldn’t mess up that sound. That’s why I always play what I feel. If that won’t work, I just won’t do it again. I think the simple approach comes from my hearing so much big band music. I mixed it with rockabilly.”
Fontana was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 2009 and also entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the sideman category, an honor shared by another local music legend associated with Presley and a host of other performers, guitarist James Burton. - Go HERE to EIN's spotlight on DJ Fontana
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
Elvis' Quiff the most iconic hairdo in pop history: In 2015, once again, Elvis Presley’s signature black quiff has been named as the most iconic hairdo in pop history.
The King - whose natural hair colour was actually sandy blonde - beat a string of music legends to claim the "top of the mops" title.
Elvis was styled in the mid-sixties by Larry Geller who quit his salon in Hollywood to become a full-time barber for the rock ‘n’ roll idol. In an interview Geller once revealed the secret to Elvis’ glossy locks - a mixture of base shampoo, vitamin capsules, aloe vera and herbs were all used to style the singer’s world famous hair.
Amy Winehouse’s dramatic beehive came second in the 2015 poll of 1,500 music fans. The tragic soul singer, who died in 2011 at the tender age of 27, was instantly recognisable thanks to her sky-scraping hive.
Other stars to make the grade include reggae legend Bob Marley, who was third, David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust phase came fourth – and Lady Gaga was fifth.
The Prodigy’s Keith Flint, the late Michael Jackson and Blondie’s Debbie Harry also made the top ten, as did Tina Turner and Cher.
The 1980s – widely regarded as the decade of fashion disasters – were hailed as the best for pop hairdos.
The research also named and shamed Justin Beiber as having one of the worst pop haircuts ever to be seen in public.
The poll was conducted by Thorpe Park Resort to celebrate the launch of their new pop music event, ISLAND BEATS. A spokesperson said:
"Anyone who has lost that loving feeling with their locks, visit our Headmasters stand for a little less conversation and some hair-action, please." The study also acknowledged styles such as Dolly Parton’s tumbling curls and Eminem’s blond crew cut.
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Among the hall of shame was Sinead O’Connor, who was among the first female stars to ever shave off all her hair. Cyndi Lauper’s red and orange mop, Ed Sheeran’s frizzy style and Michael Bolton’s 1970s-style footballer’s curls also got a firm thumbs down.
The Bee Gees, Miley Cyrus and Meatloaf also made the list of worst haircuts.
The poll also revealed more than one in ten women have tried to copy Amy Winehouse’s beehive, while around one in ten men have worn either Elvis’s quiff, or Liam Gallagher’s ‘Manc mop’.
TOP OF THE MOPS
1. Elvis Presley (Quiff)
2. Amy Winehouse (Beehive)
3. Bob Marley (dreadlocks)
4. David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust)
5. Lady Gaga (Hair Bow style)
6. Keith Flint (Green Spikes)
7. Michael Jackson (90s Curl)
8. Debbie Harry (70s Blonde Bombshell)
9. Tina Turner (Shaggy Mane)
10. Cher (80s Perm),
12. Slash (Frizzy Mop),
13. Boy George (Karma Chameleon),
14. Dolly Parton (Big and Blonde)
(News, Source;UK/ElvisInfoNet) |
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Lady Gaga Wears Elvis: The Queen and the King - She's known for her outrageous sense of style when it comes to performing on stage, daring to go where others have not in the couture fashion stakes.
But Lady Gaga ditched the high-stakes ensembles for a more relaxed look on Saturday, as she flew into Nice airport ahead of her performance at the Monte Carlo Jazz Festival.
The 29-year-old pop superstar, who kicked-off a tour of European festivals with her appearance in Monaco, went for a low-key look that was not only comfy to travel in, but also paid homage to 'the King' himself, Elvis Presley.
However, Mother Monster managed to keep her rock 'n' roll credentials by donning a pair of round-framed sunglasses that hid any hint of tired eyes - whether from touring or travelling - behind their dark lenses.
And - as if to affirm that the Queen of Pop still has idols herself - Gaga picked a tee with the King of the charts, ELVIS in Jailhouse Rock, stamped across its front.
The 29-year-old singer dressed-down for her travels, donning a pair of torn denim jeans and a white tee, while she wrapped an ivory patterned scarf around herself to keep the chills at bay.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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Four New Camden-Type Bootlegs: Not from any named lable the publicity notes,, "Memories .. Pressed between the pages of my mind..." Out now on silver pressed CD (not CDR!) in beautiful sealed cardsleeves, a great collection of classic Camden / RCA albums.
From 1968 to 1975, RCA Camden issued a series of compilation albums. This output primarily consisted of repackagings of Presley's 1960s-era movie soundtrack recordings.
These albums were very succesful, due to the low budget price and the great gatefold album sleeves.
For many (young) fans these albums were their introduction to the music of Elvis Presley. Although these albums did not always contained the very best of Elvis’ recordings,
the Camden albums taught many customers one valuable lesson: you may find gold, when you least expect it!
"The Elvis Presley Collection’’ contained 3 volumes. These albums are among the best known Camden releases.
And finally, if only for nostalgic reasons, they are released on shiny silver CD.
Looking like miniature vinyl albums, these releases will bring back many of the happy memories from the good ol’ days.
They come sealed and include some special bonus tracks. More for you money !!
Note - Available as a Limited Edition of 400 copies!
(EIN notes that as there is nothing new here, can 400 fans really need these?)
The Elvis Presley Collection Vol.1 (1-Cd Digipack)
includes BONUS:
21. Swing Down Sweet Chariot ( 1968 overdubbed master )
22. You Don’t Know Me ( movie version )
23. Guitar man ( re-recording )
24. Sing You Children ( take 18 – 19 )
25. Who Am I ? ( undubbed master )
26. We Call On Him ( take 3 )
27. How Would You Like To Be ( movie version )
The Elvis Presley Collection Vol.2 (1-Cd Digipack)
includes BONUS:
23. Separate Ways ( Take 25 )
24. Always On My Mind ( Unedited Overdub Master )
25. I Met Her Today ( Take 6 )
26. C’mon Everybody ( Movie Version Takes 6 – 7 )
27. Long Legged Girl ( Alternate Master )
28. A Little Less Conversation ( Take 10 )
The Elvis Presley Collection Vol.3 (1-Cd Digipack)
1. What Every Woman Lives For
2. Please Don't Stop Loving Me
3. Change Of Habit
4. Come Along
5. Shout It Out
6. Beginner's Luck
7. Clean Up Your Own Back Yard
8. Rubberneckin'...
etc
Elvis Blue (1-Cd Digipack)
"Elvis Blue’’ was a 1983 19-track LP, with a beautiful painted Elvis portrait on the front sleeve. As the title suggests all tracks on this album had the word ‘Blue’ in it.
It was released on the Australian Starcall label. The album was a great success, but it was never released on silver pressed CD.
Until now !
Housed in sealed cardsleeve, this is a stunning miniature vinyl-look CD release, that also includes some special bonus tracks !
Tracklist 1. Blue Moon,
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky,
3. Milkcow Blues Boogie,
4. Blue Suede Shoes,
5. When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again,
6. Mean Woman Blues,
7. Blueberry Hill,
8. Blue Christmas,
9. A Mess Of Blues,
10. GI Blues ,
11. Blue Hawaii,
12. Beach Boy Blues,
13. Something Blue,
14. Blue River,
15. Indescribably Blue,
16. Steamroller Blues,
17. Goodtime Charlie's Got The Blues,
18. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain,
19. Moody Blue, + BONUS:
20. Blue Suede Shoes ( 1960 movie version),
21. Blue Hawaii ( 1973 – take 2),
22. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues ( unedited string overdub master ),
23. Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain (take 2),
24. Moody Blue (take 3),
25. (Blue) Spanish Eyes
Go HERE to 'All The 2015 CD News' for all the tracklists and details
(News, Source;Email/ElvisInfoNet)
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Elvis Tour Promoter Jerry Weintraub Dead Aged 77: Elvis' tour promoter and Hollywood mega-producer Jerry Weintraub, died Monday of heart failure in Santa Barbara, Calif. He was 77.
Weintraub who got the Ocean's Eleven franchise to the big screen had been in poor health recently. His recent project was executive-producer on the the war-and-politics satire The Brink, for HBO. He was a three-time Emmy winner, his most recent two coming in 2013 for the Liberace biopic 'Behind the Candelabra'.
It was Weintraub who booked Elvis into Madison Square Gardens in 1972. (Weintraub far left in Photo)
He noted, "When I was 26, I started with $500, and $500 was a stretch at the time. I had Elvis and we started a tour in Miami Beach and we
ended in San Diego. When I got to San Diego, I walked into the venue and my accountants came over and said: ‘Do you know how much money you’ve made on this tour?’ I |
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said, ‘No, I have no idea, I just know we’ve been sold out of all the sessions we’re doing and everything’s great.’ And they said, ‘Well, you have $3-million in the bank.’ I said, ‘I have what? ... That’s not possible.’
I remember pulling back the curtain from backstage and I looked at all the people in the arena, 20,000 people, and it hit me. I said to myself, ‘My God, my life is never going to be the same. It’s changed. I got it. I did it.’ ................ (Right with George Clooney and Matt Damon)
Elvis was a total original. I grew up on his music and I loved him and it was like a bolt from heaven and I knew my life would never be the same. It was that moment, it was that defining moment. In most successful peoples lives, there is a moment that just happens and I knew it was gonna be like that.
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In 1972 I booked Elvis in New York. It was 4 shows - four shows, that's 80,000 people for a music star. They came and slept outside Madison Square Garden for two weeks to get tickets. They slept. They brought beds. They brought cots. They brought bed roles. It was amazing. And that had never been done before. Nobody had done it - but I did it with Elvis."
The New York-born exec got his start as a music manager and promoter, at one time working for John Denver and promoting concerts for the likes of Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond and Led Zeppelin.
In 2007, he had his hand and footprints immortalized in cement at what is now Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre alongside Ocean's Eleven stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.
In Marty Lacker's opinion he should have taken over as Elvis' manager.
"Unfortunately Elvis because of not really knowing about the business side of entertainment didn't confront Col Parker. In truth there were a number of other honest, good people out there who would have been a better manager and thought of Elvis' well being more. Jerry Weintraub the guy who ran Elvis' tours in the 70's was one of them." -- Marty
At Elvis' funeral it was also Jerry Weintraub who broke up a ridiculous and disrespectful debate between Vernon and Col Parker.
He noted that at Elvis' funeral both his father Vernon, and manager Col. Tom Parker, were arguing about whether it was appropriate to sell Elvis-themed mementos to mourners in the street.
Weintraub relates, "I got between them and said something like, 'What's wrong with you guys? The body's in the next room. We're about to leave for the funeral. Have some respect.'
"What a bizarre moment, the entire world gathered around the house in tears, and in a room in the house, the old man and the Colonel arguing about T-shirts."
Jerry Weintraub RIP
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
Alabama Collector Finds Rare Elvis recording: After years of collecting and selling vintage clothing Lori Watts at an estate sale in Tuscaloosa late last year she found a Unique Elvis Acetate. On the front was written "Elvis Presley — to Shelia Smith, Sept. 26, 1956, Tupelo, Miss."
"When he first handed me the record, I got chills. I knew immediately it was something special."
It turns out that the record is Take 28 of "Don't Be Cruel," recorded by Elvis Presley in New York City on July 2, 1956.
(EIN Notes - This is unfortunately the single MASTER take of "Don't Be Cruel")
Elvis, 21 at the time, had made his first national television appearances that year after releasing "Heartbreak Hotel." At the July recording session at RCA in New York Elvis recorded "Don't Be Cruel" with "Hound Dog" on the B side. Watts took the record to Graceland in Memphis, where it was authenticated and will be featured in the August Auction.
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"The presented original acetate recording of Elvis' 1956 hit 'Don't Be Cruel' is certainly as significant as artifacts of this nature come," the auction catalog reads. "It represents a key moment in Elvis' development as an artist in control of his art form."
Watts first listened to the record, which begins with Elvis saying "Shelia, I'm going to play this record for you." She then researched the date, and learned that it fell after the New York recording session and the day of the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show.
"That's the date of a very important show, a turning point in his career," she said. "He had left Tupelo as a kid, and was coming back as the king of rock 'n' roll."
While the record's origin was fairly easy to trace, the identity of Sheila was not. The record's estimated value is between $3,000 and $5,000. The auction will take place in the Graceland Archives Studio on Aug. 13.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
It is one of a handful of Elvis’s recordings that – like his cover of Dylan’s 'Tomorrow Is A Long Time' – suggests roads he sadly never got to take.
Yet it also intrigues me because of the possibility – and I put it no more strongly than that – that it inspired 'Imagine', the utopian anthem that became John Lennon’s signature song.
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Jack Carter, comedian dies aged 93: Jack Carter, a brash comic who starred with Elvis in 'Viva Las Vegas' and in TV shows such as Baywatch, Murder She Wrote and Family Guy, has died.
Comedian Jack Carter, who starred as himself in the Elvis Presley 1964 film Viva Las Vegas, died on 28 June at the age of 93.
Carter was known for his caustic comedy style and had a career on stage and television that lasted for more than 50 years.
He was born in New York on June 24 1922. He joined a stock company after high school and was drafted during World War Two, when he toured with an Irving Berlin show.
He learned his trade touring the nightclub circuit and starred in a series of television variety shows on ABC. In 1950, Pat Weaver, the NBC programmer who helped create the Today and Tonight shows began a series called Saturday Night Revue. The Jack Carter Show, broadcast from Chicago, filled the first hour, and the comedian opened it with a stand-up routine that poked fun at the day's news, a device that became a staple of |
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television. But the portion of the show featuring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca proved more popular and The Jack Carter Show was cancelled.
Carter remained a popular guest star in television – including on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Bob Hope Show – but never had his own network series again.
In later years he turned from stage and comedy to drama in dozens of episodic series including Dr. Kildare, Hawaii Five-O, Murder She Wrote, The Rockford Files, etc, Recent work included appearances on Desperate Housewives, Shameless and Parks and Recreation, and a cameo on New Girl and a voice part on Family Guy.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
'Suppose - Did It Inspire Imagine': Released only as a Bonus Song on Elvis' 1968 Speedway soundtrack LP, this quiet, chilling ballad, Suppose is worth a listen in its own right.
It is one of a handful of Elvis’s recordings that – like his cover of Dylan’s 'Tomorrow Is A Long Time' – suggests roads he sadly never got to take.
Yet it also intrigues me because of the possibility – and I put it no more strongly than that – that it inspired 'Imagine', the utopian anthem that became John Lennon’s signature song.
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Happy Independence Day: EIN wishes all our readers in the US Happy July 4th, Independence Day.
Elvis first introduced the celebratory song 'America The Beautiful' in his Las Vegas December 1975 season performing it regularly in for over a year.
Elvis sang 'America The Beautiful' nearly one hundred times in concert, compared to for instance his 1975 hit-single T.R.O.U.B.L.E. which he only performed 50 times.
"O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!"
.. Click HERE to listen to Elvis singing 'America The Beautiful' plus YouTube video.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Sam Smith Celebrates Voice Recovery with Elvis: Chart-topper Sam Smith has celebrated getting his singing voice back after his vocal cord surgery by posting a video of him crooning an ELVIS PRESLEY classic. The 'Stay With Me' hit-maker underwent an operation on his vocal cords in May after he developed a hemorrhage, forcing him to cancel a string of tour dates. The singer has laid low since the surgery, until he got up on stage for a mass sing and dance number with Nile Rodgers and Chic in London in June, and he has now proved his singing voice has returned. Smith posted a video on Instagram.com of him performing a soulful version of Presley's 1961 classic 'Can't Help Falling in Love' during what appeared to be a soundcheck for a concert. In the caption, he simply wrote, "I'm back". - Click here to mini YouTube clip.
Sam Smith is expected to return to the stage in July.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Latest Billboard Album Charts: The feeling of love continues for 'Heart And Soul'.
'Heart And Soul' rises from 22 to 21 on the Billboard Country Catalog Album
Chart for w/e 11th July,2015.
Elvis has no other entries on the Billboard Charts.
(News, Source;BrianQuinn/ElvisInfoNet) |
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USPS Announces New Elvis Stamp & Exclusive CD: The US Postal Service has confirmed the new Elvis Presley Commemorative Forever stamp today and joined with Sony Music’s RCA/Legacy Recordings in announcing the upcoming debut of an exclusive 'Greatest Hits' CD titled "ELVIS FOREVER". The CD includes 'If I Can Dream' "as you’ve never heard it before" taken from the new September 2015 CD Sony release with Elvis remixed along with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and other special guests.
The CD will be available online and in select US Post Offices from August 12 — on the same day as the Elvis Presley stamp dedication ceremony.
Priscilla Presley will join Postmaster General Megan Brennan in dedicating the stamp on the morning of Aug. 12 at Graceland in Memphis as part of this year’s Elvis Week celebration.
The exclusive CD features 17 of Elvis' greatest hits along with the newly remixed "If I Can Dream".
Launched in 2013, the Music Icons series consists of beloved musicians whose blend of sound and way of life broke musical boundaries. The first inductees were Lydia Mendoza, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.
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The Postal Service previously honoured Presley on a stamp in 1993. The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum calls that stamp the most popular U.S. commemorative stamp of all time.
This stamp features a 1955 black-and-white photograph of Presley taken by William Speer. In the bottom left corner, between the words "Forever" and "USA," is a small gold crown, a nod to Presley’s nickname, The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Presley’s signature, in gold ink, also is featured along the right side of the stamp.
The square stamp pane resembles a vintage 45 rpm record sleeve. One side of the pane includes 16 stamps while the image of a sliver of a record seems to peek out of the top of the sleeve.
An image of Presley performing was shot by photographer Alfred Wertheimer and the logo for the Music Icons series appear on the reverse side of the stamp pane.
Click here to US POST to preorder on-line.
The stamp is available in various forms including a first day issue letter.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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Glenn Danzig Recording Elvis Album: US Singer-songwriter Glenn Danzig has always worn his affinity for Elvis Presley like a badge. He covered the King's "Trouble"on his eponymous band's Thrall-Demonsweatlive EP in 1993. Most recently, he filmed a Danzig Legacy concert video that stylistically recalled Presley's '68 comeback special, playing in the round with guitarists from throughout his career and singing in front of his name lit up in red just like Elvis. Danzig is even in the midst of recording an LP of Elvis covers.
Danzig noted, "Elvis is actually kind of how I got into music. When I was a kid, I was cutting school pretending I was sick and I would lie at home watching old movies, and Jailhouse Rock came on with Elvis. I was like, 'I want to do this. This is great.' And that's how I veered to music."
He recalled how Elvis Presley influenced him and how,
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coincidentally, he went on to write songs for the King's onetime Sun Records label-mates Johnny Cash ("Thirteen") and Roy Orbison ("Life Fades Away"). Both of those opportunities proved to be special to Danzig.
But the thing that has connected all of his sessions is his desire to record new versions of Elvis songs for the upcoming Danzig Sings Elvis LP. "I'm stripping some of the stuff down to the bare bones, very old-school Fifties echoey slap-back vocals," he says. Every time I go back into the studio to work on a new Danzig record, if we have time, I'm like, 'Let's do another Elvis song.' So I keep adding and we'll see what ends up on the record." Some of the songs he has recorded, he says, include "Home Is Where the Heart Is" and the Faron Young–composed "Is It So Strange?"
It's a connection that has been a part of him for years. "We have been stopping by Graceland and Elvis' grave since my days in [goth-punk group] Samhain" Danzig says.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
'Giving You All I Got' New Import: The new release from the "SR" label 'Giving You All I Got' features an unreleased AUDIENCE recording from Las Vegas August 10, 1972 MS. This will be the second volume dedicated to the August 1972 Vegas season and it will see the light at the begin of September.
EIN Notes again that this performance has previously been released as a CDR. Super-collector Ciscoking confirms that the audio quality is "so-so throughout".
The publicity notes,, SR concentrates on early 70's live period of Elvis' activity, trying to produce unreleased shows with Elvis at the top of his possibilities. With the new release, we are proud to present the complete show from August 10th midnight show, a great show from one of the best Las Vegas season,... Elvis' love and joy in the singing is clear in this tape and we are glad to give you the opportunity to listen to it. After an incredible June tour with the four historical New York performances…Elvis is back in Las Vegas for the classic Summer Season…. The seventh season presents maybe for the last time Elvis at his best.
This AUDIENCE recording is excellent considering the early Vegas
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Season. The sound was restored in matter to remove the background noise and preserving Elvis’ voice and delivering it at the right speed.
Housed in a special large digipack 7" with inside a six page booklet & poster +bonus card each one sealed individually. This new CD will be accompanied with a bonus EP vinyl 33 rpm speed including four songs from the show.
Go HERE to 'All The CD News 2015' for tracklisting and more details.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
"Keeping The King Alive": Elvis Aron Presley the biggest star in the world, the greatest performer of all - and once again the biggest name in Las Vegas.
The scene of Elvis’ spine-tingling, explosive comeback in the late ‘60s has been restored and the woman closest to him, Priscilla Presley, has spoken about his incredible career.
Recently Australian Ch7 featured a long segment on ELVIS - and the new Las Vegas exhibition / show.
Unlike most tabloid stories, for once very little is made of his later unhealthy period.
The new Hilton show "impersonator" Martin Fontaine is featured but only briefly and then it is back to ELVIS.
... Elvis super-collector and ex "Yellow Wiggle" Greg Page was guest reporter and he spoke to Priscilla about how Elvis is being remembered with a museum of priceless memorabilia at The International Hotel, where he made his stage comeback.
Priscilla noted, "Elvis loved Vegas, it was the first place he went after a movie or after touring it was the first place we went to that he took me to."
Elvis' close friend Jerry Schilling revealed how the star freed
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himself from Hollywood after nearly 10 years to make his explosive return to music.
He made his comeback at The International Hotel in Vegas where he performed more than 800 shows to adoring crowds.
Presley occupied the 5,000-square-foot top-floor International suite named after him, where we conducted our interview with Priscilla.
Elvis became the first entertainer to actually make money in a Las Vegas showroom — his ticket sales at the International hit $2 million and his original contract had him taking home $100,000 a week.
Priscilla said behind the cool exterior, Elvis was nervous.
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Elvis’s shows not only broke records, but he became the hero to tens of thousands of impersonators.
Among the best of them is French-Canadian actor Martin Fontaine, who recently brought his show back to life at The International Hotel, which was set for demolition before being bought and restored.
Well worth a look... CLICK HERE to Sunday Night to view.
Segment 1 is 13 minutes
Segment 2 is 9 minutes.
(Apologies if it is geo-blocked in your region)
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
'A Touch Of Gold Lame', heading to the Printers!: Coming this summer from the Elvis Files Team 'A Touch Of Gold Lame'.
The new book from the Elvis Files Erik Lorentzen is now getting its final check. An in-depth look at Elvis in 1957, the production looks top-notch...
Edited by Gordon Minto, Designed by Neil Chris Middleton
416 Glossy pages with more than 600 photos.
"Boldly handsome with unruly dark hair, dressed in gold lame, sideburns and lull sensuous lips, ELVIS let loose on stage and the screaming began. Screams of delight from women for whom his wildly abandoned style of singing very honestly spelt out sex appeal. Screams from many adults who resented the big, brawny young man with fantastic rhythm and no inhibition. The outcry against the boy from Memphis was loud and furious. And he was called "vulgar, animalistic, a tomcat on a back fence". Many hoped he was just a phase that would pass. Elvis Presley wasn't passing though. Then critics tried to change his unique style and to tame the rocking singer. Despite tremendous pressure, Elvis wouldn't be changed either. And why should he? He saw nothing wrong in what he did. Elvis was not as sophisticated as his critics. On stage he worked with honest zest, with the full enjoyment he felt for everything in life. At the time when so few other people dared to be different, he was an Individual, a creator of a vivid, flamboyant style. For this he was ridiculed and feared."
Go HERE for info and how to order direct from ELVIS FILES
(News, Source;EL/ElvisInfoNet)
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UPDATED - 'Hard Knocks' Bootleg CD Review: How many times have keen collectors bought a new and exciting bootleg release to discover 3 months later that FTD will be releasing the same material?
After all, for the past decade everyone has been scraping the bottom of the Elvis barrel trying to beat each other to the almighty dollar.
Keen fans appear to be willing to buy almost anything “Previously Unreleased” on bootlegs only to find that the same material will then be released by FTD - and we buy it all over again!
So here is a new bootleg featuring only 5 new complete outtakes from Elvis' low mid-sixties period - and the majority of the material from the ghastly 'Easy Come, Easy Go'.
Can it really be worth buying?
EIN's Piers Beagley checks it out - and discovers some surprising delights along the way. - Now UPDATED with YOUR comments.
(CD Reviews, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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EPE Plans 3D Printed Elvis Clone: Authentic Brands Group (owner of brand Elvis) have combined with 3D creative group Staramba to help fans "Get closer to ELVIS than you've ever expected!"
The new partnership between Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and Staramba, a new company using photogrammetric 3D scanning for 3D printing merchandising, is bringing Elvis "back from the dead" with plans to use the latest scanning technology to create a "3D printed clone" of Elvis! This deal also allows for more figurines and merchandise related to many more global superstars represented by ABG, such as Marilyn Monroe and Muhammad Ali. They also plan to create 3D printed selfie figurines with your favourite celebrities: think, Me and Elvis, or Me and Marilyn Monroe and you’re on the right track.
Staramba suggests, "You always wanted to hold ELVIS in your arms?!? As close as no normal fan ever gets?! We say: Let's do it! Staramba allows you to get closer to your star than you've ever expected! We are producing the world's first photorealistic 3D printed figurines of you and your star – 100% uniquely configurated by you!"
EIN notes that there is however no suggestion that you could buy a life-size Elvis clone.
(News, Source;BrianQuinn/ElvisInfoNet)
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Marya Coburn and the Elvis Kiss: It was 1967 on the set of Elvis' new film 'Stay Away Joe' and the movie crew were poised and ready, and so is the young Filipina actress who is waiting nervously in an open convertible for her leading man to take his place. It was 3am in the Arizona desert of Sedona and night-time temperatures have dipped to below freezing. She’s wearing nothing but a midriff top and hipster jeans and is shaking. She could blame it on the cold, nerves, or both since the next scene involves a long and passionate kiss with her leading man, Elvis Presley.
Not quite sure how to play it due to inexperience, shyness and the unnerving feeling of being kissed in front of the camera and crew, she quickly reaches for something to help prepare her for the scene. What’s a girl to do? "I sprayed my mouth with Binaca,".
Marya, then 22, was playing the role of Billie-Jo Hump, a beautiful Native American girl who is Joe’s (Elvis Presley) love interest in the movie, "Stay Away Joe."
"When it was time to do the scene, Elvis took my hand and asked, ‘Are you ready?’ and I said, ‘Yes,’ so he kissed me, but I must have used too much mouth spray because he threw his head back and screamed out, "This girl swallowed some disinfectant!"
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We all laughed and started all over again. It took eight takes to get the shot right."
Whether it required eight takes to get that perfect shot or Elvis was teasing his young co-actress, when asked what it was like to work with him, Marya replied, "Elvis was the most courteous actor I have ever worked with. He would say, ‘Yes sir, yes ma’am’ and he was also very kind. He had fun on the set and was like a kid at times. He would play pranks on people, including me, and one time he hid firecrackers under my seat so when I sat down it went off. It was all in good fun."
Born in Iloilo Marya Coburn is the first and only Philippine-born actress who worked with legends such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, John Voight, Yul Brynner, Bob Fosse, to name a few. She is a singer, actress and dancer whose work includes appearances on mainstream American television shows, movies and Broadway musical productions.
Marya gave up her career in Hollywood when she moved back to New York and married a plastic surgeon.
"I’m slowly working my way out of retirement," she explains, "You know the saying, ‘Once in show business, always in show business!’"
(News, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet)
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News from earlier this week ... |
2015 Graceland Auction The Biggest!: The third auction of rare and authentic Elvis Presley artifacts and memorabilia will be held during Elvis Week 2015, featuring an impressive 174 lots, making it the largest and most comprehensive auction yet held on the grounds of Graceland. The Auction at Graceland will take place in the Graceland Archives Studio on Thursday, August 13, 2015, at 8:00p.m.
The most notable item up for auction is a light blue jumpsuit that Elvis wore in concert during 1973 and 1974. Though EPE will have staff members on hand to bid on the item, this will be a rare chance for a private fan to purchase an original Presley jumpsuit.
The first Auction At Graceland was held last summer, and EPE is hoping that this summer’s edition will be their most profitable yet.
Every item up for auction this year will come from private collectors, as no artifacts from the Graceland collection will be up for auction.
The auction will also be streamed live on the internet.
These are the major items EPE have listed
Elvis Presley Light Blue “Starburst” Jumpsuit worn during 1973 at the Las Vegas Hilton and other concerts
(Estimated $100,000-150,000)
Elvis Presley’s Personal Walther Model PPK/S 9mm Kurz Handgun
(Estimated $100,000–125,000)
Elvis Presley “Viva Las Vegas” Jacket worn in dance scene with Ann-Margret
(Estimated $30,000-50,000)
Million Dollar Quartet Signed Guitar with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis signatures
(Estimated $20,000-30,000)
“TCB” Necklace gifted to Sammy Davis Jr. by Elvis Presley
(Estimated $20,000-30,000)
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1956 Elvis Presley Double-Signed Transfer Agreement moving 15 Songs to Gladys Music
(Estimated $20,000-30,000)
Elvis Presley Owned and Worn Gold Owl-Shaped Ring (right) gifted to a fan from the stage
(Estimated $15,000-20,000)
1969 Elvis Presley Handwritten Signed Letter to Gary Pepper discussing the inaugural show at the International Hotel
(Estimated $10,000-15,000)
Elvis Presley Signed Shirt from his personal wardrobe provided as the Grand Prize in a 1973 Boy Scout raffle
(Estimated $8,000-12,000)
1968 Elvis Presley Film-Worn Jacket from “Live a Little, Love a Little”
(Estimated $7,000-10,000)
1971 Elvis Presley Signed Martial Arts Card with fingerprints
(Estimated $5,000-7,500)
Go HERE to EPE for more Auction info and to register.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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No "Music Room" upstairs at Graceland; Marty Lacker cleverly spotted a slight oddity in Ruth Cobb's Graceland memories that we published on Friday (see story below) where she noted that "her old upstairs bedroom had been turned into a music room".
Marty noted to EIN that, "I read that story about Ruth Cobb and her later visit to Graceland - and I don't know what room she saw upstairs but there was no "music room" up there.
She might be talking about Elvis' office that had an upright piano in it." - Marty.
EIN suspects that she was probably surprised only to see that her bedroom now had a piano in it!
(News, Source;MartyLacker/ElvisInfoNet) |
Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit honors Sam Phillips: More than a decade after his death, it appears that 2015 is going to be the year of Sam Phillips.
The Nashville Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum has announced a major exhibit focusing on the life and work of the Sun Records founder, producer and American music visionary. Titled “Flyin’ Saucers Rock & Roll: The Cosmic Genius of Sam Phillips,” it will open Aug. 28 and run through June 12, 2016.
It is co-curated by the Hall of Fame’s Michael Gray and author/historian Peter Guralnick. Guralnick’s long-anticipated biography, “Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock n’ Roll — How One Man Discovered Howlin’ Wolf, Ike Turner, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, and How His Tiny Label, Sun Records of Memphis, Revolutionized the World!,” will be published Nov. 10 by Little, Brown & Co.
“It’s really a fantastic time for Sam Phillips,” says his son, Jerry Phillips. “It’s hard to put into words what this means to our family. To be recognized this way by the people from the Country Music Hall of Fame … I know he would be thrilled to be honored with an exhibit of his own.”
As the Hall’s Gray explains: “This is not, for lack of a better term, just going to be an ‘Elvis exhibit.’ It’s not just Sun Records, either. It’s really going to tell Sam Phillips’ whole story. It’ll be an instructive look at who he was, his drive to succeed and his personal experiences. It’s really about Sam’s entire journey.” |
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“Sam is important on so many levels,” adds Gray. “With the blues and country and rock and roll and gospel he was recording, his influence can be felt across the history of music in America and throughout the world.”
The Phillips family have opened up their company and personal collections to curators.
“We’ve uncovered some things that would blow your mind,” says Jerry Phillips. “Letters between Sam and (Chess Records’) Leonard Chess talking about Howlin’ Wolf, things like that. The kind of correspondence where you can read and see history happening behind the scenes.”
Among the artifacts expected to be part of the collection in addition to such newly unearthed documents are some of the original equipment used at Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service, as well as rare acetates and family photos. “And we’re adding things from our own collection, and piecemeal from other museums and other collectors,” says Gray. The multimedia exhibit will include vintage video and audio clips.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
Grant Awarded To Renovate ‘Elvis’ Barracks: Chaffee Crossing secured a $37,000 grant to renovate Elvis first Army barracks for a larger museum dedicated to Fort Chaffee history.
The Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority’s historic district and museum director, Joseph Chasteen, said the multi-phase grant comes from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. It will be used for structural repairs, renovations, heating and air, electrical upgrades and handicap accessibility at Barracks No. 823, where Elvis was temporary stationed in March 1958 before being sent to Fort Hood for training. The two-story building will eventually house artifacts and displays from the nearby Museum of Chaffee History.
Barracks No. 823 is located adjacent to the current history museum and the Chaffee Barbershop Museum where Elvis received his first military haircut.
The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program grant was secured on the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority’s third attempt. FCRA officials were notified Tuesday.
Recently, the 20-acre historic district that includes 42 buildings was expanded on the National Register of Historic Places to include a Vietnam veterans’ museum, former military headquarters and a dozen more buildings and structures.
(News, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet) |
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Jerry Scheff "TCB" Sells At Auction for $13,500: The recent Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia auction in London featured several of TCB Bassist Jerry Scheff personal Elvis items including his precious "TCB" necklace which sold for £8,500 = US$13,400.
Scheff informed his facebook friends that "Bonhams auction house, a world wide auction house, is auctioning some pieces of my Elvis memorabilia, and three of my basses in their Entertainment Memorabilia auction.
Please do not ask me any personal questions about why I am selling these things, suffice it to say it is for a good cause."
The items were:
My solid gold TCB necklace.
Elvis presented these to band members and his entourage and I believe the necklace is from the first or second batch made.
Sold for £8,500 = US$13,400
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Solid gold Baume and Mercier watch with engraved back. "TO JERRY FROM SQUIRLLY EP"
Sold for £1,875 US$ 2,948
Solid gold ID bracelet engraved with, "TUFF SCHIFF"
The engraving refers to the surnames of Jerry and TCB Band drummer, Ron Tutt when Elvis would introduce the musicians: '...on drums we have Ronnie Tutt and on bass, Jerry Scheff. That's Tuff Schiff, any way you look at it...',
Sold for £1,000 US$ 1,572
Also for sale were his Elvis In Concert stadium tour jacket,
1966 Fender Precision bass guitar, and
Jerry Scheff TCB two-piece suits.
Go HERE To Bonhams for all the details
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Download the Elvis Week 2015 App: EPE have announced that the Elvis Week 2015 app is here!
Keep up with all of the latest news, get the official schedule, see all of the special guests and get exclusive offers with the free Elvis Week app.
The app also features maps, exclusive videos, a photo booth and a candle, in case you need one for the Candlelight Vigil. Allow push notifications to get the news the second it happens during Elvis Week, which is August 8-16. The app even tells you the Memphis weather.
Download the Elvis Week app for free from Google Play for Android phones or iTunes for iPhones. If you have last year's version of the app, all you'll need to do is update the app.
Go HERE to EPE to download the app.
(News, Source;EPE/ElvisInfoNet)
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More News and EIN exclusives from earlier in June ... |
'Elvis Today' Legacy 40th Anniv Vic Anesini ReMaster: The new SONY Legacy 40th anniversary version of "Elvis Today" as expected will feature the original 1975 album, plus undubbed session mixes of its ten tracks. It will be paired with the 'composite' concert pieced together from recordings made on tour in May and June 1975, first issued as part of the 1980 'Elvis Aron Presley' Silver box-set. Ernst Jorgensen confirmed today with EIN that the release is worldwide and the live concert CD is newly remastered by Vic Anesini. Anesini also remastered the main CD.
Go HERE To EIN's SONY 2015 CD News for the full tracklist
(see FTD 'Elvis Today' review here)
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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More on Marty Pasetta: Jefry Abraham was the person who interviewed Marty Pasetta in great detail for The Television Academy’s Archive Program. He also happens to be the publicist for director/producer Steve Binder.
Jefry Abraham recently contacted EIN and we talked about Marty Pasetta who recently passed away..
EIN - Marty Pasetta comes across as a remarkably humble man for all the legendary TV productions that he originated.
What was he like "off camera" and did he realise exactly what he had achieved?
Jeff A: That interview was the first time I met Marty, but we immediately connected once we started the interview. He was nothing but utterly charming. I do remember at the end of the 3 hour session he did feel quite humbled having his entire life laid in front of him.
He did know what he achieved, but he never spoke as a bragger.
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EIN: Do you know if he had any more interaction with Elvis or The Colonel after the special was aired?
Jeff A: I do believe Marty did see Elvis in Vegas after the special and he went backstage.
EIN: Do you know any of Marty's feelings about the 2010 deluxe expanded DVD release?
Jeff A: The interview was done in 2007 so I can’t answer this question. I never asked him afterwards.
EIN: In Pasetta's interview he often mentions that he saw Elvis Live in Santa Monica.
However that cannot be right! Elvis didn't perform in Santa Monica that year.
Personally I think he saw Elvis at Long Beach (Nov 14/ 15 1972).
Jeff A: You have to remember this interview was done 35 years after the fact he first Elvis.
My educated guess was that Marty saw Elvis in Long Beach as it was closer to Los Angeles. You have to remember these people did so much in the career, they don’t remember every detail.
I apologize in that I’m not an Elvis expert, so I did not catch that error of Santa Monica. Otherwise, I would have corrected him.
Also, when doing these interviews, you don’t want the subjects to lose their train of thought, so you don’t correct while they are speaking.
I would done have it before the next question, had I known.
EIN: Do you have anything else you would like add about Marty Pasetta, the man?
Jeff A: I ran into Marty a few years later and we had a wonderful chat and he could not have been any nicer.
Go HERE for full Jeff Abraham Marty Pasetta Interview & much more.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Amazon Buys ‘Elvis & Nixon’: Amazon Studios is making its first big move into film acquisitions by acquiring US domestic rights to 'Elvis & Nixon' for close to $4 million. Amazon will team up with Bleecker Street, who will handle the film’s release. The film will have a theatrical release as part of the deal.
While the other non-linear giant Netflix has been ramping up its acquisitions, the 'Elvis & Nixon' deal would be Amazon’s first major buy. Significantly, Amazon will then be able to combine the theatrical shows along with harnessing the marketing power of Amazon’s vast global online platform.
'Elvis & Nixon' centers on the historic 1970 meeting between King and the president that famously yielded one of the more curious White House photo ops in pop culture history. The film is directed by Liza Johnson (Hateship Loveship, Return) and stars Michael Shannon as the legendary hip shaker and Kevin |
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Spacey, this time playing a real U.S. President. The Butler’s Cassian Elwes is producing with Cary Elwes and Holly Wiersma. Byron Wetzel is exec producing alongside Tim Smith and Paul Brett for Prescience, which backed the project, and Johnny Mac, Dave Hansen, Laura Rister, Rob Barnum and Jason Micalef.
The 'Elvis & Nixon' deal will likely be the first in a long line of acquisitions and original productions to come.
(News, Source;NP/ElvisInfoNet) |
Early Graceland Photos: Ruth Cobb is one of the few people outside Elvis Presley's family to visit the upstairs of Graceland. It was before it opened as a tourist attraction, and Cobb who lived there before Elvis, soon learned her old upstairs bedroom had been turned into a music room.
Cobb visited in 1967 at the invitation of Elvis' grandmother, and later when the Presley family planned to turn the home into a tourist attraction. It reminded Cobb of her own music career and left her slightly quizzical about a few decorating changes.
"We did not have a jungle room growing up," she says. There was also no fabric on the ceiling of the billiard room in her day. "We didn't have a billiard room," she says.
Other distinctive touches added during Elvis' ownership of Graceland drew little attention from Cobb, but there was one: |
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"Elvis didn't like the chandelier we had in the dining room. It came from New Orleans. He put up some garish thing."
Cobb, 82, and her husband, retired lawyer Charles Cobb, 86, married in 1948. She had grown up at Graceland as an only child. When she married Charles Cobb, they remained at Graceland with her parents at first while Ruth toured the country as part of a professional harp ensemble.
Her father, Dr. Thomas Moore, was a prominent surgeon and urologist. Her mother, Ruth Brown Moore, was a volunteer who enjoyed club work and became president of the Tennessee Association of Garden Clubs.
They built Graceland in 1939, naming it for Ruth's great aunt, Grace Toof, who had left the farm to Ruth's grandmother. The grandmother divided her 520-acre farm into three parts, leaving it to her three children. Two of them sold their shares to Ruth's father.
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The house on 20 acres began as what Ruth Cobb calls "just a comfortable country home." It would become as familiar to America as Tara, Scarlett O'Hara's home in "Gone With the Wind," and it would rival Monticello, Mount Vernon and other once-private homes among the biggest tourist attractions in the country.
There, Ruth's father taught her to shoot well enough that she once downed three geese with a single shot. He also taught her to fish in a 25-acre manmade lake behind the house. But her first love was music. Ruth played the piano, but she loved the harp, studying, then touring with one of the world's leading harpists, Carlos Salzedo.
Her favorite music was classical, but Ruth says she liked all music from country to Elvis' music. "I wasn't really crazy about his music, but my mother marveled at his hymns," she says. When her mother decided the property was more than she wanted to keep up, she asked Ruth and Charles if they would like to stay.
"We just didn't have time to take care of a big house," says Charles. "It cost $1,000 a month to keep it up. The yard alone was like trying to take care of a golf course. We had a yard man who worked two to three days a week."
When the property was put up for sale, Ruth said there were three potential buyers -- Sears Roebuck Co.; a private party who wanted to turn it into an exclusive restaurant, and Elvis. By then, most of the surrounding land had been sold to developers for a subdivision, and the lake behind the house had been drained.
Ruth says a church, Graceland Christian Church, wanted to buy 5 acres on the northwest corner of the property. Sears and the restaurant interests did not want to split the 5 acres off for the church, but Elvis said he would be glad to have a church next door, she says. That helped seal the deal. Elvis bought the property for $102,000 in 1957.
When the church next door, Graceland Christian Church, eventually decided to move, the Presley family bought back the land and turned the church into the headquarters of Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Charles met Elvis during the closing on the sale of Graceland, but Ruth never met him.
She has since returned to Graceland as a tourist with her grandchildren. "I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it didn't feel like home," she says.
Go HERE for the full story video and more photos
(News, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet) |
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'Elvis Today' Legacy 40th Anniv Tracklist: The new SONY Legacy 40th anniversary version of "Elvis Today" as expected will feature the original 1975 album, plus undubbed session mixes of its ten tracks. It will be paired with the 'composite' concert pieced together from recordings made on tour in May and June 1975 and first issued as part of the 1980 'Elvis Aron Presley' Silver box-set. EIN is confirming that the concert will be remastered for 2015.
Go HERE To EIN's SONY 2015 CD News for the full tracklist
Similar in concept to the earlier FTD 'Classic Album' TODAY release, hopefully the session audio will be remastered by Vic Anesini as the previous FTD audio mastering was not their best.
(see FTD 'Elvis Today' review here)
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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ASK Marty: Today Marty Lacker answers your questions about....
- Should Elvis have considered A Star IS Born
- Did Elvis follow any TV show, in particular like Columbo, Kojak
- I’m wondering if Elvis ever met Sharon Tate
- Were Elvis and Glen Campbell good friends
- Elvis and MSG, the old fashioned concept that "woman should be at home"
- What about the to 1974 Easter 1973 tv special that was supposed to happen
Go here to 'ASK MARTY' for his answers plus how to send in your questions.
(Ask Marty, Source;ML/ElvisInfoNet)
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'Elvis Files Magazine Issue 12' Out Now: Once again Erik Lorentzen's new June 2015 issue of his 'Elvis Files Magazine' looks like another essential purchase.
As always featuring some great unseen photos and interesting articles..
And what a SENSATIONAL front cover photo!
Go HERE for some Issue 12 Sneak Preview Pages - as well as a look at the previous magazine.
or Go Here and order yours direct from Elvis Files.
(News, Source;EL/ElvisInfoNet)
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Hal Blaine Joins Elvis Week's Conversations on Elvis: Good news for Elvis music fans as super-drummer Hal Blaine joins EPE's Elvis Week to share his personal memories at 'Conversations on Elvis'.
Hal Blaine played on a number of Elvis sessions particularly the mid-sixties movie soundtracks. He played on Girls! Girls! Girls, Roustabout, and Blue Hawaii, to name a few. He can also be spotted in Elvis' backing bands in some of those films. (back right in photo)
Hal has played on 50 number one hits, over 150 top 10 hits and has recorded on more than 35,000 pieces of music in over 40 years of work. He's best known for his work with The Wrecking Crew. He worked with artists such as The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, The Ronettes and many more. He also recorded on six consecutive Record of the Year Grammy Award winners. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Musicians Hall of Fame Hal is widely regarded as one of the most prolific drummers in music history.
Hal will be joined at Conversations on Elvis by singer Brenda Lee and former Shelby County Sheriff Bill Morris, a close friend of Elvis'.
Go here to EPE to check out this year's guests at Elvis Week.
(News, Source;EPE/ElvisInfoNet)
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(Interview) Bob Hayden talks to EIN: Noted Elvis and rock 'n' roll researcher/author, Bob Hayden, recently sat down with EIN's Nigel Patterson to talk about his life, his critically acclaimed books about Elvis and the heyday of Australian rock 'n' roll. In a fascinating interview Bob:
- recounts the strategic game-play between promoter Lee Gordon and the Colonel
- talks about his friendship with Lee Gordon's right-hand man, Alan Heffernan
- reflects on Aussie rock 'n' roll stars including the late, great Johnny O'Keefe,
- names the 'most popular rocker' in Melbourne
- reveals what gave him the idea for his recent Elvis book trilogy
- discusses how he was able to confirm facts and source photos for his Elvis books
- tells us what will be in the final volume of his "Biggest Shows of 1957" trilogy
- and a lot more!
Bob's candid interview will appeal to not only Elvis fans but will also conjure up many pleasant memories for those old enough to remember the golden days of Australian rock 'n' roll. (Interview, Source: EIN) |
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Now available from Amazon USA:
Marty Pasetta & "The Making Of Aloha" : EIN contributor Rob Salamanca has made this wonderful 14 minute video about "Marty Pasetta and the making of Aloha From Hawaii".
In it Producer /Director Marty Pasetta talks about the making of NBC's Aloha from Hawaii the first live concert broadcast worldwide via satellite starring Elvis Presley and it features some marvellous Elvis clips.
It runs 14 minutes - Click here to watch.
At their firrst sit-down meeting, attended by two bodyguards, Pasetta said he told Presley he had to lose weight before the concert.
"Elvis sat straight and the guys on either side of him took out their guns and laid them down on the table, and if you don't think I was scared, you're crazy." |
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On May 21st this year Marty Pasetta sadly died in a car accident - he was 82 years old.
Marty Pasetta June 16, 1932 – May 21, 2015 - RIP
"One of The Best Elvis ever worked with"- Marty Lacker
For more on Marty Pasetta go HERE to EIN's Spotlight.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
Elvis' original 12-Pound 'Aloha From Hawaii' Cape to The King's Ransom Museum: Elvis Presley's original 12-Pound 'Aloha From Hawaii' Cape has a new home!
The 12-pound cape custom-made for Elvis Presley for the singer's famed 1973 performance Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite is now owned by The King's Ransom Museum and is one of the 'Personal Treasures of Elvis Presley' soon to be displayed for Elvis fans around the world to enjoy.
The full-length cape, adorned with an American eagle and stars and inlaid with semi-precious stones, measured nearly five feet in length, but when Presley tried it on in rehearsals, he found it too heavy to be worn onstage for the show. Designer Bill Belew was forced to create a lighter replacement for Presley, with the original sent back to Graceland.
"Presley had the cape made to hide behind at the opening of the Hawaii show. His intention was to 'emerge' from behind the cape during the 2001 opening segment. The show was heavily choreographed - he intended to drop the cape and reveal himself to the anxiously awaiting crowd. However, when Presley tried on the cape during rehearsals, the weight almost pulled him over backwards, and it was decided that a smaller version was needed."
"three small hooks and Velcro are sewn into the collar to connect the cape to Presley’s jumpsuit, and two small straps are sewn into the corners to enable Elvis to stretch out the cape while wearing it."
Belew, who died in 2008, gained fame for designing many of Presley's outfits from 1968 to 1977, including the velveteen ensemble the singer wore for his infamous "Elvis meets Nixon" photo. In 1999, the full size Aloha cape made for Presley for the
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Hawaii performance sold by Graceland for over $100,000 at auction. Years later, it was sold again for a quarter of a million dollars, making it one of the highest valued Elvis personal items ever sold. It was eventually acquired by Elvis historian, author, documentary producer and museum owner, Bud Glass.
Glass and his partner Russ Howe are owners of the world famous King's Ransom Museum that has successfully toured America and even Europe for the past ten years. Early this year, the museum just finished up a one year engagement at the former Las Vegas Hilton, where Elvis performed more than 800 performances from 1969-1976. Other than a single suit and cape that was on display in the early 1980's, The King's Ransom Museum was the first time Elvis had been back in the building in over 40 years, and preceded the current Graceland sponsored display and impersonator show. During the 'Ransom's' run at the former Hilton, The History Channel filmed the museum and interviewed Bud Glass on the very stage where Elvis made history. Clips of the museum were also filmed and included on Fox News, and Geraldo Rivera's 80th birthday salute to Elvis last January.
"Hundreds of thousands of people from all a over the globe have been through our exhibit in the past decade. Our record attendance was 110,000 people during a three week period in Dallas, Texas". said Glass. But in the last year at the Former Las Vegas Hilton, it is estimated by the Hotel Entertainment Director that well over half a million people have walked through the exhibit. Our museum is constantly evolving over the years as new artifacts are discovered and added to our archives. This historic cape, made for the most famous of all of Elvis' performances is something we are extremely proud to soon display for the first time in our museum. It was actually on display in Elvis' Graceland home for the first several years the mansion was first opened up for tours in the 1980's. Priscilla Presley can be seen telling the incredible story behind the famous cape on the very first 'Elvis Presley's Graceland' video documentary."
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In a 2005 interview, Belew explained his process behind designing Presley's white jumpsuits. "The lighting [in Las Vegas] was still in its early stages," said the designer. "And we found that the color that worked the best was white. It allowed them to change the colors on him, where as black would absorb all the color. And it was hard to highlight him. And we experimented with blue which was one of his favorite colors. Red. But it just ended up that white was the best thing and, of course, you know, you want the star to be the person, you know, and not the wardrobe."
Presley filmed the special on January 14th, 1973 at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center (then named the Honolulu International Center). It aired in more than 40 countries, with the United States airing it three months later on April 4th.
Go HERE for more info on TheKing'sRansomMuseum.
(Right: Photo of Aloha long-cape on display in Graceland in the early 1980s)
(News, Source;BGlass/ElvisInfoNet) |
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60 years ago a young Elvis made a splash in Biloxi: 60 years ago a young Elvis wowed Biloxi. Elvis performed 3 shows in June 1955 before he really hit the big-time.
Presley's visit lasted three days -- June 26-28, 1955. He performed back-to-back shows, at the Slavonian Lodge Auditorium the first night, then at Keesler Air Force Base the two following nights.
Before his breakout recordings with RCA in January 1956, he usually performed in town halls and school gymnasiums throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and other Southern states. One of his first big-city stops was Feb. 4, 1955, in New Orleans, though it was at Jesuit High School, still a relatively small venue.
Elvis' ties to the Mississippi Coast are still relevant today.
Andrew "FoFo" Gilich, Biloxi's new mayor, recalled meeting Presley before the singer's name became synonymous with rock'n'roll and long before young FoFo was even old
enough to vote. (left in photo)
Gilich said he grew up next door to Presley's friend Eddie Bellman, near the corner of Porter and Judge Sekul Avenue. Presley often stayed with Bellman when he visited Biloxi, drawing the attention of some of the neighborhood teenage girls.
"They'd say, 'He's back there. See if you can get him out,'" Gilich said. "I'd knock on the back door, and he would come out." |
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The 9-year-old Gilich likely did not understand who Elvis was or why the girls wanted to see him.
"I probably didn't know what was going on. I mean, how much can you remember from that age? I know the girls liked him, for sure."
Mingling with fans was not uncommon for the soon-to-be star, who would meet girlfriend June Juanico four months later during his Biloxi tour.
Juanico, like many others at that time, had never even heard of Elvis before meeting him at his June 26 performance at Keesler's Airman's Club.
"A friend of mine saw him at the Slavonian Lodge," Juanico said, "and she called me like mid-afternoon the following day. She said to me, 'You got to go see this guy, this singer.
"He was at the Slavonian Lodge last night, and girls were so thick around him, you couldn't get near him.'"
Presley introduced himself to Juanico after his show, sparking what became a two-year relationship for the couple.
When he wasn't performing on the Coast, Presley occasionally went night-clubbing. One place he visited was the popular Gus Stevens Lounge, which hosted many musicians and movie stars through the 1950s and 1960s.
The owner's wife, Irene Stevens, remembered meeting the young Elvis during one of his visits in 1955.
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"At the time, he was very new in the business," she said. "I kind of maybe misjudged the way he dressed because he didn't have a sense of style at that time."
Stevens, who is now 93 but still has a clear memory of that day, said Presley ordered a coke and was extremely polite.
"I don't think he even drank alcohol at the time," she said. "He was very nice, like a Southern gentleman should be."
Presley may have been trying to impress the Stevenses, because their lounge routinely hosted famous movie stars and musicians of the era.
The Stevenses' daughter, Elaine, said her father, in his thick Greek accent, gave the aspiring musician a piece of advice: "Son, you're never going to make it moving your hips like that."
Go HERE to the SunHerald for the full story and even more photos
(News, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet) |
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Jim Ed Brown, Country Singer, Dead at 81: Jim Ed Brown, a Grand Ole Opry star whose smooth, sweet baritone made him a chart-topper as a solo act and as one third of the close-harmony group the Browns, whose 1959 hit “The Three Bells” sold more than a million records, died on Thursday in Franklin, Tenn. He was 81. The cause was lung cancer.
Mr. Brown (left in the photo) and the other members of the Browns — his sisters Maxine and Bonnie — were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in March.
In the late fifties the Country Music group The Browns were enjoying unprecedented international success, rivaled only by their longtime friend Elvis Presley.
With the runaway success of “The Three Bells,” and the growing popularity of folk music, RCA packaged the Browns as a clean-cut |
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country-folk act. After recording the solid crossover hits “Scarlet Ribbons (for Her Hair),” “The Old Lamplighter” and “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On,” they were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1963.
Both sisters, Maxine Brown and Bonnie Ring, survive Mr. Brown, who lived in Brentwood, Tenn.
The Browns disbanded in 1967, but over the next decade Mr. Brown reached the country Top 10 with “Morning,” “Southern Loving,” “Sometime Sunshine” and “It’s That Time of Night,” all in the suave Nashville style of the time.
Earlier this year, Mr. Brown released an album, “In Style Again,” for Plowboy Records, singing with his sisters, Ms. Cornelius, Vince Gill, and Sharon and Cheryl White.
A week before Mr. Brown died, Opry officials took the Country Music Hall of Fame medallion to his hospital room and placed it around his neck.
Jim ED Brown said: ‘I had about convinced myself that even if I don’t make the Hall of Fame, I’ve had a pretty good run. But to wear this medallion and know that I made it to the Hall of Fame makes it perfect.’ ”
The connection between The Browns and Elvis is an interesting topic Please read EIN contributor Susan MacDougal recent review of "Nashville Chrome"
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
'Elvis’ Golden Records' New FTD Classic Album: FTD have announced a new July 2015 Classic Album release.
With U.S. sales of more than six million, and an even higher figure for rest of world, Elvis’ Golden Records is Elvis’ biggest selling album except for his 1970 budget album Elvis’ Christmas Album. It was complied from eight #1 A-sides, along with five B-sides and the track "Love Me" from his second LP ELVIS. Collectively they represent more than 20 million singles sold in the USA alone, resulting in 17x platinum certifications. Elvis' best-selling EP ELVIS (EPA 992) sold more than one million copies in the USA and was RIAA certified double platinum. For this FTD release we have added four songs that easily could have been included; "Blue Suede Shoes," "My Baby Left Me," "I Was The One" and "Playing For Keeps." Additionally, stereo versions available in RCA’s vault are added of four songs from the album. Unfortunately, most of the outtakes from the sessions that produced these songs have been lost, so the bonus disc includes all the outtakes of four songs recorded during the period in January 1957.
Also includes "The Stereo and Binaural Hits" with 'Treat Me Nice' (undubbed movie master) Previously unreleassed in binaural plus
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'That's When Your Heartaches Begin' (splice of takes 7/M & 6) Previously unreleased edit.
The second CD features "The Binaural Session Tapes" many tracks we know from "Stereo '57"
Go here to EIN's '2015 SONY/ FTD New releases' for full tracklist
(News, Source;FTD/ElvisMatters/ElvisInfoNet) |
Madison Square Garden, June 10 1972: Forty-three years ago today June 10, 1972 - RCA would record two of Elvis’ finest 1972 concerts for a potential new album. Over that weekend Elvis would make history by performing four sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. The media noted that George Harrison, John Lennon, David Bowie and Bob Dylan were among music stars to attend the shows.
Elvis became the first person to sell out four consecutive shows at MSG - 80,000 tickets were sold and $730,000, an astounding amount of money for the time, was made. The New York Times produced no fewer than three features on Elvis and all were filled with praise for the man who had stunned the audience with his exceptional voice and his ability to put on a show.
"He looked like a prince from another planet, narrow-eyed, with high Indian cheek bones and a smooth brown skin untouched by his 37 years.
When Elvis started to work with the mic, his right hand flailing air, his left leg moving as though it had a life of its own, time stopped, and everyone in the place was 17 again. It was a lesson in dominance; we had just seen the comic who couldn’t control anybody, not even himself, and that had got us nervous; now Elvis made it all right again.
Elvis used the stage, he worked to the people. The ones in front, in the best seats, the ones in back, and up in the peanut galleries. He turned, he moved, and when a girl threw a handkerchief on the stage, he |
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wiped his forehead with it and threw it back, a gift of sweat from an earthy god.
A special champion comes along, a Joe Louis, a Jose Capablanca, a Joe DiMaggio, someone in whose hands the way a thing is done becomes more important than the thing itself. When DiMaggio hit a baseball, his grace made the act look easy and inevitable... Friday Night at Madison Square Garden, Elvis was like that. He stood there at the end, his arms stretched out, the great gold cloak giving him wings, a champion, the only one in his class."
Go HERE to EIN’s special 'Elvis At Madison Square Garden' report.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
'If I Can Dream' - Orchestral / Duets - New SONY CD for 2015: EIN contributor Brian Quinn reports that the BIG Sony release for 2015 looks to be a brand new Elvis album "If I Can Dream" which will feature Elvis and other artists, including Michael Buble, remixed with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
For some while SONY has been working on the idea of an Elvis "duets" but were somewhat disappointed with the reception to the Christmas Duets CD from 2008. This is a new re-working of the concept. The CD features other “special guests” also supplying “extra vocals” although not strictly duets.
There is certainly a potential for high sales figures if the set gets good TV exposure. The UK 'Greatest Hits' compile 'The Nation's Favourite Elvis Song' in 2013 with its associated TV special after all made #1 in Britain.
Hopefully some more popular recent chart acts will feature in duets. Think how much publicity the recent Lady GaGa / Tony Bennett album received. No cover or anymore info is available as yet.
The release date is September 2015.
The album was produced by Don Reedman and Grammy nominated Nick Patrick (Gypsy Kings / West Side Story |
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50th Anniv). The new production sounds totally contemporary with Elvis' remastered vocal track showing an unbelievable power and control. Engineered at Abbey Road the journalists and engineers present, along with Priscilla, broke into spontaneous applause upon hearing the new production. The remake of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' is a case in point where the 2015 orchestra remix supply the song with a brand new and contemporary ambience. Priscilla has noted that, "Elvis would have loved this new album, because it presents Elvis where he always wanted to be - The best sounding entertainer on the planet".
Do not copy EIN news items without proper acknowledgement.
(News, Source;ElvisInformationNetwork) |
Elvis & Frank Sinatra’s Legendary Collaboration: Though it lasted just a couple minutes, the Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley’s duet is fondly remembered as one of pop music’s favorite moments.
That the two biggest stars of their respective generations shared the stage at all is almost unthinkable, especially considering the attitude towards rock and roll at the time from music’s old guard.
Just three years earlier, Sinatra wrote a short article about American music for French magazine Western World, "My only deep sorrow is the unrelenting insistence of recording and motion picture companies upon purveying the most brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious form of expression it has been my displeasure to hear — Naturally I refer to the bulk of rock ’n’ roll. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people. It smells phony and false. It is sung, played and written for the most part by cretinous goons and by means of its almost imbecilic reiterations and sly, lewd - in plain fact, dirty - lyrics, and as I said before, it manages to be the martial music of every sideburned delinquent on the face of the earth … this rancid-smelling aphrodisiac I deplore."
And though Sinatra never specifically targeted Elvis, the media made a fuss over this disparaging comment and brought it to Presley specifically as "the King of Rock and Roll.
Soon after when Presley was asked about the statement in a
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press conference he noted, "He has a right to his opinion, but I can’t see him knocking it for no good reason. I admire him as a performer and an actor but I think he’s badly mistaken about this. If I remember correctly, he was also part of a trend. I don’t see how he can call the youth of today immoral and delinquent. It’s the greatest music ever and it will continue to be so. I like it, and I’m sure many other persons feel the same way."
Fast forward two years, Presley was serving in the United States Army in West Germany and it was announced that following his release he would make his first television appearance in three years on Frank Sinatra’s Timex-sponsored variety show. Boosted by the media-perpetuated "feud," this was nearly the musical equivalent of a boxing grudge match, despite that the two had spoken publicly of their admiration and respect for one another.
For his appearance, Presley would receive $125,000 — reportedly more than Sinatra was making for the whole series.
Elvis joined Sinatra for the fourth and final episode of his Timex
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show with the officially titled special It’s Nice to Go Traveling, more commonly known as Welcome Home Elvis.
Aside from Presley’s brief appearance the opening number, during which he walks out in his Army uniform, it’s nearly 40 minutes show before he performs, opening with both sides of his first post-army single, "Fame and Fortune" and "Stuck on You." But when he and Sinatra do finally duet "Love Me Tender / Witchcraft" it’s a magic moment. What makes the moment amazing is not the strength of the performances themselves, but because there have never been, and never will be again, two musical icons so defining of their respective generations. Both of them are the epitome of cool in their own rights, defining American culture.
Watch the full Sinatra / Elvis clips via YouTube here.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
EIN's Rare Elvis Facebook page Now with 15,200 members! - including several of Elvis' own friends and colleagues
So Elvis fans don't miss out on these rare and exciting photographs - from EIN's V-P Sanja Meegin.
Now with over thousands of great photos, News and with more added every day – including YouTube footage.
Click here to access our Facebook - Elvis Information Network group.
You need to be a Facebook Member. |
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'Elvis Files Magazine ISSUE 11' Review: After a stressful week lazing under palms trees in the South Pacific EIN's Piers Beagley finally got around to checking out the last Elvis Files Magazine, Issue 11...
The magazine includes articles on...
- "Col Tom Parker - A Ruthless, Gambling Crazy Murderer"
- George Klein – ‘Evening With Elvis' – looking back at 1957
- Barbara Eden talks about Elvis
- Celeste Yarnell - "Tells All" …
- A controversial show by Elvis - Burlington, 1956
- Super-fan Elaine Christan continues her exclusive look at various meetings with Elvis, this time 1972.
But perhaps the best find is the 12-page article on Elvis in Germany "The Day Elvis Was Mocked and Threatened By His Buddies"
This issue is packed with articles focussing on all kinds of different subjects - and in this overview EIN supplies plenty of extracts.
I am sure you will want to read more about our hero - as described back in 1956 as a "mush-mouthed singer", who "shakes and wiggles and jumps and bumps; it's like watching a strip-tease and a malted milk machine at the same time."
Plus plenty more Rare Candids ...
Go HERE as EIN checks out this sensational issue
(Book Reviews, Source;ElvisInfoNetwork) |
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'Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock n’ Roll' - New Book: Peter Guralnick is no doubt best known for his bestselling, critically acclaimed two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Careless Love and Last Train to Memphis, but this November, he’ll release the crown jewel of his oeuvre, a biography he’s essentially been working on for 25 years: Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock n’ Roll.
(How One Man Discovered Howlin’ Wolf, Ike Turner, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, and How His Tiny Label, Sun Records of Memphis, Revolutionized the World!)
In a recent interview Guralnick taked about Sam Phillips’s unmatched charisma, his lifelong mission to erase racial lines, and his three early heroes: A female whorehouse owner during the Depression, his brilliant, deaf Aunt Emma, and a blind, black sharecropper named Silas Payne who lived with Sam’s family.
Peter Guralnick: This biography goes back to the first time that I met Sam Phillips in 1979. With the possible exception of Solomon Burke, I’d never met anyone as inspiring or as charismatic. It was just such an astonishing meeting, and I had been trying for 10 years to get an interview, because Sam wasn’t doing any interviews at all at that time.
I showed up for the interview with Sam’s son Knox, who has just become a wonderful friend. I had known him for seven or eight years, and he had been trying all that time to get Sam to get with me. When I showed up at the radio station, Knox came out to the car and said, “I’m afraid we’re going to have to postpone. The station has been flooded.” The sprinkler system had been triggered, and the whole thing was underwater. I just said, “I can’t wait another 10 years!” I didn’t say that, |
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but I said, “Is there any way I can help?” So I ended up just squeegeeing and carrying buckets all day and watching Sam Phillips command a legion of people. I mean, his whole family was there, all the people that worked for the station, everybody.
I never saw him produce a session, but I saw him produce a session in that way. And at the end of the day, after about eight or nine hours of cleaning up, we sat down in his office while the first rock and roll documentary, The Heroes of Rock and Roll, happened to broadcast for the first time. So we sat there watching Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis, and did the interview after. Just spent the whole day. I didn’t want to go away!
Go here to EW for the whole interview
(News, Source;EW/ElvisInfoNet) |
US Postal Service to Issue New Elvis Stamp: The US Postmaster General announced today that Elvis Presley will be commemorated on a Forever stamp as the sixth inductee into the Postal Service's Music Icon Series. The stamp image will be previewed at a later date.
"Elvis is a natural addition to our Music Icon Series, his life and talents are an incredible story. Spanning from his humble beginnings in a Tupelo, Mississippi, two-room house to becoming one of the most legendary performance artists of the 20th Century, Elvis Presley's works continues to resonate with millions the world over" he noted.
The First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony will take place on the morning of August 12 at Graceland as part of this year's Elvis Week celebration.
Launched in 2013, the Music Icons series consists of beloved musicians whose blend of sound and way of life broke musical boundaries. The first inductees included Johnny Cash and Ray Charles. Other countries such as Palau (right) have issued some excellent Elvis stamps in the past.
Elvis Presley is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. "The King's" influence continues to inspire today's artists, musicians, designers and social influencers. The Postal Service previously honored Presley on a stamp in 1993.
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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Elvis' London Shows Scuppered by Col Parker: Yesterday UK promoter Harvey Goldsmith confirmed that Colonel Parker admitted at the time that it was Parker's alien illegal status in the USA that stopped him letting Elvis tour overseas, despite Elvis' own desire to play concerts worldwide.
Legendary live UK promoter Harvey Goldsmith tried for years to bring 'The King of Rock 'n' Roll' across the pond from America to perform in Britain for his millions of fans but during a private conversation with Elvis' manager 'Colonel' Tom Parker he was told it could never happen because Parker - who was actually Dutch - didn't know if he'd be allowed back into the US if he left.
Speaking at the Hay literary festival in Wales, Goldsmith who has worked with The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna etc over the years revealed: "Parker explained that it was because he was an illegal. He didn't want to risk leaving the US - it was him, not Elvis."
Throughout his incredible career Elvis only performed in three cities outside of the US - Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver - during brief tours to Canada in 1957. At the time US citizens did not need a passport to cross the border from the US into the neighbouring North American country.
Parker was born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk in Breda in the Netherlands, and as a boy he worked as a barker at carnivals in his hometown, a job that first opened his eyes to the entertainment business.
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At 15, he moved to Rotterdam to work on the boats and at 18 he entered the US illegally by jumping ship from his employer's vessel. He first worked with a Chautauqua educative tent show, before returning briefly to the Netherlands. Parker returned to America at age 20 and worked for a number of carnivals before joining the US Army. He got the name 'Tom Parker' from the officer who interviewed him to disguise the fact he was an illegal alien.
He first began working in the music business in 1938, working with singer Gene Austin. Parker "discovered" Elvis in 1955 and later that same year he became his co-manager with Memphis radio personality Bob Neal.
There is no doubt that the lack of a new challenge to his client would lead to Elvis' on-going boredom and eventually his early death. Parker also prioritised his own monetary earnings seemingly without any care for the health of Elvis, his only client.
Go HERE to EIN's look at Dark Side of the Colonel
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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(Book Review) 'Lee Gordon Presents Elvis Presley - The Biggest Shows of 1957' Book 2: Only a little over a month since the first volume was published, Australian researcher-author Bob Hayden has released the second volume in his trilogy.
To say this volume is a strong follow up to the first would be an understatement. Book 2 not only meets the high standard of narrative and visual exposition in Book 1, but well and truly exceeds it with an additional half century of pages laden with a wealth of information and visual treasures!!
Read EIN's detailed review of this fascinating book which highlights one of the seminal years in the Elvis story. (Book Review, Source: EIN) |
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'If I Can Dream' - Orchestral / Duets - New SONY CD for 2015: EIN contributor Brian Quinn reports that the BIG Sony release for 2015 looks to be a brand new Elvis album "If I Can Dream" which will feature Elvis and other artists, including Michael Buble, remixed with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
For some while SONY has been working on the idea of an Elvis "duets" but were somewhat disappointed with the reception to the Christmas Duets CD from 2008. Perhaps this is their final re-working of the concept.
There is certainly a potential for high sales figures if the set gets good TV exposure. The UK 'Greatest Hits' compile 'The Nation's Favourite Elvis Song' in 2013 with its associated TV special after all made #1 in Britain.
Hopefully some more popular recent chart acts will feature in duets. Think how much publicity the recent Lady GaGa / Tony Bennett album received. No cover or anymore info is available as yet.
The release date is September 2015.
The album was produced by Don Reedman and Grammy nominated Nick Patrick (Gypsy Kings / West Side Story 50th Anniv). The new production sounds totally contemporary with Elvis' remastered
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vocal track showing an unbelievable power and control. Engineered at Abbey Road the journalists and engineers present, along with Priscilla, broke into spontaneous applause upon hearing the new production. The remake of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' is a case in point where the 2015 orchestra remix supply the song with a brand new and contemporary ambience. Priscilla has noted that, "Elvis would have loved this new album, because it presents Elvis where he always wanted to be - The best sounding entertainer on the planet".
Do not copy EIN news items without proper acknowledgement.
(News, Source;ElvisInformationNetwork) |
FTD 'King Creole' OUT NOW: The new 'King Creole' FTD 2-CD "Classic Album" is out now.
This 2-CD set features the original RCA masters, unique RCA engineer Thorne Nogar live monitor mixes many of which contain slates, and original song demos. It features a 16-page booklet featuring great photos, behind-the-scenes chronology and memorabilia.
The other two FTD promised releases - the 'From Elvis At American Sound' vinyl LP and the 'Change Of Habit' book are now delayed until mid-June.
Go HERE for all the FTD 2015 release details
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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'Ultimate Elvis' in Soft Cover: Elvis Files has announced that as the deluxe 1,720 page 'Ultimate Elvis' Hardback Box-Set is sold out from the dealers, they are now offering a special SOFT COVER set at a special lower price.
The original release have already been reviewed as....
"I can honestly say that I have never got so much pleasure from a post Elvis product as I did from these magnificent books which were obviously a labour of love from those who compiled it."
"This is the most thorough analysis of Elvis’ recorded output ever undertaken, with the finished product being exceptional"
"I don't see how this publication can be topped by anyone. It is what I consider |
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truly groundbreaking and THE definitive work concerning Elvis' recording career."
GO HERE for full reviews
So now is the chance for anyone who missed out to get the three huge books in exactly the same high-quality print but as a Soft-Cover version and now at the special price €197 = US$208 = £141 including shipping worldwide.
Get in early for your copy and send an email for info to sales@elvisfiles.no
(News, Source;ElvisFiles/ElvisInfoNet) |
Big News from 'The Elvis Files': Elvis Files publisher Erik Lorentzen and his team have some big news and big surprises up their sleeves for 2015 - 2016.
Firstly the news that the final volume of "The Elvis Files" series of books has had to be split into two, due to the fact that Elvis was so busy touring during his last years.
There are so many stunning photos available - so it was just not possible to do justice to Presley's final four years in just one volume.
The first book 'The Elvis Files Vol. 7 1974-1975' is planned for August 2015 publication.
'The Elvis Files Vol. 8 1976-1977' is planned for Spring 2016.
Also another new book underway, "Greater Than Ever - A Touch Of Gold Lame" an in-depth look at Elvis tours of 1957.
And also not forgetting the quarterly 'Elvis Files Magazine'.
For a better quality look at all these releases - please go HERE to our Elvis Files 2015 information page.
(News, Source;EL/ElvisInfoNet) |
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'The Elvis Files Vol. 7 1974-1975' Coming this August, Volume 7 of the great Elvis Files series.
The sixth volume of the Elvis Files story chronicles Elvis' years on tour through the USA, the Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe seasons..
All ELVIS EVENTS in this Time Frame 1974-1975 are shown
- Every Working Moment...
- The Mid-Seventies Tours
- The Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe Seasons
- Plenty of CANDID Moments
- The Recording Sessions
- Previously Unpublished Photos.
The publication date is August 2015.
Here's the cover for Volume 7 and some pages from the famous LA concerts in 1974. The cover photo is taken by our friend Keith Alverson.
Go HERE for more info 'Elvis Files 2015' information page |
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Elvis Presley: Music & Memories New Book/DVD set: Recently announced a new Hardcover Book / 4 DVD set 'Elvis Presley: Music & Memories'.
This four-volume collection tells the story of the cultural and musical icon known as the King of Rock and Roll. This set contains four DVDs and offers a unique journey with one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century; Elvis Presley. Follow the man we call the King of Rock and Roll's career. The programmes examine the life of the man who swooned his way into the lives of teenage girls across America, from his beginnings at Sun Records to becoming an international star with countless hits on the Billboard chart. Amongst his contemporaries interviewed are guitarist Scotty Moore, drummer D.J. Fontana and backing singers The Jordanaires.
Number of discs 4, Release Date: 23 Feb. 2015, Run Time: 330 minutes.
EIN cannot comment on the quality of this compilation and this DVD may not be viewable outside Europe - please check with dealer.
However some unscrupulous Elvis Shops are offering this set for an unbelievable $99.95 (plus postage) - when you can buy it from Amazon UK for only US$52 / £35.
PLEASE don't be ripped off - Click here to AMAZON >. Elvis Presley: Music And Memories [DVD]
(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet) |
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FTD "What now, What next, What If? PART TWO ": The FTD label has been doing an excellent job at looking at the recording anthology of Elvis Presley and releasing every significant LP or recording session on a 1CD or 2CD ‘Classic Album’ version.
However, as noted with the recent "ELVIS" second LP release and the Christmas album, there are less and less outtakes and studio sessions left in the vaults.
With our new article “What now, What next, What If?” EIN contributor Ian Garfield examines exactly how FTD might present their future 'Classic Album' releases.
This second article covers the possible releases Speedway; Live a Little, Love a Little; Charro, The Trouble with Girls and Change of Habit.
Go here as EIN also wants YOUR input and ideas - and we will send the final suggestions to Roger and Ernst at FTD.
(Spotlight, Source;IanGarfield/ElvisInfoNet) |
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Elvis and the Coco Palms Resort: Elvis spent quite some time on the Hawaiian island of Kauai vacationing, and filming Blue Hawaii - in fact the last 20 minutes of the movie was shot on and near the grounds of the Coco Palms resort. Kauai has always been EIN's Sanja Meegin's favourite of the Hawaiian Islands, primarily because of its unspoiled majestic natural beauty, but also because of its Elvis ties.
The recent news that Hawaii's Coco Palms Resort will be completely renovated made her extremely eager to see this paradise where Elvis sang The Hawaiian Wedding song whilst floating up the lagoon on a floral canoe with co-star Joan Blackman.
Click here as Sanja brings us her fabulous 2015 report on one of Elvis' most famous Hawaiian destinations with some fabulous before and after shots.
- Aloha From Hawaii!
(Spotlight, Source;SM/ElvisInfoNet) |
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UPDATED Reviews - 'Ultimate Elvis' Book Review: 'Ultimate Elvis – The Complete And Definitive Recording Sessions' is a this three-volume, deluxe set that not only comprises all the session information available to date, based on Keith Flynn's incomparable website and includes comprehensive notes on each session, discographies, letters, original sheet music covers plus huge index all included in its 1,800 pages.
The book includes around 3,000 stunning high-quality photographs many of them previously unseen, relating to the time period in question.
The promotional publicity for this three-volume set was very impressive with the original publishing date of August 2014 missed as more photographs were discovered and the content expanded. Finally published in December 2014, Elvis enthusiast Brian Quinn checks out this astounding deluxe package to discover if it is as good as promised.
Go HERE - Now updated with a new 2,000 word in-depth new review from super-fan Neil Colombari- -
(Book Reviews, Source;BrianQuinn/ElvisInfoNet) |
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EIN Elvis New Book Selection & Best Of 2014 |
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'Elvis in Hawaii' books released in Kindle format:
The two books by noted author/researcher, Jerry Hopkins, examining Elvis' love affair with the island state of Hawaii are now available in Kindle format. Both books are full of interesting information, arcvhival material, color photos and are priced under US6.00!
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The Two Best Books in 2014 that add Appreciably to our Knowledge & Understanding of Elvis: |
The Two Best Elvis Related Memoirs of 2014: |
The Four Best Elvis Photo-Journal Book Releases of 2014: |
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Indepth Review soon |
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Indepth Review soon |
Note: Not all these releases are not available from online or regular bookstores (to obtain enquire with your regular Elvis supplier) |
More great Elvis deals on Amazon
'Young Man With The Big Beat' Cheap Box set: Re-released for 2014 in a Limited Edition cheap slim-line box-set is Elvis' 'Young Man With The Big Beat'.
A great opportunity for those that missed it in
Go HERE for EIN's detailed YMWTBB review
UK price - only £19.99 = Euro25 = US$33 with FREE Delivery in the UK.
Click to Order now special deal >> . . Young Man With The Big Beat
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(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet)
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EIN also has a local Australian national Elvis Fan Club for paid up members featuring quarterly newsletters and an annual EIN Elvis Mega Quiz with special prizes.
The printed newsletters have extra content, articles and reviews to this website along with the popular Elvis EIN Mega Quiz.
If you need to know more about the fan club, newsletters, Elvis EIN quiz or EIN membership
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'Rock Around The Bloch' FTD Book Review: |
Elvis and the Coco Palms Resort: |
FTD "What now, What next, What If? PART TWO ": |
'Elvis' Christmas Album' FTD Review: |
'Flaming Star' FTD Review: |
Is 'From Elvis In Memphis' the only Elvis album you need to own?: |
(Interview) Anne E. Nixon answers your questions |
Spotlight on the King |
Ginger Alden Interview: |
'Ultimate Elvis' Book Review: |
(Interview) Allen J. Wiener author of Channeling Elvis: How Television Saved the King of Rock 'n' Roll talks to EIN |
Elaine Beckett -Easy Come Easy Go costar- Interview: |
Shirley Dieu, author of Memphis Mafia Princess, talks to EIN: |
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Latest Reviews |
Elvis London O2 Exhibition EIN Review: |
'Elvis Files Magazine ISSUE 11' Review: |
(Book Review) 'Lee Gordon Presents Elvis Presley - The Biggest Shows of 1957' Volume 2: |
'Nashville Chrome' - (Maxine Brown & Elvis) Book Review: |
"An Evening with Elvis' Friends and Original Musicians" 2015 Tour Review: |
Lee Gordon Presents Elvis Presley - The Biggest Shows of 1957 (Book Review) |
'Rock Around The Bloch' FTD Book Review |
'Elvis' Christmas Album' FTD Review: |
'Flaming Star' FTD Review |
Is 'From Elvis In Memphis' the only Elvis album you need to own? |
'Elvis Files Magazine ISSUE 9' Mini-Review |
'Ultimate Elvis' Book Review |
(Book Review): Elvis Presley: A Southern Life |
(Book Review) The world knows Elvis Presley....but they don't know me: |
The Elvis Films (Book Review) |
'Elvis In Florida April 1975' FTD In-Depth Review: |
'Autopsy: The Last Hours Of Elvis' - Review: |
(Book Reviews): If I Can Dream: The Story of "Being Elvis" for 50 Years and Elvirus! Elvi-geddon: Dawn of the Elvi Invasion: |
(Book Review): CHANNELING ELVIS How Television Saved the King of Rock 'n' Roll: |
(Book Review) Elvis and Ginger: |
‘Final Countdown To Midnight' jewel-case Versions Review: |
'Elvis Files Magazine ISSUE 8' Review: |
(Book Review) Memphis Mafia Princess: |
'Final Countdown To Midnight' NYE 1976 - in-depth Review: |
'Elvis Files Magazine ISSUE 7' Review: |
'ELVIS' FTD Classic Album Review: |
(Book Review) 100 Things Elvis Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die: |
Walkin' On The Bridge I Will Follow That Dream (an Elvis based tale) Review: |
For the Love of Elvis (Book Review): |
'Elvis-The King Of The Jungle' In-Depth Book Review: |
(Book Review): Elvis' Favorite Director:Norman Taurog: |
'ELVIS AT 21' Exhibition Review: |
'Elvis Files Magazine ISSUE 6' Review: |
'Elvis Music FAQ' - Book Review: |
'Elvis Films FAQ' Book Review: |
'The On Stage Season' FTD In-Depth Review: |
'Elvis Files Magazine ISSUE 5' Review: |
'The Elvis Files Vol. 6 1971-1973' Book Review: |
'Love Me Tender' Blu-Ray Edition Review: |
'Houston We Have A Problem' - CD review: |
'SOLD OUT' FTD CD Review: |
‘Elvis At Stax’ [Deluxe] Reviews: |
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Latest Articles (Spotlights) |
Elvis London O2 Exhibition EIN Review: |
'Suppose - Did It Inspire Imagine': |
EIN Spotlight on Aloha's director Marty Pasetta |
"An Evening with Elvis' Friends and Original Musicians" On Tour Review: |
'Elvis - The UK's 'Most Successful Chart Act': |
FTD "What now, What next, What If? PART TWO ": |
Elvis and the Coco Palms Resort: |
FTD "What now, What next, What If?": |
Is 'From Elvis In Memphis' the only Elvis album you need to own?: |
EIN's 'Elvis Star Track' Of The Week |
Music of Mississippi at the Grammy Museum: |
Elvis London O2 Exhibition Spotlight: |
'Trains, Jet Planes and Morning Rain' EIN Spotlight: |
Wertheimer's Reaction To Finding The 'Mystery Kisser': |
UPDATED - 'Elvis Madison 1977 - The Gas Station Incident' with Kathy Westmoreland: |
"If You're Going To Start A Rumble" -The Importance of Fights In Elvis Movies: |
ELVIS WEEK 2014 - EIN exclusive Sanja Meegin reports: |
'Big Boss Man: What Kind of Technical Advice Did Parker Provide for Elvis’s Movies?': |
Spotlight: Who is this person?? |
FTD - What now, What next, Where to – What’s left?: |
UPDATED - 'American Studios 1969 - A Turning Point In History': |
"60 Years of Elvis" EIN Exhibition Preview: |
Elvis' Personal Record Collection: |
Linda and Sam Thompson in Australia: |
Happy Birthday EIN EIN turns 100 – a retrospective!: |
Elvis Week Through The Years - Sanja Meegin looks back: |
'The Wedding' Elvis & Priscilla EIN special Spotlight: |
John Lennon And Elvis: It was "Thirty Years Ago Today" |
Elvis or Michael Jackson - who is the bigger star? |
Dark Side of the Colonel |
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Latest Interviews |
Jon Abbott pop culture and The Elvis Films |
Bob Hayden author of Lee Gordon Presents Elvis Presley |
(Interview) Anne E. Nixon answers your questions |
Ginger Alden Interview: |
Elaine Beckett -Easy Come Easy Go costar- Interview: |
(Interview) Dennis Forbus author of one of 2014's best Elvis books talks to EIN: |
Shirley Dieu, author of Memphis Mafia Princess, talks to EIN: |
Interview With Elvis author - : Gillian G. Gaar |
Bobby D. talks to EIN about his good friend, Jimmy Ellis (aka the masked man known as Orion): |
Interview with Dick Grob, Elvis' Head Of Security: |
Hollywood veteran Michael Hoey talks to EIN: |
Interview with 'Elvis Films FAQ' author Paul Simpson: |
Elvis Music FAQ - Mike Eder Interview: |
"My Fast Life" Rare Elvis Presley 1964 Interview: |
John Wilkinson Tribute & 1972 Interview: |
Interview - Dr. Gary Vikan: |
'Elvis: Walk A Mile In My Shoes' - Arjan Deelen Interview: |
RIP - Bernard Lansky talks to EIN: |
Allyson Adams 'The Rebel and The King' Interview: |
Interview with Elvis Photographer Dagmar: |
Joseph A. Tunzi (part 2) |
David Stanley (2012) |
Vernon Presley Interview: |
Jerry Leiber Interview for EIN |
Elvis Paradise Hawaiian Interview - with Peter Noone |
Sam Thompson, Elvis' bodyguard, 2011 Interview |
James Burton Interview - Rick Nelson & Elvis: |
Elvis Drummer Jerome "Stump" Monroe EIN Interview: |
Donnie Sumner Remembers his friend Sherrill Nielsen: |
Lamar Fike EIN Exclusive Interview |
Ernst Jorgensen interview about 'The Complete Masters' and more: |
Red West Interview:- 2010 Elvis week special |
Linda Thompson - Interview Special: |
Dr. Nick talks to EIN |
Alanna Nash |
Ernst Jorgensen (2009) |
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Audio-Visual |
Best of Elvis on YouTube |
Graceland cam |
EPE's Multimedia Elvis Gallery |
Sirius Elvis Satellite Radio |
Elvis Radio (ETA's) |
Elvis Express Radio |
Ultimate Elvis Radio |
Elvis Only Radio |
"Images in Concert" PhotoDatabase |
Radio Interview: Vernon & Gladys Presley |
Sanja's Elvis Week 2007 Photo Gallery |
'EIN's Best of Elvis on YouTube' |
The Music of Elvis Presley - Australian Radio Show |
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Reference |
All about Elvis |
All about Elvis Tribute Artists |
All about Graceland |
All about Lisa Marie Presley |
Ancestors of Elvis |
Art Archives |
Book Releases 2009 |
Contact List |
Elvis and Racism |
Elvis as Religion |
Elvis Film Guide |
Elvis Online Virtual Library |
Elvis Research Forum |
Elvis Rules on Television |
FTD Database (EPE) |
Graceland - The National Historic Landmark |
How & where do I sell my Elvis collection? |
Is Elvis the best selling artist? |
Links to Elvis' family & friends |
Links to other Elvis sites |
Marty's Musings |
Online Elvis Symposium |
Parkes Elvis Festival 2009 (Australia) |
Presley Law legal archives (Preslaw) |
Presleys In The Press |
Sale of EPE (Archives) |
6th Annual Elvis Website Survey |
Spotlight on The King |
"Wikipedia" Elvis biography |
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Did You Miss? |
50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong - the most 'covered' Elvis album of all-time |
Spotlight: Elvis Film Posters |
FTD Review: An American Trilogy |
Book Review: Elvis: A King in the Making |
Interview: Vic Colonna - the Dangerous World of Bootlegging Elvis |
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