Mid August 2004
- Elvis' gold gun banned from TV sale
(CNN, August 12, 2004)
A gold-plated handgun which belonged to Elvis Presley has been banned from sale in a cable TV auction. The Walther PPK, engraved with the star's motto "TCB" ("Taking Care of Business") was to have been one of the stars lot in the rock'n'roll memorabilia sale on European cable channel Auction-world TV. But British media regulators have refused to give sale of the gun permission because in the UK advertising guns on TV is forbidden. The gun was expected to fetch up to £60,000 ($110,000) in Sunday's auction, the UK's Press Association reported.
Elvis was a gun fanatic and reputedly shot TV screens when he was bored. The Walther PPK was one of several he owned, along with M-16 rifles and machine guns. A spokeswoman for media regulator Ofcom told PA: "Auction-world TV approached us for clarification of our code relating to guns. "It is clearly set out that the advertisement of guns or gun clubs is prohibited." The channel had the gun decommissioned in the U.S. before it was brought over to Britain but was advised it could still not be sold on TV. Instead it will be sold through the channel's Web site.
Other Elvis items going under the hammer include diamond jewellery, an acoustic guitar, some Smith and Wesson handcuffs and a pair of boxer shorts. Auction-World says on its Web site that Elvis was fascinated with police work and began collecting badges began in 1956 through his contact with police officers working security detail at his concerts. But by the late '60s, Elvis's infatuation with law enforcement had increased to his owning an honorary sheriff's badge, guns, a blue light with siren for his car, a black flashlight and nightstick as well as the pair of vintage Smith and Wesson handcuffs. These, the Web site says, were used on his girlfriends while role playing during sexual escapades in his bedroom. Next Monday is the 27th anniversary of Elvis's death.
- Painter puts supermodel in the picture with Elvis
(Yahoo! News / AFP, August 12, 2004)
British supermodel Kate Moss has commissioned a specialist in rock portraits to come up with a painting of her with the late great Elvis Presley. Paul Karslake, who is the brother-in-law of Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood, is creating the "tinted photo" style image for Moss, 30, who would have been a toddler when the King of Rock 'n' Roll died in 1977. "He is already working on a picture of her in a classic 1950s dress with Elvis holding her in his arm," the Sun newspaper quoted a "pal" as saying. "She's looking out from the picture and he's looking at her in his trademark crooning pose," the source added. "It will be an amazing oil painting."
Karslake has previously done a portrait of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards as a pirate -- inspired by the film "Pirates of the Caribbean" starring Johnny Depp, who once dated Moss.
- The man who kept Elvis rockin'
By David Hinkley
(New York Daily News, August 11, 2004)
This is Elvis Week in Memphis, marking Elvis Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977. It's also 50 years since Elvis cut his first single in July 1954 - an event hailed as the start of rock 'n' roll. This would be a good time to fix a glaring oversight from Elvis history: D.J. Fontana, his first drummer, is not a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since the Hall has a "Sidemen" category, there's no reason he shouldn't be - a point recently made in a letter to the Hall signed by drummers Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Ringo Starr of the Beatles, Levon Helm of the Band and Max Weinberg of the E Street Band.
"To me, it's an embarrassment D.J. isn't in there," says Weinberg - who should be there himself with the E Street Band, though that's a separate discussion. "He was a major influence on so many drummers who followed. "It's not just that he and Scotty Moore are the last living guys who rode in that car with Elvis. D.J. was the link between big band jazz and rock 'n' roll."
Dominic Joseph Fontana, who at 75 still talks in a matter-of-fact Louisiana drawl, doesn't claim anything that sweeping, although his footprints are all over the rock 'n' roll trail.
He still loves the big bands he grew up on, like Woody Herman and Stan Kenton. But he also picked up blues and country, and he was the house drummer on Shreveport's "Louisiana Hayride" radio show in August 1955 when he fell in with Elvis. "A lot of [the] country audience then didn't want drums," says Fontana, who often played behind the curtain. "Some artists didn't want them, either. They liked to sing out of meter, so it was better not to have the beat."
But Elvis was different: "He wanted drums. He liked a lot of noise, bangin' and bashin'." Joining Elvis meant $12 a week and getting into the car, where Elvis, D.J., Scotty and bass man Bill Black rotated four-hour driving shifts on a circuit of honky-tonks and high schools.
"Then in Dallas we played a stadium," says Fontana. "We came out and 35,000 people were screaming and shouting. It was like a war zone. I looked at Scotty and said, 'I think this boy's gonna make it.'"
Fontana drummed with Elvis through 1969, when Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, finally forced out the last of the veterans.
"I don't think he liked anyone around who might be too close to Elvis," Fontana muses. ...
- Milestones Aug. 11-16: Birth of rock, movie epics, Alcatraz, Castro and Social Security
By Ruth Browning
(Daily Citizen, August 11, 2004)
... Aug. 16, 1977: Elvis Presley died in Memphis, Tenn., at age 42.
Doctors gave the cause of death as congestive heart failure brought on by his addiction to prescription barbiturates but some people thought it was suicide. Elvis was born in Tupelo, Miss, on Jan. 8, 1936. His family moved to Memphis when he was a teenager. After high school, Elvis worked as a truck driver. When he was 19, he went into a Memphis recording studio and paid $4 to record a few songs for his mother's birthday. Sam Phillips, owner of the studio, invited Elvis to audition for him. After he heard Elvis sing "That's All Right," Phillips released the song as a single on his Sun Records label. The recording went to the top of the charts and Elvis was on his way.
Phillips sold Elvis' contract to RCA in 1955 for a record $35,000, plus a $5,000 bonus for Elvis. He bought his mother a pink Cadillac with that. The first record Elvis made for RCA was "Heartbreak Hotel," which made him a nationally recognized performer. In 1956 he appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show," a national variety TV show, and teenagers went wild. Parents didn't approve of the way he swiveled his hips and twitched his legs, but teenagers loved it. Elvis ushered in the age of rock and roll.
He was drafted into the army in 1958 and served 18 months in West Germany as a jeep driver. When he was discharged, he began making musical films, starring in 27 of them during the 1960s. He married Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967 and they had a daughter Lisa Marie in 1968.
By the mid-1970s, Elvis was having physical and mental health problems. He divorced Pricilla in 1973 and developed an addiction to prescription drugs. He also began to overeat and gained considerable weight. On the afternoon of Aug. 16, 1977, he was found unconscious in his Graceland mansion and pronounced dead at the hospital. He was buried on the grounds of Graceland, which is now a successful tourist attraction in Memphis.
Elvis was one of the first 10 people inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He had earned 94 gold records and more than 40 gold LPs. ...
- Millican rips burnout down Elvis Presley Boulevard
(Who?Won, August 10, 2004)
Clay Millican of Team 104+ Performance Additives participated in Elvis Week at Graceland by unveiling the team's Elvis Presley-themed dragster with a burnout down Elvis Presley Boulevard, which ended in front of the gates to Graceland.
This is the first time such an event has taken place in over 17 years on a U.S. city street. The last time was when "Big Daddy" Don Garlits performed a burnout outside the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.
Jack Soden, president and CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Kevin Kane, president and CEO of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Jason Rittenberry, vice president and general manager of Memphis Motorsports Park, kicked-off the event with speeches to the crowd, which gathered on the Graceland Plaza. Millican showed off his blue suede racing shoes to the audience, and then the crew strapped him into the car in preparation for the burnout.
Elvis Presley Boulevard, a four-lane highway, was closed to traffic for the burnout, and fans of Elvis and racing alike gathered in the Graceland Plaza to witness the 6,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster's engine roar as it shook the tires and left a cloud of smoke in the street. Following the burnout, Millican jumped out of the car and pumped his fists into the air, then threw his racing gloves out into the audience, who soon flooded the streets to get a closer view of Millican and the car.
"That was absolutely awesome," said Millican after the burnout. "I am so grateful for the opportunity to drive this Elvis-themed dragster. It is quite an honor to be able to race it in my hometown."
Millican signed specially-designed Team 104+ Performance Additives/Elvis Presley hero cards in the Graceland Plaza following the burnout, and the Elvis-themed dragster was on display there for the remainder of the day.
The car features an Elvis logo on both sides with the phrase "That's All Right," commemorating Elvis's very first single. "He Dared to Rock" is written on the front wing of the car, and the "50 Years of Rock 'n Roll" logo is on the nose of the car. Lehman Racing crew members wore Elvis-themed jerseys featuring a picture of Elvis on the front and the "50 Years of Rock 'n Roll" logo on the back. The jerseys will be auctioned off by Memphis Motorsports Park following the NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals, Millican's hometown race, which takes place August 20-22. All proceeds from the auction will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
In addition to racing the Elvis dragster at the Memphis event in honor of the city's "50 Years of Rock 'n Roll" celebration, Millican will also race it at the 50th annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis September 1-6.
- Elvis fans all hook up
(scotsman.com, August 10, 2004)
HUNDREDS of Elvis Presley buffs are expected to flock to a major convention being held in the Capital dedicated to the King. The Corn Exchange is playing host to the event being held in October. It will feature appearances from the TCB Band, who performed with Presley, and Hi Voltage, as well as an Elvis disco. The event has been organised by the Edinburgh branch of the Elvis Presley Fan Club.
- FRANK AND ELVIS: FRIENDS AFTER ALL?
(contactmusic.com, August 10, 2004)
Singer NANCY SINATRA has hit out at rumours her famous father FRANK SINATRA had a feud with ELVIS PRESLEY. The pair are two of the biggest superstars of the 20th century - both topped the charts throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s and have left lasting legacies years after their deaths - but reports claimed they didn't get on.
But Nancy insists they were actually firm friends. She says, "They were friends. I can remember the two of them laughing and carrying on. They really hit it off, y'know. They were pals."
- Legendary crooner: Don Ho is still keeping audiences laughing and singing along with his soothing and seductive baritone
(Spokesman Review / Associated Press, August 10, 2004)
Dressed in a bright Hawaiian shirt, raspberry-tinted glasses and his trademark white slacks and loafers, Don Ho creeps into a white rattan throne behind his electric organ and begins to sing "Tiny Bubbles." The crowd at Honolulu's Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel enthusiastically sings along. ... In addition to "Tiny Bubbles," his other hits include "I'll Remember You," "With All My Love" and the "Hawaiian Wedding Song," which was sung by Elvis Presley in the movie "Blue Hawaii." ...
- Deli adds e-auctions to its menu: Internet sales prove popular
By Sarah Bradshaw
(Poughkeepsie Journal, August 10, 2004)
A 25-year-old James Bond trading card for $1.99; nine Elvis Presley movies for $49.99; a 42-inch plasma television for $500; vintage sheet music of 1940's show tunes for $9.99; an office paper shredder for $40; and assorted Beatles posters, $5. These are just a few of the items up for auction on eBay, the world's most popular online marketplace. eBay has more than 90 million registered users and has millions of goods and services listed on its site daily. ...
- Hard-working Usher lifts 'em to their feet
(Toronto Star, August 10, 2004)
Let's begin with a short quiz. Identify the music icons known as ...
a) King of Rock and Roll
b) Queen of Soul
c) Godfather of Soul
d) King of Reggae
e) King of Pop
The answers, undoubtedly, are Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Bob Marley and Michael Jackson. For their incredible talent, their many hit songs, their shared ability to mesmerize audiences and overall contributions to music, these appellations are undisputed in spite of death (Presley, Marley), diminishment (Presley, Franklin, Brown, Jackson) and general weirdness (Jackson). Okay, let's try another round: ...
- Visit Graceland for Elvis Week 2004
By Katelynn Knutson
(Courier-Journal, August 9, 2004)
His face is probably one of the most recognizable in the world. His trademark hair, dazzling smile, lovable character and, of course, his sultry voice made Elvis the artist into Elvis the legend. But without the complete and utter devotion of his diehard fans, his name would not live on as it has since his death in 1977.
This week through Aug. 16, fans all over the world will gather in Memphis to celebrate the King's life and legacy. This year's event is particularly notable because on July 5, 1954, at Sun Studio in Memphis, a nineteen-year-old Presley recorded his first single, That's All Right. Thus, 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of Presley's professional career. Elvis Week 2004 is one of the main focal points of this special year.
"If you take a dart and throw it at a map of the world, no matter where it lands, there is probably someone from that place in Memphis for Elvis Week," Todd Morgan, Director of Media and Creative Development at Graceland, said.
With more than a week of events and activities for everyone to enjoy, Elvis Week takes over the Graceland estate and the city of Memphis as thousands make their annual sojourn to Elvis' home.
"Everybody is different," Morgan continued. "Some come for the tours, others for the memorabilia, but most everyone goes to the candlelight vigil. And they all come for the camaraderie. Sports fans have the Super Bowl; Elvis fans have Elvis Week."
The proclaimed "family reunion" includes more than 45 events around town, including picnics, movie viewings, contests, book signings, panel discussions, concerts and more.
There will be a Graceland Scavenger Hunt, an Elvis Auction, an Elvis Collectors Club Meet and Greet, a concert by The TCB Band, the Elvis Presley International 5K and Fun Walk as well as a closing memorial mass and candlelight vigil. Tours of Graceland will be given throughout the week. And the list goes on and on, just like the man himself. "It is, simply stated, a party," Morgan said.
For more information, directions, lodging and questions regarding Elvis Week and a complete schedule of events, visit elvis.com.
- Whimsical art cars on a roll: Weekend brings out customizers
By Jennifer C. Smith
(Courier-Journal, August 8, 2004)
The car adorned with doll heads and action figures and the church van riveted with Elvis Presley and Patsy Cline aluminum cutouts had but one thing in common: the ubiquitous dancing hula girl. Both vehicles crawled from Main Street to Bardstown Road yesterday afternoon as part of the third annual Kentucky Museum of Art + Design's Art Car Weekend.
The event drew nearly 20 car artists from around the country, who converged in the parking lot of the Bardstown Road Presbyterian Church. Grace Kelly Laster of Crofton, Ky., said she and her husband's 1989 Chrysler Voyager, which they call Laster Blaster's Rockin' Holly Roller, could offer a Christian message a "little out of the ordinary."
- Reviews - DVD/Video: The Elvis Collection
By Katherine Taylor
(Entertainment Today, August 8, 2004)
It's hard to imagine a pop or rock 'n' roll star today cranking out the type and sheer quantity of friendly, formulaic fluff flicks that Elvis Presley did while also remaining at the top of his or her game musically. It's a testament, I suppose, to the fact that back in the days of the King, there weren't quite the mechanisms for media saturation that there are today, meaning that fans who wanted more, more, more of their original American idol would be more than happy to snarf up a "quickie" movie or three a year, all the while hoping for another shot of Jailhouse Rock. While they're of varying quality, this latest barrage of Elvis titles, collecting six Presley films from the 1960s, will set diehard fans screaming all a-new. Though each title is released individually, the collection includes It Happened at the World's Fair, Spinout, Speedway, Harum Scarum, Double Trouble and The Trouble With Girls (And How to Get Into It). 1963's It Happened at the World's Fair finds Presley cast as a dashing pilot-for-hire, and includes 10 original songs and an appearance by a young Kurt Russell. Spinout is probably the best of the bunch, mixing music, racecar driving and crisp, funny dialogue from writers Theodore Flicker and George Kirgo. Another Elvis-as-racecar-driver musical, Speedway co-stars Nancy Sinatra, Gale Gordon and Carl Ballantine, and benefits from their collective comedic presence. Double Trouble casts the King as a rocker who becomes the object of affection for an underage heiress (Annette Day); a mish-mash of many different styles and tones, it plays like a bad, lost Scooby-Doo episode. Harum Scarum, meanwhile, places notoriously among the lesser Elvis efforts, casting him as a rocker touring the Middle East to promote his new movie, an Arabian swashbuckler. Let's see this remade today with Justin Timberlake, right? ...
- Hits continue to flow in hot Elvis market
(Clarion-Ledger / The Associated Press, August 8, 2004)
It's been 27 years since Elvis Presley died, but the hits keep coming. "And he's still getting number one hits," said Joe DiMuro, whose job is coming up with new records for a singer who hasn't made any more since he died Aug. 16, 1977. "His music, his image can be packaged in a way that makes him as relevant today as it did 30 years ago," DiMuro said. "There's always a new market for it." And, of course, there's always the old market.
Fans like John Beach - who will be among the several thousand Elvis faithful coming to Memphis for the death anniversary - are always hungry for more records, CDs, videos and DVDs, no matter how many times they're reissued or reworked. "They've got us over a barrel," said Beach, president of the Elvis Presley Fan Club of Florida. "Like with That's All Right, we could have four or five copies, and if they come out with another one, we're going to go out and buy it, too." Elvis Week, which officially began Saturday, hits its climax Aug. 15 with a fan procession past Presley's grave and a candlelight vigil that runs through the night. Over the next few days fans will attend club meetings and dances, tour Graceland - the Memphis home where Presley died of heart disease and drug abuse at age 42 - and generally revel in all things Elvis. ...
- Elvis fans soak up Sun Studio attractions: Small space launched many legends' careers
By Woody Baird
(post-gazette.com / Associated Press, August 8, 2004)
Michael Hallsworth stepped up to the big black X on the floor (right where Elvis stood), grabbed the microphone (the one Elvis used) and broke into "It's Now or Never." Hallsworth and his wife, Rita, came from Nottingham, England, to stand on this piece of hallowed ground for Elvis Presley fans -- Sun Studio, where the King of Rock 'n' Roll began his ascent to fame. Holding the microphone and its floor stand at an angle, Hallsworth cut about as good an Elvis pose as one could expect from a retired house painter in red shorts and plaid shirt. ...
- Memphis, Tenn., historic estate to be converted into bed and breakfast
By Kate Miller Morton, The Commercial Appeal
(Hotel Online / Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, August 8, 2004)
Fifteen years ago, the historic Hunt-Phelan estate on Beale Street was all but forgotten, hidden behind overgrown trees, barbed wire and a padlocked gate. The home opened sporadically for tours from 1992 to 1999, but operating the 16-room Greek Revival mansion as a museum proved financially unfeasible, even with the help of Elvis Presley Enterprises, which partnered briefly with owner Bill Day. In just a few months, Day will once again open the home, this time as a bed and breakfast. For the first time the public will have a chance to spend the night in the 172-year-old house, which has been continuously owned by members of the same family since it was completed in 1832....
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