Late July 2003
- Ground broken for cemetery dedicated to Elvis
(Sun Herald / Associated Press, July 31, 2003)
TUPELO, Miss. - Elvis Presley was born here, and soon his fans will be able to be buried here. Ground was to be broken Thursday for a cemetery dedicated to the "King," which will be located on nearly 16 acres at Elvis Presley Heights.
William and Judy Kinard purchased the land for Elvis Presley Heights Memorial Gardens in January. It's near Lawhon Elementary School, where Elvis attended, and within walking distance Elvis' birthplace. The pair developed the plan to provide plots for Elvis fans more than a decade ago when they watched observances on TV in memory of the King of Rock n' Roll. "We thought it would be a great idea for the fans," said William Kinard, president and CEO of Fans Forever.
Burial at the cemetery will range from $1,500 for an urn niche to $5,000 for a mausoleum. Plots will cost $2,500. The city of Tupelo has approved initial plans for the cemetery. The project design still needs to be submitted for final approval by the city. The Kinards said the name "Elvis Presley Heights" does not violate the registered trademarks "Elvis" and "Elvis Presley" held by Elvis Presley Enterprises, which declined opportunities to be part of the project. There will be no statues or salutes to Elvis on the cemetery grounds, but a four-room shotgun shack on the property will house portions a collection of memorabilia owned by Elvis' childhood friend, Becky Martin.
The project does have an official Presley presence. Elvis' first cousin, Donna Presley, is handling public affairs. "We think this will really appeal to his fans," she said. "It's a tribute."
- Rock 'n' roll pioneer Sam Phillips, discoverer of Elvis, dead at 80
(Windsor Star Global / canada.com, July 31, 2003)
Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis Presley and helped usher in the rock 'n' roll revolution, died Wednesday. He was 80. Phillips died at St. Francis Hospital, spokeswoman Gwendolyn McClain said. No details were available about the cause of death or how long he had been in hospital.
Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis in 1952 and helped launch the career of Presley, then a young singer who had moved from Tupelo, Miss. He produced Presley's first record, the 1954 single that featured That's All Right, Mama and Blue Moon of Kentucky. "God only knows that we didn't know it would have the response that it would have," Phillips said in an interview in 1997. "But I always knew that the rebellion of young people, which is as natural as breathing, would be a part of that breakthrough," he said. In 2000, the A&E cable network ran a two-hour biography called Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock and Roll. Phillips was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. ...
- Rock 'n' roll pioneer Sam Phillips, discoverer of Elvis, dead at 80
(CNN, July 31, 2003)
Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis Presley and helped usher in the rock 'n' roll revolution, died Wednesday. He was 80. Phillips died of respiratory failure at St. Francis Hospital, his son Knox Phillips said. He said his father had been in declining health for a year. The elder Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis in 1952 and helped launch the career of Presley, then a young singer who had moved from Tupelo, Mississippi.
In the summer of 1953, Presley went to the Sun studio to record two songs for his mother's birthday. Phillips noticed him and decided Presley deserved a recording contract. Phillips produced Presley's first record, the 1954 single that featured "That's All Right, Mama" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky," and nine more. "God only knows that we didn't know it would have the response that it would have," Phillips said in an interview in 1997. "But I always knew that the rebellion of young people, which is as natural as breathing, would be a part of that breakthrough," he said. ...
- Rock 'n' roll pioneer Sam Phillips dead
(Knox News / Associated Press, July 30, 2003)
Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis Presley and helped usher in the rock 'n' roll revolution, died Wednesday. He was 80. Phillips died at St. Francis Hospital, spokeswoman Gwendolyn McClain said. No details were immediately available about the cause of death or how long he had been hospitalized.
Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis in 1952 and helped launch the career of Presley, then a young singer who had moved from Tupelo, Miss. He produced Presley's first record, the 1954 single that featured "That's All Right, Mama" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky." "God only knows that we didn't know it would have the response that it would have," Phillips said in an interview in 1997. "But I always knew that the rebellion of young people, which is as natural as breathing, would be a part of that breakthrough," he said.
Phillips was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2000, the A&E cable network ran a two-hour biography called "Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock and Roll."
... Phillips began in music as a radio station engineer and later as a disc jockey. He started Sun Records so he could record both rhythm & blues singers and country performers, then called country and western or hillbilly singers. His plan was to let artists who had no formal training play their music as they felt it, raw and full of life. The Sun motto was "We Record Anything, Anywhere, Anytime." In the early days, before Presley, Phillips worked mostly with black musicians, including B.B. King and Rufus Thomas.
After the success of Presley on Sun, others who recorded for the label under Phillips included Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty and Charlie Rich. ...
- Short Orders
By DONALD W. PATTERSON
(News & Record, July 30, 2003)
When you're trying to describe Benji's Hot Dogs & Ice Cream, a new eatery at 2600 High Point Road in Greensboro, the name says it all. Almost. Besides hot dogs and ice cream, the only other item on the menu is nachos. ... The menu includes an Elvis shake made with bananas and peanut butter for $3.30. "Elvis loved peanut butter and bananas," Pugh says. "That was his favorite sandwich." Soon, she'll add a Fats Domino shake called Blueberry Hill. It will be made with blueberry cheesecake ice cream.
- 'The King' rocks fair; Elvis draws rave reviews
By DOUG BRILL
(schuylkill.com, July 29, 2003)
Before the dare, Ryan Pelton was just a "computer geek." Now he's the spitting image of a rock n' roll icon. At 24, Pelton had graduated Ohio State University and started his own web design business. He was shy when he spoke or performed in front of other people. Then, his mother dared him to compete as an Elvis impersonator at the Cruisin' on the Riverfront Festival in Columbus, Ohio, before 60,000 people. "I'm going to call your bluff," Pelton, now 29, said of the dare. "I did it almost as a joke. I thought I would get laughed off stage. As it turned out, I won the contest. Then it kind of took off."
Pelton, a resident of - where else - Las Vegas, Nev., and now one of the world's top Elvis impersonators, headlined Monday's entertainment for the Opening Day of the Schuylkill County Fair. Hundreds of raucous fans danced in the aisles as Pelton mimicked Elvis' hip-swiveling, pelvis-shaking moves on stage and almost perfectly captured The King's robust, heart-throbbing voice.
... Despite a riveting performance, Pelton admittedly was not always the best Elvis impersonator. For the Riverfront competition, he hurriedly prepared in a week's time, purchasing a white jacket at the Salvation Army and spray painting an old pair of dress shoes and a guitar the same color to copy Elvis' late-career fashion. He didn't even know the words to most of Presley's songs at first and he actually had to laminate and tape lyrics to his guitar. For the final round, in fact, he wrote the lyrics to "Jailhouse Rock" on his hand, only to have them wiped away in sweaty-palmed anxiety. "I think I sang the same verse three times," he said.
In five years, though, Pelton has quickly climbed the ranks of the world's top Elvis impersonators. He was the first Elvis impersonator ever invited to play at Graceland - Presley's famed estate - a prestigious honor held by only Pelton and The King himself. He also headlined a TV Guide feature celebrating the 25th anniversary of Presley's death, serving as centerfold in a pictorial feature of Elvis impersonators.... He has performed in six countries and from coast to coast in the United States and now does up to 12 shows a week.
To reach that point, Pelton has cultivated his talent by becoming an Elvis historian, reading as many books about Presley as possible, watching his movies and documentaries and, of course, listening to his music. He also compares videos of Elvis performances to videos of his own, hoping to correct just the slightest difference between himself and The King. "You really have to capture him to convince the audience," he said, his thick, black, wavy hair and mutton-chop sideburns making one forget momentarily what decade it is.
Perhaps the best indicator of how far Pelton has come, though, was about half an hour before the show began. Asked if he still needs help remembering the lyrics from time to time, he simply put both hands forward, palms outward. They were clean.
- MARKETING REVOLUTION SWEEPS THE MUSIC BUSINESS: An Ad Age Special Report on Music Industry Advertising
By Marc Pollack
(DAILY COURIER, July 28, 2003)
Ravaged by plummeting sales, online piracy and a wide-reaching technological revolution, the music industry is rushing to reinvent the way. But the tradition of rock 'n' rollers hyping products goes back to at least the mid-1950s, when the King himself, Elvis Presley, did a radio jingle for Southern-Maid doughnuts as part of his contract with the "Louisiana Hayride" show, undoubtedly arranged by his prescient manager, Col. Tom Parker. Elvis' image continues to be used in advertising, the latest a series of Keebler elves spots and National Basketball Association promos.
Ayiko Broyard, manager of music marketing for Davie-Brown Entertainment, admits any partnership between a star and an advertiser can be a gamble: "If your artist doesn't perform to expectations or reach the intended audience, then neither will your product, and the campaign will be doomed." Mr. Coleman points to the Celine Dion Chrysler TV spots, which featured the Crossfire, as a misstep. "If they were promoting a minivan or an SUV to soccer moms, like the later commercials did, it's fine," he says. "But they were promoting a sports car, which is usually a male-dominated item, and I think they turned off a great many men buyers by using her."
- At Fayette Fair: Dancing dogs, owners put on freestyle show
By Judy Kroeger
(DAILY COURIER, July 28, 2003)
Unlike Elvis Presley's hound dog, Lucy the chocolate Labrador does catch a toy rabbit, thrown by her owner, Moly McClure, as they dance to the King's hit at the first 4-H K-9 freestyles show at the Fayette County Fair. The 12-year-old Smock resident enjoyed the competition, and the "Hound Dog" lyrics. ...
- From Hawaii to Valdosta via Aberdeen
By LAURA RAINS
(MaysvilleOnline.com, July 28, 2003)
Carol Hughes of Aberdeen, Ohio, looked through lots of recipes before she decided which ones to enter in the 35th Annual Valdosta Daily Times Cookbook Contest Taste-Off this year. But it was her daughter, Debbi Hart, who lives in Valdosta, Ga., who picked out the recipe that won her mother a prize. "Debbi called me and said she had found the perfect recipe for me to enter this year," said Hughes. "I already had decided which ones to enter but when Debbi found this one, I couldn't resist sending it in."
It wasn't necessarily the ingredients or the fact that it looked easy to prepare that caught Hart's attention, it was name of the recipe - Blue Hawaii Shrimp.
The recipe appealed to Hughes immediately because it reminded her of Elvis Presley. Hughes has been a die-hard Elvis fan since she first heard him croon "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Love Me Tender" in the mid-1950s. She saw Elvis in concert 12 times and traveled to Memphis in August, 1977, for his funeral. She also was in Memphis for the candlelight vigil on the 10th and 20th anniversaries of his death, and is planning to attend the vigil again this year. ... Since awards were also given for creative design, the ladies spent the two days before the actual contest gathering up items for their displays. Hughes brought her original album with her from the movie "Blue Hawaii" released in 1961. She also had several ornaments with Elvis in Hawaiian clothes which she added to the display. Her recipe earned her second place in the meat category and a check for $25.
- The King and I
By Karen Schubert
(Union Democrat, July 28, 2003)
Elvis fan Beverly Showwalter greets Elvis impersonator Jeremy Pearce of Fresno when "Elvis" arrived on stage at the third annual '50s "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay" dinner and dance at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds. Cheers and yells filled the building and the dance floor started hopping after his appearance. The benefit, sponsored by the Sonora Chamber of Commerce and WATCH Resources Inc., featured Elvis impersonator Jeremy Pearce of Fresno, who kept the crowd dancing to hit after hit. The nostalgic night was attended by a crowd of more than 600 people.
- Bazaar goes bizarre
By Karen Schubert
(USATODAY.com, July 28, 2003)
Just as Alexander Graham Bell never imagined his telephone would become an instant-message-sending, customized-ringtone-tinkling fashion accessory, the creators of eBay never suspected their site would become a barometer of popular culture. Among the 16 million items finding their way to that online auction block each day, a few are destined to fall into the zone between ineffable and unbelievable. The most recent what-were-they-thinking eBay moment was brought to you - indirectly at least - by rock-and-roll royalty. Elvis fans had the chance to buy a piece of his smile in July when an eBay seller placed the King's tooth up for auction along with a snippet of Presleyan hair and a certified gold record.
Clever sellers of less impressive items capitalized on the tooth's new notoriety, name-checking the King and his crown in order to drive searchers to their own wares. There's nothing new in that; various buzzwords have been employed to lure shoppers over the years. For example, the word "haunted" has been used to up the perceived value of everything from "magic wands" (if photos can be trusted in matters supernatural, a wooden stick with a knob on the end) to vaguely creepy thrift store paintings. In that case the seller took pains to suggest that buyers avoid showing the image to children or sensitive souls - a huckstering technique that was old when P.T. Barnum used it to move people under his circus Big Top.
In the case of the King, an auction for recipes advertised itself with the phrase "330+ jar recipes - Elvis favorite (sweet tooth)." Another eBay jokester created ever-so-realistic tooth-shaped glass beads sporting Elvis's Vegas-era hairstyle and sunglasses; those are now selling on the site for $15. And the talented tooth itself? At $100,000, the dental offering had no takers. The King's fans aren't the only celebrity collectors to scour eBay for curious collectibles. Pop music enthusiasts had a change to buy "priceless" memorabilia when a New York City radio station put Justin Timberlake's half-eaten plate of French toast (plate included) on auction. And when paying for celebrity junk just can't fill the void inside a buyer, eBay shoppers can surf the site for spare organs. In September 1999, a seller offered up his fully functional kidney in exchange for a $2.5 million donation to the charity of his choice. (There were no takers; eBay blocked the auction since trafficking human organs is a federal felony).
Dan Lewis, creator of WhatTheHeck.com, has dedicated his site to unusual eBay auctions. "The [Elvis tooth auction] is probably a legitimate auction looking for real money," he said. "But most of them are just for fame - they want to be the next Internet meme." (A meme is a concept, catchphrase or byword that spreads from person to person - in other words, such eBayers are hoping to invent the next mood ring or "Whassssssup"). ...
Picture caption: This Elvis look-a-like is a bead that is selling on eBay to mock the recent - and legitimate - auction of the King's actual tooth.
- Composer takes cue from popular culture: DAUGHERTY'S BRAND OF CLASSICAL MUSIC FEATURES ELVIS, SUPERMAN, FRIDA KAHLO
By Anita Amirrezvani
(Mercury News, July 27, 2003)
Composer Michael Daugherty has a soft spot for pop icons. Superman inspired him to compose a symphony, Jackie Onassis an opera and Liberace a piano concerto. ... He is one of seven composers who will be in residence at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, which takes place Friday through Aug. 10 in Santa Cruz. ... Daugherty is not the only composer who will pay tribute to pop icons at this year's festival. Other works include David del Tredici's "Dracula,'' with soprano Hila Plitmann; H.K. Gruber's ``Frankenstein!!''; and pianist Chris O'Reilly's transcriptions of songs by Radiohead, the British rock group. ... One of his first major successes was "Metropolis Symphony'' (1986-1993), a work inspired by Superman comics. "It was very risky to write a piece like that,'' he says about the pop-culture reference. But once he had found his voice as a composer, his music started to take off. ... [Daugherty] has since written music that references Elvis, J. Edgar Hoover, the American obsession with UFOs and with landmarks like Niagara Falls and Route 66. ...
- Elvis Slept Here. Gators Sleep There
By NANCY HENDERSON WURST
(New York Times, July 27, 2003)
WE'VE been gliding across Chocolotta Bay in Mobile, Ala., for only a few minutes when we spot our first alligators, three babies a foot and a half long, lurking in the marsh grass. Capt. Craig Key, co-owner of Tensaw EcoTours, slows the airboat and noses it closer. The gators, of course, scatter. With the boat still drifting in the thick tangle of matted saw grass, Captain Key's business partner, Jeff Evans, regales us with reptilian facts. The mother, for example, will look after her young for a year, but not share her own food. "It's sort of like the Mafia," Jeff says. "They'll protect you but they won't feed you."
... My fiance, Mark, and I arrive in Spanish Fort on a Sunday afternoon and check into Las Brisas on the Bay, a former Ramada Inn with a pale pink facade, furnishings worthy of a Motel 6, and a staff that is eager to please. Despite the understated decor, Las Brisas, on the causeway, offers a respite from the busier downtown area, as well as tranquil views of the bay and delta. The manager quickly points out that Elvis often stayed there, always in Suite 611, close to the elevator on the top floor. This Elvis Suite features a black-granite guitar embedded in white marble on the entrance floor, a hot tub and a round four-poster bed. ...
- Venues large and small face new tax
By Anita Amirrezvani
(RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL, July 26, 2003)
Elvis has left the building. And he'll have to pay to get back in. The new live entertainment tax passed by state lawmakers and signed by Gov. Kenny Guinn last week begins next year. There will be a 10 percent tax on tickets for most events and 5 percent at large gatherings seating more than 7,500 people. Promoters and large venues worry the new levy -- combined with tax increases on alcohol, food and merchandise sold at their venues -- may deter bands and other musical acts from performing in the state. "The one thing we had up on (other states) was that we did not have an entertainment tax," said John Tipton, ticket office manager at Reno's Lawlor Events Center. ...
- Don McLean still thankful for his piece of the American Pie
(Sioux City Journal, July 26, 2003)
Thirty-two years after sealing his fate forever with one amazingly catchy 8.5-minute tune, Don McLean is gingerly asked the question once again:
Does he ever wish that "American Pie" had not been quite that big a hit? That it wouldn't have overshadowed everything else he would ever do?
"People always ask me that question, and it doesn't bother me at all," says McLean. "It's just the nature of my career." ... Nearly 40 albums later, McLean, 57, still hasn't settled on a particular musical style, bouncing between rock, folk and rhythm and blues, and the disparate influences of such early heroes as Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein and the songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, of "Hound Dog" fame.
- BID TO MAKE RIVER ROCK
(Evening Express, July 26, 2003)
Elvis Presley is reported to have popped up in some odd places since his death.
And next month you might see him crossing the River Don on a slide. The charity Quarriers is hoping to find an Elvis impersonator to take part in Doon the Don on August 17. The money raised will be used to help fund four epilepsy field workers based in the North-east. The event will take place at the Hen Blackie in Dyce. Fundraiser Carol Douglas said she hoped an Elvis look-a-like would give the event a boost. Anybody can take part and training will be given on the day. For details call Carol on [UK telephone number] (01330) 844083.
- Colling Elvis
(Toronto Star, July 26, 2003)
What do Memphis, Tenn., Tampa Bay, Fla., Tupelo, Miss., Penticton, B.C., Oslo, Norway and Collingwood have in common? They range in size, they vary in temperature, their demographics (not to mention geographics) are all over the map. You can be pretty sure they all have swimming pools, potholes, pubs and prostitutes. What we do know for certain is that each of them hosts an Elvis Festival - where the King is alive and well and sometimes off-key, 26 years after his death.
It's hard to recommend a trip to Tupelo based on this info, so we'll focus instead on Collingwood. Residents of the town, better known as the winter resort locale at the foot of the Blue Hills, er, Mountains, have done an admirable job luring thousands of visitors in the off-season. For the past eight summers ‹ make that nine this weekend ‹ the fest has been a must destination on the Elvis circuit, for fans of the King, curious visitors and kitsch-seekers alike. For $100 you can even get married there. (For event info see Collingwoodelvisfestival.com.)
By day, the town's main drag has a carnival atmosphere, with mediocre-to-pretty-good impersonators belting out their heartfeltest "Love Me Tender Like A Jailhouse Hounddog At The Heartbreak Hotel Rock" medley at the masses. Spontaneous dancing ensues. Bad sideburns are out of control. But it's all fun and harmless. At night, get your guard on. Remember - Elvis was a great performer, but a tad erratic in person. You may not want to be around several thousand Elvii swigging Molson's. Best to don bulletproof sequins just in case.
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