July 26, 2002

Remastering for ELV1S 30 #1HITS Will Astound You 
   ---------------------------------EPE/E-Newsletter -7/26/2002


Following is a Richard Sanders interview with David Bendeth, who is on the remastering team for ELV1S 30 #1 HITS. This interview is being circulated by BMG/RCA to its various territories. It explains some of the work that has gone into optimizing the sound for this special release. Graceland/EPE has had the opportunity to hear the new mixes and approve the adjustment of the master recordings. They are astounding. The new mixes don't change Elvis and his musicians'work, but they showcase that work in a way that makes the most of their brilliance when listened to on today's audio equipment. Most fans are familiar with the stories of Elvis' frustrations at times with hearing record releases that were different from what he approved as he left the studio. After "Oh, my God", one of our first comments upon hearing these new mixes was to say that these are so true to Elvis' orginal vision, the rich, full sound he and his collaborators created. A very good example is "Burning Love" - J.D. & The Stamps aren't buried in the mix anymore. You think you've heard these recordings a million times. But, in some ways, you haven't really heard them even once.

And now the interview with David Bendeth:

1. RS – David, please give me the background on the team that is currently working on this project.

DB – The key four people who are working on this project are Ray Bardani, myself, Ted Jensen and George Marino. Ray Bardani’s background is as an engineer and mixer. He’s worked for many years in the New York area for such artists as Luther Vandross, David Bowie and Prince – just to name a few. George Marino and Ted Jensen are partners in a company called Sterling Sound, which is a mastering lab in NY. In my opinion they do some of the best mastering work in the world. They have worked on artists from Metallica to Bob Marley and were a huge and integral part of what we did.

2. RS – What were some of the challenges regarding the original tapes and applying the new sound - which we’ll describe in a minute?

DB - The biggest and hardest hurdle to overcome would be finding the right chain of equalization and compression and experimenting to the point to where we got everything finely tuned. One of the hardest things was not making it sound phony or fake. We had to keep the integrity of all of the tapes and panning the tapes of all the music left and right is the same, but I’d say the BIGGEST challenge was keeping it true to sounding like Elvis.

3. RS – It’s my understanding that you worked from the original masters. This is the first time these masters have been touched, can you speak of any difficulties you may have encountered when dealing with those types of masters?

DB – Obviously they are very, VERY dainty. Some of these tapes are over 40 years old. They came from Iron Mountain, which is a place we store all of our studio tapes. Some of these boxes hadn’t been opened in 45 years. Some boxes were moldy but luckily the tapes that were contained inside were not. One of the difficult challenges was getting the tape onto a 3-Track tape machine (there are only 3 of these machines in the world) and transferring them over to digital. The biggest problem with that was the tape machine constantly overheating. We also had a problem with the leaders between the songs breaking. In one situation we had to bake the tapes because oxide was falling to the floor and we had to grab it quickly and bake the reel in the oven. Each tape had a different stage of deterioration, but we were luckily able to get to the one path where we could bring everything over to the digital side so we would be able to work on them. Every tape was done once.

4. RS – Going back chronologically, how many songs were recorded in Mono or Stereo or 2-tracks, 3-tracks, 4-track, … 24- tracks?

DB – Obviously, the first 9 or 12 songs on the record were recorded in Mono in which you can’t mix, those can only be mastered, which was done by Ted Jensen. The years of 1956-61 were all Mono recordings. 3-Track recordings took place between 1961-66, then 8-Tracks, then songs like In the Ghetto and then we had Burning Love which was recorded in 16-Track . There was one song recorded in 24-Track.

5. RS- In trying to come up with a contemporary sound, what was your main objective?

DB - The main objective was to be able to take an Elvis record for the first time and be able to play it on your stereo system at home, … your computer system at home, …or your car and have it be heard at the same contemporary caliber of any record you could buy in the store today. We want the songs to sonically contain the full dynamic range of bass and treble. To have full dynamic range is to have all of the tones hitting your ear at the same time and having the level also be competitive to every other record that’s out in the market right now. That process alone kind of gives you a new sound.

6. RS- Are there any anecdotes that you would like to relate as far as times that you were in the studio? … the hours... any craziness… unusual happenings in the studio..?

DB - There certainly were some weird moments. There were times when there was an incredible frustration in trying to get the sound that we were looking for. We were trying to imagine what Elvis Presley would have liked and it’s impossible to do that because he is not in the room. Certain times with certain things when we were just about to give up and quit late at night – we would suddenly try one thing and everything else would just come together. It felt like there was a different force at work other than us. I don’t even believe in that kind of stuff at all, but in this situation I did. There was one situation where we had to grab horns and piano from the original and EQ them and put them back on our tapes. (we were told that the tapes with those horns were lost) The only way we were able to do it was because they were turned to the right side and if it had been anywhere else but there – we wouldn’t have been able to do it. Never been able to mix those 2 songs. One of them being Suspicious Minds, which was a huge song. We were able to pull it off and I really think … I was sitting there listening one day and for some reason I turned it over to the right side and heard the horns almost by themselves and went BINGO! It’s almost like somebody led me there. It was certainly very strange. I just think somebody was definitely watching over us while we were doing his project. I’m convinced because it was so hard to do, and at certain times things just kind of came together in a very interesting way.

7. RS – Have any other outside producers or musicians come into the studio an commented on what you are doing?

DB – We had some people from R.E.M here on Thursday and they were very excited to hear this. They said that they thought it was great and they had never heard anything like it before. Today we have Luther Vandross who’s upstairs, he’s going to come down as a friend and just give us some comments. Obviously we want to get any feedback we can. We have Arif Mardin coming in next week to have a listen – just people who want to drop by. It’s great to have so many great artists come by who just want to hear Elvis Presley sing. Not to mention all of the people from our company who’ve come by which is also very encouraging.

8. RS- At one time you defined this process as an archaeological dig. What are some of the things that you’ve unearthed during this process?

DB – One of the things that we found was just some humor around the music and the recording of the music. It was certainly exciting to hear Elvis chuckle and laugh and say little comments at the end of things. We were able to make things that were said under his breath much louder and it was great to see that Elvis had a great sense of humor as professional as he was. It was great to hear him joke about stuff that he was doing. In Suspicious Minds we heard him say “Sing the song, sing the song, man,” and that was great to hear. In fact, we can’t listen to the song anymore with our hearing that in our head – even though it’s not on the record anymore it’s burned in our heads. To hear him commenting to his band mates about certain things…. We got a real inside look at a human being that was VERY talented.

9. From listening to all the recordings, did you gain any insight into how he recorded and can you comment on that?

DB - Yeah, basically he – according to the drummer DJ Fontana – came in and kicked the GoBo’s over (go betweens) which are the things that separate the singer from the band. That was the first thing he’d do, so that the band and him could be in one room. He would do a take an he would play the whole song all the way through and it would have to be perfect! All the vocals, musicians had to play perfectly and the engineer would actually have to fade it perfectly. If one person screwed up any one of those things … the whole song would be ruined. We learned that back in the day the musicianship and vocal abilities were SENSATIONAL and nothing short of OUTRAGEOUS. Not that many artists could actually pull that off and have one complete take become the record. It would be a lot cheaper if we could do it that way. That was one thing that constantly amazed us and I think every time we would hear a great song and we realized it was in one take – it was even better after we had listened to it.

10. RS – So Elvis never did any overdubs?

DB – Later on in his career when there was multi-track in songs like Suspicious Minds. He did one background vocal on Suspicious Minds, but other than that , everything was LIVE.

11. RS- Did you get a chance to talk to any other members of his band?

DB – So far I’ve just talked to DJ Fontana who told us that Elvis told him what to play – how to play fills and beats. Elvis produced the sessions and the only other guy that would be in the studio - besides Elvis kind of producing - was a guy with a timer. When he raised his hand you knew you had 20 seconds to end the song. They did this because a lot of the songs were used in movies and Elvis had 2 minutes and 32 seconds to do the song. It was interesting to hear that they cut songs like that because it’s almost like the guy was watching over them but didn’t have anything to do with the music at all. Elvis was the producer and he really knew what he wanted.

12. RS - What was your opinion of Elvis before you started on this project?

DB – My opinion was that he was a talented singer certainly, but I really wasn’t a big Elvis fan. My parents played Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. I think they were on the other side – I guess that kind of rock-n-roll was something that they steered away from. I didn’t really have a full appreciation of the man and his music at all. Getting this up close and personal to an artist is something that has really humbled me musically and certainly just witnessing the incredible musicianship and singing ability. Today you just don’t hear things like that. The ability to listen to the tracks that closely is intense. I’ve listened to so many records in my career and I’ve never been this close to almost greatness – to genius before. So my opinion of Elvis Presley was – I wish my parents would’ve played him for me earlier!

12a. RS – And now obviously a newfound respect?

DB – ABSOLUTELY! A newfound respect and great anticipation for this record coming out because everybody at RCA has worked so hard on making this a great project and it’s really great to be part of such a team working on this.

13. RS- How do you think the Elvis purists will react to this new sound?

DB – When we started the project I said to Ray Bardani (my partner) “we’re going to get crucified”. There are some people who think “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. I guess there are a lot of people that are hard liners that may not like this – but my feeling is that it’s better – it’s a better product. Our company has been known for delivering the best possible product we can. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and my feeling is that we’re giving the people the best possible product we can and I’m very proud of what we’ve done. I know you can’t make everybody happy, so the people that don’t like the new sound of Elvis will have to listen to their old records.

14. RS – Have you had any Elvis fans come in and listen yet?

DB – We have! We had some die-hard Elvis fans that have gotten extremely excited by this new sound and LOVE it! The best thing about it for me is that the Elvis fans will get to hear things they’ve never heard before. I’ve heard things like, “I never knew there was a guitar in this song” and sure enough there was, it was just so low that you could barely hear it. “I thought that was a piano” “I can’t believe that was there” … It is great to see people re-discover Elvis. Even more important, I think there are a lot of young kids that have never heard Elvis and I thing this record will really be appealing to them because it’s sonically comparable to the things they are used to hearing on the radio. When you get into the later years with Burning Love, Suspicious Minds, and In The Ghetto, it certainly doesn’t sound that much different than a modern artist. I think being able to turn on younger kids to Elvis Presley is going to be a huge part of this record. Their parents being able to play this record for them and say "Listen to this! – this is not your regular old music." It has the excitement of everything else they are listening to.

15. RS - What did you find to be the easiest and most difficult tracks to work on?

DB – Good question! Some of the songs – because Elvis belted it out so loud – had a little bit of distortion on them and we fought those tracks pretty hard. They didn’t come back like everything else did. They made us work twice as hard to get them to “sit down”. I would say Can’t Help Falling In Love was really hard to work on. Just the power of his voice – somebody didn’t quite check the tape machine as well as they should have on that one. We detected a little bit of a flutter on his voice on that one. As a result, we really had to work hard on that song to make it what it is and we are really proud of that. Burning Love on the other hand, we had more tracks to work with and once we went to multi-track it was like our world opened up and Ray and I were so excited to be able to mix multiple tracks so I would have to say Burning Love was the most exciting track to work on as far as the multi-tracks go.

16. RS – What are some of the other records that you have worked on?

DB – Nothing like this. As an A&R person I have worked with The Crash Test Dummies and Cowboy Junkies, Vertical Horizon, Bruce Hornsby, SR-71 and a lot of new and up and coming acts. I would have to say out of all the acts that I have worked on, this is certainly the most important and someone said at a meeting the other night, “David, RCA gave you the franchise with this artist”. I feel very honored to have been able to work on this.

17. RS – If you had to sum up this experience in one word, what would that be?

DB – WOW – you know I could expand on that – it’s very strange – usually I wake up and go to the office – but lately I’ve been coming straight to the studio and working all day and listening to what’s considered to be the best artist that’s ever lived and I am absolutely honored to be able to say that I’ve worked on this. I think a lot of people at RCA at the end of this project will feel the same way, that they are lucky to be a part of this record. It is a very important record and a pivotal record in the history and the future of our company.

18. RS- Have you had an opportunity to play any of the tracks for The Elvis Estate?

DB – I haven’t personally but I understand that Joe DiMuro did and apparently Jose Maria Camara did and the reaction – from what I hear – they were yelling on a cell phone to me – I am assuming that they loved it. I would’ve loved to have been in the room, but right now I am happy to be locked away until this project is done. One day I’d like to meet some of the people from The Estate – just to shake their hands.

July 26, 2002

Elvis: Between the covers
   (Philadelphia Inquirer)


IT'S HARD TO imagine anything - anything at all - anyone could possibly want to know about Elvis Presley that has not been written about.

Just out this summer is a book called "The Girls' Guide to Elvis" in which author Kim Adelman reports that the king possessed an "uncircumcised, average-sized" sex organ and thought it "very important" that his dates wear white panties.

"Books about Elvis number more than 1,700 titles," says Larry Keeter, sociology professor at Appalachian State University in North Carolina and chairman of the Elvis division of the National Popular Culture Association.

Yes, Elvis has his own division.

According to Keeter, that's roughly double the books written about the Beatles (882) and almost nine times the number (195) written about Frank Sinatra.

But then, who else could inspire a book like Rick Marino's "Be Elvis! A Guide to Impersonating The King."

Marino, an Elvis impersonator for more than 20 years and president of the Elvis Impersonators International Association, offers such advice as:

"Grow your sideburns or buy them at a theatrical supply shop. If you grow them and they aren't dark enough, use Maybelline mascara to color them in."

Elvis seems to have brought out the urge to write in everyone he knew. Books about him have been authored (usually with a professional writer's help) by his ex-wife Priscilla ("Elvis and Me"), his secretary Becky Yancey ("My Life with Elvis"), his hairdresser Larry Geller ("If I Can Dream"), three bodyguards he fired ("Elvis: What Happened?"), a pair of Presley cousins ("Elvis: Precious Memories"), former girlfriend June Juanico ("Elvis: In the Twilight of Memory") and many, many more.

It seems no Elvis aficionado is ever very far from a publishing house.

• There are Elvis guides. Among them: "I Am Elvis: a Guide to Elvis Impersonators" (said to number about 10,000), "The Field Guide to Elvis Shrines," "All the King's Things: The Ultimate Elvis Memorabilia Book," "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Elvis," and "Memphis Elvis-Style" (pictures and anecdotes about some 100 sites where Presley worked, played, ate and such).

• There are Elvis cookbooks, such as "I Love Elvis Cookbook," "The Life and Cuisine of Elvis Presley," "The Presley Family and Friends Cookbook," and "Are You Hungry Tonight?"

• There is Elvis fiction. Last year, conservative commentator William F. Buckley published a novel, "Elvis in the Morning," in which Elvis is the main character. Mark Childress' 1990 novel "Tender," about a singer he calls Leroy Kirby, is based on Elvis.

• There are books that defy categorization. For example, "Why I'm the World's Number One Elvis Fan," by Paul Macleod. Macleod and his son, Elvis Aaron Presley Macleod, run a museum in Holly Springs, Miss., where you can find, among other things, details of every movie that even mentions Elvis.

• There are also serious books - indeed, critically acclaimed books - about Elvis. The two authors most frequently named in this category are music historian Peter Guralnick and rock critic Greil Marcus.

Guralnick has written a two-volume biography. "Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley" covers Elvis' life from birth and early school days until he leaves for the Army in 1958. "Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis" is the post-1958 story of Presley's decline and fall.

Guralnick interviewed hundreds of people to come up with details about Elvis (he knew dozens of Monty Python routines by heart) and about all the people around Elvis, like his mom, Gladys, and his manager, Col. Parker. Guralnick calls Elvis a "generous and truly sweet human being."

If Guralnick is viewed as THE authority on the "real Elvis," Marcus is viewed as the expert on Presley's impact on popular culture. In his 1991 book "Dead Elvis: A Chronicle of Cultural Obsession," Marcus quotes from tabloid papers and fanzines and describes the velvet paintings, the Elvis ashtrays, the Elvis impersonators...what some call "the whole Elvis thing."

Last year, Marcus published "Double Trouble: Bill Clinton and Elvis Presley in a Land of No Alternatives." He notes in the book that both men rose from poverty to fame; both became enmeshed in scandal; both staged remarkable comebacks when others were ready to write them off. The book recalls Clinton's own identification with Elvis, how in the presidential race of 1992 he appeared on "The Arsenio Hall Show" on TV playing "Heartbreak Hotel" on his saxophone.

• In addition to all the above, there

Gruner & Jahr USA, publisher of the magazines Family Circle and Rosie, announced that, in August, it will produce a "bookazine" about Elvis which will include a CD of "Heartbreak Hotel" in a pocket.

"It's not just about life during his time," said Gruner & Jahr Senior Vice President Daniel Rubin. "He has had a significant [influence] on the way we live now. We have a picture of Elvis in one of his costumes and a picture of Britney Spears in one of hers, and the similarities are amazing."

Could be. "If you are studying American culture," Keeter observes, "there is no way to avoid Elvis."

July 26, 2002

Early Elvis Tracks Get a Facelift
  (Rolling Stone - July 25, 2002)

New "Hayride" release retools Presley's earliest live performances

A collection of historic early Elvis Presley recordings, aided by new instrumentation, will be released on August 13th as Roots Revolution: The Louisiana Hayride Recordings on Tomato Records. The sixteen-track set features songs recorded from radio performances in 1954, 1955 and 1956, prior to Presley's superstardom.

Broadcast from Shreveport, The Louisiana Hayride was an immensely popular radio program that launched the careers of numerous country and rockabilly performers, including Presley and Hank Williams.

The recordings, which were largely unheard among the public due to shoddy sound quality, were issued in 1982 as Elvis: The First Live Recordings and The Hillbilly Cat, but issues with the sound kept all but completists away. For Roots Revolution, Elvis' vocals and Scotty Moore's guitar parts were both cleaned up, while other components of the performances, which were virtually inaudible on the original recordings, have been restored with new parts performed note-for-note on actual period instruments. Jon Paris (who played with Bo Diddley, Link Wray, Johnny Winter and others) played new acoustic guitar parts for Elvis, while bassist Paul Nowinski (Keith Richards, Rickie Lee Jones) stepped in for Bill Black and Steven Wolf plays on "Hound Dog," the only one of the tracks to feature drummer D.J. Fontana. "Baby Let's Play House," "Blue Moon of Kentucky," Maybellene" and "Tweedle Dee" are among the other tracks included.

"We approached this much like that of restoring a master painting," says Kevin Eggers, who spearheaded the project, which is part of the flurry of releases that mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of Presley's death. "Our intent was to bring out the original colors and energy of the music being created."

Andrew Dansby

The Louisiana Hayride | The Hillbilly Cat

July 26, 2002

The King is alive
   (The Guardian) - July 26, 2002

Twenty-five years after his death, we are once again in the midst of an Elvis revival: he has a single in the top 10
and 100,000 are people expected in Memphis to mark the anniversary next month. Why? Matthew Engel looks for
answers at Graceland.


As you drive along Highway 51 through the southern outskirts of Memphis, you come across a sign that says, "Graceland: The Home of Elvis A Presley", just in case, presumably, you were worried it might have belonged to some other Elvis Presley. The huge car park is on the other side of the street from the house, as are the tourist centre, the gift shops, the restaurants, and - life imitating art, with themed suites at L300 a night - Heartbreak Hotel.


Graceland is run much like any other major American tourist attraction. The attitude to the visitor is efficient, bossy and somewhat avaricious, although no more so than is normal in American commerce. The sense of smooth organisation is decidedly un-Elvis, but a tribute to the steely-eyed pairing of his wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa-Marie.

The tour buses leave every couple of minutes on an averagely baking Tennessee summer's day: "10 o'clock tour, number 8, please line up." You do not merely get an opportunity to pose in front of the mural of the gates - it is compulsory: "for the head count". It is not quite compulsory to buy Elvis-autographed golf balls or mouse mats in the souvenir shop, merely difficult to avoid. You can also buy "Elvis Monopoly", in which his tumbledown boyhood home in Mississippi plays the role of Old Kent Road with Graceland as Mayfair.

Yet what is striking about the house itself is its lack of pretension. In any other country, places where people still use their legs, visitors would walk up the drive: it is only a couple of hundred yards. Graceland is not a huge mansion; there must be accountants in Memphis who have bigger pads than this. Nor is it especially tasteless; a little heavy on the purple curtains, perhaps, but then it was last redecorated in the 1970s.

The tour route leads you through the ground floor and basement (upstairs is roped off), outside past the swimming pool (tiny) and then, suddenly and dramatically, into a small, semi-circular cemetery, with four graves: for Elvis, his two parents, and his poor grandma, who outlived them all, plus a memorial marker for his stillborn twin brother, Jesse.

"I didn't know Elvis was buried here," said one woman. "He isn't," said her companion. This was greeted by a puzzled look. "I think he's working in a supermarket in Michigan." Then they both laughed loudly. A little girl rushed up. "I've found him! I've found him!" she shouted to her mum. And the whole family gathered, with cameras. But alongside them was another woman - in her late 60s, perhaps - wearing a green trouser suit. She was weeping.

Later, I asked Bobby Davis, the Elvis Presley Enterprises PR man, how many bedrooms there were, expecting the answer to be four or five - judging by the number of windows - and half hoping he might offer to take me past the rope for a look. "I don't know," he said. "I've never been up there and I've been working here 12 years. It's just never allowed unless it's absolutely essential."

"Have you ever asked if you can go there?" "No," he replied, "because I know the answer. It kind of obsesses people for the first year they're here, then they forget about it." Since the destruction of the Second Temple, the concept of the Holy of Holies, where only the high priest is allowed, has gone out of fashion. It is being re-created in Elvis's bedroom suite.

Graceland is the number-one tourist attraction in Memphis, indeed the cornerstone of the city's regeneration. Every year, a steady 600,000 visitors go there as reflexively as they head for Westminster Abbey when in London or Notre Dame when in Paris, though neither of those has quite the same spiritual dimension.

Most of the 600,000 are palpably unmoved, merely ticking the place off their list. But the cult is alive, and more vigorously than ever. Next month, up to 100,000 devotees are expected to emerge for Elvis Week, culminating in a candlelit vigil to mark the 25th anniversary of his death. "It's going to be a fun week," said Bobby Davis. "People think it's going to be depressing, but it isn't. Elvis loved life."

"You know, someone said that the world's a stage. And each must play a part," Elvis quoted in Are You Lonesome Tonight? But in death as in life, Elvis fulfils many roles: quasi-religious icon; routine tourist attraction; chapter in rock history; figure of fun (you are unlikely to get a kissogram from a John Lennon or Buddy Holly impersonator) - and enduringly successful entertainer. After all, in the words of the broadcaster Charlie Gillett, "The first thing about Elvis is simply his voice. It just sounds nice."

We are once again in an Elvis-revival phase, kicked off by the success of the remix of A Little Less Conversation, brought to a new generation through the film Lilo and Stitch, and scheduled to reach a pitch of excitement/hysteria in three weeks' time. But the persistence of his success goes beyond anything that attaches to comparable celebrities. An amazon.com search for books turns up 439 results, including Are You Hungry Tonight? - Elvis's favourite recipes; The Tao of Elvis; Schmelvis: In Search of Elvis Presley's Jewish Roots; Where's Elvis? Documented Sightings that Prove He Lives; and Kill Me Tender, a murder mystery featuring Elvis, the singing sleuth.

Music, sex, celebrity and death is an incredibly potent cocktail, of course. But no one actually worships the memory of Jimi Hendrix. There is no resurrection myth attached to John Lennon. But there hangs about Elvis a sense of loss, which was there even when he was alive, perhaps even in his first flush of global fame. That may be the key to the entire mystery. Take for instance the British dimension. The Elvis cult is stronger in Britain than anywhere else. There are 43 registered fan clubs in the UK, about one-tenth of the worldwide total. One club alone is flying 1,200 members to Memphis next month. There is a large silk-flowered union flag by the grave already. The enchantment was only increased by distance, and the never explained fact that Elvis never toured Britain. "Gods don't answer letters," as John Updike said. The more likely explanation, that his mysterious manager "Colonel" Tom Parker was actually an illegal Dutch immigrant to the US terrified of leaving the country for fear of being rumbled and arrested, adds to the allure of the lost hero. But Elvis kept his distance even in the US. He never gave encores: the announcement made to despairing fans - "Elvis has left the building" - became a catchphrase.

This was the 1950s, remember. Elvis would now be 67 (or is 67, if he is working in a supermarket in Michigan, or whatever). He was pre-baby boom and grew up at a time when youth culture was inchoate, and almost clandestine.

When he emerged in 1956, fully formed, as it seemed, from Sun records, Sam Phillips's innovative studio in Memphis, he was seen, in a glib, media-ish kind of way, as embodying the yearnings of his generation. But nothing he did was entirely new. While Elvis was still slumped in the back row of a Memphis classroom, Tony Curtis had a duck's-arse haircut. While he was driving a truck, James Dean was portraying vulnerable, smouldering sexuality (Presley saw Rebel Without a Cause dozens of times and knew Dean's lines off by heart). Johnnie Ray had beaten him (a bit too obviously for refined tastes) to much of the vocal trickery; and, from the early 1950s, teddy boys were strutting the streets, threatening polite society. And there were plenty of white singers before Elvis who had sung black music.

But Elvis synthesised and embodied all these different aspects of popular culture in an unprecedented fashion. Here was a handsome white boy - a Tennessee truck driver - who sang not merely in the style of the ghetto and the cotton fields, but with the same passion. The southern US was still segregated; lynchings had only just gone out of fashion. Presley played a part in breaking down the racial barriers.

And everywhere, adolescence was still a rather furtive experience, to be conducted quietly in the back row of cinema stalls or (in the US) in the back seats of cars. Public pelvic thrusts were not in the script. Elvis's arrival, as Waylon Jennings put it, was "like an explosion". "He was countercultural before anyone coined the phrase," explained Dr John Bakke, professor of communications at the University of Memphis, who is organising a symposium on Elvis to coincide with the anniversary.

"Between late 1955 and the time he went into the army in early 1958, AM-radio started recognising the teen market. It was the time when Dad and Mum were moving to TV, so they let their kids take over the radio." In Britain, where radio was more tightly controlled, this was less true. But the country then was utterly obsessed with America: a faraway, almost mythical land of fast cars, modern gadgets and apparent freedom. This was something of a misreading of the US. In January 1957, when Elvis appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, he was shown only from the waist up because his gyrations were considered too sexually charged for the American public.

But his teen-rebel period was a very short one. And it ended well before the army formally inducted him into the American mainstream. Indeed, it is arguable that his rebel phase was over before the world had heard of him.

Dr Ken Gloag, who lectures in 20th- century music at the University of Cardiff, believes that Elvis was already past his musical peak before he became an international star, and that his major contribution to popular music came while he was recording for Sam Phillips, before he was discovered by RCA.

"In terms of musical innovation, it was all logged into the Sun recordings," says Gloag. "In retrospect, they are the foundation of modern music: the rhythmic articulation, Scotty Moore's electric guitar, the energy of his voice. When he went to RCA and came under studio control, something essential was lost." Elvis's most careful biographer, Peter Guralnick, thought the same, that "he never again recaptured the spirit and verve of these first Sun recordings".

Instead, he became a pop star, with all the compromises that entails, on a scale the world had not then seen, and - with the sole exception of the Beatles - has never seen since. Between recording Heartbreak Hotel in January 1956 and his conscription into the army two years later, he was the most famous man in the world. But his records - with the Jordannaires providing light backing - became more obviously commercial, and on the whole less threatening to anyone over 30. Nonetheless, he was still a real musician, and a highly gifted and eclectic one.

"He was a natural," says Charlie Gillett. "He had the ability to see a song live once, remember all its words and enough of its structure that he could teach it to the musicians. There are various people on these records credited as producer or A&R man, whatever they were calling that role, but Elvis ran the sessions whenever it mattered to him."

The problem was that it began to matter to him less. He was still a huge star when Uncle Sam let him go two years later, to turn It's Now or Never into a monster international hit. He still had his capacity to surprise, because his musical styles were so wonderfully varied, but he lost his capacity to shock.

When the 1960s really got going, and the Beatles took over, Elvis quickly became an irrelevance. The colonel pushed him into Hollywood contracts that led to a procession of execrable films. For much of the decade, his records vanished without trace. In 1965, the Beatles went to visit him at his mansion in Bel-Air, which included an informal (alas unrecorded) jam session between John, Paul and Elvis. The meeting was not a triumph. As the Beatles' press officer, Tony Barrow, put it: "To be honest, I'd describe Elvis on that showing as a boring old fart. But I do know Ringo enjoyed his game of pool." Well, this was a man soon to acquire what proved to be a fatal addiction to prescription drugs. How unhip could you get?

And he stayed unhip. The comeback came at Christmas 1968 (the year A Little Less Conversation reached number 69 in the US charts) when even the colonel got the message about the uselessness of Elvis's Hollywood career and negotiated a TV special, which turned into the ratings success of the season. The pictures show him cocooned in leather, but the male members of the audience were all in jackets, white shirts and ties. These were the teenagers of 1956, now safely married and settled. And doubtless their mums enjoyed it all too. Given everything that had happened in the intervening years, Presley was no longer threatening to anyone. And so, from there, he eased his way into his final phase of huge celebrity, and minimal creativity, when he concentrated on playing Las Vegas, grew fatter, more addicted and more publicly ridiculous. The cruel old joke was true: death was a good career move.

But now, in a world that we have to assume is Elvis-less, the legend lives on, with Elvis Presley Enterprises ensuring that the flame burns not just lustrously but lucratively. As these organisations go, EPE seems both shrewd and benign. Disney is probably even now working on plans to sue everyone who calls themselves Mickey or Donald without a licence, but Presley's heirs even tolerate an independently run souvenir shop just outside the Graceland gates. There is a charitable dimension that reflects the fact that Elvis does seem to have been a surprisingly thoughtful, decent, kindly and well-meaning bloke.

Most of the staff in the official shop were born after the King died. Over at the unofficial Memories of Elvis store are two of his most diehard fans. Ramona Carey-Farias was kissed by Elvis in Las Vegas in 1972, named her daughter Maile, after the love interest in Blue Hawaii, and bought a house down the road to be close to Graceland. Why? "He had charisma and primarily he was nice to his mum and dad." Her colleague, JoAnne Forzani, admits it's difficult to explain: "I believe we're all put in this world for a reason. He was here to bring people together."

And when the faithful gather for the candlelit vigil on August 15, he will bring people together yet again. Among those present will probably be John Heath, head of the Marion junior high school just over the border in Arkansas, and one of the most enthusiastic of all collectors of Elvisiana. One can't help thinking that the whole point of rock stars is to scare the wits out of the principals of junior high schools. Let Elvis rest in peace. What the world needs is a new king.

July 26, 2002

A little more Elvis, please

   Remix, new boxed set prove the King still rules
   By Bill Ellis (The Commercial Appeal) July 26, 2002

Elvis has left the building, you say? No such thing. Not only is the Big E still in the house, he is house (as in dance music).

Though it's been almost 25 years since Elvis Presley died at the "return to sender" age of 42, he is experiencing the most curious of revivals. And for once, it has less to do with the myth than the music.

Thanks to a techno remix of a throwaway movie track, Elvis has topped the singles charts globally. He's even done it by upsetting the summer's ubiquitous hit from Eminem, Without Me, on which the rapper declares, "Little hellions, kids feeling rebellious/Embarrassed, their parents still listen to Elvis."

The kids are listening too on A Little Less Conversation (4 stars), where Elvis is worth raving about again, so to speak.

The song, remixed by Dutch deejay act JXL (Junkie XL) for a Nike ad campaign, was originally recorded in 1968 for the Elvis flick Live a Little, Love a Little. On the new three-track single, released in America through the King's label RCA, you get both versions.

The difference? Not much really. One can see why RCA and Elvis Presley Enterprises finally allowed someone to tinker with their royal gold mine. JXL gets it. Like Fatboy Slim's appropriation of classic soul music for the Ibiza crowd, JXL takes what's inherently cool about Elvis - that voice for starters - and boosts it with a club-intoxicating rhythm, one that finds a colossal groove in the tiny tune.

No one could have predicted the song would become an international phenomenon (it has hit No. 1 in more than a dozen countries). And that's the eternal beauty of Elvis. No one saw him coming the first time around either.

For all its hullabaloo, A Little Less Conversation is mere icing on a multilayered cake of Elvis products to hit stores this summer.

The animated Disney film Lilo & Stitch features a number of Elvis tracks plus pop covers by the A*Teens and Wynonna. Coming in October will be "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits," an album that looks to mirror the success the Beatles had with the 2000 million-seller "1."

Next month, Rhino releases a three-DVD boxed set of Elvis: The Great Performances while Passport International Productions will unveil its eight-DVD The Definitive Elvis.

But before all that, there's the latest boxed set, "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" (2 1/2 stars).

Why another box you may rightly ask? Among umpteen compilations this past decade alone are those mammothly definitive boxes: "The King of Rock & Roll: The Complete 50's Masters," "From Nashville to Memphis: The Essential 60's Masters," "Command Performances: The Essential 60's Masters II" and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes: The Essential 70's Masters" - more than 450 tracks of music total.

Worth noting as well: the 1999 three-CD "Artist of the Century" (not bad for condensing the best of the best) and, from that same year, the two-CD "Sunrise," the most compelling look yet at the Rosetta Stone of rock, Presley's Sun sessions. And for Presley's sacred side, you have 2000's three-CD box, "Peace in the Valley: The Complete Gospel Recordings."

What separates "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" is its abundance of rare recordings - 100 unreleased tracks spanning his entire career - that is nonetheless more chaff than wheat.

Presented over four CDs, this collection of alternate, live, aborted and/or truncated performances most resembles 1997's "Platinum: A Life in Music" and 1998's "A Golden Celebration," both four-disc assemblages of live music and outtakes that tested even the most ardent fan in getting to the truly exceptional stuff.

Granted, a Little Rock concert from 1956 sounds like a treasure on paper. And it's one of the new box's highlights. Yet sound quality is atrocious to the point that songs fade in and out like bad radio reception. It's testament to Elvis and his band that, despite the abysmal sonics, one can still feel the electricity and palpable sweat of their performance (take special note of D. J. Fontana's unhinged drum solo on Blue Suede Shoes and Scotty Moore's guitar break on Long Tall Sally). If ever proof was needed that these musicians, backed here by the Jordanaires, were a band in the truest sense, this hot set is it (what you can hear of it anyway).

But does the world need scholarly seconds such as Elvis clearing his throat on Young and Beautiful or be reminded of dross such as Wonderful World (another Live a Little, Love a Little track that, I'm willing to bet, won't be remixed).

Maybe it doesn't matter. An artist like Elvis will continue to be scrutinized from every conceivable angle. That's his omniscient appeal. Presley is the common man's voice of celebration, pain, pride and praise; and to this day, his best music transcends race, genre and generations.

No dead artist has been more prolific either. Some new twist to the story is always on the horizon. Yet in all fairness, any decent Elvis box challenges listeners to hear familiar tunes in new ways - a run-through of Can't Help Falling in Love with celesta and steel guitar is a special moment as are outstanding versions of Big Boss Man and (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me).

Still, even the most doting fan would admit that Presley's approved oeuvre is uneven enough. And only on an odds-and-sods collection such as this can a track like the title cut to the film Flaming Star be considered a standout. This "alternate" history doesn't give the most glowing portrait, just a slightly more complete one.

Better to explore reinvention of the Presley wheel a la JXL than the patched tire that "Today, Tomorrow & Forever" offers.

July 25, 2002

Book -  "The King, McQueen and the Love Machine"
   By Barbara Leigh with Marshall Terrill

Interview with Barbara Leigh

July 24, 2002 (updated - July 27, 2002) 

New Book : "Elvis in Hawai'i" By Jerry Hopkins
   Available Fall 2002



It is well known that Elvis loved Hawai'i. Not only did he perform in the islands in three decades, making movies and performing concerts, this was the king of rock and roll's favorite vacation spot. Elvis in Hawai'i by Jerry Hopkins guides readers through the King's relationship with the islands in a fully-illustrated story, using photographs and memorabilia from the personal collections of Tom Moffatt, DeSoto Brown, Eddie Sherman, and others. Published in an attractive flexibind format. (2002, 96 pages, 8.5” x 11”)

This fall a book entitled "Elvis in Hawaii" will be published by Bess publishing which chronicles in detail
Elvis's relationship with Hawaii and the time that he spent there. It is a fully-illustrated story, using
photographs and memorabilia from personal collections to guide readers through the King's
relationship with the islands. Many of the photos have not been published before.

Seurce : (E-mail) Benjamin "Buddy" E. Bess/The Bess Press - Honolulu, Hawaii

July 23, 2002

Blues Singer Rosco Gordon Dead at 74
   (Cleveland) - July 23, 2002



(New York) - Rosco Gordon, a rhythm-and-blues singer and piano player from Memphis, Tenn., who influenced rock 'n' roll and reggae, died on July 11 at his home in Rego Park, Queens. He was 74.

The cause was a heart attack, said his daughter Victoria.

Gordon had a string of hits in the 1950s, including "Booted," "No More Doggin,' " "Do the Chicken" and "Just a Little Bit," in a signature shuffling beat that came to be known as "Rosco's rhythm."

But for years he earned no royalties. He was paid $250 for "Just a Little Bit," which became one of the most popular rock and R&B standards of the 1960s, selling more than 4 million copies in cover versions by the Beatles, Etta James, Elvis Presley and Jerry Butler.

"When I found I had lost the rights to over 300 songs," he once said, "it felt like someone was choking me when I tried to sing."

He quit the music business in the early 1960s, moved to New York and bought a stake in a dry cleaning business after winning a poker game with a pair of deuces.

Gordon, who often skimmed at least six years off his age, was born in Memphis and became a fixture on the booming blues scene there during the early '50s. With Johnny Ace, Bobby Bland, B.B. King and others, he had an informal group, the Beale Streeters, that recorded and broadcast radio shows.

Gordon toured widely in the late '50s, reaching South America and the Caribbean, where his offbeat rhythmic style helped shape the sound of early ska and reggae. "No More Doggin'" became a hit in Jamaica, inspiring reggae singers like Laurel Aitken.

In 1969, Gordon started the record label Bab-Roc, which he operated from home. But he did not play concerts again until 1981. After the death of his second wife, Barbara, in 1984, he began to tour again. He released the album "Memphis, Tennessee," with Stony Plain, a Canadian roots-music label, in 2000.

Rosco Gordon was originally a member of the Beale Streeters (other members included Johnny Ace. B.B. King, Bobby Bland) and found his way to Sam Phillips around 1952. Sam Phillips sold Gordon's 'Bootin' to both Chess and RPM but it still hit number one in the R&B chart. 'No More Doggin' featured what was to be Rosco's trademark, the loping piano shuffle that was christened Rosco's Rhythm. The style subsequently influenced Jamaican musicians and the development of ska and reggae.

July 23, 2002

TV GUIDE TO COMMEMORATE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF ELVIS PRESLEY'S DEATH WITH SPECIAL FULL-SIZE
   COLLECTOR'S ISSUE


THIS IS ELVIS SCHEDULED TO HIT NEWSSTANDS MONDAY, JULY 22; FEATURES PULL-OUT POSTER AND SET OF ELVIS TRADING CARDS

As the 25th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley approaches, TV Guide will roll out a special collector's issue about the man TV Guide named Entertainer of the Century in late 1999. After gracing the cover of TV Guide magazine 11 times from 1956 to 2001, Presley is now the subject of This Is Elvis, a full-size (as opposed to TV Guide's customary digest-size standalone publication scheduled to hit newsstands on Monday, July 22.

The 96-page standalone publication features a hologram cover and each issue includes a special Elvis pull-out poster, as well as a set of collector's trading cards capturing pivotal moments in his career. Inside, the magazine offers a comprehensive look back at the man with whom America is still fascinated nearly 25 years after his death on August 16, 1977.

In addition to the biographical and fact-filled pieces that makes This Is Elvis a must-have for both casual and devoted Elvis fans, other exclusive features include:

-- ELVIS AT 67: An artist's rendition of a 67-year-old Elvis as he would look today.
-- ELVIS AND ME: Celebrities talk about how Elvis touched their lives. Those weighing in include B.B. King, Sheryl Crow,
Bridget Fonda, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stein, Wayne Newton, Don Rickles and Tony Orlando.
-- ELVIS TRIVIA: A chance for fans to test their Elvis IQ.
-- THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: How close was Elvis to starring opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 remake of "A Star is
   Born" and why didn't he take the role?
-- HIS LEADING LADIES SPEAK OUT: From Mary Tyler Moore to Barbara Eden, his on-screen flames talk about working
   with the King.
-- INSIDE GRACELAND: Michael Musto takes readers on an exclusive tour of Graceland.
-- IN THE STARS: As a Capricorn, Elvis Presley had a head filled with ambition and a heart filled with sin. This Is Elvis
   reads the King's star chart.
-- BECOMING ELVIS: A day in the life of the country's top Elvis impersonator.
-- THE VEGAS YEARS: The excesses of Vegas in the 70's cast a shadow on Presley's glittery life.
-- ALSO: Did Colonel Parker ruin Elvis?

Contributors to the magazine include celebrated Elvis biographer Peter Guralnick, renowned music writer Dave Marsh and respected journalists Anthony DeCurtis and Stanley Booth.

Other highlights of TV Guide's This Is Elvis include:
-- WE ARE ALL ELVIS: Dave Marsh looks at the King's legacy.
-- THOSE LIPS, THOSE EYES, THOSE HIPS, WE SIGH: An Elvis photo gallery.
-- THE ESSENTIAL ELVIS: A guide to the King's music (all the hits and the best albums), movies (every one) and of
   course, television appearances.
-- THE EARLY YEARS: A look at Presley's humble beginnings, as well as a trip to his high school hood.
-- THE FAMILY MAN: Priscilla Presley will always be his queen, and Lisa Marie Presley is singing a tune of her own.
-- HEEEEEEEEEEEERE'S ELVIS: Peter Guralnick writes that no performer used television better than Presley to create an
   image that shook the world.
-- THE KING AND US: Elvis Presley and TV Guide go way back...to 1956 as a matter of fact. TV Guide looks at how it
   covered the King over the years through covers, features and photos.
-- TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS: From food seasonings to furniture, eager Elvis entrepreneurs create kooky items in the
   King's name and image - and cash in on their kitsch.
-- HAIL TO THE KING: From Las Vegas to Jerusalem, TV Guide looks at some of the world's premier Elvis shrines.
-- WE'LL NEVER WALK ALONE: Psychics talk to the King from the great beyond.
-- ELVIS: THE TV GUIDE CROSSWORD: Blue ____ Shoes. They're not all this easy.

MEMPHIS TRIP GIVEAWAY HIGHLIGHTS INITIATIVES ACROSS MULTIPLE TV GUIDE
PLATFORMS:
In conjunction with This Is Elvis, TV Guide Online® (www.tvguide.com) and Elvis Enterprises are teaming up for the Ultimate Elvis Experience giveaway in which the Grand Prize is a trip for two to Memphis. Users can log onto TV Guide Online's special Elvis page to register. Airfare, accommodations, dinner for two at Elvis Presley's Memphis Restaurant and two Platinum Tours of Graceland are included. Viewers will have from July 22 - August 19, 2002 to enter to win. The Elvis page at www.tvguide.com will also feature Elvis trivia, Elvis TV Guide cover postcards and Elvis games.

Additionally, on July 22, the TV Guide Store (shop.tvguide.com) will unveil a fully-stocked Elvis department, complete with exclusive and collectible Elvis merchandise. From framed holographic posters and TV Guide Elvis covers to CDs, movies, dolls and alarm clocks - the TV Guide Store will fit the needs of the most discerning Elvis fanatic.

Starting on July 22, TV Guide ChannelSM will dedicate an entire week to the King through coverage on its popular program, Music News, hosted by Katie Wagner. During this week the TV Guide Channel will be promoting the movie, "Elvis & June which features never-before-seen home movies of the legend. Available only at the TV Guide Store, will be a special edition of "Elvis & June," featuring exclusive audio footage of Elvis' first interview with TV Guide.

TV Guide Online - Everything Elvis

Source : (E-mail) Ben Grossman/TV Guide.com

July 21, 2002

The Impersonal Life - Special "Graceland Edition" of One of Elvis' Favorite Books
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EPE - July 20, 2002

Following is a press release from DeVorss Publications:

Among the several things UNsuspected about the King of Rock ‘n Roll is not only the man’s deep spiritual yearnings but his surprisingly active role as a seeker—and as a sharer of what he found.

Fans who know Elvis Presley for his truly classic rendition of several dozen spirituals will readily nod in assent. “Yes,” they’ll say, “we know he never lost his veneration for the Bible and for the Lord whose life and story he saw as its culmination.”

But there was even more to it than that.

In April 1964 a 24-year-old hairstylist called on Elvis at the house in Bel Aire, California, that he was occupying while filming Roustabout. On the agenda were publicity stills to be shot on the Paramount lot the very next day, and for this Elvis needed a light trim.

The hairstylist, Larry Geller of the fashionable Jay Sebring salon, was close to Elvis in age. The two of them hit it off right from the start—and at the end of the session, Elvis was asking Larry what he was into.

As Peter Guralnick, author of the “definitive” 2-volume life of Presley, tells it in Careless Love, Larry replied, “Obviously, I do hair, but what I’m really more interested in than anything else is trying to discover things like where we come from, why we are here, and where we are going.” Elvis was electrified. “Man, just keep talking, just keep talking!” he told Geller.

Talk Geller did. It had to do with whether there was any purpose in existence and, if so, how one found out one’s own purpose in the big and little scheme of things. Elvis was more than ready for this. The subject, he said, was what he was thinking about all the time: “I’ve always felt an unseen hand behind me, guiding my life. I mean, there has to be a purpose…there’s got to be a reason.”

The upshot was four hours of intense conversation, ending with Geller’s quitting his job and coming round to the studio the next day with a handful of key texts for Elvis’ consumption and spiritual digestion. Thus began for Geller a kind of spiritual mentorship and, at the same time, a sharing between the two men over the next three years on a basis of personal equality and mutual respect.

Of the books to which Geller introduced Elvis, the one that had the greatest and most lasting impact was a small (4” X 5˝”) volume first privately issued by its author in 1914 and thereafter requiring reprintings of, initially, 5000 copies, then 10,000copies, and after that 15,000—every other year. The book continues in this kind of demand even to this day.

We naturally wonder what Elvis found in this work, strangely titled The Impersonal Life and written by a man who preferred to be impersonal himself, so that where the author’s name (it was Joseph Benner) should occur on the book cover and title page, only “Anonymous” appears.

Guralnick tells us that the singer “devoured” The Impersonal Life and adds: “This was the book he had been looking for all his life” according to Elvis himself. In it he found the confirmation of his purpose. More than that, the book prescribed a route for him to follow, leading to higher and still higher perceptions of “the truth that lies within us all,” including the teaching that God Himself “is in fact ‘the divine I’.”

Needless to say, it is very difficult to summarize a text of this kind whose 250+ pages move crescendo-like to a completion that leaves many a reader—as its last chapter, “Union,” suggests—sensing an at-oneness with the Divine that has hitherto seemed elusive. So it was with Elvis. Thereafter he was indefatigable not only in his study and constant rereading of the book, but in his sincere effort to share it with just about everyone inside, and very often outside, his several circles.

He bought copies by the case; read from it to whoever would listen; induced others to read aloud from it to himself. The Impersonal Life was not the only spiritual reading he did, but all Elvis’ biographers relate that this book, after the Bible itself, was the second BIG such impact on his life. Psychologist Peter Whitmer, in The Inner Elvis, writes extensively on the importance of the book for a right understanding of Elvis—one that still comes as a total surprise to most people otherwise familiar with the singer’s life.

Whitmer also discusses the spiritual discipline the book offered Elvis and the opportunity for self-understanding it yielded a young meteoric star who still had a lot of “inner work” to do while caught up in a heady windstorm of phenomenal success that continually threatened to get out of control. He calls the book “ground zero for Elvis’ exploration of the beyond within.”

Today visitors to Graceland—and to many bookshops nationwide and even overseas—will find that, in a very real sense, The Impersonal Life has come “home” to where it flourished while Elvis Presley sought and found so much personal meaning in its pages. The Graceland Edition of The Impersonal Life now occupies pride of place in Graceland’s own shops. (Now available in Shop Elvis on Elvis.com.)

Still small and compact, heralded by the publisher—DeVorss Publications of Marina del Rey, California—as “The Little Book in Which Elvis Found the Light,” the book’s cover carries a meditative study of the singer’s handsome profile that captures the side of Elvis that has so eluded history but that brings yet another gift from him to his friends and fans worldwide—a gift unsuspected but that comes with his firm admonition, “You have to read this!”

July 21, 2002

   It's the Coupe de Elvis

The King's long, blue Caddy arrives in Poway

By Brian E. Clark
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER -July 20, 2002
 


POWAY – Scott Edwards has a new ride, one that's that he's loath to drive.

"I don't want to be known as the guy who wrecked Elvis' car," said Edwards, a 30-year-old who grew up listening to The King's tunes on his father's stereo.

Edwards won the 1976 Cadillac Eldorado coupe at the San Diego County Fair as part of a scholarship raffle. Scott and his wife, Susie, bought one $5 ticket after seeing the Caddy on display.

"I think we're both still in a bit of shock," he said. "We may sell it sometime down the road. But right now, I'm having a great time just looking at it."

The blue Caddy, which has less than 12,000 miles on its odometer, has gold hubcaps and a blue leather interior. The body has only a few tiny dings.

One appraisal put its value at $85,000, but that might be high. Other Elvis Presley cars have sold for much less than that.

Edwards isn't sure what it's worth. "I have no idea," he said. "I think its worth what someone will pay for it."

One problem is that Elvis Cadillacs aren't exactly rare. He bought them like most people buy socks, never using most of them himself.

The car now owned by Edwards was bought by Elvis on Jan. 14, 1976, for $44,000, at Jack Kent Cadillac in Denver, Col., while he was on a skiing trip. Edwards has the canceled check.

It was purchased during one of Elvis' frequent Cadillac buying sprees, according to the Web site, Elvis' Cadillacs.

The blue Eldorado was one of two Cadillacs that Elvis gave to two police detectives that day, along with a third he gave to the girlfriend of Joe Esposito, his road manager.

According to the Web site, Elvis later saw a TV report about his extravagant car-buying in Denver. The anchorman closed his report by saying, "Elvis . . . if you're watching, I wouldn't mind getting a car, too."

A black Cadillac Seville was delivered to the station the next day.

The rock 'n' roll idol died Aug. 16, 1977 at Graceland. Edwards said he figures his Caddy must be among the last Elvis bought.

When Edwards took possession of the car last Saturday, he drove it to a fairgrounds parking lot, had it loaded onto a flatbed truck and shipped to his home. The 19-foot-long behemoth is now safely stored in the garage. It barely fits.

The car has a 1970s era phone and miniature television. Its 454 cubic inch V8 engine is nearly spotless. Edwards said he found a vintage poster for one of Elvis' last concerts in the trunk.

The car was last owned by the Imperial Palace, a casino in Las Vegas.

Bob Fuchs, of the Rotary Club of Del Mar Foundation, said his group teamed with the Don Diego Scholarship Foundation and the fair to buy the car from the casino. He declined to say what they paid for it.

"But it was great to have because the fair's theme centered around Elvis, this being the 25th anniversary of his death," Fuchs said. He said most of the $55,000 grossed by the raffle will be used for community college and university scholarships.

Meanwhile, Edwards says he is talking with officials of the San Diego Automotive Museum about displaying the car for up to six months while he researches the car's history.

Edwards, who has a music and theater background, works as an analyst for the city of Poway and is finishing a master's degree in public administration at San Diego State University.

He said he has received more than a little ribbing from his colleagues since he won the car.

"People are saying things like 'hunka hunka burnin' love' or 'you ain't nothin' but a hound dog' when they get near me," he said.

"I've gotten more than a few interesting e-mails. And no, I do not do Elvis imitations."

July 21, 2002

NBC to Remember Elvis Presley with Digitally Remastered "LOVING YOU"
  (ZAP2IT.COM - Fri, Jul 19, 2002 01:34 PM)


Celebrating the legacy of Elvis Presley on the 25th anniversary weekend of his passing, NBC will exclusively telecast his second-ever feature film, “Loving You,” on Saturday, Aug. 17 (8-11 p.m. ET), in a newly restored and digitally re-mastered version from the original Technicolor film elements, that reveals a young Presley in his prime.

In addition, “Loving You” will be broadcast in high-definition television (HDTV) marking the first time that an Elvis Presley feature-film has ever been telecast in this format.

Furthermore, throughout the telecast, various NBC stars will present their memories of Presley’s lasting impact.

The announcement was made today by Rick Ludwin, Senior Vice President, Late Night and Prime Time Series, NBC Entertainment. “This is Elvis Presley at the start of his career, with all of the talent, energy and charisma that launched rock ‘n’ roll. We’re excited that viewers will get to see this movie as it has never been seen before,” said Ludwin.

At the age of 21, Presley’s command of the stage is evident in “Loving You” as he performs such classics as "Teddy Bear," "Mean Woman Blues," "Got a Lot O' Livin' to Do," and the title song “Loving You,” which was written by legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

The raw excitement and presence of the King’s early years are captured on-screen through the story of Deke Rivers (Presley), a delivery boy by trade an d a singer by heart. Deke is lured on stage during a small-town gathering, and captivates the audience with his dancing and singing.

Attracted to his star potential and his country manner, hard-boiled publicist Glenda Markle (Lizabeth Scott) catapults Deke on the road to fame - and romance. Also starring are Wendell Corey as Tex Warner, and Dolores Hart (“Come Fly With Me”) as Susan.

Three-time Emmy Award winner Hal Kanter (“The 64th Annual Academy Awards”) directed and co-wrote the screenplay. Oscar winner Hal B. Wallis (“Casablanca”) produced this Paramount Picture, which was originally released in VistaVision and Technicolor in 1957.

Presley died on August 16, 1977 at his Memphis home, Graceland. Regarded as one of the most important entertainment icons of the 20th century, he achieved acclaim through over 30 successful films and record-breaking live concert performances on tour and in Las Vegas.

Presley’s accolades include 14 Grammy Award nominations, which include three wins, as well as the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1971. He has sold over one-billion record units worldwide, with over 130 different albums and singles, certified as gold, platinum or multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA).

July 20, 2002

Gizmoz Inc has produced 3 fabulous Gizmoz for Elvis, and they are being
   offered – Free – to the top 100 Elvis sites.

All you have to do is click on the copy button below each Gizmo and
you can empower your site with these powerful rich media Gizmoz,
which include:

* The new video for Little less conversation JXL Mix! !
* The Virtual Elvis experience !
* The Elvis number ones new release! !

Source : (E-mail) Yossi Amossy, Gizmoz Inc.

July 19, 2002

NEW ELVIS MAGAZINE!

"25th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE SPECIAL- ELVIS"
from the archives of James J. Curtin
Release date: July 19, 2002 ($5.95)
Published by American Media, Inc.
This third and final volume, commemorates the 25th Anniversary of Elvis' death.

Source : (E-mail) Jim Curtin Elvis Empire

July 19, 2002

DONNA REMEMBERS THAT TRAGIC DAY OF AUGUST 16, 1977 . . .


Elvis, The first name pretty much says it all. I'm sure that without thinking you can go to that day twenty-five years ago and remember as I do all too well, where you were and even what you were doing when you heard the terrible news that not only we as family, but that the world had lost someone they had grown to love as family had passed away at the extremely early age of forty-two.

I was at home with my two children who were very young when I received a call from my dear mother Nash who lived on the grounds of Graceland. I knew right away something was very wrong as she was crying. My mother as many of you are aware of was an "Assembly Of God" Minister. So her only words at that time were "Baby, pray for Elvis, he needs our prayers," and she hung up the phone.

Now, being raised in the "Assembly Of God" Faith as well, I gathered my two children up with me in the middle of my living room floor and began to pray for Elvis. I did not have a clue what was wrong; I simply knew Elvis needed our prayers. It seemed like along time which was truly only a few minutes when my mother called back and said the words which have been deep in my memory ever since. She said, "Baby, he's gone." I responded, I guess looking back now more out of shock, asking my mother, "What do you mean he's gone?" And she said, crying, "He's gone, baby. They were just too late . . . Elvis Is Dead . . ."

It's difficult to remember just what all occurred afterwards other than I found myself walking through the front entrance to Graceland going to my Grandmothers Room where I knew my family would be. As I entered the front entrance I saw Uncle Vernon setting in the hallway at a desk talking on the telephone. I walked up just as he was hanging the phone up and leaned down and hugged him, We were both crying and I will never forget his words as it was as if you could feel his heart breaking with every breath, And he said, "Honey, my baby is gone" over and over again. If there was ever a man who died of a broken heart, it was Vernon Presley.

I then went with Uncle Vernon to my Grandmothers room where I joined the rest of my family. The following days are somewhat of a blur for me. I can remember certain parts as if they were just yesterday and others I haven't a clue where I was.

But I remember one part of that week over and above all and I want the ones who have any doubts regarding Elvis' death to pay close attention to this part of that week as I do not care to go there in my mind as it is still a very open wound for me. The night they brought Elvis' body back to Graceland I along with my Grandmother (Dodger), Uncle Vernon and Sandy Miller (Uncle Vernon's Fiance) were the very first to view his body. When the funeral director opened the casket and stepped away it was as if there wasn't enough air in the room. My grandmother went weak in my arms and Uncle Vernon slowly walked up to the casket and looked down at his son and said, "Baby, it will not be long and Daddy will be with you." I've said this before but if there is anyone in this world that had any doubts regarding Elvis death, HAD THEY WITNESSED THIS, THERE WOULD BE NO DOUBTS ANYMORE WHATSOEVER.

Elvis' death has left a tremendous hole in the Presley Family as well as in the world as we all have witnessed. I think if Elvis came back tomorrow that he would feel very honored that he is still so well thought of today by his fans and I think he would be extremely sad when he observed other events which have taken place after his death. Let's all continue to remember the man behind the image and the family behind the man as he surrounded himself with his family. This same family taught him the values, which the world has grown to love as well.........
Thank you So Much For Loving Him as he Loved You.

Signed,
Donna Presley Early

Donna Presley Site | Donna's Official Website         

Source : (E-mail) Donna Presley

July 18, 2002

BMG Releases Music Video for "A Little Less Conversation" Remix
   ---------------------------------------------------------------EPE - July 17, 2002

BMG has now released to television a specially produced music video for the JXL remix version of Elvis Presley's A Little Less Conversation. It's a mod, fun dance video with a culturally diverse cast of dancers performing in a grid structure that pays homage to the style of the opening of Elvis' 1968 TV special. Remix producer/dee-jay JXL appears in the video. It will start airing on MTV & MTV2 on Monday, July 22. It has been offered to all territories for airing.

See the new video for Elvis Presley's single "A Little Less Conversation".
   Windows Media Player - 56 K | 128 K | 300 K |
   RealPlayer - 56 K | 128 K | 300 K |

July 18, 2002

Statue of Sergeant Presley?

Maurice Colgan (his earlier idea "Elvis at 13" in Tupelo ) has suggested that a bronze statue of Sergeant Elvis Presley
would surely grace the grounds of Graceland! A life-sized bronze statue of Elvis in his U.S. Army dress uniform would
be a striking image of a very handsome young soldier in his prime, and not a figure to be mocked by the media! Even
they might hold back from ridiculing the American Army, especially now. You can support Maurice's idea by writing to
Jack Soden at EPE or immediately e-mail to Maurice.

Source : E-mail

July 17, 2002

New Book -  "The King, McQueen and the Love Machine"
   By Barbara Leigh with Marshall Terrill

Click here for more information and to order!

Note:
   "Elvis Presley from Poland" - will have soon an exclusive interview
    with Barbara Leigh

Source : Marshall Terrill

July 17, 2002

    New Book : "The Beat Behind The king"
By D.J. Fontana



Fourteen Years With Elvis ... A Personal Look At Life On The Road ...
Recordings - Movies - '68 Special - Television Appearances
... and over 50 photos

  Click here for more information and large photo!

July 17, 2002

Memphis 25 years since Elvis died - Long live the King
   70,000 fans expected to pay tribute on 25th anniversary of singer's death

   By PAULA CROUCH THRASHER
   Atlanta Journal-Constitution 

Memphis -- Business is slow this sultry summer evening at Jerry Mac's karaoke tent next to Boulevard Souvenirs, just down the sidewalk from the gates of Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion.

The roadside entrepreneur may be lonesome tonight, but come August, he'll be singing a different tune.

As many as 70,000 Elvis fans are expected to descend on the city Aug. 10-18 for Elvis Week 2002. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the singer's death on Aug. 16. He was 42.

"This is going to be the biggest Elvis Week we've ever had," says Todd Morgan, a spokesman for Elvis Presley Enterprises. "We know that for sure."

Already, Elvis Presley's Memphis, a restaurant featuring former Elvis backup groups, has sold out two events: a gospel brunch with the Jordanaires and a jam session with the TCB Band.

More than 9,000 fans have paid up to $75 for tickets to Elvis: the 25th Anniversary Concert at the Pyramid arena Aug. 16, leaving fewer than 3,000 seats to be sold. Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' ex-wife and daughter, are expected to attend the concert, which will feature the King on video and 30 of his original bandmates onstage.

Elvis is the cover boy for the city's official 2002 Visitors Guide and Inside Memphis, a special supplement to Memphis magazine. The cover lines on the latter proclaim: "A King's Summer."

"I think it's really going to be big," says Jerry Mac, shouting over the traffic speeding along Elvis Presley Boulevard. ("How you people doing?" he yells to passers-by. "You want to come over and sing a song with me? You're welcome to.")

In 1957, Jerry Mac Sutton -- a country singer-songwriter and music promoter who knocked around the Nashville club scene as a performer and master of ceremonies for more than three decades -- was a teenager working at the Memphian Theatre when Elvis, then in his early 20s, would rent out the entire theater after hours for his entourage.

"The first song I ever wrote, 'The Drugstore Rock,' I sang to him," the 61-year-old entertainer recalls. "I was just a popcorn boy. He treated me just as well as he would have probably treated the governor or the president. He was a nice man, a very nice man. He was a big influence on me getting into the music business."

As Elvis Week draws near, Jerry Mac -- who's putting together a special show for fan club presidents at Libertyland amusement park during the big week -- is hoping lots of fans will be lining up to record cassette tapes of Elvis songs at $15 a pop. As his fliers put it: "Just imagine you being able to tell everyone that you sang right next door to the home of the King!"

Across the boulevard, the 128-room Heartbreak Hotel, with its heart-shaped swimming pool, is fluffing up the pillows and brushing off the red, purple and royal blue velvet furnishings in the lobby decorated in a style that screams Elvis.

But unless you've already made a reservation, don't expect to check in during Elvis Week. The place is booked, although Morgan predicts it won't be impossible to find vacancies elsewhere.

Even in June, one couldn't book the Elvis Experience package, which includes deluxe accommodations for two people for one night, including deluxe continental breakfast; two reservations for the Graceland Platinum Tour, which includes all Graceland tours and attractions (Graceland Mansion tour, Elvis Automobile Museum, tour of Elvis' airplanes and the Sincerely Elvis exhibit); and dinner for two at Elvis Presley's Memphis on historic Beale Street. The package starts at $199 per room per night, and after Elvis Week, you should be able to book it with a week of advance notice.

If there's no room at the inn, you can organize your own Elvis experience. But if you want to tour Graceland during Elvis Week, make reservations.

Before heading to Graceland, start the day at Sun Studio, where a 19-year-old Elvis made his first recording. Spend the afternoon touring Graceland, peeking inside Elvis' airplanes and stocking up on souvenirs.

End the day at Elvis Presley's Memphis with live music and some of the King's favorite chow: fried dill pickles, Southern-style meatloaf, fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches and Gladys' apple pie.

And when you pay your bill and leave, don't be surprised to hear a ghostly drawl: "Thank you, thank you very much."

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