Mid January 2004
- T.S. Monk tries on different jazz genres
By ERIN HILSABECK
(Daily Nebraskan, January 21 2004)
T.S. Monk [son of Thelonious Monk], jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, is a "cross talker." This term, coined with his 1999 album "Cross Talk," denotes his ability and desire to jump from one genre of music to another, such as so-called "traditional" jazz, funk-pop and electric fusion. He accounts this to growing up during generations that had heavy exposure to a variety of musical styles. Born in the late 1940s, he had the echoes of the swing era in his young ears. The 1950s brought crooners Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Upon his college graduation, he listened to classic rhythm and blues, the Beatles and Earth, Wind and Fire, and disco was on the horizon. ...
- Hula Club members catch rhythm of fun, hope to recruit young folks
By SHERYL EDELEN
(Courier-Journal, January 21 2004)
Dance instructor Marie Cassady, 91, in red, led other members of the Kahelelani Hawaiian Club of Louisville in a hula routine during a recent luncheon gathering at Masterson's Restaurant. The group, which meets weekly, is open to all ages, though most members are older dancers. "The music is so beautiful, as well as the Hawaiian dress," Cassady said of the hula. "I also love the use of the hands as well as the feet." When they returned from the recent holiday break to their senior hula class, members of the Kahelelani Hawaiian Club of Louisville jokingly predicted how rusty the time off had made their technique. But when the first strains of Elvis Presley's "Island of Love" began to play, the makeshift dance studio at the Atria Assisted Living Center in St. Matthews went silent. The dancers - aged 62 to 91 - moved in fluid barefoot unison through the movements of the "Island of Love" number, a dance of the same name inspired by the Hawaiian island of Kauai. ...
- Reining holds nothing back: From Elvis to 'Chicago,' costumes compete with daring in freestyle event
By Steve Lipsher
(Denver Post, January 20 2004)
Two of the top four riders in the freestyle reining competition didn't use reins - and that wasn't even the funniest thing about the raucous event Monday at the National Western Stock Show, Rodeo & Horse Show.
No, not when Elvis was in the building. Sandy Kaplan, dressed as Elvis Presley, including a white jumpsuit and an extreme pompadour wig, rode her splashy paint horse, Swirl N Smoke, through all-out sprints and skidding stops in a flamboyant display worthy of the king of rock 'n' roll. ...
- Expect future Elvis sightings to come from toy store aisles
By Jody Callahan
(Go Memphis, January 20 2004)
The hips don't wiggle, the mouth doesn't curl into a sneer and that beautiful voice is nowhere to be found. But one look and you know it: It's The King, all decked out in the black leather duds from his 1968 comeback special This May, Arizona-based McFarlane Toys will release the first of three planned Elvis Presley action figures. ... The second figure, due in July, will be Elvis as he looked in 1956, just at the time "Heartbreak Hotel" hit the top of the charts and The King started earning his crown. The third figure, due in early 2005, is undecided, but may be from Elvis's later years.
- Trademark view likely to allow sports stars to play own brand of name games
By Nikki Tait
(Financial Times, January 19 2004)
Sports personalities, entertainers and other public figures could find it easier to assert monopoly rights over their surnames after a European Court of Justice opinion, said lawyers yesterday. Applications to register surnames have become in-creasingly frequent, particularly in sport where personalities have either been keen to launch own-brand merchandise or - as in the case of footballer David Beckham - prevent others from exploiting their fame.
Last year, there was even an unsuccessful attempt to trademark the name Jesus to sell jeans. Other names to have raised intellectual property issues in the past have included Elvis Presley and Paul McCartney. But the UK Trade Marks Registry has consistently refused to "register" ordinary surnames if there is a large number of operators in the market for the goods or services designated. Its guidelines recommend that the "commonness" of the surname should be a factor in deciding whether a trademark can be approved, with telephone directories providing a yardstick. Any name that appears more than 200 times in the London directory is usually classed as common, for example. But now, in the context of a British case referred to the Luxembourg court for guidance, Damaso Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer, an advocate-general, says there is no reason to treat surnames differently from any other trademark.
"There is nothing in the [trade mark] directive to justify treating surnames differently," he said in an opinion released last week. ...
- What if Elvis were still performing?
By JEFF MIERS
(Buffalo News, January 18 2004)
Picture this. Elvis Presley never died. He's 69, still touring. He stops in our area for a gig at one of the Native American casinos, a pale reflection of his early 1970s Vegas heyday. He takes the stage not in a ridiculous white jumpsuit with a big ol' "TCB" belt buckle, but rather, an Armani tux, bow tie suggestively loosened. He's backed by a string section and a small jazz combo. As the strains of the introduction music, culled from the film "2001," fade, he launches into his first number. But it's not "Tiger Man," or even "Burnin' Love." No. Elvis Presley, the man who introduced rock 'n' roll to so many, takes the casino stage and breaks into "It Had to Be You." Wake up! It was only a dream. Or was it? Another Elvis, this one from the UK, not Memphis, pictured a similar scenario in his ironic ode to the netherworld, "This Is Hell." Elvis Costello envisioned a nightmare state in which, " "My Favorite Things' is playing again and again/but it's by Julie Andrews, and not by John Coltrane." ...
- Set Recognizes Nashville's R&B Past
By Jim Bessman
(Yahoo! News / Reuters / Billboard, January 18 2004)
Nashville's central position in country music history is a given, but its place in the annals of R&B is underappreciated. Now, however, none other than the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is celebrating Music City's considerable contributions to the genre with the Feb. 24 release of "Night Train to Nashville: Music City Rhythm & Blues, 1945-1970" on CMF Record. The two-disc set will be distributed through Lost Highway/Universal. It complements the Country Music Hall of Fame's exhibit of the same name, which is slated to open March 15. The 18-month schedule of public programs includes concerts, panel discussions, lectures and films. "A single CD just wouldn't do it," Country Music Hall of Fame special projects director Kira Florita says.
She notes that the recordings were culled from more than 20 labels, including Bullet, Nashville's first notable independent record company, and Excello, Music City's most important R&B label. The titles were recorded mostly in Nashville but also include outside recordings, such as Nashville native Bobby Hebb's 1966 pop smash "Sunny," which he cut in his then-home base of New York.
OUT-OF-TOWN ARTISTS
Other major artists from out of town are featured on such local recordings as Etta James' 1963 version of Ray Charles' hit "What'd I Say," taped live at R&B nightspot the New Era Club, and Esquerita's 1958 Capitol recording of "Rockin' the Joint." Esquerita fan Little Richard is present with his 1956 Royal Crown Hairdressing spot for onetime Nashville R&B AM radio powerhouse WLAC. As music critic Ron Wynn points out in his liner-note essay, Nashville's historic importance to African-American music has heretofore been relegated to awareness of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, early Grand Ole Opry star DeFord Bailey and country music legend Charley Pride.
But "Night Train to Nashville" brings to the fore such under-recognized local artists as Cecil Gant, whose "Nashville Jumps" (1946) initiated Bullet's "sepia" line of early recordings from the likes of B.B. King, Wynonie Harris and Rufus Thomas; New Era Club house band Kid King's Combo, whose cuts like "Skip's Boogie" (1953) shaped the Excello label sound; Arthur Gunter, whose self-penned 1954 Excello hit "Baby Let's Play House" was covered that year by Elvis Presley at Sun for his first chart single; and Christine Kittrell, who recorded for the Tennessee/Republic Records family and whose included songs "L&N Special" (1953) and "Sittin' Here Drinking" (1952) place her in the company of R&B greats James and Ruth Brown. ...
- VIVA MCVEGAS: Britney wedding woman plans 24-hour chapel in Scotland
By Norman Silvester
(Sunday Mail, January 18 2004)
SHE is the woman who married Britney Spears, Paul Newman, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. She invented Las Vegas drive through weddings where the happy couple say ''I do'' while standing at a serving hatch decorated with cherubs. And Charolette Richards, 69, yesterday revealed she will open Scotland's first 24 hour, one-stop wedding centre by the end of this year. She plans to buy a castle and convert it into the Scottish equivalent of her famous Little White Wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. ... In Charolette's Vegas Chapel, people can marry 24 hours a day, be serenaded by an Elvis impersonator or have their nuptials broadcast live on the internet. ...
- Pete Yorn Is Bossy On Live From New Jersey
By Corey Moss
(MTV News, January 16 2004)
As the final show of his fall tour approached in his home state, Pete Yorn was feeling the pressure from fans wondering about that other New Jersey rocker. "I had pretty much stopped playing Springsteen, and I didn't want to do it," Yorn recalled. "Everyone was asking all day [about a Boss cover], and I said, 'No, I'm not doing it.' " Well, not only did Yorn cover Springsteen, he's releasing the performance to the world. The singer/songwriter's version of "Atlantic City" is among the highlights of the two-disc Live From New Jersey, available on www.peteyorn.com and due in stores this spring. The concert, recorded October 29 at the Community Theatre in Morristown, also includes a cover of the Elvis Presley-popularized "Suspicious Minds" and such Yorn hits as "Life on a Chain" and "Crystal Village" ...
- Happy birthday, rock! Er, how old are you now?
By Kim Campbell
(Christian Science Monitor, January 15 2004)
NOT ALL HAIL THE KING: Some claim that Elvis Presley (r.) started rock 'n' roll in 1954. Others say Bill Haley (l.) beat him to it in 1953. Forget religion and politics. When it comes to controversial subjects, the 50th anniversary of rock 'n' roll is the topic du jour. For many people, that milestone will occur this year on July 5, the day five decades ago when a young Southerner named Elvis Presley recorded "That's All Right (Mama)" in a Memphis studio. That city is planning a year-long celebration in honor of the event, calling Elvis's single "the first rock and roll song ever recorded, making Memphis the birthplace of a musical revolution."
But even after 50 years of gyrating hips, not everyone agrees the King's song was the one to launch a thousand careers. Rock 'n' roll evolved - growing out disciplines such as rhythm and blues, country, and gospel. It didn't arrive, Jerry Lee Lewis style, in a great ball of fire, argue some who track music history.
"There is no one song or one moment for the beginning of rock 'n' roll," says Richard Aquila, a historian and former host of National Public Radio's "Rock & Roll America." "Maybe that's good, because it contributes to the mythology of the music, in the sense that its origins are shrouded in mystery, and people can argue about it."
The genre that influenced hair length and TV shows, politics and movies, is getting some attention this year in particular, even if historians and rock critics can't agree whether it's really 50 or not.
By some accounts, the 50th anniversary has already passed - or is still to come. Some of the confusion arises because rock was influenced by music from the black community, much of which was getting people out of their seats long before the King's 1954 session. Besides the Elvis song, other contenders for the birth of rock include the Ike Turner/Jackie Brenston recording of "Rocket 88" in 1951, the first rock and roll concert in 1952, and "Rock Around the Clock," by Bill Haley and His Comets, which hit No. 1 in 1955.
The history of the term "rock 'n' roll" doesn't help much with the search for rock's roots. The phrase was used in the early part of the 20th century to refer to everything from dancing to having sex, but was popularized in its current form in the early 1950s by Alan Freed, a DJ who hosted the first "rock" concert.
That 1952 show, featuring black R&B artists, drew far more people that the 10,000-seat, Cleveland venue could hold, resulting in a riot.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland used that event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of rock in 2002. So did Life magazine, which published a book in 2002 called, "LIFE Rock & Roll at 50," with an introduction by Dick Clark.
Apparently even the dean of rock sees the dawn of rock as a moving target, since Mr. Clark announced that 2004 was the 50th anniversary year on his recent New Year's Eve program.
"Regardless of where you place the origin, it's a thing worth celebrating," says Warren Zanes, former guitarist for the Del Fuegos and head of education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "But I'd also say that anyone's choice of where rock 'n' roll started from is ultimately an arbitrary choice."
Although Professor Aquila, who teaches at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., warns that oversimplifying rock's origins could "distort the true history and cultural significance of rock 'n' roll," musician Isaac Hayes - one of the ambassadors for the Memphis celebration - disagrees. "You have to find a point along the chain, where everybody can focus on it," says the soul and funk singer.
This year, commemorative events will originate in Memphis, including a "Global Moment in Time" on July 5, where radio stations around the world are being asked to play "That's All Right (Mama)" simultaneously. At Graceland, the King's birthday was celebrated on Jan. 8, part of a full-year celebration of the start of his career. Folks working there won't talk about Elvis as the father of rock, but they don't mind if others do.
"Elvis never claimed to have invented rock 'n' roll, and we don't claim that he did, but the majority of the world at large does look at July 5, 1954 - the day Elvis Presley's career began with that first recording - as the big bang," says Todd Morgan, director of media and creative development at Graceland.
Zanes and Aquila have different views on the influence of "That's All Right (Mama)," Elvis's remake (which was not a hit on the pop charts) of a rhythm and blues song by Arthur Crudup. Zanes says it's perhaps the most salient example "of a white artist going in and saying, 'I'm going to capture the sprit of that black music.' "
Aquila has a slightly different take. He says there's no question that Elvis popularized rock, but he suggests another song showed more clearly the point where R&B changed into something else: Bill Haley and His Comet's "Crazy, Man, Crazy" from 1953. "That's the first time you have what used to be R&B transformed into white performers singing it, and white audiences buying it," he says.
That's not going to stop the people in Memphis from celebrating this year. A mix of musical styles in that city gave birth to rock, says Hayes: "Had Memphis not happened, music would be different today. And that's why rock 'n' roll was born in Memphis, Tennessee."
The birth of Rock 'n' Roll
1947
Roy Brown, an African-American, releases "Good Rockin' Tonight," an R&B song that influences Elvis and Buddy Holly.
1951
Alan Freed, a disc jockey in Ohio, launches a radio show of mostly black music called "Moondog Rock 'n' Roll Party."
Ike Turner's "Rocket 88," hailed by some as the first rock record ever, is released.
1952
Sam Phillips founds Sun studios. He went on to launch the careers of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Roy Orbison.
The TV show "Bob Horn's Bandstand" debuts. It would later change its title to "American Bandstand" in 1956.
1953
Bill Haley and His Comets enter the Billboard charts with "Crazy, Man, Crazy."
1954
Big Joe Turner records "Shake, Rattle and Roll," later a hit for Bill Haley.
1955
Chuck Berry makes his mark with "Maybelline" in May. On July 9, Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" is the first rock 'n' roll song to reach No. 1.
1956
Little Richard releases "Tutti Frutti" in January. In April, Elvis Presley becomes a superstar with "Heartbreak Hotel," a No. 1 hit for eight weeks.
1957
The Everly Brothers sell millions with "Bye Bye Love" and "Wake Up, Little Susie."
1958
Elvis joins the Army. Teen acts such as Bobby Darin and Paul Anka fill the void.
1959
Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens die in a Feb. 3 plane crash.
- Rockabilly Grandmammy: '50s genre icon Wanda Jackson returns to the U.S. spotlight after a long absence
By CHRISTOPHER O'CONNOR
(Phoenix New Times, January 15 2004)
Wanda Jackson covers a telling old Carl Perkins anthem on her new album "Heart Trouble". Bopping along a chugging rhythm and fueled by a twangy electric guitar lead, the song sounds like it's meant to be seminal. Naturally, the tune is called "Rockabilly Fever," and Jackson sings it with understated conviction: "Rockabilly fever/Looks like it's coming back again." Jackson is uniquely qualified to make the assessment. She caught the rockabilly fever back when it was still an infant germ in the rock 'n' roll swamp. The singer is 66 years old now, one of the lone holdovers from the exciting era between 1956 and 1961, when hillbilly music meshed with glitz, bravado and raw sexuality and drove the sock-hop teenyboppers wild. She shared stages with Elvis Presley, played a guitar marked with her name in italics and smoldered on classic songs like "Mean Mean Man" and "Funnel of Love," scoring a huge hit in 1960 with the jolly, combustible rocker "Let's Have a Party." ...
- Elvis card also pays royalties
(Commercial Appeal / Go Memphis, January 14 2004)
Lots of you may already have pictures of Elvis in your wallet, but if not, Elvis Presley Enterprises is giving you a good reason to carry the king of rock and roll next to George and Tom. You can now buy a prepaid MasterCard commemorating the 50th anniversary of Elvis's 1954 hit "That's All Right." The limited-edition cards can be purchased online at www.elvisgiftcard.com in amounts ranging from $25 to $100. Keybank is the issuing bank; EPE will receive royalties for the use of Elvis's image.
- Rockville Idol
By Chris Slattery
(gazette.net, January 13 2004)
The Musical Theater Center breathes new life into an old icon with 'Bye Bye Birdie' Imagine that HE was coming to town -- Justin Timberlake, Pharell, Enrique Iglesias... "Heath Ledger," Gabrielle DeLuca offers with a prim giggle. If she could meet one celebrity to show around town, DeLuca has already explained, it would Christina Aguilera, she of that achingly perfect, inimitable voice.
But "Bye Bye Birdie" is about a girl getting a kiss from a heartthrob. And DeLuca, just turned 13 and an eighth-grader at St. Andrew the Apostle School in Silver Spring, says she would go with the awesome Aussie if she were in the shoes of her character Kim MacAfee. Here's how it works: Heath Ledger ... uh, Conrad Birdie ... is coming to town. And Kim, well, she's only just resigned from her post as president of the Conrad Birdie Fan Club, what with Hugo Peabody asking her to go steady and all.
"'Bye Bye Birdie' is interesting," he admits. "They do a number based on an appearance on 'The Ed Sullivan Show,' and these kids have no idea who Ed Sullivan was. So I explain it to them: he was kind of like Conan O'Brien." Yes -- and despite the fact that its stars were barely out of diapers when Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie married Michael Jackson, Presley was the inspiration for "Bye Bye Birdie."
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