late January, 2005
- FDR Remembered for Role in Polio Eradication
(Hispanic Business / PR Newswire, January 27, 2005)
Stage and screen star Mickey Rooney joined descendants of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the former President's presidential library to kick off a year-long tribute to FDR, the March of Dimes, which he founded, and the development of the polio vaccine. ... "Images of America: March of Dimes," a book featuring hundreds of historic photos from the Salk vaccine field trials to celebrities, such as Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, Marilyn Monroe, and Lucille Ball, who supported the March of Dimes during the polio years was published last year. ...
- Suicide: A Way of Life
(record review)
(Pitchfork, January 27, 2005)
Funnily enough, Suicide are victims of themselves. Their 1977 debut album is so ridiculously unique, innovative, and influential that it's easy to forget that they've made other records. ... if there's one thing A Way of Life drives home more than any other, it's that Suicide never stopped being ahead of their time, their signature big-reverb synth-pop/50s rock 'n' roll/industrial noise melange (would you hate me if I coined the term droneabilly?) too singular to be touched by anyone else. Alan Vega's Elvis Presley-imprisoned-at-Vlad the Impaler's-house croon is a big part of what sets them apart, his tortured balladeer groaning and punky swagger rendering him a more dynamic frontman than just about any other act in any of the genres Suicide helped give birth to. ...
- Elvis milestones add up with latest gold recording
(Whitehaven Appeal, January 27, 2005)
"Good Rockin' Tonight" is the King's latest hit. On what would have been Elvis Presley's 70th birthday, the sophomore single recorded on the Sun Records label received gold certification. The musical icon added another achievement to his legendary career on the same day, surpassing 50 million in U.S. single sales, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). ... On Jan. 8 a special presentation took place on the grounds of Graceland, where Elvis Presley Enterprises was presented with an RIAA certified sales award commemorating the achievement. ...
birthday cake
- TV, music, book share Elvis' life
(Northwest Herald, January 26, 2005)
May will be filled with music. "Elvis By the Presleys," a new entertainment special that will feature a collection of new, intimate interviews with his former wife, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, and their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, will be broadcast at 7 p.m. May 13 on the CBS Television Network. Exclusive never-before-seen television performances, photographs from the Presley Estate archives and Presley family home movies will be broadcast for the first time. In the special, Priscilla and Lisa Marie speak about their lives with the legendary Elvis Presley and offer an intimate look at their family and private life. Rare interviews with Elvis' first cousin, Patsy Presley Geranen, and Priscilla's parents, Ann and Paul Beaulieu, are also featured. ...
- Former Elvis backup singer, friend at Saddle West Saturday
By DOUG McMURDO
(Pahrump Valley Times, January 26, 2005)
Elvis might have left the building for good Aug. 16, 1977, but his legacy lives on through Graceland and 10,000 Elvis Presley impersonators. Few, however, could match Kathy Westmoreland, who was a backup singer for Presley and the lady whom the King of Rock and Roll once introduced to the world, on stage in Las Vegas, as "the little girl with the beautiful high voice." According to local legend Jack Reeves, Westmoreland and her soaring soprano voice will be on hand Saturday at the Saddle West Showroom for two shows, 6-8 p.m. and 9-11 p.m. ...
Kathy Westmoreland stands behind Elvis in this undated photo
- Kindergarten teacher recalls segregation in Mississippi: She uses her experience to educate kids
By Lisa Ramirez-Johnson
(news-press.com, January 26, 2005)
Segregation and Jim Crow laws aren't just footnotes in history for Alva Elementary kindergarten teacher and grade-level chairwoman Mary Johnson. They were part of her reality growing up in rural Mississippi during the 1950s. One of Johnson's earliest memories of Tupelo, Miss. - hometown of Elvis Presley - is of accompanying her parents to take home their black housekeeper. "We stopped at a drive-in restaurant and were refused service because she was in the car with us," recalled Johnson, who at the time was about 7 years old. ...
- Solid asset: SunTrust Bank's Mary Sue Batastini has spent 50 years on the job
By TONY ADAMS
(Ledger-Enquirer.com, January 26, 2005)
When Mary Sue Batastini launched her career at what is now SunTrust Bank, McDonald's was preparing to open its first restaurant, the minimum wage was hitting $1 an hour, and Elvis Presley had just begun to shake up the musical world. There also were no automated teller machines spitting out dollars on demand, no debit cards slowly rendering personal checks obsolete, and no high-tech systems compiling mountains of financial information on consumers. The year was 1955. ...
- Biloxi paralegal was a devoted fan of Elvis
By KAT BERGERON
(Sun Herald, January 25, 2005)
Anyone visiting Connie Mercer's domain at the Biloxi City Attorney's Office does a double take. There, in cutout form, is a bigger-than-life Elvis, a hint at her devotion to The King. But this week, sadness cloaks the office of the paralegal described by city attorney Ronnie Cochran as his right hand. The 49-year-old Biloxi native died unexpectedly after heart surgery. She will be buried Wednesday. ... On Monday, Mercer's dad took Elvis memorabilia from her apartment to the office so they will have mementos of their colleague, who by all accounts was a "real friend," an excellent baker, an avid reader and a computer whiz. ... In July, Mercer nearly lost a lifetime Elvis collection when her apartment complex caught fire, but her belongings were saved by a fire wall. At the time she was at the movies with her mother, which they did together every weekend.
- Elvis dethroned
(second item)
(Gulf Daily News, January 25, 2005)
Elvis Presley's recent reign at the top of the British pop charts with a series of reissues to mark what would have been his 70th birthday has been brought to an abrupt end by an unknown dance act. Elvis's A Fool Such As I was widely expected to become the third consecutive single in a series reprising all 18 of his previous number one British singles to top the charts again. However, it stalled at number two, with "Goodies" by obscure dance outfit Ciara featuring Petey Pablo taking the coveted top spot in the new rundown. The dethronement of "The King" - especially by such little-known rivals - came as a surprise given that many pundits had expected Elvis to stay at the peak of the charts for several months.
- English rose blooms in Bollywood film
By Amit Roy
(Daily Telegraph, January 25, 2005)
A young English actress has become the toast of Bollywood after receiving rave reviews in India for her performance in a Hindi film. Antonia Bernath, 23, abandoned classes at the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol to take up an offer from Bollywood for a lead role in Kisna. She plays the daughter of a deputy commissioner who has an affair with an Indian man from a modest background. ... She is flying to America later this week to play Elvis Presley's wife Priscilla in a television film.
- Elvis Is Alive -- in Britain
By Beth Carney
(Business Week Online, January 25, 2005)
The King has been riding high on the singles charts in recent weeks. Canny marketing helped, but so did the list's sliding fortunes. The top pop singer in Britain these days is an unlikely sensation. After all, he hasn't made a record in 27 years. Elvis Presley, however, has always been exceptional. Now, the king of rock and roll is making a surprise comeback on the British pop charts, thanks to a well-packaged rerelease of 18 of his hits by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Elvis has been at the top of the charts for the past several weeks. His 1958 hit Jailhouse Rock, came in at No. 1 two weeks ago, one day after what would have been his 70th birthday. His 1959 song One Night won the top slot last Sunday, earning extra attention for being the British singles chart's 1,000th hit since the rankings began in 1952. Last week's single, A Fool Such as I, was shut out of the top slot by 18-year-old American singer Ciara Harris' hot new R&B track Goodies, but the 45-year-old love song still managed to place second.
"COOL, ICONIC" ELVIS.
Considering that the chart-topping songs have been available in various forms for years, the success of the singles is a marketing triumph for Sony BMG. It's releasing each of Presley's 18 No. 1 British hits in chronological order over 18 consecutive weeks to honor the star's 70th birthday. As part of the campaign, Sony BMG has packaged each single in a case bearing the same artwork found on the original release. Along with the CDs, which sell for the equivalent of $7.50, fans can also buy a special collector's box for about $20 and a limited number of vinyl 45s for about $9. In contrast, the 2002 compilation album, Elv1s, which contains all but one of the songs included in the current promotion, sells for about $15.
Key to the promotion's appeal is highlighting the "cool, iconic" Elvis image from the '50s and '60s, rather than the overweight, Vegas-era Elvis, said Darren Henderson, vice-president of marketing for Sony BMG, who's in charge of the campaign.
SADDER STORY.
"It has been done very, very well," said Gennaro Castaldo, head of public relations for HMV stores, Britain's biggest music retailer, where some outlets have a waiting list for the singles. Castaldo notes that hard-core Presley fans, mainstream listeners, and collectors with an eye on resale value have all been drawn to the set. Already, the singles are being offered for $20 to $100 on eBay. "There's a lot of people out there that have kind of bought into it," he said. When One Night became the British charts' 1,000th hit, it attracted another burst of attention that has fueled interest. In response to demand, Sony BMG this week expanded the limited-edition run from about 25,000 units to about 35,000 units. But behind the flattering attention for Presley and Sony BMG is a less upbeat story about the decline of the singles chart's relevance. Jailhouse Rock hit the top position after selling only 21,272 copies -- the lowest figure for a No. 1 hit since the beginning of the listings.
CHANGING MUSIC.
Although January is historically a weak month for record sales, the numbers also point to a broader drop-off in the singles market. According to the British Phonographic Industry's figures on trade deliveries to retail stores, 80.1 million singles were sold in Britain in 1999, but by 2003 the number had fallen to 36.1 million. The pop charts hold a special place in the culture of Britain, a nation of serious music fans. According to the BPI, British music buyers purchase an average of 7.3 CDs a year -- more than anywhere else in the world. The recent decline of British singles is partly due to musical trends, according to HMV's Castaldo. The mid-1990s were a heyday for pop singles in Britain, thanks to the rise of boy bands, popular Britpop groups such as Oasis and Blur, and the massive phenomenon of the Spice Girls. The dance music and guitar bands that followed were less oriented to singles.
DOWNLOADS GO UP.
But more importantly, the economic incentive of buying a CD single has decreased in the past few years. The growth of discount supermarket chains has pushed down the average price of a full CD, so that 60% cost $18 or less. "When you're comparing that to a single that costs [$7.50], it's not a difficult decision to make," said BPI spokesperson Matt Phillips.
Although industry groups also blame the sales decline of singles on the rise of illegal downloading, it's now the legal download market that's poised to reinvigorate the charts. Last year, a number of legal download services, including Apple's (AAPL ) iTunes, Sony (SNE ) Connect, and Napster, launched in Britain. The number of legal downloads grew from about 14,000 songs a week at the beginning of the year to 312,000 in the last week of December.
That same week, the sale of legal downloads, which cost about $1.50 each, eclipsed the sale of physical singles in Britain for the first time. The Official UK Charts Company, which compiles the charts from sales data gleaned from retailers, started a download listing in September and later this year plans to incorporate download sales into the singles charts.
STREET CRED.
Exactly how the introduction of download sales will affect the charts is up for debate. According to Forrester Research analyst Paul Jackson, the typical download buyer is relatively young compared to the average music buyer. Yet music downloaders must be old enough to have a credit card and are generally affluent or tech-savvy enough to have a portable listening device and a broadband connection. The singles charts, meanwhile, are now driven by under-16s, said Simon Dornan, a spokesman for retailer Virgin Megastores. With the exception of the Elvis phenomenon, the British singles charts tend to feature more recent releases, with lots of turnover, while the download charts include slightly older songs that are still being played on the radio. By eliminating the constant turnover and broadening the base, Dornan said, "downloading could give some credibility to the chart that it's lost."
Whether Presley would make it into a singles chart that includes downloads is a question. His singles have been notably absent from the current download best-sellers, which is dominated by the likes of Gwen Stefani, Eminem, and Jennifer Lopez. But Presley did have a 2002 hit in Britain with a dance version of his relatively unknown vintage B-side A Little Less Conversation after it was remixed by Dutch deejay JXL (also known as Tom Holkenborg).
A Little Less Conversation, due out in April, will be the final release in the series of 18 hits coming out this year. "Elvis is one of the biggest artists of all time. Even before the reissues, he's been on the charts for more weeks than anyone else,'' said Darren Haynes, brand manager for Official UK Charts. In other words: Don't count out the King.
- Did you witness dawn of Elvis' career?
By KAT BERGERON
(Biloxi Sun Herald, January 24, 2005)
Has anyone seen Elvis Presley in Biloxi? This is meant as a historical question, not one of those modern "Elvis never died" searches. A foremost authority on The King wants to know if any Biloxians, or South Mississippians for that matter, remember 1955 when Elvis performed in the area. What did he wear to concerts or to local clubs where he might have picked up a spur-of-the-moment microphone. What did he sing? What kind of shoes did he wear?
Ernst Jorgensen is piecing together a jigsaw puzzle of the 18 months from July 1954 when "That's All Right" hit the charts to December 1955 when Elvis' shy, sandy-haired country boy ways morphed to make him King of Rock 'n' Roll. During those 18 months Elvis traveled the South with bandsmen Scotty Moore and Bill Black, recorded at Memphis' Sun Records and performed at least six times in Biloxi at Keesler Air Force Base, the Biloxi Community House and the Slavonian Lodge. But no photographs and little description of those or other 1955 performances have surfaced.
Enter The Elvis Hunter, as the music media has dubbed this researcher and producer for Elvis' record label RCA, a subsidiary of Sony/BMG. Jorgensen is asking people who might have attended any of those Biloxi concerts or clubs to dig into their memories, photo collections and maybe even audio tapes. "I suffer from a frustration of early Elvis in Biloxi before he became all headliners and television," Jorgensen said. "We know Elvis came to Biloxi in 1956, too, but by then he was already a sensation. What we are trying to do is tell the early Elvis from those 18 months."
Jorgensen is credited with Elvis' second comeback of popularity by diminishing "fat Elvis" images that overshadowed his music for the decade after his untimely death. This year on the 50th anniversary of Elvis' step into show business, Jorgensen will publish a book and CDs on that long-overlooked 18-month period. As RCA's resident Elvis expert he has a number of other projects under his belt, including "Elvis Day by Day." Jorgensen, who lives in Denmark, is working with associate researcher Danny Kane of Louisiana to help dig through the large number of responses that come whenever a different town is queried about early Elvis visits. They hope the same will happen with the Biloxi request.
"Elvis is a Mississippi native son," Kane said, "so for us Biloxi is Elvis' back yard, and we know there are some good stories just waiting to be told." "What makes Elvis bigger than life? First of all, Elvis had three fundamental advantages: musically very talented, good voice, good looks. The key element was Elvis' ability to combine elements of all types of American music into his own music, without the usual prejudice of most artists. On a last note, I believe that dying young often creates legends. The 'tragedy' touches our most basic human feelings."
- Restaurant in Gilbert rolls out young Elvis
ByCary Aspinwall
(Arizona Republic, January 24, 2005)
Elvis' statue outside the newly opened Hearthrob Cafe has passers-by in downtown Gilbert "all shook up." Cars slow and drivers crane as they realize the bronze statues of boys playing baseball that once stood outside the former Gonzo's have been replaced by the King of Rock and Roll. ...
- America's greatest left their mark
By Luther Keith
(Detroit News, January 24, 2005)
George Washington or Abraham Lincoln?
Henry Ford or Thomas Edison?
Susan B. Anthony or Martin Luther King Jr.?
Duke Ellington or Elvis Presley?
Which one of them -- or which other giant of history -- deserves the grandiose title of "The Greatest American of All Time"?
That's what the Discovery Channel and America Online have teamed up to find out in a multimedia campaign that is essentially a great marketing ploy. Nevertheless, it promises to be an interesting exercise. The television network and online company are asking television viewers and Internet users to submit their five nominations for the greatest American by Feb. 1. You can vote by going to the Web site at www. aol.com/greatestamerican.
In May, the Discovery Channel will profile the top 100 nominees in a four-part series with a feature on the top vote-getter in June. As posed, the question also could include the people of Canada and South America, but the response to the question will essentially be to determine who is the greatest American in the nearly 230-year history of the United States.
My first response to the query was, "Why do we need to know?" but in this age of eternal lists and rankings of everything from college football teams to the smartest and fattest cities, the greatest American campaign is really a reflection of our times. The vote will basically be a popularity contest based on which "candidate" has generated the most historical press clippings. It's like the People's Choice Awards and the Academy Awards, which are selected by movie industry professionals.
The sponsors have established no criteria for voting. Thus, voters can select the great American that is most meaningful to them, for whatever reason, from a great statesman like Thomas Jefferson to a pop icon like Michael Jackson. ...
- Carson's 'Tonight' still serves as gold standard
(Sun-Sentinel, January 24, 2005)
Johnny Carson was to late-night TV what Elvis Presley was to pop music: The King. Mr. Carson, who died Sunday, was more than an entertainer to millions of Americans. For 30 years, he was the last voice people heard at night, a friend welcomed in their bedrooms. ...
- Ciara Knocks King Off Throne
By Luther Keith
(Detroit News, January 24, 2005)
There was a bit of a surprise at the top of the UK music chart this week, with Elvis NOT taking the top spot. Instead, Ciara took the honour with her single Goodies, meaning that the King didn't make history by scoring three different number one singles in as many weeks. Elvis had to make do with the second spot for the re-release of his A Fool Such As I - the third of his 18 original chart favourites which are being re-released to mark what would have been his 70th year. His number one from last week, One Night, slipped down to number 20 after just one week at the top. ...
- Uncharted Elvis
By JACK W. HILL
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, January 23, 2005)
The ongoing fascination with all things Elvis continues, thank ya, thank ya very much. Festivities in Memphis to mark the 70 th birthday of EP were just completed two weeks ago, and in England, Presley has again topped the singles chart in the United Kingdom with his song, "One Night," which, coincidentally, replaced another Elvis single, "Jailhouse Rock," at the top of the chart. Meanwhile, a connection between Denmark and Arkansas grows as one dedicated Dane is focusing his attention on Presley’s Arkansas performances in 1954-55, a period that has, until now, lacked documentation and is in danger of falling through the cracks of musical history. Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, the Dane who has made it his life’s work to unearth Elvis [article appears to end here].
- Benefit helps family of 'Mafia' member
(Whitehaven Appeal, January 23, 2005)
A pancake breakfast benefit was held at Marlowe's restaurant on the morning of Jan. 7 for the children of the late Richard Davis, a longstanding member of Elvis Presley's inner circle, known as the Memphis Mafia, who passed away in his sleep last August. The proceeds from the breakfast will go to Davis's widow, Kim Davis, for the care of their 2-year-old triplets Brandon, Dylan and Madison Davis.
"Richard Davis was very popular with Elvis fans because of his easygoing nature and his sincere, heartfelt dedication to the legacy of Elvis Presley," said Elvis fan June Robertson. "He could be seen at local events each year during January (Elvis's birthday week) and August (Elvis Tribute Week) signing personal photos and sharing his memories of life with his former boss. He always had a smile and lots of humorous stories to tell." ...
- Elvis Presley's Amazing Comeback on BBC1 Television January 2005
By Maurice Colgan
(express-press-release.com, January 23, 2005)
Elvis Presley tops British music charts on BBC Television. By releasing Elvis Presley's 1959 classic song "One Night" January 2005 Sony/BMG helped to secure the historic 1,000th Number One on the official British music chart for the world's most loved singer, Elvis Presley. It was broadcast on the chart show BBC1 radio, Sunday 16th January. On hearing the news, Elvis fans were jubilant.
We eagerly looked forward to the BBC's Top of the Pops television programme which would copper fasten the amazing result by featuring Elvis's great recording. Friday night 21st January 2005 the British Broadcasting Company with appalling insensitivity used an Elvis Impersonator to sing the song! Millions witnessed this insult to Elvis fans world-wide. A case of total misrepresentation. Akin to a pub pianist being used as a stand in for the great Russian Concert Pianist, Sviatoslav Richter.
Inadvertently the BBC has provided the late Elvis Presley with priceless publicity. Elvis was number 1 AND number 10 on their music chart! The already booming sales of his wonderful CDs are now sure to take a quantum leap.
Go to earlier articles
|
