May 13, 2002

Tennessee: Memphis awash in events fit for the King 
   By Audra D.S. Burch (Knight Ridder Newspapers) The Seattle Times - May 12, 2002 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It won't be long now, the townsfolk say, before Elvis returns, thousandsfold. 

Teenage Elvis. Middle-aged Elvis. Short-haired and shaggy Elvis. Svelte and sloppy Elvis. White, black, Asian Elvis (they love him in Japan). Elvis with the kitschy Hawaiian shirts. Elvis in the trademark sequined bell-bottomed jumpsuits. 

It won't be long now. 

Elvis singing. Elvis dancing. Elvis gyrating. Elvis crooning and blowing kisses. Elvis on bended knee, one Hollywoodesque tear falling. 

It won't be long now before every Elvis imaginable will descend upon, make a pilgrimage to, vacation at, this Southern city to celebrate the life of a hip-swiveling country boy with a penchant for fried-peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches and music with universal appeal. 

The enduring fascination with Elvis Presley the rocker, the movie star and the man peaks with Elvis Presley Week, (Aug. 10-18), an annual celebration of his life and his inextricable link to Memphis, where he first made music. 

It's been a quarter-century since Elvis' last day on Earth (from a technical standpoint, of course), 25 years — longer than his entire entertainment career. Because so much of pop culture is measured in numbers, this is a big deal, the time that Elvis fans worldwide will mark the big two-five, making the trek here if for no other reason than to say, "I was in Memphis on the 25th anniversary."

Because this is a town that finds much of its definition in the long gone. It's not to say that Memphis, a town built on music, wouldn't exist without the King, rather that Memphis would simply sing a different tune.

"I am not sure you can talk about Memphis and not talk about Elvis. And this year, the celebration is going to be even bigger than other years," says Lafayette Davis, manager of Strange Cargo, a souvenir shop on Beale Street.

"Even if the Elvis business were slipping, which I am not saying it is, it would return this year."

A week of Elvis mania 

Predictions range from 50,000 to 100,000 (depending on which Elvis expert you talk to, and how filled with pride they are) on the number who will travel here for the Elvis Week 2002. If you plan to be one of them, there is much to do. Keep in mind, this weeklong celebration is not for the casual fan who likes his stuff in small, manageable doses. The mania week kicks off with an Elvis Happening along Beale Street — the tourist magnet first made famous for its music. Clubs along the strip will spin Elvis cuts way into the morning. 

Those who have had too much gyrating and satan juice can redeem themselves in the holy spirit as gospel choirs perform his greatest religious songs at a three-seating brunch at Elvis Presley's Memphis Restaurant downtown. Add to that fashion shows showcasing Elvis' latest clothing, more parties, even more impersonators. 

Fan-club presidents (there are 600-plus active chapters) will also convene to discuss the business of Elvis, the Great Britain club will help host a dance party and the real Elvis will appear in concert (courtesy of technology). For Elvis academics, there'll be serious discussions about the King, his career and legacy. 

As is tradition, the highlight of the celebration is a candlelight vigil into the morning of Aug. 16, the day Elvis walked into his Graceland bathroom and died. 

Of course, a good portion of Memphis tourist attractions are made with Elvis in mind, meaning you don't have to participate in the big events to get a healthy dose of the King. 

Start at his greatest attraction of them all (and among the top-attended in the nation): Graceland — where Elvis lived 20 years — a 20-minute drive from downtown Memphis, but well worth the trip. A steady 600,000 visitors a year make this home more recognized and visited than any but the White House. Be prepared to wait to see how the King lived. Just about any time, dozens of people are trying to get in; it will only get worse as the anniversary nears. 

The actual process starts at the 18-acre visitor's center. Tours begin every couple of minutes or so and last close to two hours. A shuttle takes you across the street to Graceland and back to the center, which is adjacent to the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum, the Sincerely Elvis museum, the jet showcase and, of course, shops carrying enough Elvis memorabilia to fill a basement. 

The 1939 Southern colonial mansion strikes a subtle yet elegant profile from the street, standing behind the gate's wrought-iron fence with musical notes and the figure of a man playing a guitar. 

A trip back to 1977 

More than anything, Graceland offers a time-warp window on the private life of Elvis. It tells all about his favorites: snacks, chairs, hangouts. Keep in mind, the last time Elvis walked through the door was 1977. Most everything has changed since then. Except Graceland. 

The tour begins in the main living area (upstairs, including the bathroom in which he died, is off-limits), where visitors are told he never ate before 9 p.m. It moves through several other rooms before stopping in the kitchen — awash in classic '70s hues of harvest gold and avocado green — where he made his famous fried-peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches. The utensils and accessories are still in place. Downstairs in the basement, the walls are painted navy blue and bright yellow, and there are three television sets, which he is said to have watched simultaneously (a habit he acquired after visiting then-President Johnson). 

Elvis' favorite room, and probably the favorite among the viewing public, is the Jungle Room. It is the only room he decorated himself, an ode to funky living with faux-animal-upholstered furnishings and a running waterfall. 

The tour continues outside to a two-level recreation center and the Meditation Garden, where Elvis and his family are buried. 

A stone wall surrounding the burial site is layered with floral wreaths from fan clubs and personal notes. They actually arrive daily, with more for his birthday and death anniversaries. "How is the world going to survive without Elvis?" asks one note. A guitar-shaped birthday cake fashioned from carnations came from Baltimore, pink-Cadillac candles came from Switzerland. 

"This is just such a beautiful show of love for Elvis," says Samantha Tyler, a waitress and Elvis memorabilia collector who traveled from New York to participate in the birthday celebration. 

"He was just a gentle, wonderful person," she says, before boarding the shuttle to leave Graceland.

Elvis, Elvis everywhere 

Across from Graceland, Sincerely Elvis offers even more displays on the man — his green American Express Card, his guns, his horse-riding gear. 

For those who can't get enough of Elvis, stay at Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, a groovy stay that features decor from the King's era and themed suites. Obvious note here: Don't bother calling for a room during Elvis Week. The place has been sold out from Aug. 9 to 18 since 2000, but it's still worth a stroll through the lobby. This falls under the at-least-I-saw-it category. 

From there, head to Sun Studios, back near downtown. 

This is considered the "birthplace of rock 'n' roll." Why? Because this unpretentious shop, with the looks, smell and sounds of 1950s yesteryear, is where Elvis, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison created the music that changed the world. See the original equipment and hear original recordings. 

You are just a short drive from Memphis' newest musical attraction, the Rock 'N Soul Museum near Beale Street. 

Though small, this is a real gem for music fans because it puts Memphis and Elvis into the context of the larger history of popular music. It begins with an eight-minute film about the influence of music on Memphis, then a self-guided tour through various music exhibits, along with recorded interviews and song clips. Fun items on display include vintage jukeboxes (that you can actually play); clothing worn by singer Ann Peebles and a bevy of instruments. 

Though this is an Elvis trip, don't miss Isaac Hayes' new restaurant, named of course, Isaac Hayes, in Peabody Place mall downtown. It's a worthwhile diversion from the Elvis agenda, and it still fits the music theme. Hayes makes frequent appearances, there's a regular live band and the ribs are to die for. 

Finally, a few other spots off the beaten path offer a window into the Elvis legacy. These are the everyday, subtle things that made him human. 

First, all the houses Elvis ever lived in — outside of his modest childhood home in Tupelo, Miss. — are in Memphis. He spent a good deal of time in the Lauderdale Courts housing projects on Winchester Avenue. Also check out Humes High School, which is now a junior high school on Manassas Street. He was in the class of 1953. 

Don't forget the ranch 

Soon the true Elvis fan will be able to round the trip out with a visit to his 157-acre ranch in nearby Walls, Miss. Elvis bought the ranch in 1967 and named it The Circle G Ranch. It now features several fan attractions, including Priscilla Presley's "Honeymoon House," Elvis' barbecue pit and horse stables. 

The plan late this year is to develop the ranch into a resort for Elvis enthusiasts offering the ultimate Elvis experience: living with the King 24 hours a day. 

May 12, 2002

Elvis Saturday ...

Elvis My Happiness 
   EXCEPTIONAL Homage. 

June 1, 2002 from 14 to 21 hours 
   in Trabendo Park of Vilette - PARIS 

 Elvis Saturday
 with Scotty Moore, Jerry Scheff, Glen D. Hardin.

Elvis My Happiness Fan Club

May 11, 2002

Bill Ellis: Bidding hot for Rocket 88 original
   (The Commercial Appeal) May 11, 2002

Lot No. 630. That's all you need to know if you have the money to purchase a bit of Memphis music history. 

Up for grabs through sports and Americana collectibles auction company MastroNet is an original acetate of Rocket 88, the R&B classic recorded in 1951 by Sam Phillips at Memphis Recording Service, the 706 Union studio that would soon give rise to Sun Records. Considered by many to be the first rock and roll song, the Chess-licensed hit by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats - a.k.a. Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm - is being offered in its acetate pressing at online auction site Mastronet.com. 

Acetates were the initial, limited pressings of a recording taken from the master tape (though Phillips recorded directly onto 16-inch acetate disks at first, before switching at the end of 1951 to tape, according to a history of record production found on Columbia University's Department of Music Web site, http://www.music.columbia.edu). 

Not always collectibles in and of themselves, acetates usually become valuable when the artist or recording itself has merit - Elvis Presley's 1953 demo of My Happiness being one of the more famed examples. 

Rare records Web site Good Rockin' Tonight (GoodRockinTonight.com) offers the best summation: "Acetates of records by Elvis and the Beatles are worth a fortune, but you can use your Lawrence Welk acetate as a Frisbee." 

It's not uncommon to find local music memorabilia up for auction. John Montague made many historical pieces available through Sotheby's when he closed his Memphis Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2000. And the year before, Elvis Presley Enterprises auctioned off $4 million worth of kingly items in Las Vegas, partially to fund the 12-unit homeless shelter Presley Place. 

The 16-inch Rocket 88 acetate is being sold by Memphis-based consignor Jerry Gibson, 64, owner of River Records. He said it came from a large collection of Sun 45s, 78s and acetates he bought in the mid-'90s. 

The acetate from the March 5 Rocket 88 session also contains an unreleased alternative version (a 40-second snippet) plus two additional tunes: the single's B-side, Come Back Where You Belong, and I'm Lonesome Baby. The latter was paired with the final song from that session, Heartbroken and Worried, and released as Chess single 1459 under Turner's name. 

"It's a one-of-a-kind, to me, piece," says Gibson. "Especially with the alternative take." 

Gibson didn't know how many Rocket 88 acetates exist, though Sam Phillips remembers pressing no more than a half-dozen from the source recording (which this acetate could very well be). 

"I know I made a couple for Dewey (Phillips) because they wouldn't last long with him the way he played his records," says Phillips. "I'm sure I made one or two for myself, and it could have been that I made one for Ike and Jackie." 

Bidding began April 24 and lasts through Thursday. The current high bid is $4,235, but look for that figure to climb in the final hours. Gibson says he's hoping to get $20,000. 

"Who knows where it'll end up at?" he says. 

Where it physically should (and probably won't) end up - the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum - is another matter. 

May 11, 2002

SHE'S SOME KIND OF WANDA-FUL 
   By Mary Huhn  (New York Post Online - May 11, 2002)

Before she became the Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson, now 64, was a country and western singer. But in 1955, Jackson toured with a young Elvis Presley, and the King was so impressed with her ferocious vocals, he encouraged her to take on rock 'n' roll. 
Jackson, who also dated Presley, took his advice and, in 1956 became the first female singer to make a dent in the male-dominated rock scene. Her hits include "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad," "Fujiyama Mama" and "Let's Have a Party." 

The singer, who plays Maxwell's tomorrow, had an impact on the fashion front as well. As a country singer, Jackson shunned cowboy clothing in favor of sexier looks. Once, she wasn't allowed on stage at the Grand Ole Opry until she covered her shoulders. 

Jackson was also a glam rocker - emphasizing her curves with tight, fringed dresses. 
In the early '60s, she returned to country music. Then, in 1971, she looked to gospel after she and her husband became born-again Christians. 

But look for her to play a combustible rockabilly set tomorrow night at Maxwell's, where Jackson shares a bill with Rosie Flores at 9. 

May 11, 2002

The Hollywood Years

NEW ELVIS MAGAZINE! 
   
"ELVIS SECRETS FROM THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS" 
  BY JIM CURTIN 



Just released by American Media, Inc. 
ELVIS: SECRETS FROM THE HOLLYWOOD YEARS 
This second volume, will commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Elvis' death. 
"Remembering Elvis: The Hollywood Years" 

Full information : ElvisEmpire.com

May 09, 2002

New Millennium Signs 3-Year Partnership to Provide Mobile LED for Elvis Presley Week 
   CLEARWATER, Fla. (Business Wire) May 07, 2002 

The Mobile LED is Now the "Official Super Screen of

      The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley"

New Millennium Media International, Inc. (OTCBB:NMMG), has signed a three-year contract to provide digital video entertainment in the visitor center complex at Graceland, home of Elvis Presley, and on Beale St., during Elvis Week in Memphis, Tenn., beginning this August, announced Larry Rightmyer, New Millennium's Director of Operations.


New Millennium's mobile LED delivered full-color digital broadcast of the week's events on its 10' by 13' super screen for last year's event hosted by Graceland/Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), according to Jennifer Burgess, Director of Marketing, EPE. 

"The tens of thousands of fans who attended last years event were impressed by New Millennium's super screen entertainment. And, I was impressed by New Millennium's staff's professional, courteous and go-getting service," said Burgess. "The end result of the remarkable product/service package is the three-year contract and the LED has earned the title of `Official Super Screen of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.'" 

Each August, Elvis fans of all ages from around the world gather in Memphis, Tenn., for Elvis Week -- a commemoration of the music, magic and memories associated with the legacy of Elvis Presley. Fans enjoy a full week of music, dance, sports, social and charitable events, all in an atmosphere of International friendship and camaraderie. This year's event, the 25th anniversary will last from Saturday, August 10 - Sunday, August 18, 2002. 

May 09, 2002

Celebrity Portraits From the Wall Street Journal Hit the Auction Block Today 
  SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Business Wire) May 6, 2002

'Curtains up, Cue the lights.' Famous entertainers including Frank 

Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Tom Hanks, James Dean, Tom 

Cruise, Bill Cosby and Pamela Anderson debut today. 

Dow Jones & Company, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, announced today that the "Entertainment" category of its hedcut auction will begin this evening on eBay (www.ebay.com/thewallstreetjournal) and conclude on May 13. The distinctive hedcuts, which are original portrait artwork drawn by a small in-house art group, have characterized the Journal for more than 20 years and become an icon of American capitalism. 

The net profits from the auction will be donated to the Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, which provides scholarships to minority students pursuing careers in journalism. Measuring approximately three by five inches, the hedcuts are drawn by hand in black ink on drawing paper and take approximately four to six hours to complete. Each hedcut is original artwork and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. 

The auction began April 1 with famous sports figures and has garnered nearly $32,000 as of April 29. Top sellers so far include Tiger Woods ($860), Michael Jordan ($733.45), George W. Bush ($610) and Princess Diana ($485). 

May 08, 2002

 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) - Songwriter Otis Blackwell Dies in Nashville 


Songwriter Otis Blackwell, whose tunes "Don't Be Cruel" and "Great Balls of Fire" became smash hits for Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis, has died, hospital officials said on Tuesday. 

Blackwell, who was 70 and reported by friends to be ill for some time, was brought to St. Thomas Hospital on Monday, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, a hospital spokesman said. 

He had suffered a stroke in 1991, according to his attorney, Trip Aldridge. 
A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the pianist and singer from Brooklyn, New York, launched his writing career by selling six songs for $150. He recorded one with a drummer playing on a cardboard box. 

The song "Don't Be Cruel" was picked up by Elvis Presley and went to No. 1 on the charts in 1956. The following year, another Blackwell song, "All Shook Up," also became a Presley hit, as did "One Broken Heart For Sale" and "Return to Sender." 
Presley looked to Blackwell for inspiration for his early pop songs, picking songs he liked and then using the same arrangements. 

Other hit songs were "Hey Little Girl" for Dee Clark and "Breathless" and "Great Balls of Fire" for Jerry Lee Lewis. 
Blackwell's song "Fever," which he wrote under a pseudonym but never explained why, became a signature tune for Peggy Lee. 

In the late 1970s, Blackwell recorded albums "These Are My Songs" and "Singin' the Blues." In all, he wrote almost 1,000 songs, including a number of top-selling rock-and-roll tunes recorded by such notables as James Taylor and others.
 

  The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame - Otis Blackwell >> | Interview with Otis Blackwell (June 23, 1989) >>

May 06, 2002

Musical Director George Sidney Dies

LAS VEGAS (The Associated Press - May 05, 2002) — George Sidney, who directed dozens of musicals when the genre was at its peak and presided over Hollywood's directors guild for 16 years, died Sunday of complications of lymphoma. He was 85.

A one-time child actor whose career took him from the vaudeville stage to decades of success in the studio system, Sidney directed a string of hits for MGM in the 1940s and 1950s, including "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946), "Annie Get Your Gun" (1950), "Show Boat" (1951) and "Kiss Me Kate" (1953).

Sidney worked with such show business greats as Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Tony Curtis, Lana Turner, Dick Van Dyke and Ann-Margret.

Sidney was president of the Screen Directors Guild from 1951 to 1959, the year before it merged with the Radio and Television Directors Guild to form the Directors Guild of America, and president of the DGA from 1961-1967. In 1998, he was the first recipient of the DGA's president's award.

In the 1950s, Sidney left MGM to work as an independent producer for Columbia, directing "Pal Joey" with Frank Sinatra and Rita Hayworth, "Bye Bye Birdie" with Janet Leigh, Van Dyke and Ann-Margret and "Viva Las Vegas" with Elvis Presley.

An innovator in the technique of using animated figures side-by-side with live actors, Sidney paired Gene Kelly with Jerry the Mouse in "Anchors Aweigh." Sidney financed and founded Hanna-Barbera productions in 1944 and remained president for 10 years.

May 03, 2002

Elvis & Priscilla

Saturday, May 4th, 2002, 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. 
   Elvis Jade Wedding Anniversary 

Plans are made for a grand celebration at the Honeymoon Hideaway, 1350 Ladera Circle, Palm Springs to celebrate the milestone 35th Anniversary of Elvis' and Priscilla's marriage. Fans from all over the world are invited to meet and hear authors, lecturers, celebrities, musicians and friends | Full information : Honeymoon Hideaway

May 01, 2002

Elvis's intimate moments revealed
By Juan-Carlo Tomas (The Sydney Morning Herald - April 30 2002)


This year marks the 25th anniversary of the King's death. But Elvis Presley lives on: in film, in his music, in the occasional sighting and through the stories of his friends. 

Perhaps no friend knew the King any better than his best mate, Joe Esposito.

Mr Esposito is in Australia for the show Elvis: Intimate and Rare, named after his book of Presley photographs, which will be available in Australia for the first time. 

He and local singer Mick Gerace, 36, (who points out that he is a tribute singer, not an impersonator), are about to embark on a nationwide tour that will combine the photographs with Presley's music. It plays at the State Theatre on May 18.

Mr Esposito, 64, was the best man at Presley's wedding and his road manager for more than 17 years. He was the man behind the man, his personal assistant, friend and confidant.

But to Mr Esposito, Presley remained the same person he met as an army finance clerk in 1959.

"I didn't expect to meet Elvis Presley when I was drafted," he said at his Sydney hotel yesterday. "There were two million men in the army then.

"I figure that 25 years has gone, which is hard to believe, so I want to make sure it's a great year for him [Presley] and I'm talking about my life with him as my friend," he said.

The pair established a bond of trust while on holiday in Paris, when both were stationed in Germany. Mr Esposito was asked to pay their bills and return with the receipts.

"I was the first one who ever brought receipts for all the money they spent, because nobody did that. They just spent money and didn't care about receipts, so I guess they were impressed with that," he said. 

"And when I left the service, he asked me to work for him. We were friends first and employees second. He liked to work with his friends because he knew who they were.

"Now all of a sudden I'm working with the biggest star in the world and my whole life changed completely. Initially I was his right hand, I took care of all the arrangements if we were travelling, I read scripts with him in Hollywood and made sure everything was organised."

But when Presley started to sink into the depression that eventually claimed his life - along with a cocktail of prescription drugs - there was not a lot anyone could do.

"We all talked to him about getting his life back together, but he was a very hard and stubborn person."

Presley was found on his bathroom floor by his fiancee, Ginger Alden, on August 16, 1977. Mr Esposito performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Presley was later pronounced dead.

Mr Esposito then spent years cataloguing his estate. 

In the end, he said, Presley's own popularity was his downfall. "It's tough," he said of superstardom. "Elvis wasn't perfect; he was a human being." 

Joe Esposito Interview - On the "Elvis Information Network" website | "Elvis, Intimate & Rare"

May 01, 2002

 The King: dead and forgotten (The Times - April 29, 2002)
    By Christopher Goodwin 
    Elvis's older fans are dying off and young folks couldn't give a damn


The enormously lucrative Elvis Presley industry has always been fuelled by one overriding event: his early death. 
The late singer’s annual income has been put at about $40 million (L27.5 million), most of it from Graceland, his former home in Memphis, Tennessee. 

But now, with the 25th anniversary of his death approaching — Elvis died on August 16, 1977 — his heirs have made a disconcerting discovery: Elvis mania has peaked. The problem is simple demographics: Elvis would have been 67 this year, and most of his fans are now roughly the same age. 

Elvis’s heirs, who include his daughter, Lisa-Marie, his former wife Priscilla and the company they control, Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc, are keenly aware of the problem. And they are using the occasion of the anniversary of his death to try to preserve the value of the Elvis name — and to introduce him to younger fans. All sorts of special events are being planned for the anniversary, as well as a CD — Elvis 30 No1 Hits — which they hope will be as successful as the enormously popular CD of Beatles No 1 hits released two years ago. 

But grabbing that young audience, which has so far shown itself impervious to the Elvis spell, may prove to be an impossible task, says Andrew Bergstein, a professor of marketing at Pennsylvania State University, who specialises in pop culture. “Elvis may be an icon, but he’s an icon only to people who found him attractive when they were young, in the 1950s, or during his second career in the 1970s. After he died, his music just stayed with that generation,” says Bergstein. 

Five years ago, there were all sorts of ambitious plans to expand the Elvis empire. There was talk of an international "Heartbreak Hotel" chain. There were even blueprints for an international chain of themed "Elvis Presley's Memphis" restaurants, serving recipes concocted by Elvis's beloved mother. Those plans have all have been scaled back drastically. 

Worst of all, after Graceland attendance figures increased almost every year since it opened in 1982, they have now been affected severely by the terrorist attacks of September 11. Were losing tremendous amounts of revenue, said Jack Soden, who runs Elvis Presley Enterprises, when he announced that he was laying off 50 workers at Graceland last November. 

Still, Elvis's heirs have had their money's worth from his early death, as his fortune had dwindled in the drug-addled decline of his final years. Priscilla, who took charge of the estate on behalf of Lisa-Marie, her daughter with Presley and his only child, found that the only real asset left was Graceland, and that was eating up $500,000 a year in operating expenses. We thought that we'd have to sell Graceland, says Priscilla, who married Elvis when she was 17. "But it was a matter of Lisa's inheritance, so we decided that we'd keep it as Elvis's home, and visitors treat it as such". 

It was an extraordinarily astute business decision, and Graceland — with its garish, stained-glass peacocks and famous Jungle Room, with overstuffed chairs covered in fake animal fur — quickly drew as many as 750,000 fans a year at its peak in the mid-1990s, although that has now dropped to fewer than 600,000 a year. 

Lisa-Marie and Priscilla will both be on hand at Graceland for Elvis Week in August. As many as 50,000 visitors are expected from all over the world. The climax will be a concert in which an image of Elvis, beamed down from giant television screens, will sing along with 30 people who played in his various bands over the years. 

And during Elvis Week, Jack Soden will no doubt have to listen to the usual hare-brained commercial schemes from people who want to exploit the Elvis name — though there is one he turned down a few years ago that he may wish to reconsider; a chain of Elvis Funeral Homes, where deceased fans could lie in rest listening to The King's music 24 hours a day. In the next few years that could become a huge moneyspinner. 

May 04, 2002 (timesonline.uk)

   Elvis's youth appeal
   From Miss Ruth Story - Letters to the Editor

Sir, I thoroughly disagree with your article “The King: Dead and forgotten” (T2, April 29). I will be turning 18 next month and I see myself as a diehard Elvis Presley fan, not influenced by my parents but of my own accord. 
I may not be typical of most people my age, but I believe that Elvis’s legacy will live on, and is far from forgotten. After all, in 2000 Elvis “earned” L24 million, ahead of such icons as James Dean and J. R. R. Tolkien. A remix of Elvis’s A Little Less Conversation is set to be released soon with much support from Radio 1. I notice many young girls wearing Elvis T-shirts, and Natalie Imbruglia sported one for the cover of her most recent album. 

Elvis revolutionised pop music and made it what it is today, influencing thousands, including The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, which is one of the many reasons why I am such a fan (along with his unquestionable talent). 

Yours faithfully, 
RUTH STORY,
Shepherds Hill House,
Thurstonfield, Carlisle CA5 6HE.

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