Ronnie Milsap talks about recording with Elvis Presley

 

Upon setting up shop in Memphis in the late 1960s, Ronnie Milsap joined forces with super-producer Chips Moman, and by decade's end, was tickling the ivories for none other than Elvis Presley. 'Oh, I was given total (artistic) freedom (on Kentucky Rain)', Milsap recalled. 'The only suggestion I got from Elvis was that he wanted to hear thunder roll on the piano. He basically said, 'Play what you feel'.

 

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

 

Elvis Articles August 20, 2009

Ronnie Milsap talks about recording with Elvis Presley

 

Upon setting up shop in Memphis in the late 1960s, Ronnie Milsap joined forces with super-producer Chips Moman, and by decade's end, was tickling the ivories for none other than Elvis Presley. 'Oh, I was given total (artistic) freedom (on Kentucky Rain)', Milsap recalled. 'The only suggestion I got from Elvis was that he wanted to hear thunder roll on the piano. He basically said, 'Play what you feel'.

 

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

 

Elvis Articles August 20, 2009

 

 

Thats the way our Elvis was. :cheer:

Sam Phillips selling Elvis' contract no mistake:

 

When Sam Phillips sold Elvis’ contract to RCA Records, it was no mistake as many people will tell you. I had the honor and privilege of working for “The Father of Rock and Roll”, at his radio station in his hometown of Florence, Alabama.

 

I just got off the air after doing my Saturday afternoon airshift, walked into the sales area and saw Mr. Phillips standing there. I found out in short order that he prefers Sam over Mr. Phillips. He sat down and he told me that radio was his first love, not recording. He was a disc jockey for many years including WREC at that time located in the Hotel Peabody in downtown Memphis. In fact the recording started as a sound effects library for radio production and grew from there. Sun Studios was originally called The Memphis Recording Service with the slogan "We Record Anything, Anywhere, Anytime."

 

At the time I was young and naive enough to think I could ask him about selling Elvis' contract for $40,000. Sam said "Well first of all it was $35,000 because Elvis got $5,000 and second that was a lot of money back in 1955 especially for an artist that had never had a hit record. He told me at the time RCA made the offer he was considering an offer from Atlantic Records for $25,000. He needed the money to promote Sun's other artist. I knew Elvis had started on Sun but didn't realize he had never had a hit. He said he didn’t have the money to promote Elvis, “Back then the best way to sell records was by touring. With the money I made from the sell of the contract I was able to promote Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis.” He paused for a minute, went into his office and returned with an old picture, he said this group played right here in the tri-cities (Florence, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals). It was Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jay Perkins (Carl's brother) and Jerry Lee Lewis. All but Jay were in later years called the Million Dollar Quartet.

 

Since he brought it up I asked about how Carl Perkins felt about Elvis recording "Blue Suede Shoes" a song Perkins wrote and had recorded himself. Sam said “Carl was in a car wreck on the way to do a TV show (the Perry Como Show) and couldn't tour. Elvis did a cover and had a hit with it bringing in money Carl would have never seen from royalties." He pointed out that in hindsight people think that the Elvis version overshadowed Perkins version. The fact is, Perkins version gave Sun Records their first national hit, selling over a million copies and giving them the cash flow they needed at the time. Perkins took “Blue Suede Shoes” to the top of the country charts and #2 on the pop charts. Elvis’ version (on RCA) stalled at #20 on the pop charts. But the royalties from the Elvis version gave Carl the money he needed during his recovery.

 

Sam also said that he invested some of the money into Holiday Inn, over the years he made his money back many times over. He had also put on a radio station in 1955, WHER. It was the first all female radio station. Not only the air staff but management as well. A sly grin came across his face as he told me that all the girls applying for the on air staff thought they would be the only woman on staff as was the norm at the time. It wasn’t until they came to work that they realized they were going to be a part of broadcasting history. “At the time” Sam said “people thought I was crazy, that it would never last but WHER was on the air for eleven years.”

 

Sam was a living legend and an innovator. He took chances by combining black and white music and was the first to cross over the country and rock charts (Elvis later added R&B and topped all three charts). He also had the first “All Girl” radio station; he was truly the first Equal Opportunity Employer. I am proud to have worked for him. (

 

Comment, Source: Mitch McCracken, examiner.com)

 

 

 

Gordon Stoker talks about Elvis Presley

 

(02:37) In this video interview Gordon Stoker - a member of The Jordanaires, shares his memories of when they first met Elvis and recording in the studio with him.

 

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

 

Interview with Ray Walker of the Jordanaires.

 

We were looking the other way when Elvis came in. When I turned around, he stuck his hand out and said, 'I'm Elvis Presley'. I said, 'I know who you are. I'm Ray Walker'. Elvis replied to me, 'And I know who you are'. We stood there and talked, and the minute I looked in to his face all his fame left. I saw one of the nicest guys. I'm not really one to keep my mouth shut most of the time, as long as I know there's no harm, so during that all-night session I said to him, 'You know, your heart's going to take a beating in this business. And I've only been in it three weeks'. (Laughs) I really liked him right off. There was just an aura about him, he was one of the most impressive people I have ever met in my life.

 

http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/interview_raywalker.shtml

 

Video and Audio, Elvis Interviews September 5, 2009

Ben Weisman - Why Elvis Recorded 57 Of My Songs

 

'I approached writing for Elvis differently than I did for any other artist. The songs had to have acombination of blues, country, rock and pop [what came to becalled 'rockabilly']. It was like walking in his musical shoes. With each new Elvis movie, more of my songs were being recorded. It became more and more exciting, for I was becoming the only songwriter to have so many songs recorded by him.

 

http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/ben_weisma..._57_songs.shtml

 

Elvis Articles, Elvis Interviews September 12, 2009

Sonny West working on new Elvis biopic "Fame & Fortune":

 

According to today's press reports ... "Elvis Presley is set to star on the big screen from beyond the grave - the rock 'n' roll legend's former bodyguard will tell all in a forthcoming biopic about his life with the tragic entertainer!"

The former bodyguard of Elvis Presley has agreed to give a tell-all account of his life with the iconic singer for a forthcoming biopic.

Presley's ex-security guard Sonny West will reveal his behind-the-scenes perspective of the troubled star's rise to fame and struggle with drug addiction in new film Fame & Fortune, reports Daily Variety.

West was employed by the musician from 1960 until 1976, one year before he suffered a fatal heart attack in his Graceland mansion.

Presley's former associate will also co-produce and co-write the movie as part of the deal signed with Toronto-based company RLF Victor Productions for the feature-length film Fame & Fortune.

 

Go here for EIN's exclusive interview with Sonny West.

 

http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_sonn...2007_part1.html

 

(News, Source;SanjaM)

Elvis makes another comeback!:

 

It is interesting to see how opinions and values change over time. On June 5, 1956, Elvis Presley rose to national fame with his controversial performance of "Hound Dog" on the Milton Berle show.

After singing it up tempo, he then began a slower version. His exaggerated, straight-legged shuffle around the microphone stand would create controversy as would his vigorous leg shaking and hip thrusts in time to the beat.

 

Presley's "gyrations" would create a storm of media comment. The next day's national press, commonly used such words as "vulgar" and "obscene" because of the strong sexual content perceived in his act.

Television critics across the country slammed the performance for its "appalling lack of musicality," "vulgarity" and "animalism".

The New York Times wrote of his talent the day after his appearance on the Berle show: "Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability. His specialty is rhythm songs which he renders in an undistinguished whine; his phrasing, if it can be called that consists of the stereotyped variations that go with a beginners aria in the bathtub. ...He is a rock and roll variation on one of the most standard acts in show business: the virtuoso of the hootchy-kootchy. His one specialty is an accented movement of the body that heretofore has primarily identified with the repertoire of the blonde bombshells of the burlesque runway".

 

After his appearance on the Milton Berle show, Presley would appear three times on the Ed Sullivan show. The final broadcast would feature camera shots of the singer only from the waist up. At the end of Presley's final performance on the show, Sullivan declared that Presley "is a real decent, fine boy" and that they never had "a pleasanter experience" on the show.

 

Cosmopolitan wrote in December of 1956 about Elvis: "It isn't enough to say that Elvis is kind to his parents, sends money home, and is the same unspoiled kid he was before all the commotion began. That still isn't a free ticket to behave like a sex maniac in public." :yahoo:

 

Of course we know the rest of the story. Presley came back from society's fear of Rock and Roll to become "The King" and a cultural icon. Presley is reported to have sold over one billion single records and albums, which makes him the biggest-selling solo artist of all time. As of 2007, over a quarter century after his death, Presley still holds the top spot for best-selling solo artist in U.S. history (according to the RIAA.) Presley has had 149 top 100 singles in the United States. He has had 30 songs reach the top of the charts.

 

Elvis Presley is the only performer to have been inducted into four music "Halls of Fame":the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. His face has adorned a United States postage stamp and his former home, now a museum, Graceland, has been declared a national historic landmark

 

In the late 1960s, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein remarked: "Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it's a whole new social revolution... the 60's comes from it."

 

In 2002, 46 years after the critical review of Presley's controversial "Hound Dog" performance on the Milton Berle show , The New York Times wrote: "For those too young to have experienced Elvis Presley in his prime, today’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of his death must seem peculiar. All the talentless impersonators and appalling black velvet paintings on display can make him seem little more than a perverse and distant memory. But before Elvis was camp, he was its opposite: a genuine cultural force... Elvis’s breakthroughs are under appreciated because in this rock-and-roll age, his hard-rocking music and sultry style have triumphed so completely."

 

Even thirty years after his death, Elvis Presley has just made another comeback. Forbes.com is reporting that Elvis Presley regained the top spot on its list of the highest-earning deceased celebrities. Elvis had ruled the list of thirteen deceased legends until last year. Elvis had estimated earnings of $49 million to regain the top spot in the year ending last month.

 

Time changes the values and opinions of people in society. Talent that was considered vulgar and "hootchy-kootchy" in 1956 can be described as a "genuine cultural force" forty six years later. However, Elvis Presley's incredible popularity has remained a constant in America for more than the last fifty years. (News, Source: buzzle.com, 2007)

 

About the author: James William Smith has worked in senior management positions for some of the largest financial services firms in the United States for the last twenty five years. He has also provided business consulting support for insurance organizations and start up businesses. Mr. Smith has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Boston College. He enjoys writing articles on political, national, and world events. Visit his website at http://www.eworldvu.com

 

Interview with the late Charlie Hodge B)

 

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

 

Baby, Let's Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him by Alanna Nash

 

As we first reported in August 2008, Alanna Nash is working on a new book titled, 'Baby, Let's Play House - Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him'. Today, we have received the cover-art for the 608 page book which is due for release January 5, 2010. Format: Hardcover; Trimsize: 6" x 9"; Pages: 608.

 

http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/books/baby...anna_nash.shtml

 

Elvis Book News, Elvis News, By Alanna Nash September 24, 2009

 

EIN have today reported that A Little Less Conversation: Elvis and Sex: Amazon UK has this book release by Alanna Nash listed.

Details: Arum Press, 25 March 2010, Hardcover: 320 pages, ISBN-10: 1845135113/ISBN-13: 978-1845135119.

The title suggests it may be a different edition (with less pages) to Ms Nash's upcoming book, Baby, Let's Play House B)

 

Sounds good :cheer:

 

Tom Jones Remembers Elvis Presley

 

Somehow, I scraped together enough money to buy every new Presley release so that I could play them in the privacy of my bedroom - all the better to study his unique singing style.

 

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

 

Elvis Articles, Elvis Interviews September 26, 2009

More videos added to the EPE Elvis Legacy project:

 

Hubert Griffin - Hubert talks about meeting Elvis when he started school at Humes and visiting Elvis at his home on Audubon Drive.

 

Armond Morales - Armond was a member of The Imperials. He shares his memories about his times with Elvis.

 

Bonya McGarrity - Bonya was hired to be a secretary at Graceland by Vernon Presley in the fall of 1961 and talks of her times with Elvis.

 

Gordon Stoker - Gordon, a member of The Jordanaires, shares his memories of Elvis and recording in the studio with him.

 

Go here to view the videos: http://www.elvis.com/legacy/

 

(News, Source;EIN/EPE)

I read this on EIN today in the Did You Know section B)

 

The first DJ to play an Elvis record was Fred Cook (WREC), not Dewey Phillips (WHBQ).

However, Dewey had the distinction of being the first DJ to play an Elvis record in its entirety.

 

Got to admit that I’d never read that so I’ve investigated it and found the following:-

 

As music fans know, there was no shortage of irony in the discovery of Elvis, and his initial foray into the recording studio. Elvis first came to the attention of Marion Keisker, Sun's office manager, in 1953. For $3.95, the label's companion company, Memphis Recording Service, allowed anyone to record a couple of songs in their studio. On July 13th of that year, Elvis plunked down his money and recorded "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartache Begins" as a birthday gift to his mother.

 

Keisker was intrigued by what she heard. She also knew that her boss, Sun founder Sam Phillips, was looking for a new sound, a "white man who could sing the blues," as he suggested. Ms. Keisker urged Phillips to get Elvis back in the studio, culminating in two recording sessions, almost a year later.

 

As detailed in Peter Guralnick's seminal Presley biography, Last Train to Memphis, the first session was a bust, despite the presence of Phillips, bassist Bill Black and guitarist Scotty Moore. A second session also proved disappointing; Sam Phillips was on the verge of calling it quits until Elvis began "fooling around" with "That's All Right" during a break in the studio.

 

After recording the song and dubbing an acetate, the next step was getting it on the radio. Phillips invited local disc jockey Dewey Phillips to the studio for a listen. The host of the popular "Red, Hot and Blue" program on WHBQ, Dewey Phillips agreed to play the record on his show. It aired for the first time on July 8, 1954, just three days after the recording session at Sun.

 

"That's All Right" was an immediate sensation. Dewey Phillips (no relation to Sam) played the song seven times in a row, and Elvis was on his way.

 

But, as we noted last month, the early efforts to get a Presley record on the radio weren't limited to WHBQ. About the same time that Dewey Phillips began playing "That's All Right," someone from Sun (most likely Marion Keisker) delivered a copy to Fred Cook, the morning DJ at WREC in Memphis.

 

Mr. Cook, who passed away last month, was not impressed, and Elvis wouldn't appear on the WREC airwaves until years later. It represented a minor setback for Presley's career; in those days, WREC was one of the most important stations in Memphis, broadcasting from the legendary Peabody Hotel, and playing a mix of adult standards and big band music.

 

Dewey Phillips was probably the most popular DJ in Memphis in 1954, but Fred Cook wasn't far behind. More importantly, morning radio--then as now--attracted a large audience. Cook's program could be heard throughout the Mid-South, while Phillips's late night show could barely reached the Memphis city limits, thanks to WHBQ's directional signal and reduced night-time power.

 

So why didn't Sam Phillips make a greater effort to get Elvis on WREC? Format restrictions aside, there was no small amount of animosity between the Sun founder and the radio station.

 

As Peter Guralnick reminds us, Sam Phillips spent much of his life in radio, both as an announcer and later, a station owner. His Memphis radio career began in the 1945 at--you guessed it--WREC, where he served as an on-air personality and broadcast engineer. By the early 1950s, he was working 18-hour days at the station and at his fledgling recording company. The schedule drove him to exhaustion and two stays in the hospital, where Phillips received electroshock therapy.

 

Sam Phillips quit WREC in 1951, after station owner (and founder) Hoyt Wooten made a sarcastic comment about his absences. With his resignation, Phillips devoted his full energies to Sun and the companion recording service. His business cards carried the motto: "We record anything--anywhere--anytime." Consistent with Phillips's vision, Sun became one of the first "white" labels to record African-American artists.

 

Phillips was joined in his venture by Marion Keisker, another refugee from WREC. It was Ms. Keisker who greeted Elvis the day he walked into the Sun Studios on Union Avenue, "engineered" his first recording session, and urged her boss to take a chance on the young truck driver.

 

Seven decades later, we can only guess what might have happened if Sam Phillips and Marion Keisker had remained at WREC. It's hard to imagine Elvis going undiscovered, but his route to route to stardom--and the birth of rock and roll--would have been much different, save a cutting remark in a Memphis radio station.

 

Mr. Cook had one other claim to fame that (might) have put his career on a very different path. In 1954, someone from Sun Records brought Cook a release from a new singer named Elvis Presley. Cook played the record for about a minute, then pulled it off the air. "That's the worst s--t I've ever heard," he exclaimed, predicting that the artist had "no future."

She offered the song on July 7th 1954 to the Radio Station WREC where she worked as a DJ and only 30 seconds were played by a DJ, Fred Cook, who took it off the turntable saying these immortal words " Marion, that's the worst piece of $h!t I have ever heard". WREC were just playing wimp music by Bing Crosby, Pat Boone, Dean Martin and Elvis was just too much for poor, old Fred who has since been relegated to a footnote in Bill Burk's book while Elvis is a bit more famous

 

Luuk on FECC posted this earlier on this summer ;)

 

Luckily for us (and Elvis) around 9.00 p.m. on Saturday July 10, 1954 on KWEM in Memphis deejay Uncle Richard (Dick Stewart) played "Blue moon of kentucky" all the way through and thus was the first deejay to play the record all the way through.

Around 9.30 p.m. on WHBQ in Memphis deejay Dewey Phillips played both sides of the single in his "Red, hot and blue" show. Listener reaction was strongly in favor of "That's all right". Dewey invited Elvis to the studio for an interview and played both sides of the single 7 times that night.

 

It’s always great to find out new things about Elvis and in this instance, all I can say is thank goodness for Elvis that Sam Phillips gave a copy to Dewey :cheer:

 

Freddy Bienstock EIN interview:

 

Freddy Bienstock, a prominent music publishing executive who had a long association with Elvis Presley as his designated song screener, died on September 20th 2009 at his home in Manhattan. He was 86.

Bienstock’s job was to not only find Elvis high quality material but also to maximize income for his employer - and songwriters were often pressured to forfeit a large portion of their royalties to Hill & Range, - “the Elvis tax”.

 

Far too many of Elvis' associates are leaving this mortal coil and author Ken Sharp was very lucky that he managed to interview Freddie Bienstock back in 2006 for his FTD book 'Writing For The King'.

 

In this fascinating interview with Ken Sharp, Freddy Bienstock admits that "I felt very unhappy with all of the crap songs" and that there were times that Elvis would get annoyed with him.

 

http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_fred..._ken_sharp.html

 

(Interviews; EIN/Ken Sharp)

Ernst Jørgensen talks with EIN about 'From Elvis In Memphis':

 

Recently EIN ran a 7,000 word review on the 'From Elvis In Memphis' 2009 Sony Legacy release. At last Elvis' powerful, creative musical statement had been given the respect that it was due. This is the Elvis album that should stand on hallowed ground along with the all-time classics of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd etc..

Ernst Jorgensen was the producer of this special release and EIN's Piers Beagley was keen to ask a few questions about the finer details. Ernst also discusses the importance of the Mono versions, as well as the possibility of future Elvis Legacy projects.

Have YOU listened to the mono tracks in your car?!

 

Go here to this fascinating interview with Ernst Jørgensen B)

 

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

 

(Interviews; Source;ElvisInformationNetwork)

 

Ernst Jørgensen talks with EIN about 'From Elvis In Memphis':

 

Recently EIN ran a 7,000 word review on the 'From Elvis In Memphis' 2009 Sony Legacy release. At last Elvis' powerful, creative musical statement had been given the respect that it was due. This is the Elvis album that should stand on hallowed ground along with the all-time classics of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd etc..

Ernst Jorgensen was the producer of this special release and EIN's Piers Beagley was keen to ask a few questions about the finer details. Ernst also discusses the importance of the Mono versions, as well as the possibility of future Elvis Legacy projects.

Have YOU listened to the mono tracks in your car?!

 

Go here to this fascinating interview with Ernst Jørgensen B)

 

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

 

(Interviews; Source;ElvisInformationNetwork)

Marty Lacker wrote to EIN discussing a few points about what Ernst Jørgensen said in the 'From Elvis In Memphis' interview we added yesterday. Marty made some interesting points and because of his comments and closeness to Elvis, EIN asked him a few more pertinent questions about Chips and the American sessions.

 

UPDATED - MARTY LACKER adds some interesting comments

 

Marty Lacker was a best friend to Elvis and who also worked at American Studio with Chips Moman. He wrote to EIN discussing what Ernst said in the above interview about ‘From Elvis In Memphis’. He made some interesting points.

Because of the Marty’s comments EIN asked him a few more pertinent questions about Chips Moman and the American sessions.

 

Marty Lacker; "From my point of view and the time I spent at American and with Elvis, Ernst’s opinion on what would happen if Elvis would have done another session with Chips shows how much Ernst didn't personally know Elvis. Nor does he really know that Chips would have pushed Elvis just as hard. Chips did that with everyone he produced no matter how many times he produced them."

 

EIN: Does Chips regret not having done another session with Elvis?

(There is this quote from Chips. "Later I thought to myself, "It sure was a privilege to have worked with him. I wish I had realised that at the time we were recording, 'cause there's a lot of things that I would have liked to have said to him.")

Marty Lacker: Yes, and at first it bothered him that for whatever reason Elvis would not come back to American but he knows now why that didn't happen and the workings of Parker, Felton Jarvis and a former American arranger for telling Elvis a lie about chips.

He knows what he produced for Elvis was damn good.

 

EIN: Would Chips have pushed Elvis as hard second time around?

Marty: Absolutely! That was one of Chips' traits in the studio no matter who he was producing and it mattered not how many times he produced them, he was always the same. That's why almost every record he produced became a big hit, all 120 plus hits he cut. It mattered not who it was and in addition to Elvis he cut some very big artists.

 

EIN: After Elvis' massive success with the Chips SINGLES, would Elvis have allowed himself to be pushed as hard in the next session.

Marty: Yes! Because Elvis enjoyed his records for the first time in 8 years being on the top of the charts and he saw how it contributed to his financial success as well as his success with the crowds during his first tours after and Vegas. People shouldn't underestimate the power of those hit records after he had been basically off or far down in the charts the years before because of his horrible movie songs.

 

EIN: What stopped you persuading Elvis to go back to American Studios one more time?

Marty: Nothing! I tried in Vegas one night, he told me that he would never go back there after I mentioned it to him. I asked him why and he told me what he was told. Some of the guys were standing in front of where we were sitting by the windows including Felton. I told Elvis that whoever told him that was telling a lie and I looked straight at Felton and added," Elvis, they told you that because they want you to cut back in Nashville because it fits their agenda not yours.. You cut some great records with chips." I also knew that Parker was part of it because he lost control, for the first time of an Elvis session. He thought Chips was responsible for it and he didn't like the fact that chips wouldn't give them publishing on ‘Suspicious Minds’.

Elvis got mad at me for a moment because he thought I was taking Chips' side over his. I explained to him that my loyalty was to him, that I hated to see him not go back to American because it was good for him and because those people who told him that crap were only concerned with their own agenda.

 

EIN: Chips Moman was there in Memphis this year at the celebration of the re-release. Did he tell you how he felt about being there and whether he feels he is getting the credit he deserves (for FEIM) at last?

Marty: At first he said he wouldn't come to Memphis but then Bobby Wood called him and told him the band would like for him to be there. He had planned to say something to Ernst about the Grammy and taking credit for the (re-released FEIM) album because it really stuck in his craw that others were being recognized for his work.

Once he got to the auditorium he was enjoying talking to the fans that he decided to let it go but he still feels the same way and I don't blame him.

Elvis, Chips and the band are the ones who produced that great album and they are the ones who should receive the accolades not someone who just re-arranged the tracks as they appear on the album or change the cover or made it digital. If the music that chips produced wasn't any good than no amount of digital remastering would have made it any better.

I also mean nothing personal against Ernst, I really don't know him as we only met once for about an hour years ago when he was here for an EPE event at the Peabody hotel and he seemed like a nice guy.

 

- MARTY

 

 

Ron Brandon - Elvis In Tupelo Interview:

 

Ron Brandon was the 17 year-old radio engineer for Tupelo's WTUP station who actually recorded the interviews and Elvis' famous performance.

After reading an EIN review, radio personality Ron Brandon contacted us asking is we knew the whereabouts of Charlie Watts who conducted the Elvis interviews at Tupelo Fair in 1956. Thanks to EIN contributor Pamela Decker we managed to reunite him with his friend Charlie Watts after 53 years!

 

EIN's Piers Beagley recently spoke to Ron Brandon to find out more of the incredible story of how this historic Elvis performance happened to be recorded for posterity.

 

Go here to our detailed interview

 

http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_ron_brandon.html

 

(Interviews, Source:EIN)

Edward and Elvis.....sometimes a salute is enough:

 

Edward Perry Hart was born wanting to be a soldier, secured an appointment to West Point, played on a championship lacrosse team, sang in the choir, was on the debate team, became tank platoon leader for the 894th at Fort Knox, led a scout platoon for the 32nd Armor in Germany, led a company at Fort Hood, was promoted to captain, commanded an armored cavalry troop, was promoted to major, earned a bronze star and Gallantry Cross in Vietnam, taught military science at Arizona State University, was promoted to lieutenant colonel, earned master’s degrees in business and history, commanded a battalion in Germany, became deputy inspector general in Germany, led a unit training branch at Army headquarters in Europe, became inspector general at West Point, became a dean at the Armed Forces Staff College, retired as a colonel, taught at Tidewater Community College, worked as a military consultant, retired again in 1996, leads tours at the MacArthur Memorial, is active in his church, loves his wife, enjoys his eight children and nine grandchildren, sings baritone and has appeared in more than 30 local theater productions, including two walk-on roles with the Virginia Opera.

 

But the part of his biography that grabs everyone’s attention is four months in 1958, when he was Elvis Presley’s platoon leader.

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/germany1.jpg

 

Here are the details:

 

Elvis was drafted in 1957, got a deferment to finish filming “King Creole,” entered the Army in 1958, shipped out to Germany to join a tank battalion and could not pull guard duty because he would have been mobbed by German girls.

Hart did not shake Pvt. Presley’s hand, write down his personal phone number, get his autograph or like his songs.

Elvis saluted Hart, drove a jeep for a sergeant, cleaned bathrooms, and got along famously with everybody in the unit, according to “Soldier Boy Elvis,” which was written by Hart’s master sergeant, Ira Jones, and Bill E. Burk. Hart attended meetings to discuss the problem of what to do with Pvt. Presley, was pleased that his man was never late for duty despite living off base and enjoyed listening to him and the men sing gospel songs one cold night on bivouac.

Notice that was “one” cold night. Also notice the single photograph of Pvt. Presley with Hart. It appears on an unnumbered page in the book “Elvis in the Army,” by William J. Taylor Jr., right before Chapter 5, with a caption that begins “A rotten, fuzzy photo of the Scout Platoon,” which is truth in advertising. It shows 32 men. Maybe 33. It really is fuzzy. Pvt. Presley is front row, third from the right. Hart is back row, far right, and part of him has been cropped out.

A number of men and tanks from the 32nd Armor appeared in Elvis’s 1960 film, “G.I. Blues.” Hart was not one of them, having rotated out of Germany in early 1959.

So, to recap: four months, no handshake, no autograph, no fan, no movie role. Some might say Hart missed his chance.

But there’s more to life than rock ’n’ roll. See first paragraph.

 

(News, Source: Diane Tennant, The Virginian-Pilot)

 

Great story but a shame for Edward!

The World's Most Photographed

 

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/elvis1959/promo-worlds-most-photographed.jpg

 

The National Portrait Gallery and the BBC present an exhibition and television series that have for the first time been jointly developed by the two organisations. The World's Most Photographed is a completely integrated project consisting of an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery of around 100 photographs, a BBC TWO series and an associated book exploring the way photography has been used and manipulated to construct the image of 10 figures from history.

The World's Most Photographed is an in-depth and wide-ranging exploration of how photography has been used throughout history in the pursuit of fame and power: how it has been controlled and managed in the creation of pin-ups such as Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.

how Mahatma Ghandi used it in a sophisticated way to create an image of simplicity and integrity which would help to undermine the British Empire; and how it was turned into a sinister tool of mass manipulation by Adolf Hitler as he launched his deadly assault on humanity and civilisation.

By unearthing photographs which have previously been lost or suppressed, together with more familiar images and those that were simply allowed to slip from view, the exhibition and television series explore the power of the image and the nature of iconography, going beyond the often carefully constructed public image to reveal much more about the personalities, lives and intentions of the subjects.

 

Highlights include:

• Muhammad Ali - the remarkable photographs that lay hidden in a drawer for 25 years…

• James Dean - an extraordinary series of macabre photographs, unreleased for over 30 years…

• Greta Garbo - did she really "want to be alone"?… images of a star who turned away from the camera….

• Audrey Hepburn - how the deprivations of her war-torn childhood shaped her career as actress and prepared her for a far-reaching role with Unicef…

• Marilyn Monroe - how the first American goddess used photography to create a phenomenon, how a single image threatened to destroy her, and how for one day in New York, it showed her at her happiest…

• Elvis Presley - how a schoolboy outwitted The King's controlling manager, scooped the world's press and sold his unique snaps of Elvis in the school canteen…

• Queen Victoria - how photography played a vital role in defining her sovereignty and defending her against a rising tide of republicanism; how it re-established her supremacy after a decade of seclusion; and how she preserved the memory of Prince Albert in the years after his death…

• Mahatma Gandhi - how he manipulated his appearance to bind his nation, how he used photography to challenge and undermine the British Empire and to create a new identity for India…

• Adolf Hitler - how the Nazi dictator at first mistrusted photography greatly but then came to understand and utilise its power to project the image of a powerful leader and further his horrific plans for world domination…

• John F Kennedy - how, in a new dawn for America, photography created and sustained the myths of 'Camelot' and concealed the President's frailties and infidelities…

 

The exhibition is curated by Robin Muir, curator and writer on photography and a former picture editor of British Vogue and the Sunday Telegraph Magazine. Exhibition details: Admission £4, concessions £2.50. Porter Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE. Nearest Tube: Leicester Square/Charing Cross

National Portrait Gallery opening hours: daily 10.00am - 6.00pm. Late Opening: Thursdays and Fridays until 9.00pm - ends October 23rd.

 

ElvisNews Updated: Oct 22, 2009

Take a virtual tour of Circle G Ranch:

 

The Elvis Ranch is for sale for a cool $6.5 million, but anyone with an Internet connection can take a virtual tour.

 

The 155-acre property just across the Tennessee-Mississippi state line in Horn Lake, Miss., is officially known as the Circle G Ranch. Elvis Presley owned it from 1966 to 1971. He and Priscilla honeymooned there in 1968, and the building known as the "honeymoon cottage" still stands today.

 

Prudential Collins-Maury Realtors agent Rodger Motz, who is handling the sale, said calls have come from as far away as Denmark.

 

To see the ranch, go to http://www.visualtour.com/ and type in property number 0201-2316.

 

(News, Source: Sanja Meegin)

 

Nice to see it all and would love to have it as a holiday home :yahoo: Better fill out that lottery ticket for Saturday's draw B)

Interesting article, primarily about John Lennon, but Elvis features quite a lot :cheer:

 

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...0230,full.story

Elvis's popularity stifled by poor management and blinkered record company marketing:

 

Several years ago, music writer Brian W. Fairbanks wrote a thoughtful article about Elvis’ pervasive presence in society, “Elvis is Everywhere”. In it, Fairbanks directed criticism at both Colonel Parker and RCA........

His unrivaled popularity, even in death, is proof that talent and charisma are more important to stardom than marketing or management. Elvis had the worst manager of them all in the form of Colonel Tom Parker, a con man to whom many give undue credit for Presley’s success. But Parker latched on to Presley only after the star had conquered the South in ways unseen since the Civil War. Parker rode Presley’s coattails to glory while creating hurdles that his client had to overcome.

The long string of mindless movies that wasted the star’s talent for almost a decade were Parker’s idea. And if Parker had had his way, the 1968 TV special that rescued Elvis from

 

Hollywood’s manipulative and destructive claws would have been a cozy, mild-mannered hour of Christmas carols rather than the dynamic showcase for Elvis’s talents that it became.

 

Nor did RCA Victor, the record company that bought his contract from Sun Records, provide him with much support. The label treated its biggest star as little more than a steady source of predictable profits. Knowing his records would always sell a minimum number of copies, the company rarely gave his albums and singles the promotional push that would have increased his existing fan base. Until his death, his RCA contract required him to crank out three albums a year at a time when major artists were considered prolific if they released only one in the same time period. With Presley product flooding the market, it’s little wonder that after 1972’s “Burning Love,” his singles consistently failed to crack the top ten and his albums stalled below the half million mark needed for gold certification.

 

(News, Source: EIN Archives)

 

A thought provoking article indeed. My own take on it is, I think the Colonel was good for Elvis in the early years. Thanks to him, Elvis was kept in the spotlight throughout his time in Germany, but after that? Without the Colonel in charge, I believe things would have been very different. Elvis needed a challenge and maybe a new manager could have taken Elvis in a different direction and perhaps the story wouldn’t have ended as it did that August day in 1977. That would have all depended on Elvis, though, and sadly, we’ll never know the answer. :(