Mid July 2004
- Lanois brings his sounds to Pappy & Harriet's
(The Desert Sun, July 19, 2004)
Forget what they say about Elvis Presley. The modern age of pop music began when father-and-son music collectors John and Alan Lomax found songs in remote regions and brought them to mainstream America. The Lomaxes found folk and blues legends such as Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie in the first half of the 20th century. ...
- Copyright clock ticks on Elvis hits
By MIKE WEATHERFORD
(New Zealand Herald / Reuters, July 19, 2004)
Fifty years after it was first released in the United States, Elvis Presley's "That's All Right" is a hit in Britain. The single entered the British charts last week at No. 3. But for BMG, the company releasing the track, the celebration might be short-lived. If there are no changes in European copyright law, the track will fall into the public domain on January 1, 2005. Anyone will be able to release it without paying royalties to the owners of the master or the performer's heirs. BMG will start losing a significant piece of its catalogue income in Europe. As "That's All Right" is being hailed by some as the beginning of rock 'n' roll, the implications are that every year after 2005, more recordings that defined the genre will fall into public domain.
In the United States, BMG will continue to own the rights to the recording. Under the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, sound recordings are protected for 95 years from the day of recording in the United States -- for post-1976 recordings, coverage is the artist's life plus 70 years. In most of the European Union, the duration is 50 years after the first release of a sound recording. The Elvis case illustrates the importance of the issue for record companies in Europe. It also highlights the discrepancy between Europe and the United States. ...
Elvis Presley in Fun in Acapulco. Picture / Reuters
- The Bluesman Who Behaved Too Well
By ELIJAH WALD
(New York Times, July 18, 2004)
Today, most people think of blues as the ultimate roots music, the rawest, earthiest sound America has produced. A typical sketch of its evolution runs from the Delta growl of Charlie Patton through Robert Johnson to the electric South Side bands of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf and eventually to the Rolling Stones and Stevie Ray Vaughan. ... Leroy Carr was the most influential male blues singer and songwriter of the first half of the 20th century, but he was nothing like the current stereotype of an early bluesman. ... But the folk and rock fans who hailed Johnson as a genius showed no interest in the Carr album. His music was dismissed as an overly smooth variant of Johnson's fiercer, more rural style, as if he were Pat Boone to Johnson's Elvis Presley. ...
- Changes after 'Hurricane Elvis' could help in future disasters
(wkrn.com, July 18, 2004)
It's been a year since the storm later dubbed "Hurricane Elvis" struck Shelby County, killing seven people and leaving 700 thousand without power. Since then, emergency-response officials, meteorologists and utility leaders say they've learned from the July 22nd, 2003 storm and its aftermath. And they've taken steps that could improve readiness for a future disaster. ...
- The quiet life of a legendary guitarist: Hank Garland was king of Nashville session men
(CNN / Associated Press., July 18, 2004)
Place a guitar in the hands of legendary Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland and he's quickly plucking strings, playing along with a black and white television image of himself from four decades ago on "Hometown U.S.A." Ask him about the mythic figures he's worked with in Nashville, and he'll pause and smile -- almost as if to give his brain time to rewind -- before answering. Elvis Presley? "He was real nice," Garland said. ...
- Calling Elvis: Library promoter has a Memphis angle (or two)
By David Robinson
(Arkansas News Bureau, July 18, 2004)
In the summer of 1992, Bill Clinton donned sunglasses and played "Heartbreak Hotel" on the saxophone. He was dubbed "Elvis" after that national television appearance, which some say saved his presidential campaign. The Elvis connection could pay off for the Clinton Presidential Library Center, says Skip Rutherford, the former president's chief promoter. So too could his strong civil rights background and popularity among blacks.
Only two hours from the library is Memphis' Graceland. The same city also is home to the National Civil Rights Museum. Together they draw nearly 800,000 visitors a year. Rutherford, president of the Clinton Presidential Foundation, said he hopes to help the Memphis throngs find their way to Little Rock and fulfill his 300,000 visitors-a-year projection for the Clinton library, set to open Nov. 18.
... Graceland draws more than 600,000 people a year, with an estimated 35 percent to 40 percent from overseas, according to Todd Morgan, director of media and creative development for Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. Morgan claims you can throw a dart at a global map and it doesn't matter which country it hits, somebody from there is visiting Graceland that day. "I will do anything possible to develop a partnership with Graceland to get a large majority of those 600,000 people," Rutherford said. For starters, the library will open with an exhibit featuring Delta music and a strong reference to Presley. "We've got to have Elvis in our building," Rutherford said. He said the high percentage of international Elvis fans bodes well for Arkansas, because typically those tourists are in the states for a couple of weeks. Those arriving in Memphis often decide to make the drive to Dallas or San Antonio because they want to see Texas, and Little Rock happens to be on the way.
Morgan said Rutherford has been in touch with his marketing department for a year or so and that, yes, the Clinton library would be a natural to link with Graceland. "There's an added nuance to any cross-promotion because Clinton is such a great fan and there's an Elvis exhibit there," Morgan said. "It has that extra punch to it because there is a direct Elvis connection." ...
- Dance Duo Shapeshifters Top British Pop Charts
(Yahoo! News / Reuters, July 18, 2004)
Dance duo Shapeshifters have shot straight to the top of the British singles chart with "Lola's Theme," one of five new entries this week, according to the Official UK Charts Company on Sunday. ... Elvis Presley's "That's All Right," re-issued last week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his first single, plummeted from third place to number 19.
- Changing tunes with Elvis
By MIKE WEATHERFORD
(Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 18, 2004)
A Little Less Conversation" has nudged "Viva Las Vegas" out of the spotlight as [Las Vegas]'s reigning Elvis theme song, and the men in charge of keeping Elvis Presley alive find that liberating. You can see the once-obscure, '60s-peppy song performed with jiggly go-go girls in both "Legends in Concert" at the Imperial Palace and Trent Carlini's "The Dream King" at the Las Vegas Hilton. ... The song was resurrected for two high-profile pieces of Las Vegas pop culture. The original turned up in the 2001 "Ocean's Eleven" remake, as the music accompanying the aerial panorama of the Strip that is required by law to be in every movie featuring Las Vegas. The version that turned up last fall as the theme to NBC's "Las Vegas" is a remix by deejay JXL. It made its way into a Nike commercial, then sailed up the charts in England and eventually, the United States. ...
- From here to eternity: Frank Sinatra's place as an American cultural icon is assured, but his legacy is still growing, years after his death
By JOHN FLEMING
(St Petersburg Times, July 15, 2004)
Frank Sinatra was the great American singer. Next to him, even giants like Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan pale. "In terms of popular singing, Sinatra really is the alpha and the omega. He's the standard by which everyone else is measured and compared and judged and usually found wanting," said Will Friedwald, author of Sinatra! The Song Is You: A Singer's Art. ...
- The Presleys take a dim view of a certain Hilton
(Detroit Free Press, July 15, 2004)
Attention, social planners! Do not invite the Presley family or the Hiltons to the same event! Why? In the August issue of Vogue, three generations of the King's women -- Priscilla, her daughter, Lisa Marie, and Lisa Marie's daughter, Danielle Riley -- candidly discuss their -- and others' -- lives. Lisa Marie, Elvis' daughter turned pop star, expressed relief that her teenage daughter, hadn't turned out like amateur porn star, the infamous Paris Hilton. Priscilla, the famed ex-wife of Elvis, was just a touch kinder. "Some celebrities' children have done very well, and some are still struggling," the 59-year-old tells the magazine. "It's a very difficult position to be in." Riley, Lisa Marie's daughter from her marriage to Danny Keough, is just beginning a modeling career. The teen remains unfazed by the Presley fame -- "My mom isn't famous to me. She's just my mom."
- Life good for 3 generations of
Presley women: Lisa Marie glad her model
daughter not another Paris Hilton
(MSNBC / Associated Press, July 14, 2004)
Life after Elvis is far from heartbreak hotel for the Presley women. In the August issue of Vogue, three generations of Presleys - Priscilla, her daughter, Lisa Marie, and Lisa Marie's daughter, Danielle Riley - candidly discuss their lives. Lisa Marie, Elvis' daughter turned pop star, expressed relief that her teenage daughter, who uses her middle name, Riley, hadn't turned out like Paris Hilton. In April 2003, Lisa Marie said similar things about Paris and her sister, Nicky, to the Los Angeles Times: "Those two are the epitome of what my mother raised me not to be. I don't know what they've done. Maybe it's the bleach that fascinates people." (The Hiltons didn't return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment on Monday.)
Priscilla, the famed ex-wife of Elvis, isn't so quick to judge. "Some celebrities' children have done very well, and some are still struggling," the 59-year-old tells the magazine. "It's a very difficult position to be in." Riley, Lisa Marie's daughter from her marriage to Danny Keough, is just beginning a modeling career. The teen remains unfazed by the innate Presley fame. "My mom isn't famous to me. She's just my mom," she said.
Lisa Marie, 36, is working on her second album, a follow-up to 2003's "To Whom It May Concern."
- Minimal heartbreak for Presley women
(Irish Examiner, July 14, 2004)
Life after Elvis is far from heartbreak hotel for the Presley women. In the August American edition of Vogue, three generations of Presleys - Priscilla, her daughter, Lisa Marie, and Lisa Marie's daughter, Danielle Riley - candidly discuss their lives. Lisa Marie, Elvis' daughter turned pop star, expressed relief that her teenage daughter, who uses her middle name, Riley, hadn't turned out like Paris Hilton. Priscilla, the ex-wife of Elvis, isn't so quick to judge. "Some celebrities' children have done very well, and some are still struggling," the 59-year-old tells the magazine. "It's a very difficult position to be in." Riley, Lisa Marie's daughter from her marriage to Danny Keough, is just beginning a modelling career. The teen remains unfazed by the innate Presley fame. "My mom isn't famous to me. She's just my mom," she said.
- Jimi Hendrix's brother: $80 million estate has fallen into wrong hands
By Samantha Murphy
(Court TV, July 13, 2004)
As a courtroom battle rages over the multimillion-dollar estate of legendary guitar guru Jimi Hendrix, some family members are speaking out that the 1960s icon barely knew his inheritor, stepsister Janie Hendrix. "Jimi didn't know Janie back then, she was just a little girl," Diane Hendrix-Teitel, the rock star's first cousin, told Courttv.com. Janie Hendrix, however, claims she not only successfully manages the rocker's estate, she is also one of the reasons Jimi Hendrix albums are still in the spotlight worldwide. ...
Family feuds
"Estates bring out the worst in people," said C. Barry Ward, the attorney who represented Lisa Marie Presley in a similar battle over Elvis Presley's estate. "Greed gets in the way of family settlements. If everyone comes to an agreement in this Hendrix case, provided the court will agree, everyone could be happy." ... In fact, according to Wilson, Jimi Hendrix's legacy ranks number five in all-time grossing revenues for a recording artist, after Elvis Presley, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Bob Marley. ...
- Rufus Thomas' Niece Pleads Guilty
(Yahoo! News, July 12, 2004)
A niece of Memphis music pioneer Rufus Thomas has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $67,000 from the late singer's estate. Marceline Vaughn was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison. She is expected to spend nine months in prison and the rest of the sentence on probation. Vaughn, 42, also agreed to make restitution for the stolen money. Thomas, who died at age 84 in December 2001, was one of Memphis' most colorful and well-known entertainers. Early in his career he was a radio disc jockey and co-host of an amateur show that helped such entertainers as B.B. King get their start. Thomas made Sun Record's first successful recording in 1953 with "Bear Cat." He recorded at Sun before Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis began their careers there with producer Sam Phillips. Thomas was best known for novelty dance recordings such as "Walking the Dog," "Do the Funky Chicken" and "Push and Pull."
- Futuristic Workplace: FedEx's Institute of Technology combines voice and video over IP to improve collaboration
By David M. Ewalt
(informationweek.com, July 12, 2004)
Memphis, Tenn., may be best known as the home of Elvis Presley and Sun Studios. But in recent years, the Bluff City has been producing a lot more than rock 'n' roll. Today, it's home to one of the most advanced workplaces in the world: the FedEx Institute of Technology. ...
- All the King's women together for mag cover
(Northwest Herald / ASSOCIATED PRESS, found July 12, 2004)
Three generations of Presley women are featured on the cover of August's Vogue, which is subtitled "the age issue," and all are in Rochas. Elvis' ex-wife Priscilla Presley wears a metallic blue, long-sleeved taffeta dress; daughter Lisa Marie Presley is in a purple off-the-shoulder taffeta top and evening skirt; and granddaughter,
Riley Keough is in a long white camisole with rosette and tulle skirt. Riley tells the magazine that she has been interested in fashion since she saw her mother on the cover of Vogue eight years ago. "I just remember that Donatella (Versace) dressed her and it was a really pretty dress with stones sewn onto it. That's when I think I started to really like fashion," she says. "Then, when I was 12, my best friend's older sister was a model, and I thought she was gorgeous and I always wanted to be like her. When I was going through that little stage my mom called and said that Tommy Hilfiger wanted me to do something, and I was really excited. I have no idea how he knew about me." Since appearing in that Hilfiger ad, 14-year-old Riley has signed with IMG Models and will appear in a John Galliano for Christian Dior campaign. Riley says it still hasn't fully hit her yet that she's part of a famous family. "My mom isn't famous to me. She's just my mom. The only weird part was hearing her music on the radio. I was on the way back from school and I turned it up really loud and called her and screamed, "Your song is on the radio!"' ...
- Edy's Grand Ice Cream Debuts Two Collector's Edition Elvis Flavors: All Shook Up(TM) Sundae and Love Me Tender(TM) Brownies Are Fit for a 'King'
(PR Newswire-FirstCall, July 12, 2004)
Well, it's one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, now go, cat, go. Go to your local grocery freezer aisle that is! For a limited time, ice cream lovers can scoop up two new Edy's Elvis Presley Collector's Edition flavors. All
Shook Up(TM) Sundae and Love Me Tender(TM) Brownies are taking center stage by appealing to ice cream fans of all ages as the temperature soars. A taste of Love Me Tender(TM) Brownies will have your taste buds singing. ...
- VEEP vs.VEEP
(Star-Telegraph, July 12, 2004)
We compare Dick Cheney's and John Edwards' qualifications to be the world's second-most-powerful man. So, who's got the best astrological sign? When Sen. John Edwards reappeared on our political radar last week, we realized that we remembered just two things about him: his great hair and his sound bite about "two Americas." And Vice President Dick Cheney? Well, he's spent much of the past four years in an undisclosed location, so we dusted off his bio, too. To get the election-year gears in motion, here's a look at both of the 2004 veep candidates.
... Dick Cheney John Edwards
... As a lawyer, once defended a company accused of pirating Elvis Presley's music. ...
- Elvis Hits British Charts with 50-Year-Old Song
(muzi.com, July 11, 2004)
Elvis Presley's "That's All Right," re-issued to mark the 50th anniversary of his first single, was kept off the top spot in the British charts on Sunday by R & B sensation Usher and Britney Spears. Presley's song, recorded on July 5, 1954, had been tipped to go to number one but could manage only third place, the Official UK Charts Company said. ...
- Elvis Hits British Charts with 50-Year-Old Song
(Yahoo! News / Reuters, July 11, 2004)
Elvis Presley's "That's All Right," re-issued to mark the 50th anniversary of his first single, was kept off the top spot in the British charts on Sunday by R & B sensation Usher and Britney Spears. Presley's song, recorded on July 5, 1954, had been tipped to go to number one but could manage only third place, the Official UK Charts Company said. Last Monday, radio stations across the world celebrated one of the defining moments in rock 'n' roll by playing "That's All Right." Presley, who died in 1977, recorded the song in Memphis, Tennessee when he was a young truck driver and it started a meteoric rise to fame across the globe as the "King of Rock 'n' Roll." Usher's "Burn," the American's second British number one, stayed in the top spot for a second successive week and Spears was in second place with "Everytime."
- Usher thwarts Presley record bid
(BBC News, July 11, 2004)
US star Usher remains on top of the chart, defeating a bid to secure Elvis Presley his record 19th UK number one. The singer is number one for a second week with the single Burn, with Britney Spears at number two with Everytime. Presley's That's All Right - released in the UK to mark its 50th anniversary - was a new entry at number three. ...
- Obituaries in the news: Bill Randle
(twincities.com / Associated Press, July 10, 2004)
Radio DJ Bill Randle, who was instrumental in introducing Elvis Presley to the American music scene, died Friday. He was 81. Randle died of cancer at the Hospice of the Western Reserve. WRMR-AM said his last show, which had been prerecorded, will be broadcast Sunday along with a memorial program. He was pivotal in bringing Presley to the ears of America and helped the careers of dozens of other stars, including Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Rosemary Clooney, Johnnie Ray, Fats Domino and Sarah Vaughan. Randle arranged a 1955 gig for Presley in Cleveland with headliners Pat Boone and Bill Haley and the Comets. The two concerts, only Presley's second foray north, became part of rock lore because they were filmed for a Universal short on "The Pied Piper of Cleveland," about Randle. He was eventually hailed as the top DJ in America by Time magazine.
- Import store owners have design for success
By Michael D. Hernandez
(El Paso Times, July 10, 2004)
Miguel Xicali winds his way through a Lower Valley warehouse crowded with furniture, home decorations, art, apparel and even a life-size Elvis Presley statue. ...
- Mexican music acts losing battle with piracy
By Marla Dickerson
(Los Angeles Times, July 9, 2004)
MEXICO CITY -- They have been compared to the Rolling Stones for their longevity and legions of loyal fans. They've sold tens of millions of albums in Latin America. Now the seminal Mexican rock group El Tri is getting dumped by its record label. The reason: Bootleggers are the only ones profiting.
Piracy is so rife in Mexico that the vast majority of the band's album sales are illegal compact discs peddled on the street. So although most anyone over the age of 13 knows the words to "Que Viva El Rock and Roll," El Tri and its label, a division of Warner Music Group, rarely see a peso from those recordings. ... Although gangsters control production and distribution in some places, hawkers like Flores are everywhere. Far from a clandestine trade, pirated music and movies are sold openly on street corners and in public markets, often with stereos blasting to attract customers. Latin artists are the most copied, from romantic crooner Luis Miguel to Long Beach, Calif.'s own Lupillo Rivera, the bad boy of the narco-ballad. Still, Elvis Presley and the Beatles can be found in the humblest of stands. Young fans of alternative sounds flock to Mexico City's Tianguis de Chopo market every Saturday to score the Sex Pistols and Marilyn Manson for a few dollars each. ...
- 'Elvis' to appear at ASPC Fur Ball
By Laura Nation
(Daily Home, July 9, 2004)
It was truly accidental that David Lee started impersonating The King. He wasn't always an Elvis fan, nor was he a performer. But since taking on the role about 10 years ago, Lee has come into his own as a professional Elvis impersonator. His skills are called on for office get togethers and private parties, fund-raisers and all kinds of events. On his own, Lee competes among Elvis impersonators from throughout the United States and beyond, claiming titles such as the Canadian Grand Champion for Elvis Fest 2001, a number two world ranking and second place in the Images of the King competition held in Memphis each year. ...
- Young students keep Irish music alive
By KEN VALENTI
(JOURNAL NEWS, July 9, 2004)
When she's home, 12-year-old Brigid Slattery listens to Elvis Presley and punk bands like Green Day. But on Tuesdays, she learns strictly Irish tunes like "The Foggy Dew" and "Britches Full of Stitches." ...
- Dutch enlist Elvis for EU reforms
(Yahoo! News / Reuters, July 9, 2004)
"A little less conversation, a little more action please" is what the Dutch want from their six months at the helm of the European Union. To get the point across, EU social affairs and employment ministers gathered for an informal meeting in Maastricht were to hear Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation" at the start of their meeting on Friday. The song also asks for "a little more bite and a little less bark, a little less fight and a little more spark". ...
- Hanks to star in Dean Reed biopic
(Belfast Telegraph, July 9, 2004)
Tom Hanks is to take the leading role of in a biopic of American singer, actor and filmmaker Dean Reed who died in mysterious circumstances in 1986. In 1958 one of Reed's singles, 'Our Summer Romance', made him more popular in South America than Elvis Presley. ...
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