It was December 21, 1970. I got a call from Dwight Chapin, who was one of my best friends on the White House staff. And he said, 'The King is here'. And I said, 'King who?' I looked at the President's schedule and said, 'There aren't any kings on the president's schedule'. He said, 'No, not just any two-bit king, the real king. The King of Rock--Elvis.
Erik Lorentzen has announced the release of 'Eleven Hundred and Twenty-Four' ... that's the number of concerts Elvis performed since his return to the stage in front of a live audience in 1969. This is a deluxe 3 Hardcover Books in Slipcase and is expected to be released in November.
As part of its acclaimed 'Sessions' series, FTD has released 'The How Great Thou Art Sessions'. Recorded during May and June of 1996. The 3x Platinum winning album also provided Elvis with his first Grammy ® award for 'Best Sacred Performance'. Apart from the excellent gospel performances including 'Run On', 'So High' and 'Where No One Stands Alone'. The sessions also spawned the secular hits 'If Every Day Was Like Christmas', 'Love Letters' and Indescribably Blue'. Packaged in FTD's 8" format, it features a 24-page booklet with insightful notes, recording data and memorabilia.
Dolores Fuller is best known (downright famous, in fact) for her 40-years-past career as an actress, her mid-'50s relationship with director Edward D. Wood Jr., and the three movies that she made with him. By the end of the 1950s, she'd started her own record company, Dee Records, and one of the talents that she discovered was a New York-born singer/guitarist named John Ramistella, who later became Johnny Rivers. Later on, her ability as a songwriter manifested itself through the intervention of her friend, producer Hal Wallis; Fuller had wanted to get an acting role in the Elvis Presley movie Blue Hawaii, which Wallis was producing, but instead he put her in touch with Hill & Range, the publisher that provided Presley with songs. Fuller went into a collaborative partnership with composer Ben Weisman and got one song, 'Rock-A-Hula Baby', into 'Blue Hawaii'.
Sofia Coppola's movie 'Priscilla' debuted at the Venice Film Festival where the film received a seven-minute ovation from the audience. The movie is nominated for a Golden Lion in the 'Best Film' category.
'Paradise, Hawaiian Style' was Elvis Presley's third and last movie filmed in the Aloha State, but the King of Rock 'n' Roll's lifelong love affair with the islands began with his arrival Nov. 9, 1957, on the cruise ship S.S. Matsonia for a pair of concerts the following day at the old Honolulu Stadium.
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'.
As part of its ongoing live on tour series, FTD ihas released 'Elvis: August Season In Vegas 1974' Hilton Hotel 1974. Released as a 3-CD 5" digi-pak, this set features three great shows; AUGUST 27 (evening show), AUGUST 29 (midnight show) and AUGUST 30 (evening show). Considering sonic limitations, these soundboard recordings offer very good sound quality.
After accepting the Paramount contract, actress Marianna Hill found herself cast as the second female lead in the Elvis Presley vehicle, 'Paradise, Hawaiian Style' (1966). Often cast as ethnic types, Hill now found herself playing Hawaiian nightclub singer Lani Kaimana, one of several women who Presley's character romances while manipulating them to help his helicopter charter business. Hill relished the opportunity to work more closely with Presley. After briefly working with him on 'Roustabout', it was not until she did 'Paradise, Hawaiian Style' that she really had an opportunity to get to know him.
'And Then There Was Elvis' the 400-page hardcover book containing the richly illustrated memoirs of superfan Virginia Coons from Erik Lorentzen's KJ Consulting has now been released and our order is on the way to us.
The following is an interview with Larry Strickland - June 28, 2007 by Joe Krein. It was popular to wear for guys and girls these bib overalls. Well I had bought a pair, I thought they were really cool, I figured I was this really hip guy. So I had no clue about what was about to happen. So he is hugging Ed and all that stuff. Ed turns to me and says Elvis I want you to meet Larry Strickland he is our new bass singer for the group. Elvis puts out his hand and shakes it and then he takes Ed and pulls him about three steps away from me but not far enough that I can't hear them. But I hear everything that he says. He says 'Ed where in the world did you get the f###ing farmer?'
In 1956, Alfred Wertheimer was a struggling twenty-six year old free-lance photojournalist in New York City, Wertheimer's good fortune gained him access to Elvis Presley during that first, heady flush of fame in 1956. The resulting photos captured the everyday Elvis, relaxed and off-guard during down times. Now, Al Wertheimer's classic photos are the most esteemed collection of pictures of Elvis Presley ever taken.
RCA Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release the definitive 50th anniversary edition of Elvis Presley's monumental Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite record-setting global concert telecast/double live album on Friday, August 11. The 50th anniversary edition of Elvis Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite -- newly remixed and remastered for the occasion -- will be available in a 3CD + Blu-ray combined package as well as in 2LP.
The following interview with Sonny West took place in Sydney Australia, on May 4th, 2005. If you think you know Sonny and his motivations over the years, you may want to think again after reading this interview.
When you think of the TCB Band on stage with Elvis, it is probably James Burton's guitar that first springs to mind. It's difficult to imagine what Elvis concerts would have sounded like had Elvis not chosen James to help make his Las Vegas '69 comeback what it was. I felt very privileged that James gave me over two hours of his time on his day off, the day after the recent Elvis Presley In Concert show in Sydney Australia.
'Memphis Recording Service' (MRS) will release a 2 CD Deluxe Set along with an LP Set titled 'Las Vegas Closing Night 1972' both on 29th September 2023. The CD and the LP features a live performance recorded on 4 September 1972, during the last night of Elvis' seventh engagement in Las Vegas at the Hilton Hotel. The show is presented in stereo. The CD set contains a bonus CD of remastered rehearsal tracks, recorded days before the engagement began, is also included. The accompanying booklet - featuring rare photographs and memorabilia from the final evening – also includes liner notes that set the scene.
Last year Elvis Aaron Presley earned the staggering sum of $2,800,000 on which he cheerfully paid, after all deductions, a federal income tax of $1,700,000. Certainly this was one of the largest returns, if not the single largest, filed by any taxpayer in 1961, let alone a young man of 27 who 10 years ago mowed lawns in Memphis, Tenn., at 50 cent per lawn.
Elvis at 21 (Reissue): New York to Memphis Hardcover Book | In 1956, photographer Alfred Wertheimer was asked to photograph the then twenty-one-year-old Elvis Presley just as his career was about to explode. This book features the collection of photos taken by Wertheimer, offering a snapshot of the young Elvis Presley's remarkable rise to fame and his permanent status as the 'King of Rock 'n' Roll'.
2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Elvis Presley's triumphant 1969 return to live performance with a sold-out engagement at the newly opened International Hotel in Las Vegas. Energized by the galvanizing global success of 1968's Singer Presents … Elvis NBC TV special, Elvis was primed and ready for a long-awaited return to the concert stage. Yet for Elvis, it was still a mighty gamble, as Vegas was the same town that treated him like an alien from a traveling freak show during his ill-fated 1956 appearances at The New Frontier Hotel. Elvis knew what was on the line and was understandably nervous about how he'd be received.
In 1967 Annette Day was filming Double Trouble with Elvis Presley. They say everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news that Elvis Presley had died. That is certainly true of Annette Day, who has very vivid recollections. 'I was sitting at home, I lived at Beckenham in London then, and I heard it on the television news', she says.
Anita Marie Wood Brewer, 85, died early Thursday morning of pneumonia at St. Dominics Hospital in Jackson, MS. Anita Wood was a TV performer, recording artist and former girlfriend of Elvis Presley. Elvis and Anita Wood met in 1957 and in the same year Elvis referred to Wood as his 'No. 1 Girl'. The two dated seriously for several years from 1957 to 1962. Wood signed a contract to work as an actress for Paramount Pictures, but later gave it up for Elvis.
Sam Bell grew up with Elvis in Tupelo and in this video interview shares some of his favorite memories of his childhood friend Elvis. Much is covered in this interesting 3 and a half minute video; from a tree house, to church, using a broom as a make believe guitar, Shakrag, Elvis' musical ability and that old chestnut; racism.
In this video interview with Billy Strange (From 2010, to celebrate his 80th birthday), Billy talks about his friendship with Elvis, writing songs for him with Mac Davis. Writing Memories, discussing the lyrics with Elvis in the process of writing the song, A Little Less Conversation and about that songs mega success in 2002. Working with Elvis on the song Viva Las Vegas, 'I was playing guitar on Viva Las Vegas ... he liked what I did'. On their friendship he talks about Elvis calling him up 'to his house' and them 'playing with the baby, Lisa Marie for hours. Billy also talks about working with Nancy Sinatra and her hit, These Boots Were Made for Walking and much more.
It's a love story for the ages, and Sofia Coppola is ready to tell it. On Wednesday, A24 shared the first teaser-trailer for the writer-director's upcoming biopic, Priscilla, which depicts Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley and Euphoria's Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley. 'Priscilla, what about boys at school? There must be some handsome ones', Priscilla is asked in the teaser.
It isn't easy to talk about Elvis Presley the movie star without dealing with counterfactuals. As the story goes, Elvis' greatest ambition was to one day win an Academy Award for acting. He idolized James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Tony Curtis, prodigious performers who successfully mounted challenging material. Was ever there a version of events where Elvis could have joined the ranks of explosive young actors defining the struggles of class and masculinity for their generation?
Elvis was singing in the men's room. But I'd gotten used to that. This time, though, there was something new. And it led me, after all these years, to the legendary Barbara Hearn. A little explanation -- all right, a lot of explanation -- is in order:
Nancy Rooks was hired on at Graceland as Elvis Presley's cook / maid in May of 1967. She was there at Graceland on that awful day of August 16th 1977 and continued working at Graceland after Elvis' death.
As part of its ongoing live on tour series, FTD is pleased to announce the release of Elvis: Houston-Fort Worth-Baton Rouge 1974. Released as a 3-CD 5' digi-pak, this set features three 1974 shows from Astrodome, Houston, Texas (evening show) March 3, Tarrant Convention Center, Fort Worth (evening show) June 15 and Louisiana State University Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, June 17.
FTD Vinyl is pleased to announce the release of Fun In Acapulco 2-LP Limited Edition. Taking inspiration from RCA Victor's European release, this 180 GRAM double vinyl soundtrack companion features original soundtrack masters and many excellent alternative outtakes. Bonus tracks include 'Witchcraft (takes 3/M)', 'Love Me Tonight (takes 6-8/M)' and 'Slowly But Surely (take 5/M)'.
Barbara Leigh is an accomplished model and actress who currently works for the Playboy organization. As an actress, Barbara has appeared in numerous TV series and on the big screen with major stars including Rock Hudson and Steve McQueen. Barbara is also fondly remembered as the 'original' Vampirella. In 1970 Barbara was introduced to Elvis and that meeting began a torrid, two-year affair. Barbara speaks candidly about her time with Elvis.
Hound Dog was Elvis' first great protest song. Social rebellion had been implicit in many of his greatest Sun performances - especially Good Rocking Tonight - and became explicit in Baby Let's Play House where his sexy, yet sinister vocal directly challenges the mores of Fifties America, warning his girl that college, school and Cadillacs didn't make her a better person. But 13 years before In The Ghetto, Elvis' aggressive, dynamic cover of Big Mama Thornton's R&B hit, was an epic expression of a working class hero's righteous anger against those who had judged, misunderstood and patronised him. Elvis' Hound Dog is, Rolling Stone proclaimed, 'a declaration of independence from one generation to its cold, rigid elders'.
'I tell young musicians that we recorded 35 tracks in five nights, and they tell me that's impossible!' snickers Norbert Putnam, bassist with Elvis Presley from 1970 to 1977.
FTD has released 'Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden' 3-CD Box Set and our order is now on the way to us. Having just concluded an immensely successful sell-out tour in April, that was filmed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for the 1972 documentary Elvis On Tour, confidence in Elvis' camp was high as all four shows at New York's Madison Square Garden were sold out along with the rest of the June tour. Any reticence that Elvis may still have had about performing in the Big Apple were soon allayed as the noise from the MSG audiences was deafening. Summing up the triumph, The New York Times 'Arts and Leisure' headline read 'Like A Prince From Another Planet'.
Following on from the success of 'The Making of Jailhouse Rock', FTD Books has released 'The Making of Blue Hawaii'. Our order is now on the way to us. The deluxe movie book contains 387 pages of rare photos and extensive memorabilia from the film including shooting schedules and memories from cast and crew. The music book includes 85 pages of photos and detailed recording documents. Expected release end of April.
Interview with Elvis' Flaming Star, co-star Barbara Eden. God, what a talent he was! I remember the first time I saw him. It was on television. I had a job dancing, and one of the girls took me home to rehearse, and her sister came running in the room and said, 'Look! Look! Quick! Stop!' It was the Ed Sullivan Show. And he was just electric. You'd never forget him after that.
Up on the 17th floor of the St Regis Hotel in New York City, John Lennon is learning to type. 'It's great', he says, 'Yoko's teaching me'. John is in his bedroom, surrounded by the detritus of creation: guitars, books, notepads, nylon-tipped pens, and... a box full of Elvis Presley singles. 'I asked someone to get all his old singles for me', he says, now down on his hands and knees, opening the box and spilling the bright red RCA labels over the floor. The next 10 minutes are spent sorting them out. My Baby Left Me, Hound Dog, One Night and the old Sun classics are in one pile, while crap (John's opinion) like Bossa Nova Baby and Are You Lonesome Tonight? go on another.
Venus Productions is proud to present Unedited Masters Vol. 1 (Venus), a new CD with unreleased, unedited, overdubbed or differently mixed tracks! It's been a while since our last release and we're looking forward to bring you unreleased tracks in top sound again. We'll kick off with a paper sleeve CD that we almost forgot about and has been ready for 3 years.
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.