Story Behind the Song - Thomas A. Dorsey's "Precious Lord, Take My Hand." By Victor Parachin - Christian Reader Magazine
Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.
Thomas Dorsey's "Precious Lord" has been called "the greatest gospel song of all time." People around the world know it, sing it, and love it because of its profound message of hope and faith. Written in 1932, it continues to appeal deeply to new generations of listeners. Though composed by a young African American blues pianist, the song crosses the lines of race and culture. Everyone from gospel legend Mahalia Jackson to rock 'n' roll king Elvis Presley has recorded it.
Like so many great hymns of faith, the song was inspired by a horrific tragedy in the life of its composer. Thomas Andrew Dorsey was born in rural Georgia in 1899, the son of an itinerant preacher.
By age 12, Dorsey left school to become a professional pianist. He played at house parties throughout Atlanta's black districts.
In his early 20s, Dorsey settled in Chicago. There he played, sang, and published blues compositions under the name "Georgia Tom." Music critic Stephen Calt described Dorsey saying he "ranked as the most self-conscious, serious, and accomplished blues lyricist of his time."
In 1925 Dorsey married Nettie Harper. A year later, he experienced a nervous breakdown and was unable to work for two years. To survive, his wife took a job in a laundry to support them. At the urging of his sister-in-law, Dorsey attended a church service where he experienced a spiritual healing. That event, combined with the sudden death of a young neighbor, prompted Dorsey to commit himself more fully to God and Christian music. To mark his new life, he wrote his first gospel song, "If You See My Savior, Tell Him That You Saw Me."
In 1932 Dorsey accepted an invitation to become choir director of Chicago's Pilgrim Baptist Church, a position he would hold for nearly 40 years. As the Great Depression wore away at the spirits of Americans, Dorsey viewed his songwriting as an important ministry. He believed his songs "lifted people out of the muck and mire of poverty and gave them ... hope."
In August of '32, Dorsey was scheduled to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting in St. Louis. At the time he and his wife were living in a little apartment on the South Side of Chicago. Nettie was pregnant with their first child. He kissed her goodbye and made his way to St. Louis for the revival. The next night, as soon as he finished playing, a Western Union messenger came up to the stage and gave Dorsey an urgent telegram. "I ripped open the envelope," he recounted later, "and pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: 'Your wife just died.'"
Dorsey remembered the evening as a surreal moment. "People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out."
Racing home, he learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. "I swung between grief and joy," he recalled. "Yet that night, the baby died. I buried Nettie and our little boy together in the same casket." He managed to get through the funeral visitation and service. But when it was all over, he withdrew from family, friends, and even his beloved music. "I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn't want to serve him anymore or write gospel songs. I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well," he said.
In the midst of despair, a friend visited Dorsey and arranged for him to be left alone in a music room with a piano. "It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows," Dorsey recalled. For the first time in many days, he sat at a piano using his fingers to browse the keys. Soon, the young artist experienced a personal revival: "I felt at peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody, one I'd never heard or played before, and words [for "Precious Lord"] came into my head—they just seemed to fall into place."
"Precious Lord" was an immediate and permanent hit. Dorsey himself said, "This is the greatest song I have written." He went on to sing and direct "Precious Lord" at churches and concerts around the world. To date, the song has been translated into 32 languages.
Dorsey died in January 1993 in Chicago, but his legacy thrives. With his innovative blending of sacred and secular styles, he is remembered as the architect of modern gospel music.
August 28, 2003
State Investment Council approves $7.5M for Elvis movie project Andrew Webb, New Mexico Business Weekly
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Corny jokes abounded Tuesday during a meeting of the State Investment Council, which unanimously approved a $7.5 million loan to the producers of "Elvis Has Left the Building," which will begin shooting in New Mexico next month.
The loan will nearly cover the cost of making the dark comedy, which will star Kim Basinger and a host of Elvis Presley lookalikes. It will be directed by Joel Zwick, who directed the low-budget smash "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Basinger will play a cosmetics peddler who, while traveling from Memphis to Las Vegas, Nev., leaves in her wake a trail of dead Elvis impersonators who die "hilariously and accidentally," according to producer Tova Laiter.
Elvis impersonators have been lined up for cameos in the movie, she says, among them several well-known stars. The producers also held an open casting call at an Albuquerque nightclub on Tuesday, attracting about 100 more impersonators.
"I've never been in a production where people clamored so much to be in it," she said.
The film is scheduled for release next year.
About 81 percent of the film's payroll will go to New Mexicans, including a locally-hired director of photography, according to the New Mexico Film Commission.
The state will represent several locations, including Arizona, Tennessee and New York City.
The loan is a result of recent legislation which provides up to $22 million in production loans, with a limit of $7.5 million per project.
Twenty-six years after Elvis Presley's death, his stepbrothers, Ricky Stanley
& David Stanley
and his closest friend, Joe Esposito, share their intimate memories of a music legend ... The truth about the King Elvis Presley Remembered
August 23, 2003
Keith' Alverson New Photos
2003
August 22, 2003
New Book Coming in December - Elvis Fashion: From Memphis to Vegas --------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPE 8/22/2003
Following is a press release from Universe Publishing about a great new Elvis book done in collaboration with EPE. Can you tell how excited they are about it?
HE WAS NOTHIN’ BUT A CLOTHES HOUND!
"I would have given anything to design for Elvis..."
— Gianni Versace
To Elvis Presley, clothes were second in importance only to music. An avid collector of garments, accessories, and costumes, many made just for him, Elvis became was as much a fashion icon as a rock ‘n’ roll trendsetter. He loved clothes and had an uncanny eye for what would shine on stage, and maintain his sexy persona off stage. Elvis loved to be part of the process and often conferred with his tailors, costumers, and accessory designers, working his initials into their designs whenever possible! Featured in ELVIS FASHION- From Memphis to Vegas are working sketches of costumes, and comments from favorite designers like Nudie, the Rodeo Tailor, Vegas costumer-extraordinare Bill Belew, 50s Rat-Pack tailor Sy Devore, and the legendary Oscar-winning Edith Head, who designed many of his film wardrobes. Also included is fascinating ephemera like a record of his running tab at a Memphis jeweler, and invoices for clothing described down to the minutest detail: “light-blue double-knit suit w/lattice patterned jacket front in navy blue leather accented w/brass studs…lined in patterned silk.”
Graceland gave author Julie Mundy unprecedented access to the Elvis Presley’s costume archive and allowed her to select an incredible range of Elvis’s famous jumpsuits, leather pants, embroidered and jeweled capes, and accessories from hats to belts to custom boots. Mundy chronicles the development of Elvis’ taste, and his growth into a true fashion icon paralleled by his meteoric rise to stardom. Multitudes of costumes from the Graceland collection were photographed especially for this book, and will be enhanced by archival photos of Elvis wearing them, both on stage and off.
Elvis’s velvety voice, smolderingly good looks, charisma, and personal style all contributed to making him “The King of Rock ’n’ Roll.” Beloved by millions, Elvis is known in every corner of the world and is one of the most important and enduring figures ever in American popular culture.
A comprehensive look at the gorgeous clothes that were so much a part of what made Elvis Elvis is long overdue. Stunningly designed, this book is as tasty a package as Elvis was himself! An absolute must for Elvis Presley fans everywhere.
About the Author
Julie Mundy is a music journalist and the author of The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club Commemorative Album (Virgin, ’97). In 1995 she was commissioned to re-launch The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club Magazine, and Elvis Monthly to be ready for the 20th anniversary of Elvis’ death. Julie Mundy lives in London and is currently working on two book projects, one of which celebrates the 100th anniversary of Las Vegas.
Specifications
ELVIS FASHION: From Memphis to Vegas
By Julie Mundy, in Association with Graceland®
Hardcover / 9” x 12” / 208 pages / 200+ color and black & white photographs and illustrations
$45. US, $70. Canadian
Published by Universe Publishing, an imprint of Rizzoli International Publications
ISBN: 0-7893-0987-4
Release date: December 1, 2003
August 20, 2003
MusicNow Offers Elvis Channel Aug 19, 4:36 pm ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Online digital music provider MusicNow and music label BMG should have Elvis Presley fans "all shook up" after announcing on Tuesday a newly launched digital music channel focused solely on the music of the late King of Rock 'n' Roll.
The new channel contains more than 2,000 Presley tracks and follows a MusicNow announcement in July of two channels, one dedicated to Blue Note Records jazz artists and another focused on composer Quincy Jones.
MusicNow launched in March with a subscription service in a magazine-like format. It was developed by independent music company FullAudio Corp.
At $9.95 a month, MusicNow customers can stream over 200,000 songs and get conditional downloads available for on-demand play online and offline for the duration of the subscription.
The service also offers downloads at 99 cents per song that can be burned to CD or transferred to portable devices.
With the new channel, MusicNow subscribers will be able to stream, download and burn Elvis hits to their hard drives.
Burning to portable computers is also available at this time at the 99 cent per song fee.
The new Presley channel, which went live on Friday, features hits from the upcoming Oct. 7 release of "Elvis 2nd to None," a follow-up to last year's hit compilation album "Elvis 30 #1 Hits."
The new album will include a never-before-released song recorded by the singer nearly 40 years ago. The song, "I'm a Roustabout," was written for the 1964 Presley film "Roustabout." It was rejected by the film's producers and never used.
The album will also feature a new remix of Presley's 1969 song "Rubberneckin," which is already available on MusicNow but not available in stores.
BMG's RCA label last week said it would release the new song in the fall. The announcement was made on the eve of the 26th anniversary of Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977, at 42.
MusicNow and BMG, a unit of Germany's Bertelsmann AG, said they will also add articles about Elvis and merchandise.
MusicNow is available at http://www.musicnow.com and through Charter Communications Inc., Clear Channel Communications, EarthLink Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media Player.
August 19, 2003
Larry King Live To Have Another Elvis Edition ----------------------------------------- EPE 8/19/2003
Elvis and Religion By John Armistead, Daily Journal Tupelo
8/17/2003 7:43:24 AM
The story of the rise of Elvis Presley is well-known. Born in a two-room house in East Tupelo in January 1935 to a mother and father so poor that they would bury his stillborn twin the following day in a cardboard box in the cemetery at Priceville, Presley knew nothing but stinging financial deprivation until, in his late teens, his singing career skyrocketed.
Most of Presley's growing up years in Tupelo were a hand-to-mouth existence. When he was a toddler, his ne'er-do-well father, Vernon Presley, was sent to the state penitentiary at Parchman for forgery, and little Elvis and his mother, Gladys, were evicted from the two-room house. Gladys Presley picked cotton, dragging her baby on her sack as she worked, and did an assortment of menial jobs.
Vernon Presley was released after nine months due to family hardship. He, Gladys, and Elvis lived in several places in Tupelo, mostly in East Tupelo, but also Mill Town and North Green Street over the next decade before moving to Memphis in hopes of a better life. Elvis was 13 at the time of the move. After graduating from Humes High School in 1953, he became a truck driver, and soon thereafter walked into Sam Phillips' Sun Records to make a recording.
What is not as well-known is how thoroughly religion saturated Presley's life from earliest childhood. His family attended First Assembly of God Church in Tupelo, participated in all-night gospel sings and loved the fervent music and preaching of the Pentecostal religious tradition.
In Memphis, a teenage Elvis sang solos in First Assembly of God Church (where he worshipped regularly until fame and his service-disturbing presence curtailed further attendance), got to know the Blackwood Brothers, who also belonged to First Assembly, and aspired to be a gospel singer himself. He auditioned for the Songfellows, a gospel group, and was crushed when they rejected him. At the beginning of his career, far from being indifferent to the condemnation of his performances by clergy, including Cardinal Spellman, both Presley and his mother were deeply hurt. In later years, audiences came to expect gospel songs whenever he appeared in concert.
But, how deep was his spirituality, and how genuine his faith? Some who have looked very closely at Presley are convinced his religion was not only real but a real center in his life.
A fine boy'
Jannelle McComb, who was chairwoman of the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation in Tupelo for many years, knew the Presley family in Tupelo before they moved to Memphis, and, after Elvis became an established star, became a closer friend.
"He was very definitely a Christian, and I know that the Bible we got (for the Birthplace) after he died had a lot of passages marked with a yellow marker," she said. "He used to watch different preachers on television on Sunday mornings, and I remember one time asking him - we were talking about talent and people going to Juilliard and things like that - and I said, Well, you know where you got your talent.' He pointed his finger up, and said, From the man upstairs.'"
McComb also remembers asking Presley once at Graceland how he would like the people of Tupelo to honor him if they should want to do something at the park.
"He stood there a minute, and he turned his head and said, Why don't you build a chapel so that my fans will have a place to meditate.' So, that's how the chapel came into being."
McComb recalls sitting in the kitchen at Graceland once when Elvis walked through singing "Amazing Grace."
"When he sang those songs you could tell he was feeling what he sang," she said. "He was a fine boy, and loved God, and he talked about him."
Exploring non-Christian spirituality
Dr. Eric Mazur, an associate professor in the religion department at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., is convinced Presley's faith was not only genuine but was a growing and exploring faith.
"What's fascinating is that Elvis was so fascinated by religion and spirituality," said Mazur, who teaches a course titled "Graceland, Disneyland, Holy Land: Sacred Space in America."
"He grew up exposed to Pentecostalism and black churches, and I've heard reports that he was influenced either by personal relationships or some sort of involvement in the Jewish community. Certainly, in the last 15 years of his life, he was fascinated by Eastern religions, mostly Buddhism, from what I can tell."
Mazur says Presley's curiosity about non-Christian spirituality stemmed from his personal religious consciousness, and not from any dissatisfaction with Christianity.
"He wasn't turning his back on Christianity, but because he considered himself a spiritual person, he was fascinated with various expressions of spirituality," he said.
"Protestant Christianity has dominated this country since Protestants outnumbered Native Americans, but Elvis brought it into the mainstream in terms of it becoming popular," he said. "Elvis was urged by his record company not to do a gospel album. They thought it would kill his career, but he went ahead and did it, and people bought it in large numbers. That's a relatively rare thing."
In his own way'
Dick Guyton, executive director of the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation, points out Presley was honored for his gospel music in ways that he wasn't for his secular music.
"The only major music awards he won were for his gospel music," he said. "His three Grammy Awards were for gospel recordings. He never won anything for his rock n' roll music."
Guyton feels Presley was very much a religious person.
"He was religious in his own way," he said. "He studied the Bible. He studied other religions like Judaism and Buddhism. He didn't go to church, but I think he expressed his religion, like he did many things, through his music, even his secular music."
From around the world
The Rev. Wally Cason is pastor of St. Mark United Methodist Church, which is located directly across the street from Presley's Tupelo birthplace. He has met many fans from all over the world who have made a pilgrimage to the little shotgun house.
"Many of them have been touched by his gospel music in a way they cannot explain or understand until they find out about the gospel itself," said Cason.
While there are some tongue-in-cheek Internet sites advocating worship of Elvis (such as "The First Presleyterian Church of Elvis, the Divine"), Cason has seen no evidence among fans of cult-like attitudes.
"In fact, some people have been drawn into Christianity because of Elvis," said Cason. "Over the years, they have become interested in the gospel Elvis preached."
One of those Cason has met visiting the birthplace is Madeleine Wilson from Wolverhampton, England. Wilson is president of Elvis Gospel Ministries and the Elvis Gospel Fan Club.
"Elvis' idea of religion was not necessarily attending church, but rather one's personal relationship with God and how one lived his life," she said.
What about charges that Presley's lifestyle was out of keeping with a faith commitment?
"It depends which part of his lifestyle you are referring to. If you mean his dependence on prescription drugs, his sexual activity, unhealthy eating habits and his occasional temper tantrums, then yes, I would say his lifestyle was out of step with his faith commitment," said Wilson.
"If, however, you mean his generosity with his money, spending hours counseling and encouraging relatives and friends and fans from the Word of God, successfully praying for people to be healed, honoring his parents by buying them their dream home and living with them as an extended family at Graceland, being sweet-natured, not harboring bitterness, having a sense of fun and joy for life and crying out to God in pain for forgiveness and direction, then I would say his lifestyle was fully in step with his commitment to God."
Larry King Live will devote their Monday, August 18th show to Elvis. We're happy to report that their guest list for interviews includes Elvis's long-time friend and personal staff member, Joe Esposito. They also say that Rick Stanley and David Stanley (sons of Elvis's father's second wife)will be among the guests. (No comment.) They also indicate that a "former girlfriend of Elvis" will be on the show - name not announced at this writing.
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) -- Henry Nguyen joined several thousand other fans Friday night for a visit to Elvis Presley's grave. It was his way of saying thanks.
Nguyen, who fled Vietnam as the country was falling to the communists in 1975, credits Presley with helping him learn English and ease his resettlement in a new country.
"When I was in Vietnam I learned his songs in English. I don't understand what it is so I try to contact American GIs and that helped build communication with American soldiers," said Nguyen, 60, of Houston. "It helped me have enough confidence to work and live happy with Americans."
Presley died at 42 on August 16, 1977, and is buried in a small garden beside Graceland, his Memphis residence. To cap an annual week of parties, concerts and get-togethers, fans held a vigil Friday night, lighting candles at Graceland's front gates and walking along a long driveway to the grave.
Hundreds of other fans filled four-lane Elvis Presley Boulevard in front of Graceland waiting their turns to join the procession.
Nguyen, a retired oil company engineer, and his wife Tania, who have taken American first names, joined the crowd and displayed a hand-printed sign: "Hello from Houston, Texas/Vietnam."
Kenneth Bollermann, 52, of Manasquan, New Jersey, said he was making his first nighttime visit to the grave, spurred by a dream he had a decade ago.
"I was standing at the back of Elvis' grave and could have sworn he came out of his grave and stood right in front of me," said Bollermann, a kitchen worker at a retirement home. "I'm not going to say that will happen. It probably won't."
30,000 visitors expected in Memphis
The tourism bureau expected more than 30,000 people to visit Memphis during the anniversary week. Some visitors stay a day or two, while others remain the whole week.
The graveside procession, which grew from a spontaneous fan gathering the year after Presley's death, has been run by his estate since Graceland opened to the public in 1982.
Graceland and its complex of shops and museums now draw more than 600,000 visitors a year.
The graveside vigil runs into the early morning of the 16th, the anniversary of the day Presley was found unconscious on a bathroom floor. He was pronounced dead, succumbing to drug abuse and heart disease, a short time later.
'You get all kinds'
While waiting for the vigil, fans shopped for souvenirs and listened to karaoke performances of Presley imitators under a large tent in a shopping center parking lot.
Anyone could take the stage and sing two songs. Performers ranged from those in ordinary street clothes to others with jet black pompadours and full Elvis-style attire.
Vocal talents varied, too.
"You get all kinds," said show manager Danny McCorkle. "Some, well, let's put it this way, some are not as good as Elvis."
Nearby, Sherry Padgett, 41, waited her turn to meet Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana, two of Presley's early band members.
"D.J. Fontana and Scotty Moore, that's history," said Padgett, of Orleans, Indiana. "That's awesome when you can meet somebody who helped start rock 'n' roll."
August 16, 2003
'It's Home to Us' By John Beifuss, The Commercial Appeal - August 16, 2003 Illness, distance no match for vigil's diehards
La Vera Chapel had planned to get her 15th Elvis tattoo this year, until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
She already has "the three stages of Elvis - '56, '68 and '73" tattooed on her right arm, the gates of Graceland on her left forearm, a portrait of Elvis from Charro! above her right breast, and a bare-chested Elvis angel across her back, to name a few.
Each one is a souvenir of Memphis. They mark each of the 14 years the longtime Kmart employee and her husband, Donald, have come here from White Lake, Mich., for the annual Graceland candlelight vigil commemorating the Aug. 16, 1977, death of Elvis Aaron Presley.
But with multiple sclerosis, "The nerve endings, they tend to jump, and that's not good when you're getting a tattoo - 'Whoops, there goes Elvis's face!' " Chapel, 49, said Friday.
So instead of leaving with a new tattoo she came with a new wheelchair, in which she staked out her usual place near the gates of Graceland and in which she was wheeled to the grave.
This year, Chapel was third in line and part of an estimated 5,000 people at the vigil's opening ceremony at 9 p.m. on a muggy but clear evening. Police expected the total number of visitors to double by sunrise today.
Overall, about 35,000 people probably visited Graceland during this year's Elvis Tribute Week, said Elvis Presley Enterprises spokesman Todd Morgan. Last year, which marked the 25th anniversary of Elvis's death, some 30,000-plus fans and spectators attended the vigil.
"It's home to us," said Kath Hart, 42, president of the Gracelanders of York fan club in England, who visits Memphis twice a year with her husband, Ray.
The Harts said their children sometimes accompany them. "One of my lads likes Metallica," Ray said, "and one of 'em likes the Foo Fighters. But they always relate it back to Elvis because he's the King of Rock and Roll."
Houston engineer Henry Nguyen, 60, credits Elvis with inspiring him to leave South Vietnam for America in 1975.
"I love the culture through Elvis," he said. "I learn English from his songs and bootleg records - we had American GIs write down the words for us."
Forensic anthropologist Elayne Pope, 29, attended the vigil dressed in an Elvis wig and a snugly tailored jumpsuit. "Don't be blocking Elvis's bosoms," said Memphian Jay Good, 41, as he photographed his sons posing with the Shelby County morgue employee.
Pope said she's no fan of Presley's music, but "I just like dressing up like Elvis and coming out here." She said humans fascinate her whether they're on a slab or on Elvis Presley Boulevard. "It's all anthropology; it's all a study of people."
Chapel said her doctors didn't approve of her trip to Memphis, because excessive heat and stress aren't good for people who suffer from MS, a debilitating disease that interferes with the central nervous system.
They certainly wouldn't have approved if they had known that La Vera and Donald, 59, got in line at 10:30 Thursday night, and stayed throughout the 90-degree heat Friday.
Explained Mrs. Chapel: "My loyalty to Elvis is something I can give in return for all he's given me. He was sick, and he still performed for us."
"Loyalty" is a word Elvis fans use a lot.
"I came down here the day after he died, and I've been coming ever since," said Bill Rowe, 53, of Dayton, Ohio, first in line Friday night. "Basically, when I feel I can't stay away any longer, I show up at the gates."
What motivates his annual visits?
"Loyalty to the memory of Elvis Presley."
Chapel said her tattoos enable her to proclaim her Elvis pride in public. "You have your Elvis impersonators, you have your Elvis lookalikes, but I'm a living billboard for Elvis," she said. "Every day I live on, I remind somebody of Elvis. When they see me, it brings the name of Elvis to their lips."
August 16, 2003
Withered job form bears texture of Elvis's poor youth By Michael Lollar, The Commercial Appeal - August 16, 2003
As a teenager, Elvis Presley lied about his age when he applied for a job in 1952, leaving behind an application form as yet another facet of Americana.
Presley was 17 when he applied at Marl Dinettes, a South Memphis furniture company where he was hired as a laborer in the "table department."
His application form was kept with other company rec ords until the business was bought out in the 1960s. Accountant Bill Cole was closing out the company books and ran across the application and a W-2 form for the man who, by then, had risen from a $1-an-hour laborer to one of the world's highest-paid entertainers.
Cole, who since has died, kept the forms as "conversation pieces" since they weren't vital to the company closeout, says his daughter, Linda Crain. When he died, he left the Elvis documents to his wife, who died a few years later. Crain, her sister Teresa Truesdale and their brother Larry Cole then became joint owners.
Crain says the family has never attempted to market or display the documents, but always wanted Elvis fans to know about them because of their rarity and because of their small window to Elvis's teenage years.
On the application, Elvis lists his Social Security number (409-52-2002) and his full name, Elvis Aron (the original spelling with one "A") Presley. The form says his family was renting an apartment at 185 Winchester and that he was 18. But Elvis listed his date of birth as Jan. 8, 1934, exactly one year before his actual birth in 1935.
The same document lists Precision Tool Co. as a previous employer (June 3-July 1, 1951) with reason for leaving: "under age." Before that, Elvis had worked at Loew's State Theatre (as an usher) from April 18 to May 28, 1952, he wrote on the form.
A brief description listed his weight (150 pounds), brown hair, blue eyes and education at Humes High School with subjects including "woodshop, Speech, English, History."
Elvis memorabilia consultant John Heath of Marion, Ark., said this week the documents are rare and could become highly sought pieces among collectors. He had not seen the yellowing documents, so was unable to place a value on them.
A former Marl Dinettes employee, Mary Lou McGee, 83, says she and her late husband, Otis McGee, worked at the company at the same time as Elvis. "Everybody who worked in there was friends. It wasn't hard to get acquainted." She says her husband first noticed that Elvis brought odd lunches to work, "like boiled eggs and JELL-O."
McGee says she began to make sandwiches for Elvis when she made lunches for herself and her husband. "I would make fried chicken sandwiches or tomato, lettuce and bacon sandwiches for him," she says.
Following is a press release from BMG/RCA Records:
LOST ELVIS PRESLEY SONG DISCOVERED!
Found Track, I’m A Roustabout, To Be Added To BMG/RCA Records Release
ELVIS 2ND TO NONE Due Out On October 7th
New York, NY (August 15, 2003) - Nearly 26 years after the death of Elvis Presley, his longtime musical home, BMG/RCA, has unearthed a never-before-heard, entirely new song -
I’m A Roustabout. This unprecedented discovery will be added to BMG/RCA’s upcoming release
ELVIS 2ND TO NONE due out on October 7th.
I’m A Roustabout was originally commissioned and written for the film Roustabout (1964) by longtime Presley collaborators Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell, but was never used. Rather, a completely different song written by the team Giant/Baum/Kaye was recorded for the film and eventually became the title song for both the movie and the # 1 album. An off hand remark from songwriter Winfield Scott to a journalist in New Jersey in 2003, started the ball rolling on discovering this lost track. When the same journalist interviewed BMG/RCA’s producer/researcher Ernst Mikael
Jorgensen he mentioned that he’d talked to a songwriter who had an unreleased Elvis song. As soon as the journalist mentioned Winfield’s name, Jorgensen
instantly recognized he was referring to the long lost Roustabout, originally rejected by movie producer Hal Wallis. Winfield Scott had found the original acetate in the basement of his New Jersey home, and was quite happy to play it over the phone to Jřrgensen and subsequently grant BMG/RCA access to the recording.
Now, BMG/RCA will add I’m A Roustabout to ELVIS 2ND TO NONE, the highly anticipated new Presley release.
ELVIS 2ND TO NONE is a compilation of #1 singles, fan favorites and career milestones representing a broader range of Elvis’ talents and featuring multiple musical genres including R & B, rock ‘n roll, pop, country, dance and rockabilly. The album features a Rubberneckin’ produced by DJ Paul Oakenfold – one of the most acclaimed remixers in music history, and has been mixed and mastered from the original master tapes for optimum sound quality.
I’m A Roustabout is an up-tempo, tongue-in-cheek, R&B style pop song and has all the sparkle of a 1964 hit single and it remains a great track to this day. With its inclusion on
ELVIS 2ND TO NONE, I’m A Roustabout will finally have a chance to become the hit it could have been back in 1964.
“I’m A Roustabout is truly one of the most incredible discoveries of modern music,” said Joe DiMuro, Executive Vice President, BMG Strategic Marketing Group. “Rarely do we find any unreleased material for an artist of Elvis’s caliber, and to have a complete track is even more unique. We are thrilled to be able to share this gift with music lovers throughout the world through
ELVIS 2ND TO NONE.”
“It’s very gratifying for me to finally have this song be released,” said Winfield Scott. “I hope that it brings Elvis fans as much joy as it did for me and Otis when we originally wrote it. Enjoy!”
ELVIS 2ND TO NONE is the follow up to the highly successful 2002 release,
ELV1S 30 #1 HITS, which reached No. 1 in 26 territories worldwide, including the U.S. where it was a chart topper for three weeks. Over nine million albums were sold worldwide with 3.5 million in the U.S. Among the hits was the No. 1 remix of
A Little Less Conversation produced by DJ JXL, which went to No. 1 in 26 countries including the US and Great Britain. That feat pushed Elvis past the Beatles for most No. 1 hits in the UK. Following the album’s release, a television special, Elvis Lives aired on NBC Thanksgiving night and the special claimed the all important 18-34 demographic for the hour. Furthermore, the
ELV1S 30 #1 HITS DVD audio debuted at No. 1 in the sales charts upon its release.
For more information on “ELVIS 2ND TO NONE” or Elvis Presley, please visit www.elvissecondtonone.com
BMG is the global music division of Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's leading media companies. BMG owns more than 200 record labels in 41 countries including Ariola, Arista Records, J Records, Jive Records, BMG Heritage, RCA Records and RCA Label Group - Nashville. BMG Strategic Marketing Group is a new fully integrated organization for the U.S. that brings together BMG Heritage, BMG Special Products, Strategic Marketing and Direct Response TV as well as key support services including Business Affairs, Finance and Music Licensing. This combined structure of the BMG Strategic Marketing Group offers tremendous benefit to BMG and its businesses by increasing coordination amongst various teams and business units responsible for all levels of exploitation, across product lines and across labels.
Q & A With Winfield Scott About I’m a Roustabout
Following is the Q & A with Winfield Scott BMG/RCA has distributed to the media:
How did you start in the business?
I started in a vocal group called The Cues and we worked for Ahmet Ertegun on some sessions with LaVern Baker.
What was the first successful song you wrote?
I wrote Tweedle Dee for LaVern. I presented parts of it to Ertegun during a rehearsal, and he played it for LaVern. She liked it and I brought in the whole song the next day. (After finishing writing it that night.) It was a huge success, and much to my surprise it turned out that a very young 19-year-old Elvis liked the song and performed it live on his shows. Unfortunately he never made a studio version of it.
How did you end up writing for Elvis?
Songwriter Otis Blackwell was a good friend of mine and convinced me to start writing for pop artists as opposed to just R&B performers. Otis had written several songs for Elvis including classics like
Don’t Be Cruel and All Shook Up, and he had learned just how much more rewarding it was to write for a star like Elvis.
What were the songs you wrote for Elvis?
In early 1962 we struck gold and had three songs recorded in just a few weeks.
Return To Sender and We’re Comin’ In Loaded for the film Girls! Girls! Girls! and
Easy Question for the Pot Luck album. We wrote One Broken Heart For Sale which became the hit single for the next movie, and
Please Don’t Drag That String Around which ended up on the b-side of
(You’re The) Devil In Disguise. A few years later I wrote Long Legged Girl with Leslie McFarland and in 1970 Elvis recorded
Stranger In The Crowd which I had written on my own.
Q: What is the biggest success of them all?
As I understand it Return To Sender has sold about 14 million copies in the U.S. alone.
What’s the story behind Roustabout?
When Elvis made a movie, many writers were asked to submit songs for his films. Elvis would choose the ones he liked and then record them. Otis and I wrote a song for the 1964 movie
Roustabout and Elvis recorded it. Movie producer Hal Wallis listened to the song but he objected to the lyrics because they had Elvis saying he wanted to tell his boss to “stick it in his ear.” Mr. Wallis demanded that a new song called Roustabout be commissioned from other writers so our version never made it into the movie.
Q: So what happened to the song?
I had a copy of it on acetate and forgot all about it. This happened almost 40 years ago.
When did you realize that you had something unique?
Well, I didn’t really think about it all these years. Then recently during an interview with a New Jersey newspaper reporter, I mentioned having a copy of a song I wrote that Elvis recorded for a movie but was never used. A few days later I got a call from BMG’s Elvis Presley producer Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, who had done an interview with the same newspaper. Through his conversation with the reporter, he realized that the song I had made reference to had to be my version of
Roustabout. He came to my home and listened to my record, and subsequently we made a deal. The original story he and I were interviewed for was never printed and the journalist left the paper.
How do you feel about the song getting released so many years later on the
ELVIS 2ND TO NONE CD?
I’m surprised, happy and curious to see what kind of impact it will have.
Nowa, nieznana, niepublikowana piosenka Elvisa Presleya "I'm A Roustabout" znajdzie się na albumie
"ELVIS 2ND TO NONE" (premiera 6 października 2003 roku)
Blisko 26 lat po śmierci Elvisa Presleya jego macierzysta wytwórnia fonograficzna BMG/RCA wyda piosenkę artysty, która nigdy wcześniej nie ujrzała światła dziennego. To niebywałe odkrycie zostanie zaprezentowane światu podczas obchodów rocznicy śmierci Elvisa w Memphis w nocy z 15 / 16 sierpnia 2003, a do fanów na całym świecie trafi 6 sierpnia jako jeden z bonus tracków na płycie "ELVIS 2ND TO NONE".
Piosenka "I'm A Roustabout" została skomponowana i napisana przez długoletnich współpracowników Presleya: Winfielda Scotta i Otisa Blackwella w 1964 roku, specjalnie do filmu "Roustabout". Utwór jednak nigdy nie został wykorzystany, a do filmu trafiła zupełnie inna piosenka, napisana przez zespół autorów Giant/Baum/Kaye.
Historia odkrycia zaginionej piosenki jest stosunkowo krótka. W 2003 roku autor tekstu Winfield Scott wspomniał dziennikarzowi z New Jersey o istnieniu piosenki napisanej dawno temu dla potrzeb filmu. Jakiś czas później ten sam dziennikarz przeprowadzał wywiad z jednym z producentów
BMG/RCA, Ernstem Mikaelem Jorgensenem. Opowiedział o spotkaniu z człowiekiem, który napisał nie wydaną piosenkę Elvisa. Gdy tylko dziennikarz wspomniał nazwisko Winfielda, Jorgensen natychmiast zorientował się, że musi chodzić o piosenkę, która miała trafić do filmu "Roustabout". Winfield
Scott, który znalazł oryginalne nagranie w przepastnych archiwach swego domu w New Jersey, z dumą zaprezentował piosenkę Jorgensenowi i udostępnił ją do wydania firmie BMG/RCA. Tu decyzje zapadły szybko i już w październiku cały świat będzie mógł zapoznać się z nowym nagraniem za sprawą albumu "ELVIS 2ND TO NONE".
"I'm A Roustabout" jest dynamiczną piosenką pop z elementami R&B. Utwór posiada wszystkie cechy potencjalnego przeboju z lat sześćdziesiątych, ale brzmi znakomicie także w uchu dzisiejszego słuchacza. Dzięki albumowi "ELVIS 2ND TO NONE", "I'm A Roustabout" może się stać nareszcie przebojem, którym nie stał się w roku 1964.
"I'm A Roustabout" jest bez wątpienia jednym z najbardziej zdumiewających odkryć współczesnej muzyki rozrywkowej." - Oświadczył Joe DiMuro, Vice President BMG Strategic Marketing Group. "Rzadko zdarza się, że odkrywamy całkiem nowy materiał nagraniowy artysty pokroju Elvisa. To, że zdobyliśmy kompletne nagranie, jest jeszcze bardziej niesamowite."
"Ogromnie się cieszę, że piosenka wreszcie zostanie wydana." - Mówi Winfield Scott. "Mam nadzieję, że to nagranie przysporzy fanom Elvisa tyle radości, ile przyniosło mnie i Otisowi, kiedy ją pisaliśmy. Tego wszystkim życzę!"
Źródło: Iza Ciszek/BMG Poland
(20 Sierpnia, 2003)
Ernst Jorgensen of RCA/BMG tells the
story about how the recording of the song
"Roustabout" was recently dicovered. "Roustabout"
will be a be included on "Elvis: 2nd To None" (E2).
Elvis Week: August 15, 2003
Joe DiMuro of BMG speaks to the crowd
and press about the upcoming release of E2.
The CD, to be released on October 7th in the United States, will feature digitally remastered fan favorites and other songs.
August 15, 2003
Rubberneckin' Music Video Completed; Fans at Elvis Week See It First -------------------------------------------------------------
EPE 8/15/2003
BMG/RCA has completed a music video for the new Paul Oakenfold remix of Elvis Presley's 1969 recording Rubberneckin'. The single comes out September 9 and will then be part of the ELVIS 2ND TO NONE album to be released on October 7. The Rubberneckin' video will soon make its way to MTV, VH1 and other music video presenters around the world. It will be viewable here on Elvis.com within a day or two. Fans attending Elvis Week in Memphis got to see the video before the rest of the world. BMG officials screened it in a press conference on the Graceland front lawn this morning. The video features footage of Elvis's performance of the song in the 1969 movie Change of Habit.
The record company also announced the discovery of a lost Elvis recording, I'm a Roustabout and that it will now be added to the ELVIS 2ND TO NONE album. See separate article about that.
August 15, 2003
Presley memorabilia being auctioned on TV this weekend Ananova, 15th August 2003
A live two-day auction of Elvis Presley memorabilia is taking place this weekend - the 26th anniversary of his death.
The sale is being held on the auctionworld television channel on Saturday and Sunday.
It's being hosted by DJ David Kid Jensen and will feature Donna
Presley, a first Cousin of Elvis.
The channel says the lots are museum quality pieces, many coming from private collections. They have never been available for auction before.
Prize lots include Elvis and Priscilla Presley's original marriage certificate from 1967 which is expected to reach
£115,000.
A once-worn pair of sunglasses comes with a reserve of L50,000 and the first Guitar Elvis ever owned is expected to fetch
£75,000.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than a quarter-century after his death, Elvis Presley has something new to get his fans all shook up.
A never-before-released song recorded by Presley nearly 40 years ago was recently unearthed and will be issued this fall by RCA Records as part of a new collection of favorites from the King of Rock 'n' Roll, the label said on Friday.
The announcement comes on the eve of the 26th anniversary of Presley's death, on Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42.
The song, "I'm a Roustabout," originally was written for the 1964 Presley film "Roustabout," co-starring Barbara Stanwyck, and was even recorded by Presley, but the song was rejected by producers and never used.
A completely different tune ultimately became the title song for both the movie "Roustabout" and the No. 1 album of the same name.
Meanwhile, an acetate recording of the original "I'm a Roustabout" sat for decades, undiscovered in the private collection of songwriter Winfield Scott, who composed it with longtime partner Otis Blackwell.
Neither of the men ever met Presley. Blackwell, who died last year, also shared credits on such Presley hits as "All Shook Up" and "Don't Be Cruel," as well as "Great Balls of Fire" for Jerry Lee Lewis.
Scott, now in his 80s, said in a telephone interview with Reuters that he happened across the unmarked recording of "I'm a Roustabout" in the basement of his New Jersey home several years ago but didn't think much of it.
"I know it sounds strange, but I had actually forgotten about it. It was just laying around, along with a whole slew of other demos and a couple hundred songs," he said. "At the time, I said, 'Well gee, I wonder why never released it?' And then I just put it back with the rest of the demos until later on."
The disc remained stashed away until Scott mentioned the song years later to a reporter. That reporter in turn mentioned it in an interview with RCA producer-researcher Ernst Jorgensen, who later contacted Scott, listened to the disc and arranged for the label to obtain the recording.
The song will now be included in an upcoming RCA release, "Elvis 2nd to None," due out on Oct. 7. It's a follow-up to last year's compilation album "ELV1S 30 #1 Hits," which topped the sales charts in the United States and 26 other countries and sold 9 million copies worldwide.
Among the hits from that album was the No. 1 dance remix of the previously obscure 1968 Presley tune, "A Little Less Conversation."
The latest Elvis set will feature additional No. 1 hits from the King and lesser-known classics such as his first recorded single, "That's All Right," and a remixed version of 1969 song "Rubberneckin," given a contemporary treatment by leading DJ Paul Oakenfold.
Hoping to repeat the success of last year's "Little Less Conversation" remix, which climbed to No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, "Rubberneckin" will be released to radio Aug. 25 and as a commercial single on Sept. 9.
August 15, 2003
But now, after loving him, what else is there to do? Vigil for the King tonight By John Beifuss, The Commercial Appeal - August 15, 2003
Are you a Vigil virgin?
Don't worry.
We all were once. Before we drove deep into the heart of Whitehaven and raised high our first candle for the King.
Elvis Presley died 26 years ago Saturday, and it's now a tradition to gather at the gates of Graceland the evening of Aug. 15 (that's tonight) and pay him homage.
True fans queue up to visit the grave, and it can take several hours to reach it, depending on the crowd.
Here's a guide, courtesy of Graceland, for what to expect at tonight's Candlelight Vigil:
Parking: About 6 p.m., Memphis police will close Elvis Presley Boulevard for several blocks north and south of Graceland, between Bluebird and Craft. Free first-come, first-served parking is available in the regular Graceland lot until 6 p.m. Vehicles leaving the lot will be allowed to pass through the police barricades all evening. Most people arriving after 6 park on side streets and lots north of the mansion.
The vigil: The official opening ceremony begins at 9 p.m., near the front gates of the mansion. At the end of the ceremony, torches lit from the "eternal flame" at Elvis's grave are brought down to the gate. Fans who want to process to the grave may light their candles from this flame. The gates will remain open until all who wish to participate have done so. Graceland will provide a candle to those who need one.
Guidelines: As a security precaution, no bags - including camera bags, backpacks, shopping bags and so on - will be allowed on the mansion property. Food and drink items also are prohibited. However, visitors may carry cameras, as well as flowers or small memorials.
Tips: Remember, it's August, and that means heat and humidity, so take precautions. There are plenty of restrooms outside the mansion, but no public facilities on the grounds. So before you get in line, remember what Elvis might have said:
Elvis may be everywhere, but is virus a coincidence? By Jon W. Sparks, The Commercial Appeal - August 15, 2003
The new "Blaster" virus that's been plaguing computer users this week has an insidious side effect. It has a "time bomb" that is supposed to engage on Saturday, sending a flood of bogus traffic to a Microsoft Web site.
Saturday is, of course, the 26th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. We don't want to be overly alarming (maybe just a little alarming), but could this be the Elvirus? Is there some cunning connection between the worm and the King? Between Bill Gates and Graceland's gates? Did you know that Apple recently had a project named "Elvis"? Or have we just been a bit too obsessed by conspiracy theories lately?
...
August 14, 2003
RCA/BMG Press Conference at
Graceland - ELVIS 2ND TO NONE Special Announcement --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EPE
August
15 (10:00 AM). North lawn of the Graceland Mansion grounds. Free admission. Officials from RCA Records/BMG will share the latest information with fans and media regarding the October 7th release of the new CD/cassette compilation ELVIS 2ND TO NONE, the highly anticipated follow-up to last year's global smash ELV1S 30 #1 HITS. Also, the just-completed, wonderful new music video for the Paul Oakenfold remix of the Elvis Presley recording Rubberneckin' will be screened. The Rubberneckin' remix single will go on sale September 9th and will be included on the ELVIS 2ND TO NONE album. But, the primary focus of the event is to unveil a historic surprise being planned for inclusion on the ELVIS 2ND TO NONE release. Don't miss it!
Klein still proudly dons the cloak of a steadfast subject of the King
By Jon W. Sparks, The Commercial Appeal - August 14, 2003
''There are no barriers to the love for GK in this city.'' - Jerry Schilling
The story is that a national TV crew once started interviewing George Klein and told him to use his regular voice, not his radio voice.
Klein was baffled. "This is my regular voice," he announced in those full, rounded tones that carry so crisply over the airwaves.
In fact, Klein is always behind the microphone, even if there isn't one. Whether broadcasting his Elvis Hour on radio, emceeing an event or in a one-on-one chat, he's "on."
It's an easy confidence he's possessed since being out front at Humes High School. "I became class president, editor of the yearbook and newspaper."
There, in 1948, he met Elvis Presley which, putting it mildly, set the course of his life. "He was a good but not a great friend. He said I was nice to him." After high school, when Klein went into broadcasting and Elvis started performing, their interests converged and their friendship deepened.
The number of longtime friends and associates of Elvis is dwindling. Klein is still in Memphis, still accessible, and remains steadfast to Elvis's memory.
Klein is also among the few insiders who haven't written a book.
And why not?
"I held off because so many books were out there. Jerry Schilling, Richard Davis and me are the only ones with no book yet."
But not for long. He's got his material - lots of material - and thinks the time is about ready to get the project under way.
Klein lives a comfortable suburban existence in Cordova. On the walls of his small office are proclamations, awards and appreciations from the Epilepsy Foundation of West Tennessee, the Arthritis Foundation, March of Dimes and United Cerebral Palsy of the Mid-South.
The numerous books on his shelves include The Idiot's Guide to Football and Memphis 1948-1958 from Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. He also has Careless Love by Peter Guralnick, which does not imply approval of the Elvis biography although it's widely regarded as one of the best. "It's boring. He quoted me too much," declared Klein. "I gave him too much information."
(For the record, Klein likes Elvis, a 1971 biography by Jerry Hopkins, "the best writer on Elvis.")
At age 68 - he and Elvis were both born in 1935 - he's working a full load. His main job is as executive host at Horseshoe Casino, where he's been for more than eight years. He tends to the high rollers and handles presentations for the casino.
He also keeps busy with Elvis-related duties. He's close to Elvis Presley Enterprises and Priscilla Presley, and works with them on occasional events.
He'll even lead a personal tour of Graceland if pressed. He did it once for singer Tom Jones. "But my price is high. When I go to Graceland now, about twice a year, I don't really like it because I get nostalgic and sentimental."
Klein started in the radio business in 1957 with WHBQ. He's been in it ever since. Even now he's host of the syndicated George Klein's Original Elvis Hour, a program of Elvis tunes and anecdotes. Locally it's heard Sunday nights on KTRQ-FM 102.3 out of Wynne, Ark.
Thanks to that show, Klein says, "I probably listen to more Elvis than anybody."
He's probably better known as "GK" to friends, fans and listeners. That came about from mail he got on his first radio show. Fans wrote: "Dear DJ GK . . ." So Klein used it and the occasional ultra-hip variation: "This is the Geeker in your speaker."
With the radio gig and schoolboy past, there was a certain inevitability that he'd get hooked up with Elvis. And his knowledge of Presleyana serves him well, especially during tribute week.
Sunday night he hosted the annual Elvis Mafia Reunion at Alfred's on Beale. Fans asked questions of the panel of Elvis pals and acquaintances. Klein fielded the queries and handled more than a few himself, peppering anecdotes with deejay-smooth asides ("I'm not trying to be dramatic . . ."), in-jokes ("they know what I'm talking about . . .") and cautions ("We're just kidding").
The event he's most associated with is the annual George Klein Christmas Charity Show and Auction. This year will mark its 40th anniversary and again he'll be making the phone calls to nail down performers, to secure goodies to put on the block and to generate as much publicity as he can.
His durability and popularity are reflected in what people say about him.
Kang Rhee, karate master who taught Elvis for four years, was a big fan of Klein's Talent Party TV show, which aired during the 1960s and '70s. When Klein first brought Elvis to the karate studio, Rhee said, "I was more excited to see George than Elvis."
D. J. Fontana, drummer for Elvis for 14 years: "He's always on the ball and gets things done. A nice guy to be around."
Elvis intimate Jerry Schilling: "There are no barriers to the love for GK in this city."
Red West, another Elvis friend and associate: "His Talent Party did a lot for local musicians and made it possible for local bands to be exposed. He helped a lot of people."
Gordon Stoker, tenor with the Jordanaires: "A true friend to the music business and Elvis."
It's not a complete lovefest. Probably nobody could be in the public eye as long as Klein and have known as many people as he has without some mutterings. Marty Lacker, a friend and associate of Elvis, says a feature story on Klein is "a waste of print." But he refuses further comment and says any issues he has with Klein are irrelevant to Elvis.
Who is, always, the main event.
As Klein puts it: "There never has been and never will be another man like Elvis Presley."
George Klein speaks The Commercial Appeal, August 14, 2003
On Elvis:
"I know a million Elvis stories."
On Elvis impersonators:
"I've never sat through a 50-minute Elvis impersonator. I just won't do it. Nobody - nobody - who ever imitated Elvis ever made it big in show business."
On Muhammad Ali:
"Elvis was a big Ali fan. Ali was training in Vegas once. Elvis came in and Ali said, 'Elvis, show me some of those karate moves.' Elvis knocked him down. It got real quiet. Ali got up, looked at him and said, 'I want to learn that.' "
On how he got taken on by Elvis after Klein's radio station told him rock and roll was a passing fad:
"I ran into Elvis a day later. He says, 'What're you doing?' I said, 'I got fired.' He said, 'You're coming with me.' "
On being in Elvis movies:
"I was an extra. With freeze frame you can see me."
On being cast in movies:
"When Elvis was into pictures I'd schedule my vacation to be with him. So he'd tell the director, 'This is my buddy George Klein. Get a part for him.' "
On the overall lack of personality in radio today:
"A lot of guys are just giving time and temperature. Stations don't want them to talk too much. Rock 103 has guys with personality."
On Graceland's future:
"They'll be here 50 years from now."
On Elvis and Memphis music:
"He had a knack for gospel and a feel for country and R&B. One of the secrets of Memphis music is it's such a melting pot of music. And Elvis was affected by it."
On Lisa Marie:
"I had no idea she could sing that good. Half of those who bought Lisa Marie's album were Elvis fans and half are her fans. It's got an edge to it."
On Col. Parker:
"Parker was boisterous. He said, 'Hollywood don't give a (expletive), it just looks at the bottom line. Mah boy is getting $1 million up front and 50 percent of the picture.' He wasn't interested in artistic value. Parker made a lot of mistakes along the way but 90 percent of what he did was right."
On George Klein:
"I know that I'm a cheerleader for Elvis."
Camera captured early King By Jon W. Sparks, The Commercial Appeal - August 14, 2003
Ernest Withers's fame comes from his skill with a camera and his ability to be in the right place at precisely the right time.
So, of countless images in the world of Elvis Presley, the ones by the renowned Memphis photographer are of special interest.
Elvis had this thing for music, you see, especially gospel and R&B. As Withers puts it: "He began to show up at musical events where I happened to be."
Few white people in segregated Memphis in the 1950s would have considered going to these places.
But Elvis liked to visit East Trigg Avenue Baptist Church where Rev. W. Herbert Brewster, a renowned gospel composer, produced a show broadcast by WHBQ on Sunday nights.
And Elvis showed up at the WDIA Goodwill Revue two years in a row where he posed for Withers with the featured black entertainers.
Withers had been shooting professionally since the early 1940s; Elvis's star was just beginning its ascent.
"I've been in the picture business for 61 years," says the photographer, who took the camera his sister's boyfriend didn't want and parlayed it into a distinguished career.
Today, what Withers calls his studio is really a historical treasure.
Tucked at the back of 333 Beale, walls of at least four rooms are covered with photographs, paintings and framed newspaper and magazine articles. Desks are piled with documents and file cabinets are jammed everywhere.
In particular, it is the flow of African-American society he has recorded. Labels on file cabinet drawers say "Black History," "Black Church," "COGIC" and "Civil Rights and Activist."
It is a singular archive of the region's history by a photographer whose reputation resonates around the world as a documentarian of life in the South.
He turned 81 a week ago and Withers is still on the job, all over town, doing everything from portraits to house photos for insurance firms.
"I was never a great glamour photographer. But I always got a good decent exposure," he says with typical modesty.
But his "good decent" abilities put him at the scene of numerous historic events and often in the presence of celebrity - from the time he first snapped a picture of Joe Louis's wife, Marva, at a school assembly.
As for Elvis, Withers says, "He had respect for people by age and he had respect for black people."
It was a time when the established order was unconcerned if a white man was dismissive of a black man, and the photographer was impressed with young Elvis.
Withers saw something different in Elvis. "He was fond of Walter Culpepper who ran a barbecue shop on Hernando Street." Elvis always referred to the black proprietor as "Mr. Culpepper."
Withers says, "When he was asked 'Why do you call him 'mister' - he's just a barbecue guy?' Elvis said 'He's a man.' "
"That," Withers says, "is just humility in his temperament."
"We never even knew he was from another country. Elvis never knew it. We just thought he was this guy from Tennessee. His name was Colonel - like Colonel Sanders."
Jerry Schilling, like other members of Elvis Presley's Memphis Mafia, says the mysterious Colonel Tom Parker, an illegal immigrant from the Netherlands, concealed his past so well that he was still a riddle when he died at 87.
Parker, who sometimes seemed as flamboyant as Presley, was a tireless promoter of the rock star he sometimes referred to as "my act." He was also his own act, a Dutchman named Andreas Cornelis van Kujik who reinvented himself as Thomas Andrew Parker, the P. T. Barnum of rock and roll.
Biographer Alanna Nash, who spent six years researching Parker for a newly released biography, says she ended with mixed feelings about the roly-poly man whose accent sometimes made him seem to lisp. Parker died in 1997, two decades after Elvis, leaving supporters and detractors who still seem to ask themselves: "Who was that masked man?"
"I go from finding him extremely distasteful to having some sympathy for him," Nash said this week. "I don't think anyone could have made (Elvis) the star that Colonel Parker did. I think he genuinely thought they were a team, and that he saw Elvis as a young, far more handsome alter ego."
(Nash, who lives in Louisville, Ky., will sign her book at 7 tonight at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, 387 Perkins Ext. in Laurelwood.)
Parker hid his past from the rest of the world, and cut ties to his family except for occasional, odd notes in which he sometimes referred to himself in the third person.
In America, Parker decided to call himself "Colonel" after a long search for a suitable title (he had first called himself "Gov"). Eventually he would be named an honorary Tennessee colonel. It was a fitting title for a man who began as a carnival animal trainer, concessionaire, barker and promoter, and came to manage the world's biggest act.
Parker meant different things to the different people closest to Elvis. Schilling says he often disagreed with the colonel, but describes Parker as somewhat likeable. "I don't think the colonel was a truly bad guy. I think he was intimidating. I think he was old school. I don't think the colonel ever understood rock-and-roll music. Elvis outgrew the colonel. He wanted to experiment, but the colonel wouldn't let him."
Schilling says Elvis felt "indebted for all the things the colonel did for him," and kept a soft spot for his mentor, despite growing resentment in his final years. "There was a respect between these two guys and a certain love."
Parker exacted 50 percent or more of the proceeds from Presley's career, which has led to the harshest criticism of his role as the entertainer's manager. But Memphis Mafia member Joe Esposito, now in Sacramento, Calif., says Parker did far more for Elvis than a normal manager. "Sure he took more than 25 percent, but there aren't many managers who devote themselves to one artist. The colonel never wanted a stable (of artists)." Major stars, including actress Natalie Wood, had tried to get Parker to manage them, he says.
In the book, Parker is quoted as coyly denying that he took 50 percent of Elvis's earnings. "He takes 50 percent of everything I earn," Parker said.
Esposito considers the speculation about a murder in Nash's book reckless. "To say somebody is a murderer and have no proof of it, I have no respect for her. Any man who loves animals and kids the way he did can't be a bad person."
Esposito says Parker also is unfairly blamed for "forcing" Elvis to star in a string of embarrassing B-movies. He says Elvis's contracts were seven-picture deals. "When you have a commitment, you have to do it," he says of the movies that played a pivotal role in Elvis's fame, including as cross-pollination for his musical career. Unfortunately, says Esposito of those movies: "There are only so many animals and little kids you can sing to."
As for accusations that the colonel seemed unwilling to intercede against his client's drug use, Esposito says Elvis began taking amphetamines in the Army to stay awake during maneuvers. Toward the end, he says, Parker encouraged Elvis to take a break, but Elvis refused."You can't make a 42-year-old man do what he doesn't want to do," Esposito said.
Marty Lacker, a member of the Memphis Mafia, says Elvis had no business savvy or skills and that he relied on Parker for anything to do with contracts and deals. Lacker says he thought of Parker as a "hustler and scam artist" who abused Elvis's reliance on him. "If Parker ever thought Elvis was going to be around somebody who would (influence) him, Parker did his utmost to end that relationship."
At Graceland, chief executive officer Jack Soden says he had become a friend of the colonel before he died in spite of a legal battle in which Parker lost his grasp on the Elvis estate. "The thing you can't argue with is that he had to be one of the most colorful individuals who ever came into the entertainment arena in the United States."
Whether Elvis would have become the legend he did without Parker, is a matter of debate. Parker kept almost as grueling a schedule as Elvis, booking, promoting and managing Elvis and acting as his public relations firm. "He worked his tail off his whole life," Soden says.
"Sometimes he was very shrewd and creative, sometimes very heavy handed and sometimes a bully. . . . Some say he was the greatest showman of all. Some say he was the devil incarnate. I don't think there will ever be a verdict."
August 13, 2003
Secrecy key to Parker's contribution By Bill Ellis, The Commercial Appeal - August 13, 2003
When Graceland obtained Colonel Parker's massive collection of Elvis Presley memorabilia in 1990, it was a pivotal event for the company, one that has added depth and scope to the estate's Elvis collection and filled in many missing pieces in the puzzle of the singer's life story.
Todd Morgan, director of media and creative development at Elvis Presley Enterprises, said the trip to pick up the items collected by Elvis's career-long manager was a clandestine plot straight out of a spy novel. Secrecy was required to "fly under the radar of the press and ne'er-do-wells," Morgan said.
"We had this meeting in which it was discussed that the purchase of the Colonel's collection was about to happen. And as soon as it was signed, we were going to go get it and we called a local moving service.
"We didn't say we were going to Colonel Parker's old office and home complex in Madison (Tenn.). And we didn't tell them what we were going to get. We just (said), 'OK, we're going to get many file cabinets full of files, we're going to get office furniture, home furnishings.'
"It wasn't until we got there that we told the moving company what it was about. And it wasn't until we were about to start pulling out with all the trucks that a reporter from the Nashville Banner showed up. She was asking us, 'What's up? What's going on?' We said, 'We don't know anything. We're just movers. You'll have to call Colonel.' 'Well, what's his number?' 'Well, we don't know. But we know he has friends at the Hilton. And you might try that in Las Vegas.' "
Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden had joined the party in progress, and mentioned the operation to a cab driver. The driver had called the newspaper.
"We drove back to Memphis by dark of night and had to weigh in at the trucking weighing station," Morgan said. The Colonel's contribution to the archives was substantial: "I think it was 70-plus tons."
Graceland's Elvis Presley archive ranges from jump suits to legal documents and includes 60,000 photographs, 4,000 pieces of wardrobe, stacks of furniture, and more than a million pieces of paper.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Elvis Presley might have become a decent actor if manager Tom Parker hadn't been so eager to make the quick buck on a string of lackluster movies, says a songwriter who created music for some of the films.
Mike Stoller and partner Jerry Leiber, authors of the title song for the movie Jailhouse Rock, wrote more than 20 songs recorded by Presley, including his No. 1 hit Hound Dog. With Stoller handling the music and Leiber providing the lyrics, they also contributed many songs to the Presley movie soundtracks.
Stoller, 70, met with Elvis fans crowded into the Presley estate's Beale Street club Monday night to watch Jailhouse Rock and begin a weeklong observance of the 26th anniversary of the death of the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Presley longed to be a serious actor but Parker, who adopted the title Colonel, did nothing to help him, Stoller said.
"Unfortunately, the Colonel had the golden goose and he wanted him to keep cranking it out," Stoller said.
Presley starred in 31 movies between 1956 and 1969, each a work only Elvis fans could love.
Stoller said he never understood why Presley gave Parker so much control over his life and career. Many of Parker's decisions appeared to be more for his own benefit than for Presley's - taking 50 per cent of the star's income for management fees, while the industry standard was 10 to 20 per cent.
"The Colonel's only interest was the Colonel's," Stoller said. "Elvis was merely a vehicle for the Colonel's greed."
Presley was 42 when he died Aug. 16, 1977, of drug abuse and heart disease at his Memphis residence. The house, Graceland, now draws more than 600,000 tourists a year.
Graceland is the centre of an annual string of parties, fan get-togethers and memorials focused on the death anniversary. Over the week, estate managers expect up to 4,000 people a day to tour Graceland and for even more to shop at its complex of souvenir stores and museums.
The highlight of the week is a candlelight procession past Presley's grave in a garden beside Graceland. Beginning on the night of the 15th and running into the next day, it often draws 15,000 to 20,000 fans.
This year, the fans also will celebrate the 35th anniversary of Presley's 1968 TV special Elvis, which marked his return from Hollywood to the concert stage. It's also the 30th anniversary of his 1973 TV special broadcast around the world, Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii.
Like many other fans, Jocelyne Menard, 56, and Denise Dumaine, 58, attend every Elvis anniversary they can. And they leave their husbands behind in Montreal.
"They don't love it like us. They cannot share like us, so we come together," Menard said.
Susan Ritter, 31, a budding singer from Dayton, Ohio, made her first Memphis visit hoping to pick up some Elvis pointers on pleasing a crowd.
"I've never seen Elvis on a big screen before so I'm really excited," she said. "Elvis is like the consummate performer."
Leiber and Stoller, 1987 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, wrote hundreds of songs for a long list of entertainers.
They got a major career boost and their first contact with Presley after he recorded Hound Dog, which Leiber and Stoller originally wrote for R&B singer Big Mamma Thornton.
Stoller was on vacation in Europe when Presley recorded Hound Dog. On Stoller's return, Leiber greeted him at the New York harbour.
"He said, 'Hey man, we've got a smash hit,' " Stoller said. "I said 'Big Mama Thornton's record?' He said, 'No, some white kid named Elvis Presley.' I said, 'Elvis who?' "
From Left: Jack Soden (EPE), Mike Stoller, Ernst Jorgensen (RCA/BMG) and Gary Hovey (EPE) gather around a gift to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The plaque list the songs that Leiber & Stoller wrote and Elvis sang.
(August 11, 2003)
August 12, 2003
Think you know Elvis? Just dig into the archives By Bill Ellis, The Commercial Appeal - August 12, 2003
Grocery receipts. Briefcase phones. Feathers. And Lisa Marie's birth record footprints.
Welcome to the collection of memorabilia and personal items known as the Elvis Presley archives.
Arguably the most important part of Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises, the archives are certainly the most fascinating aspect to those who work there.
"I've always said the most interesting tour of Graceland imaginable would be to take people to the archives and show them just the raw stuff," says the organization's CEO Jack Soden. "It's a little bit like the Smithsonian where they have millions of things that have been given that they don't have any place to display . . . We're both proud to talk about it and a little guarded too."
Archives manager Angie Marchese simply says: "It's the coolest place on the property."
Many of the 50,000 to 75,000 fans expected in Memphis this week to commemorate the 26th anniversary of Elvis's death will tour Graceland. But what folks typically see on a tour of the estate is only about one-fifth of the total items in storage, according to Marchese.
From jump suits to legal documents, the Elvis collection overflows with artifacts from the entertainer's life, including 60,000 photographs, 4,000 pieces of wardrobe, stacks of furniture, and more than a million pieces of paper.
It's a somewhat deceptive figure, says Soden, since many significant objects get shown whether at Graceland or on loan at local and national museums including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For fans, much of the best stuff does get seen, including the gold records and some of Elvis's costumes.
"And there are some things in a class of their own like the black leather suit from the '68 special or the gold lame suit - there aren't another two or three equivalents to those things in storage," Soden says.
Yet there are enough Elvis-related particulars to warrant four warehousing facilities. Three are scattered throughout the Memphis area at undisclosed locations.
Jokes Todd Morgan, director of media and creative development, "We'd take you there, but we'd have to kill you."
A fourth sits above ground in an unassuming area on the Graceland grounds, a vault-like building that is earthquake, tornado and fire proof, "designed to withstand just about anything but a direct hit from God," says Morgan, and he's not joking this time.
The climate-controlled facility, which stores the more sensitive portion, stays a constant 66 degrees; should the temperature ever reach 69, an alarm goes off.
No one will disclose the budget for such an operation, though Marchese, one of three employees in the archives department, smiles at an annual figure of hundreds of thousands of dollars. As for its monetary value, Soden says a price can't be put on it. Take into account the periodic sale of Elvis things at auctions, and you end up with a number that has a whole lot of zeroes, he says.
One thing is certain. The archives are an investment that reaps dividends. The process of cataloging the collection, begun in earnest in the early '90s when a computer-filing system was added, now allows EPE to use the material for a wealth of activities.
"The archives feeds so many areas of our company," says Morgan. "It provides research information, imagery and all kinds of materials for licensing, merchandising, exhibits, book projects. Archives touches on everything."
There are many challenges in preserving such items, notes Marchese. Some things, such as acetate recordings, will ultimately decay (they are in the process of being transferred to a digital format); others such as clothing (kept in acid-free boxes and acid-free tissue) have the same potential for disaster, especially those from the '60s and '70s made with synthetic materials and polyester blends.
"We don't know how long they're going to last," she says. "Some of the newer materials weren't made to last but 10, 15 years, and we're 25 years later still trying to preserve these new mediums."
Much of the collection came from two sources, Elvis's father, Vernon Presley, and the singer's manager, Col. Tom Parker, whose meticulous amassing of Elvis arcana was purchased by EPE in 1990 (again EPE won't disclose the sum but says an offer for a lot more money was rejected by the Colonel, who wished the contents to end up at Graceland). Both men were pack rats when it came to saving everything about the entertainer's life, as was Elvis himself.
Glimpse through the document trail and you'll find grocery receipts from Tupelo and Lauderdale Courts, Army leave papers signed by Elvis for a bit of R&R in Paris, casual notes, canceled checks, furniture invoices from when Elvis decorated Graceland in 1957 (purchased pieces ranged from a gold pitcher on a server for $19.95 to drapes and cornices for $5,825), and other odds and ends that add up to a fuller picture of Elvis's personal and business life than you might expect.
Marchese says the Presley end of saving every scrap of paper came from the family's poor beginnings.
"They were so used to hanging onto receipts to prove that they paid for things," she says. "Back in '35, you never knew who was going to come around the corner and say, 'Well, you only paid me $2 when you owed me $5.' It was a family trait, (a) habit that Vernon had formed and in turn had passed down to Elvis."
So much information is contained that noted Elvis author Peter Guralnick - one of the few people granted access to the archives - was able to compile his definitive Day by Day book as a result.
Another person with access is Dallas-based artistic photographer Jeff Scott, whose work is part of an Elvis exhibit at Jay Etkin Gallery. His photographs from the archives show the humanity behind the icon.
"It's a chance to look inside Elvis's private life, the things that moved him, what made him feel comfortable," says Scott. "You look at the gold phone, which is beat up and battered, and you get a sense of the intimacy of Elvis making private conversations. That goes directly to our lives, that he was a mortal struggling to enjoy his life just like the rest of us . . . that stripped away from all the celebrity aspects, he had the normal motivations, normal desires, normal pleasures that any of us might want."
Lisa Marie Presley Discusses Breakups By The Associated Press - August 12, 2003, 8:33 AM EDT
NEW YORK -- Lisa Marie Presley says she fell apart after her 20-month marriage to Michael Jackson ended in 1996.
"I was insane, and no one could tell me what was wrong," Elvis Presley's daughter tells Jane magazine for its September issue. "I was trying to pull myself out of somebody else's world, somebody else's way of thinking."
Jackson was Presley's second husband. Last year, her marriage to her third husband, Nicolas Cage, ended after three months. From her first marriage to musician Danny Keough, she has two children -- Danielle, 14, and Ben, 10.
As for her love life now?
"I'm nowhere," the 35-year-old says. "It hasn't happened very often that I've actually given my heart. Sometimes I can be completely smitten, but I'll still keep it back at arm's length. Because if I do give it to someone and get hurt, it's tragic."
August 12, 2003
Archives may go on tour next year By Bill Ellis, GoMemphis.com - August 12, 2003
The Elvis archives may hit the road next year as a touring exhibit.
With the impeded travel plans and sluggish economy of a post-9/11 world, the idea is to take Elvis to people who can't get to Memphis for whatever reason, says Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises.
"We've had over 13 million visitors to Graceland," he says. "We can take exhibits to the world and embrace another 15-20 million people. Those are the things we need to begin to do with the archives."
The first tour could come as early as next year, though its theme and itinerary are still in the planning stages. Rest assured, it will be on a grand scale.
"For a long time, the archives were the one department that spent a lot of money and didn't really create a revenue," says archives manager Angie Marchese. "But if we didn't preserve things, they wouldn't be here, and then we wouldn't have what we have on display now."
With each passing year, the archives also play a larger role in the Elvis legacy. The significance isn't lost on its principal archivist, who came up through the Graceland ranks.
Says Marchese: "Since Elvis isn't here anymore, and Vernon's not here, and Colonel (Tom) Parker's passed away, the only thing we have left to tell the story is our archives."
August 11, 2003
BMG/RCA Records to Release Remix of Elvis Presley's Rubberneckin' On Radio August 25 and In Stores
September 9
Remixed by Renowned Hitmaker Paul Oakenfold, Single Will be Featured on ELVIS 2ND TO NONE Available
on October 7
NEW YORK, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of last year's smash No. 1 hit, the JXL remix of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation," BMG/RCA is
set to release a remix of Presley's Rubberneckin' as a commercial single on
September 9 and to radio August 25. The single has been remixed by DJ and
producer Paul Oakenfold -- one of the most acclaimed remixers in the music
business -- and will appear on ELVIS 2ND TO NONE, a follow-up to last year's
highly successful "ELV1S 30 #1 HITS." This newest compilation, scheduled for
release on October 7, will also include five additional Presley #1 singles,
fan favorites and career milestones ... Full
story
Nguyen, who fled Vietnam as the country was falling to the communists in 1975, credits Presley with helping him learn English and ease his resettlement in a new country. 
August
15 (10:00 AM). North lawn of the Graceland Mansion grounds. Free admission. Officials from RCA Records/BMG will share the latest information with fans and media regarding the October 7th release of the new CD/cassette compilation ELVIS 2ND TO NONE, the highly anticipated follow-up to last year's global smash ELV1S 30 #1 HITS. Also, the just-completed, wonderful new music video for the Paul Oakenfold remix of the Elvis Presley recording Rubberneckin' will be screened. The Rubberneckin' remix single will go on sale September 9th and will be included on the ELVIS 2ND TO NONE album. But, the primary focus of the event is to unveil a historic surprise being planned for inclusion on the ELVIS 2ND TO NONE release. Don't miss it!
But his "good decent" abilities put him at the scene of numerous historic events and often in the presence of celebrity - from the time he first snapped a picture of Joe Louis's wife, Marva, at a school assembly. 
Grocery receipts. Briefcase phones. Feathers. And Lisa Marie's birth record footprints.