“Elvis was always gentle and polite. The Colonel was a pain in the ass!”:

 

75 years after his birth, Elvis’s songwriter tells the stories behind the hits.

Elvis Presley would have been 75 this month, and all over the world, from Memphis to Sydney, Denver to London, the King’s fans have been celebrating his legacy. You can be sure that at every one of those celebrations, somebody’s singing “Hound Dog.”

As it happens, the man who wrote it was in New York this week, working on a new Broadway show. Mike Stoller is one half of the legendary rock ’n’ roll songwriting team Leiber and Stoller, whose hits include “Yakety Yak,” “Stand By Me,” “On Broadway,” “Is That All There Is?” and many, many others.

Jerry Leiber wrote the lyrics, Mike Stoller the music.

 

“About 'Hound Dog' we wrote the song for [blues singer] Big Mama Thornton,” Mike Stoller recalls. “We met her at a recording studio in Los Angeles, and were just knocked out by her. She was tough-looking. She had razor scars on her face, she wore overalls and work boots and she weighed about 300 pounds.

“She was the inspiration for the song. We jumped into the car and went back to my house and wrote it in 10 minutes. Then we went back and played it for her. She was not eager to see these two white teenagers tell her how to sing the blues, but she recorded it the next day.”

A few years later, Presley, whose career was just starting to take off, heard Freddie and the Bellboys sing “Hound Dog” in Vegas. They’d turned it into a guy’s song, and Presley decided to record it.

Stoller was in Europe at the time and knew nothing about Presley’s recording. He sailed home on the Andrea Doria, which collided with another ship off the coast of Nantucket and sank. He was plucked out of a sinking lifeboat and arrived in New York on a cargo ship.

“Jerry was waiting for me on the dock. He rushed down to see me and asked if I was OK. Then he said, ‘We got a smash hit! Some white kid named Elvis Presley is singing ‘Hound Dog.’”

Because of the success of “Hound Dog,” Leiber and Stoller were hired to write songs for the film “Jailhouse Rock.”

“We were in New York, and they gave us the script,” he says. “But we didn’t look at it. We were having a great time going to jazz clubs and cabaret and Broadway.”

 

One day Jean Aberbach, who owned Elvis Presley Music, the King’s publishing company, showed up in their hotel room.

“Boys,” he said in his Austrian accent, “vhere are my zongs?”

Recalls Stoller: “We didn’t have anything. So he put a big overstuffed chair in front of the door and said, ‘I am not leaving this room until I have my songs.’ We wrote ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ ‘Treat Me Nice,’ ‘You’re Square’ and ‘I Want To Be Free’ under duress.”

Presley had never met Leiber and Stoller, but when he heard the demos, he invited them to the recording studio. He was surrounded by a group of men who would later come to be known as the Memphis Mafia. They were all on the payroll of Presley’s manager, Col. Thomas A. Parker.

 

“Wherever Elvis went, they went. The Colonel wanted it that way. He didn’t want songwriters getting too close to Elvis in case we wrote a song before we signed a contract. Elvis once asked me, ‘Mike, write me a real pretty ballad,’ and I wrote ‘Don’t.’ But it caused a furor because it didn’t go through the proper channels.”

Elvis and Stoller started to strike up a friendship, but the Colonel ended it.

“Elvis invited me up to his suite at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel to play some pool. I was aiming for a nine ball, and when I looked up, nobody was there but me. Then Elvis came in and said, ‘Um, Mike, I feel real bad. The Colonel heard you’re here and, um, he don’t like it. So I guess you gotta go.’”

 

The end of Leiber and Stoller’s association with Presley came when they had an idea of their own for a movie. They wanted Elvis to star in “A Walk on the Wild Side,” based on Nelson Algren’s popular 1956 novel about a drifter.

“We were so excited. Nelson Algren is a hell of a writer. We went to Jean Aberbach with the idea and he said, ‘I must always speak to the Colonel. Will you boys wait outside?’ After about 10 minutes, while we were imagining how they were going to reward us for this incredible project, Jean summoned us in. ‘Boys, the Colonel says if you ever dare try to interfere with the career of Elvis Presley, you vill never work again in Calafornia, New York, London or anywhere.’

 

“After that, we completely lost interest. The movie could have been something great. We were cut off. We had no communication with him. And Elvis went on to do some unimportant films.”

Stoller saw Presley for the last time in Vegas shortly before his death in 1977. He introduced the King to his wife. “As was his way, he said, ‘I’m very pleased to meet you, ma’am.’ In the early days, he always called us sir — because we were two years older than he was.

“He was always gentle and polite. The Colonel was a pain in the ass.”

 

(News, Source;SanjaM/ElvisInfoNet)

“Elvis was always gentle and polite. The Colonel was a pain in the ass!”:

 

75 years after his birth, Elvis’s songwriter tells the stories behind the hits.

Elvis Presley would have been 75 this month, and all over the world, from Memphis to Sydney, Denver to London, the King’s fans have been celebrating his legacy. You can be sure that at every one of those celebrations, somebody’s singing “Hound Dog.”

As it happens, the man who wrote it was in New York this week, working on a new Broadway show. Mike Stoller is one half of the legendary rock ’n’ roll songwriting team Leiber and Stoller, whose hits include “Yakety Yak,” “Stand By Me,” “On Broadway,” “Is That All There Is?” and many, many others.

Jerry Leiber wrote the lyrics, Mike Stoller the music.

 

“About 'Hound Dog' we wrote the song for [blues singer] Big Mama Thornton,” Mike Stoller recalls. “We met her at a recording studio in Los Angeles, and were just knocked out by her. She was tough-looking. She had razor scars on her face, she wore overalls and work boots and she weighed about 300 pounds.

“She was the inspiration for the song. We jumped into the car and went back to my house and wrote it in 10 minutes. Then we went back and played it for her. She was not eager to see these two white teenagers tell her how to sing the blues, but she recorded it the next day.”

A few years later, Presley, whose career was just starting to take off, heard Freddie and the Bellboys sing “Hound Dog” in Vegas. They’d turned it into a guy’s song, and Presley decided to record it.

Stoller was in Europe at the time and knew nothing about Presley’s recording. He sailed home on the Andrea Doria, which collided with another ship off the coast of Nantucket and sank. He was plucked out of a sinking lifeboat and arrived in New York on a cargo ship.

“Jerry was waiting for me on the dock. He rushed down to see me and asked if I was OK. Then he said, ‘We got a smash hit! Some white kid named Elvis Presley is singing ‘Hound Dog.’”

Because of the success of “Hound Dog,” Leiber and Stoller were hired to write songs for the film “Jailhouse Rock.”

“We were in New York, and they gave us the script,” he says. “But we didn’t look at it. We were having a great time going to jazz clubs and cabaret and Broadway.”

 

One day Jean Aberbach, who owned Elvis Presley Music, the King’s publishing company, showed up in their hotel room.

“Boys,” he said in his Austrian accent, “vhere are my zongs?”

Recalls Stoller: “We didn’t have anything. So he put a big overstuffed chair in front of the door and said, ‘I am not leaving this room until I have my songs.’ We wrote ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ ‘Treat Me Nice,’ ‘You’re Square’ and ‘I Want To Be Free’ under duress.”

Presley had never met Leiber and Stoller, but when he heard the demos, he invited them to the recording studio. He was surrounded by a group of men who would later come to be known as the Memphis Mafia. They were all on the payroll of Presley’s manager, Col. Thomas A. Parker.

 

“Wherever Elvis went, they went. The Colonel wanted it that way. He didn’t want songwriters getting too close to Elvis in case we wrote a song before we signed a contract. Elvis once asked me, ‘Mike, write me a real pretty ballad,’ and I wrote ‘Don’t.’ But it caused a furor because it didn’t go through the proper channels.”

Elvis and Stoller started to strike up a friendship, but the Colonel ended it.

“Elvis invited me up to his suite at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel to play some pool. I was aiming for a nine ball, and when I looked up, nobody was there but me. Then Elvis came in and said, ‘Um, Mike, I feel real bad. The Colonel heard you’re here and, um, he don’t like it. So I guess you gotta go.’”

 

The end of Leiber and Stoller’s association with Presley came when they had an idea of their own for a movie. They wanted Elvis to star in “A Walk on the Wild Side,” based on Nelson Algren’s popular 1956 novel about a drifter.

“We were so excited. Nelson Algren is a hell of a writer. We went to Jean Aberbach with the idea and he said, ‘I must always speak to the Colonel. Will you boys wait outside?’ After about 10 minutes, while we were imagining how they were going to reward us for this incredible project, Jean summoned us in. ‘Boys, the Colonel says if you ever dare try to interfere with the career of Elvis Presley, you vill never work again in Calafornia, New York, London or anywhere.’

 

“After that, we completely lost interest. The movie could have been something great. We were cut off. We had no communication with him. And Elvis went on to do some unimportant films.”

Stoller saw Presley for the last time in Vegas shortly before his death in 1977. He introduced the King to his wife. “As was his way, he said, ‘I’m very pleased to meet you, ma’am.’ In the early days, he always called us sir — because we were two years older than he was.

“He was always gentle and polite. The Colonel was a pain in the ass.”

 

(News, Source;SanjaM/ElvisInfoNet)

 

That's a great article! Thanks for posting :D

That's a great article! Thanks for posting :D

My pleasure, Ethan! It made me smile when they said the Colonel was a pain in the ass :lol: And he sure was!

 

Behind the Button: Elvis Presley's 'Cameo' on Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run

 

Did you know that Bruce Springsteen can be seen wearing an Elvis fan club badge on the cover of his classic 'Born To Run' album from 1975? Elvis' image is on the button placed on Bruce's guitar strap, a badge from the now-defunct New York-area Presley fan club called 'The King's Court'. Updated with new information.

 

http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/behind_the...s_presley.shtml

 

Elvis Articles January 22, 2010

 

I’ve always loved the story of when Bruce tried to see Elvis at Graceland and if you click on the link at the bottom of the page, you can read it B)

 

Behind the Button: Elvis Presley's 'Cameo' on Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run

 

Did you know that Bruce Springsteen can be seen wearing an Elvis fan club badge on the cover of his classic 'Born To Run' album from 1975? Elvis' image is on the button placed on Bruce's guitar strap, a badge from the now-defunct New York-area Presley fan club called 'The King's Court'. Updated with new information.

 

http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/behind_the...s_presley.shtml

 

Elvis Articles January 22, 2010

 

I’ve always loved the story of when Bruce tried to see Elvis at Graceland and if you click on the link at the bottom of the page, you can read it B)

 

I just read that article to my brother as he's a Springsteen fan. Amazing

 

I just read that article to my brother as he's a Springsteen fan. Amazing

It is a great story and shows that Bruce is a big fan of Elvis

 

Full length Fox Movietone film clip Press conference at Fort Dix 1960: The fascinating full-length interview with two different views.

Don't miss it. :cheer:

 

Click here for Clip 1

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//BHC_Fox...s=elvis+presley

With Audio - 10 mins

 

Click here for Clip 2

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//BHC_Fox...s=elvis+presley

Vision only, Mute - 4 mins

 

(News, Source;FECC/DavidE)

Behind the Button: Elvis Presley's 'Cameo' on Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run

 

Did you know that Bruce Springsteen can be seen wearing an Elvis fan club badge on the cover of his classic 'Born To Run' album from 1975? Elvis' image is on the button placed on Bruce's guitar strap, a badge from the now-defunct New York-area Presley fan club called 'The King's Court'. Updated with new information.

 

http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/behind_the...s_presley.shtml

 

Elvis Articles January 22, 2010

 

I’ve always loved the story of when Bruce tried to see Elvis at Graceland and if you click on the link at the bottom of the page, you can read it B)

 

 

I love loads of Bruce Springsteen songs :yahoo:

Elvis fan remembers Elvis in Minnesota:

 

Coinciding with the 'Elvis In A Minnesota Minute' MRS book and the FTD ‘A Minnesota Moment’ CD release, Elvis fan Terrie Counter sent us her special memories of being at the very concert.

>>> This is my story of being there the Elvis concert in Minneapolis on October 17,1976......it is how I remember seeing Elvis - Terrie Counter.

 

When the news broke Elvis was going to be in Minneapolis to do a concert, I immediately called my sister who lived 250 miles away to tell her. I am sure in the back of my mind, I wanted to make her jealous since she was really the Elvis fan in the family. I actually was not an Elvis fan at the time.

 

Once it came out in the paper we could send for tickets, I did just that. Much to my disappointment, I got a letter back saying “THE ELVIS CONCERT WAS SOLD OUT”- Fortunately, a neighbor of mine had sent for tickets and so had her brother. They had two extra tickets and sold them to me....surprisingly for what they paid for them...which if memory serves me correctly, it was $12.50 each.

 

The night we walked into the auditorium you could feel something in the air.....it was like there was a charisma.....I now know why and what fans mean when they say they feel it.

When Elvis walked out on stage, it was the most exciting and incredible feeling one could ever experience.

I actually did not think I was going to like Elvis....I thought he would act like.....here I am..... I was totally blown away..... I was so impressed with how he treated his fans. He acknowledged everyone that hollered something out to him.....he could not always do what they wanted him to do, but he acknowledged them. Elvis never forgot who put him where he was.

 

Elvis did a fabulous show and I walked away from that concert an Elvis fan and have been one ever since.

 

After seeing him in Minneapolis, I wanted more and wanted to see him in Vegas. A group of us were going to go see him September 1977 in Vegas but we all know that did not take place. I do feel very fortunate though that I got to see him when I did.

 

The ironic part of this is my sister, as I said, was the true Elvis fan and she always wanted to see Elvis and I wanted to go to Hawaii......I saw Elvis and she went to Hawaii....crazy, huh? -TCB 4 NOW, Terrie, January 2010.

 

(News, Source;ElvisInfoNet/EP.ScrapbookTony)

 

Wouldn't it have been fantastic if we could say that we'd actually seen Elvis live in concert :dance:

'Ernst Jorgensen talks about Elvis Presley':

 

Two very interesting interviews with Ernst Jorgensen from the TCM movie channel feature on YouTube.

In Part 1 Ernst talks about his early discovery of Elvis as well as missing tapes & discovering Elvis' private gospel recordings.

"To really appreciate music today, you need to know where it came from. That's a fascinating road."

 

Part 1 - 10 minutes

 

 

In Part 2 Ernst talks about rare discoveries from Elvis movies, Priscilla playing Ernst 'My Happiness' for the very first time and why Elvis is the most important of them all.

"I don’t think we ever got to see Elvis as an actor in a proper setting."

 

Part 2 - 10 minutes.

 

 

Go here for EIN's exclusive interviews with Ernst Jorgensen.

 

http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_erns...in_memphis.html

 

(News, Source;EIN/YouTube)

 

Fantastic interviews with Ernst! What a lucky man to have a job like he has :dance: I love his book Elvis Presley A Life In Music. I love it so much that I had to buy a second copy as my first became so well worn from thumbing through it :w00t:

 

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/...D=9780312263157

 

Great price for a great book! :cheer:

 

Elvis Presley : U.S. Jaycees: Ten Outstanding Young Men 1970 :cheer:

 

A great article By David English and David Troedson with some fab pics and video clip on the Australian Elvis site

 

Memphis Tennesse, January 16, 1971, Holiday Inn-Rivermount.

Elvis Presley greets George H. W. Bush

On January 16, 1971 Elvis attended a day of functions culminating in an evening awards banquet where he and nine others

accepted the honour of being named 'one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation ' by the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees).

 

http://photos.elvispresley.com.au/1971_jan...cees_award.html

 

Source : Website (pictures.elvis.com.au)

"Dr. Nick" talks to EIN:

 

Dr. George Nichopoulos was Elvis' personal physician for many years. In the Elvis story it appears that "Dr. Nick", along with Priscilla Presley, are figures either loved or hated by fans. There does not appear to be any in-between.

With the long awaited release of his memoir, The King and Dr. Nick What Really Happened To Elvis and Me, Dr. Nick took time out to speak to EIN's Nigel Patterson about his life, Elvis, and how Elvis' death has impacted his life.

In a fascinating and revealing interview, Dr. Nick talks about many issues of interest to fans, from the powerful themes of trust and betrayal to Elvis' death, (including the issues of polypharmacy and bone cancer), Elvis' major medical conditions, the "other" doctors Elvis used, being Jerry Lee Lewis' road manager!, and Elvis' autopsy.

Dr. Nick clarifies what Elvis' major life threatening condition was and the role of the media in how he has been perceived by many fans since Elvis' death. He also corrects a number of widely believed misconceptions in the Elvis story and cogently provides a much needed different perspective on events.

Photo Credit: ©Steve Roberts

 

Read the interview

 

http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_drnick_2010.htm

 

Elvis fans all shook up ... 50 years after Prestwick

 

Visitors to Prestwick Airport in Scotland will be all shook up when they celebrate the 50th anniversary of Elvis touching down at the airport. March 3 1960 saw the then 25-year-old Elvis Presley land at Prestwick for his plane to refuel on his way home after two years' military service in Germany. Now, 50 years on, the airport is keen to celebrate perhaps the most famous stopover in Scottish history.

 

ElvisPresley.com.au, Elvis News February 25, 2010 - 12:57:47 PM

 

Read more B)

 

http://www.elvispresley.com.au/elvis_fans_...prestwick.shtml

 

Elvis in Prestwick on BBC Radio 4 :

 

Series of three stories celebrating 50 years since Elvis Presley's only trip to Britain, a brief stopover at a small Scottish airport on his return from military service in Germany. By Oliver Emanuel. Read by Laura Fraser. A shy young girl who doesn't even like rock 'n' roll is dragged to the airport by her best friend, who is determined to catch a glimpse of the American superstar.

Broadcast on BBC Radio 4, from Tue., 23rd Feb. 2010, 15:30 and then available for 7 days on BBC iPlayer at www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

 

(News, Source: Mike, email)

 

Will definately be listening to this on the BBC iPlayer :dance:

40 years ago in Houston, TX... (II)

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/texas.jpg

 

Forty years ago today, Elvis wrapped up another succefull period in his life. During the Annual Texas Livestock Show in the Houston Astrodome, he did six fantastic shows in three days time. After the final show Elvis attends another press conference, at which he is presented with gold records for five singles of 1969; “Don’t Cry Daddy”, “In The Ghetto”, “Suspicious Minds”, and two LP’s from 1969; “From Elvis in Memphis” and “From Memphis to Vegas/From Vegas to Memphis. He also receives a Stetson hat and a gold deputy’s badge. The following Monday Elvis returns to Los Angeles.

 

Published: February 28th 2010 10:35 AM.

Source: ElvisMatters / Published by: ElvisMatters - Peter Verbruggen

Soldier boy Elvis 50 years ago today :cheer:

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/1soldier.jpg

 

March 1st & 2nd 1960 were Elvis’ last two days in Germany,. It is a day filled with interviews, press conferences and packing!

 

Published: March 1st 2010 07:59 AM.

Source: ElvisMatters / Published by: ElvisMatters

Soldier boy Elvis 50 years ago today :cheer:

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/1soldier.jpg

 

March 1st & 2nd 1960 were Elvis’ last two days in Germany,. It is a day filled with interviews, press conferences and packing!

 

Published: March 1st 2010 07:59 AM.

Source: ElvisMatters / Published by: ElvisMatters

 

I bet that was a really exciting time, both for him and all his fans :)

I bet that was a really exciting time, both for him and all his fans :)

It must have been. He'd been away from the spotlight for 2 years and he must have been wondering what sort of a reception he would get when he returned to the States, but the Colonel had kept things going :dance:

March 1960 - The Return Of The King:

 

Elvis Presley left the army 50 years ago this week, to suggestions that the music he pioneered had died in his absence. On the morning of 3 March, 1960, after a flight from Germany broken by a refuelling stop at Prestwick Airport, 30 miles south of Glasgow (the only time he set foot in Britain), the DC7 jetliner carrying Elvis Presley landed at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, amid the remnants of a light blizzard. At the US base he was then met and escorted away from military life by Nancy Sinatra, the 19-year-old daughter of a man who had once described Presley's music as "a rancid-smelling aphrodisiac".

The truth however turned out to be a little different!

 

Go here to read this fascinating spotlight by Richard Williams of The Guardian.

 

http://www.elvisinfonet.com/spotlight_elvi...f_the_king.html

 

(Spotlight, Source;Guardian/ElvisInfoNet)

 

Interview with Michael Jarrett, songwriter, I'm Leavin'

 

http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_...im_leavin.shtml

 

 

This has got to be one of my fave Elvis songs. It holds very special memories for me of when I was in Memphis for Elvis Week 2007. It was playing as I stood beside Elvis’ grave at 1.45am on the morning of August 16th. A very underrated but very beautiful song :wub:

 

50 years ago today

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/173_20100318142300.jpg

 

In 1960, when Elvis returned to civilian life after two years in the U.S. Army, Elvis asked Scotty Moore to send his well-worn 56 J200 guitar out to be refurbished. The work wasn’t done in time for Elvis’ March 20 recording session in Nashville, so a new 1960 J-200N serial number A32944 was shipped on March 18, 1960. The guitar looked almost identical, red floral pick guard and all except for the Grover tuners. Elvis kept this new one the rest of his life. It can be seen in the 1968 TV special being played by both he and Scotty and being played by friend Charlie Hodge in various Elvis concert footage during the '70s. The guitar remains part of the collection at Graceland to this day.

 

Published: March 18th 2010 02:26 PM.

Source: Scotty Moore website / Published by: ElvisMatters