mid March, 2005
Currently in the news: Songy/BMG UK's release of Elvis Presley singles
- Priscilla Presley Gets All Shook Up
(broadway.com, March 23, 2005)
Former Graceland dweller Priscilla Presley visited the new musical All Shook Up, which features the hits of Elvis. Priscilla was married to the pelvis-swinging icon from 1967-1973, but his legend continues to flourish and touch both her life and that of their daughter, Lisa-Marie. A perfect example of Elvis' undiminished popularity is this splashy new musical. Yes, the tuner also features a guitar-toting hunk that makes the ladies swoon, but the character, played by Cheyenne Jackson, is not Elvis, he's just another roustabout with a song in his heart. Did Priscilla get all shook up when she met him on March 23 at the Palace Theatre? Find out by looking at our photos! ...
- Memphis, Tennessee - Summertime Vacation Ideas
(PRWEB, March 24, 2005)
No trip to Memphis, Tennessee is complete without visiting the home of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Graceland is chock full of all things Elvis. From his vast collection of Cadillacs to his Sincerely Elvis Memorabilia Museum full of home movies, photographs and items from his personal wardrobe. One trip to Graceland and anyone can see why Elvis is, was and always will be, The King of Rock and Roll.
Once you've been through the guided tour at Graceland and heard from Lisa Marie and even Elvis himself, the next stop on your itinerary should be Sun Studios. Sitting in the heart of Memphis and enjoying its spot as the only record studio listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Sun Studios gave Elvis his start with his first song, "That's Alright Mama." If you've worked up an appetite by now, you can take a trip back in time to poodle skirts and bobby socks and grab a bite to eat in the '50s-style Sun Studio Soda Shop. If you close your eyes and listen closely, you may even hear Elvis serenade you!
At http://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com, the planning is done for you! All you have to do is show up and enjoy the guided tours, fabulous food and luxurious dining - after all, thatıs what vacations are all about! Be sure to schedule your vacation early to get the dates that best match your schedule. When you visit Memphis once, youıll be sure to come back again and again. Visit http://www.vacationsmadeeasy.com.
- MUSIC: Historical overview
By Terrina Hussien
(Malay Mail, March 23, 2005)
IF you're one of those rock fans that think that rock began with Guns N' Roses' or Nirvana, you'd better think again. There's no denying the influence the above bands had in shaping the rock genre, but they only carry on the flame of rock and roll lit by pioneers like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry.. ...
Rock's origins go back to the early '50s, way beyond distortion ridden guitars, and screeching vocals. It was the union, (dubbed unholy by some), of white country and black blues, resulting in rockabilly and rock and roll. The emergence of rock and roll gave the youth of the world an alternative sound, ideology, and way of life to their parents.
Most Malaysian rock fans don't usually go beyond the US Top 10 charts, leading to an all too shallow perception of what 'rock' really is. But recently, the Below The Radar team received emails from readers asking 'where did rock come from.' To do our bit to keep that rock 'n' roll chain of information going, Radar will begin a series of rock genre breakdowns, each week tackling a different genre and its sub-genres.
For the first week, we've decided to provide a general overview. If you feel we've missed anything out, or if there's any genre or sub-genre in particular you'd like to read about, feel free to e-mail the Radar team. ...
- Old rockers never die, they get plastic surgery
By Mark Caro
(Seattle Times / Chicago Tribune, March 22, 2005)
Rock 'n' roll has provided an important service throughout its relatively brief history: getting hot dates for ugly guys. Sure, Elvis Presley arrived matinee-idol ready, but Paul was the only truly "cute" Beatle, and Beastie-men such as Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix, the members of Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, the members of Kiss (with or without makeup), David Lee Roth and Meat Loaf became studs under rock's hot spotlight.
So it is that we've reached another milestone in rock's prolonged death march:
Ozzy Osbourne got plastic surgery. ...
- An American werewolf
in Neverland: Michael Jackson warps his legacy with each passing day
By Helen A.S. Popkin
(MSNBC, March 21, 2005)
... Michael Jackson, with his nonstop freak show, has damaged my best memories of him all by his own dang self, without the help of our cranky dad. ... I'm pissed at Michael. Not for maybe/maybe not being a pedophile (though don't get me wrong: If he is, that's bad). I'm angry for selfish reasons. He's shredded childhood memories. The "Jackson 5" cartoon, kicking butt on those wimpy Osmonds' own Saturday-morning show. My respect and awe for a boy who could moonwalk, move and make music like no living being. Make me, a punk-rock adolescent, respect disco with "Off the Wall."
The Michael Jackson story is so totally American. This is what happens when you have so much money that people let you do whatever the hell you want. Like fat, sweaty, drug-addled Elvis, dead on the toilet. Genius gone to pot. Except when Presley was Jackson's age, he'd been dead five years.
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- N. Kentucky news briefs: Unclaimed items go on display
(The Enquirer, March 20, 2005)
Beginning Tuesday, representatives of the Kentucky State Treasury will tour the state with a display of items from the holdings of the Unclaimed Property Division that will be auctioned off on eBay the week of April 4. The items up for auction have been abandoned in safe-deposit boxes across the state. Once property has been abandoned for seven years, financial institutions must hand it over to the Kentucky State Treasury. These particular items have been in the Treasury's vault for at least three years, and efforts to reach the rightful owners have failed. The items include jewelry, coins, silverware and other memorabilia, including a collection of rare Elvis Presley trading cards. The tour will make stops at libraries in Paducah, Bowling Green, Ashland, Lexington and Louisville. The tour came to Northern Kentucky's Campbell County Public Library in December. For more information, contact the office of the treasurer: (502) 564-4722.
- Hunt for early Elvis is fascinating fun
By Kat Bergeron
(Sun Herald, March 20, 2005)
... The search for Elvis in Biloxi is a welcomed diversion. ... A press release to my features editor, Scott Hawkins, sent me on a fascinating hunt for the early Elvis. It came from Danny Kane, who lives near Baton Rouge and who asked if we would help his colleague, Ernst Jorgensen, aka The Elvis Hunter, producer of Elvis books and record sets.
Ernst is piecing together Elvis' movements in the 18 months from his first hit, "That's All Right, Mama," in July 1954 to his first mega-hit, "Heartbreak Hotel," in December 1955. Part of that time was in Biloxi, and Ernst wants the proof.
Our first article, titled "Did you witness dawn of Elvis' career?" appeared Jan. 24. As Ernst faces publishing deadlines, he is ferreting through hundreds of calls from here and across the country.
Then last Sunday, we published a follow-up. Elvis definitely gave six 1955 concerts in Biloxi and several club gigs. Important questions were answered but one still remains: Did he perform at The Fiesta, a popular Biloxi nightclub?
Our search also turned up unpublished 1955 photographs, including one from a Biloxi concert taken by Al Lewis of Orange Grove. A teen at the time, Lewis doesn't remember where he took the photo so we asked readers, with the majority voting for the Biloxi Community House.
Something else surfaced from Al's photo. "I think that's me, the shadow on the left," Bill Stafford said with a laugh. "I know that's my steel guitar to the left of Elvis, and my wife says the shape of the shadow is me. I was there that night and played with Elvis. I brought my steel guitar, a Rickenbacker with two necks." He is recognized nationally for the steel pedal guitar, and he was associated with Dan Seal, who in 1955 had a band and owned Hambone in Gulfport, a club where Elvis played in '55 at age 20.
Our follow-up also brought several claims that Elvis was here before 1955, and Bill's was one of them. He remembers Elvis spending the night at his parent's home in Handsboro when they were both teenagers. He has memories of playing guitar with Elvis at Rosetti's Grocery and on the porch of Handsboro Masonic Lodge.
Elvis in Biloxi before 1955? That's news to Ernst, who has compiled Elvis' day-by-day life. As a teen he had a car that would barely take him on a Memphis date, so he didn't drive here. He was so busy supplementing the meager income of his parents that teachers asked the Presleys to cut down on work hours because he fell asleep in class.
Ernst, however, has no records of where Elvis slept in June 1955 after two concerts at Keesler Air Force Base and one at Biloxi's Slavonian Lodge. So on this recent hunt, new myths were born and others popped. "The legends just grow and grow, and unless people in these towns can show us elements of proof, they remain just stories," Ernst explained.
He cites Gladwater, Texas, where a persistent story claims a 16-year-old Elvis arrived by bus, alone, to play at a nightclub and he hung around for days to pick up more shows. Does it jibe? He was in high school, worked long hours, had watchful parents.
All this history mystery stuff is captivating. Even if we hadn't uncovered kingly gems, the hunt was fun.
- Elvis exhibit in Germany
(5th item)
(Stars and Stripes - European edition, March 20, 2005)
The Museum of Communication in Frankfurt, Germany, will feature more than 300 objects related to Elvis Presley during its "Elvis in Germany" exhibit. The pieces include such items as clothing, records and posters. The pop icon was stationed in Germany when he was in the Army between 1958 and 1960. English-language tours start at 12:30 p.m. each Wednesday and at 4:30 p.m. on the following Sundays: March 20; April 3 and 17; May 1, 8 and 15.The Museum fur Kommunikation is on Schaumainkai 53 in Frankfurt. Regular opening hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
- Elvis of economics takes a bow
By Nick Mathiason
(Guardian Unlimited, March 20, 2005)
Holed up in his Dorchester hotel suite in London, James Wolfensohn, the current president of the World Bank, looked more like a crumpled version of Peter Ustinov than the 'force of nature' who has for the last 10 years grappled with reforming the world's most important multilateral financial institution. It wasn't just the jet-lag that seemed to have winded the former Australian Olympian, multi-millionaire financier and concert cellist. On CNN, Wolfensohn was watching President George W Bush lob a hand grenade that is still reverberating around the world.
When the US president nominated Paul Wolfowitz as his replacement to head up the bank last Wednesday, Wolfensohn, 71, was stranded 3,000 miles away from the action. He clearly had no prior warning. The man dubbed the Elvis of Economics by campaigning rock star Bono was in London to chair an extractive industries conference. As Bush spoke all hell broke loose. Wolfensohn retreated to his suite and cancelled breakfast meetings with journalists and television interviews. Miraculously, an interview with The Observer survived the maelstrom. . ...
- A Portrait of Fallen Neighbors
By DeNeen L. Brown
(Washington Post, March 20, 2005)
The Department of Defense reports give the facts on the 67 men and three women from Virginia, Maryland or the District who have died in the Iraq war since it began two years ago. What's missing from the reports is how they lived, what they dreamed, why they signed up, how they tried to comfort those at home. ... His nickname was Salty. When William Watkins III was in high school, he played the role of Pharaoh in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." He could do an Elvis Presley impersonation that brought down the house. ...
- Rock's golden year: Experts lean toward '69 - the time of Woodstock, 'Abbey Road'
By DAVE TIANEN
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 19, 2005)
By many estimates, rock is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, a natural milestone from which to take stock and reflect on a half century of creative glory sprinkled with interludes of musical misadventure. It's a good moment to ponder the answer to the question implied in Milner's putdown. When was rock's pinnacle, its bright shining moment, its finest year?
Was it back at the beginning in 1955, when the music world was turned upside down by the propulsive blast of rock's first No. 1 single, "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets? In '55, Elvis Presley was still the Rockabilly Cat, the fastest-rising star in country music and poised to erupt, in Bono's apt phrase, as "the Big Bang of rock and roll." It was a year of emerging legends such as Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Ray Charles.
Or was it in 1964, when the Beatles launched the British Invasion, changing the face of popular music in so many ways, replacing the era of solo singers with the reign of the rock band, gradually moving the emphasis away from the hit single to the album, opening a new period of social and political consciousness and marking artists who didn't write their own material as permanently obsolete?
Or perhaps it was 1991, when Nirvana launched the grunge movement, blending elements of punk and metal to forge rock's last great creative upheaval and anointing Seattle as the center of the musical universe.
In an effort to get a fix on rock's greatest glory days, we asked a group of national and local critics, historians and music veterans for their pick on the greatest year in rock 'n' roll. Interestingly, they tended not to pick the obvious years of historic upheaval, such as 1964 or 1955-'56. While nothing that approached a consensus materialized, two years did vie as leading contenders.
The big winner: 1969
This year is best remembered for Woodstock, rock's great communal moment. But Brad Tolinski, editor of Guitar World, argues that '69 actually marks the dawn of the modern world in rock. "It's not just about Woodstock," Tolinski says. "It's super way beyond that. It's almost like what one would say about hip-hop now. I think after the first burst of creativity, rock actually matured and really came into its own as an art form."
Unlike Presley's national debut in 1956 with "Heartbreak Hotel" or the arrival of Beatlemania in 1964, when music changed in a clear direction defined by a single dominant act, in 1969 many new movements were starting to take root. Carlos Santana launched a revolution in Latin rock that continues today with Los Lonely Boys. The Allman Brothers arose as the first of the jam bands. The Velvet Underground was pioneering art rock and punk. The first rumbling of heavy metal was starting with Led Zeppelin. And Tolinski argues that a case could be made that Creedence Clearwater Revival marked the beginning of the roots rock phenomenon. ...
- Violence in Music and Teens -- Part 2
(Southern Christian University, March 19, 2005)
Just about every generation has had it -- a controversial music style or group that has parents wondering what to do. There was Elvis with his dance moves that couldn't be shown on television. In the 70's -- lyrics with drug themes took the spotlight.
Today, it's violence in music. Is it influencing our kids today and when should parents be concerned? We take a look in part two of our series. ...
- FULLER SELLS 19 ENTERTAINMENT
(contactmusic.com, March 18, 2005)
British pop mogul SIMON FULLER has sold his successful 19 ENTERTAINMENT company to the US firm that recently purchased a giant share of ELVIS PRESLEY's estate. The POP IDOL mastermind's firm has been bought by entrepreneur ROBERT SILLERMAN's SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES, which is to be renamed CFX, in a $156 million (GBP82.1 million) deal. ...
- Company buys 'Idol' maker, already owns Elvis estate
(USATODAY / DowJones/AP, March 18, 2005)
Sports Entertainment Enterprises, which owns most of the Elvis Presley estate, said Friday it has agreed to acquire 19 Entertainment, the British company behind American Idol, for about $156 million in cash and stock. Sports Entertainment, which is based in Las Vegas and does business as CKX, will pay an additional $36.9 million in either cash or stock following delivery of audited results for the year ending June 30. Sports Entertainment is controlled by billionaire Robert Sillerman. It licenses the songs of Presley and conducts tours of the Graceland mansion. ...
- Wiggle taking Elvis's band
(Herald Sun, March 18, 2005)
THE Wiggles' Greg Page will throw out his yellow skivvy for the next three weeks, choosing to don cowboy boots for a solo tour backed by the band made famous by Elvis. Page this month released his new album, a collaboration of covers with Elvis's Taking Care of Business band (TCB).
The album, Taking Care of Country, marks the first time an Australian has performed and recorded with the band, which was hand-picked by Elvis to back him on his 1969 comeback tour. Their covers include Presley's Burning Love and Willie Nelson's Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain. "When I have got a bit of downtime with the Wiggles, what better way to do it than with these guys?" Page said.
- Elvis is Alive!
Written by Loopy Luna
(The Spoof, March 18, 2005)
TYes folks, it is true! Elvis Presley, The King of Rock and Roll is alive and well and living in Bognor Regis, U.K. The star has been living in the U.K anonymously since he faked his death in 1977. Our investigator had received information from a particularly trusted source informing him of the King's residency in Bognor. The U.K's answer to the Riviera.
Upon receiving an address we promptly went to investigate. The King answered the door on our first attempt and in his unmistakable southern drawl invited us in. 'I knew you guys would find me out someday. What with your suspicious minds and all, Uh huh.' Presley invited us in to his modest abode, a two up, two down semi detached house. A far cry from Graceland. Presley told us to sit down and politely offered us a drink. When the King was ready and he had poured the tea and placed the biscuits onto doillies we began to ask the questions that millions would want answered. ...
- Bertelsmann Profit Rises in 2004
By MATT SURMAN
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, March 17, 2005)
German media group Bertelsmann AG said Thursday its profit rose sharply in 2004 thanks to strong performances by its television, music and media services businesses and lower writeoffs due to changed accounting rules. Earnings rose to 1.03 billion euros ($1.28 billion) from 154 million euros in 2003, while revenue rose 1.2 percent to 17.02 billion euros ($21.17). A company statement did not include fourth-quarter figures. The Guetersloh-based company credited a good showing by subsidiary RTL, Europe's largest television broadcaster, which boosted earnings to 668 million euros ($831 million) from 503 million euros, helped by the company's acquisition of French broadcaster M6.
The privately held company also got improved results from the BMG music division, which joined with Sony Music Entertainment during the year to form Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Random House, the world's largest trade publisher; and its Arvato media services division. The music and book businesses got help from hits such as R&B star Usher's album "Confessions," which sold 12 million copies, former U.S. President Bill Clinton's memoirs, and the continuing success of Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code." ... The Sony BMG joint venture created a combined home for artists such as Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and OutKast and classic catalogs from Elvis Presley, Miles Davis and Johnny Cash. ...
- Springer will be King for a song
(Irish Examiner, March 17, 2005)
Chat show host Jerry Springer will get audiences all shook up when he appears on Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes as Elvis Presley. Springer has always been a huge fan of The King and jumped at the chance to impersonate his hero.
For his appearance he wears a rhinestone jumpsuit -- the most expensive costume ever designed for the ITV show. And with a dark wig and shades, he is virtually unrecognisable as his usual self.
Springer will croon I Can't Help Falling In Love on the April 2 show.
He said: "Elvis is one of my favourites. I'm from that generation where as a kid we all started combing our hair back like him. I've only ever sung in the shower or performed for friends so this will be the first time I will have sung in public. The make-up for Stars In Their Eyes is fantastic and I've got a ton on. My eyebrows have been made pitch black and it's had the most startling effect. Though it does seem rather a waste as I'm wearing sunglasses on the show! I love the costume and it's amazingly heavy. I guess they've done this deliberately so I don't run away with it." ...
- Carson's microphone up for sale
(BBC News, March 17, 2005)
A microphone that sat on late TV host Johnny Carson's Tonight Show desk in the 1960s and 70s is to be auctioned. The microphone was an ever-present prop for Carson, who hosted the talk show for 30 years and died in January at 79. It will be sold by Heritage Galleries in Dallas, Texas, in April, but auctions director Doug Norwine said he did not know how much it would fetch. ... A Grammy Award won by The Rolling Stones and contracts signed by Elvis Presley will also be offered at the auction.
- Precious memories: 'America's best Elvis tribute artist' brings songs of faith to Decatur
By Lauren Howard
(Decatur Daily, March 17, 2005)
Don't assume every jumpsuit-clad, ducktail 'do crooner is an Elvis impersonator. Matt Cordell doesn't attempt The King's trademark expression "thank-you, thank-you very much." America's best Elvis Presley tribute artist by one national competition's standards, Cordell isn't one of the estimated 35,000 in the Elvis-emulating industry. And March 26, he has the legend's background vocalist Charlie Hodge to prove it. Hodge, a Decatur native, and Cordell will conjure memories of Elvis' gospel years for the audience at Princess Theatre Center for the Performing Arts.
"I'm looking forward to it so much it's not even funny," Cordell said of his first performance with Hodge. "I wondered if he hates (impersonators)," Cordell added of his duet partner, a longtime Graceland resident. After a Las Vegas competition, Hodge advised him to "work on the look, but don't try to put on and show out too much."
The 32-year-old Chattanooga resident sings, looks and moves the part, but says the key to his booked schedule - loving the legend and staying attuned to his own style - can't be rehearsed. "I don't think I'm Elvis. I'm not. I just want to keep his memory alive," he said. "I want people to remember the good Elvis."
Hodge, 73, welcomes the Elvis tributes and gladly sings alongside artists like Cordell. "I see it as a compliment to Elvis ... a salute to my best friend," he said. Hodge left Decatur after high school and became the lead singer for the Foggy River Boys. He served in the Army with Elvis, later joining his entourage. Hodge sang in every show, lived in an apartment behind Elvis' estate, and nearly 30 years after his boss' death, still tours with Elvis Presley Enterprises and performs regularly in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
Living the dream
By age 5, Cordell's Elvis-idolizing parents had toted him to three shows .The singer's 8-tracks echoed through the household and his childhood, and after high school graduation, Cordell turned his passion into a career. "The country boy makes good, or just that he was so sincere when he sang," Cordell offered as explanation for the Elvis craze. "Before Elvis there was nothing. Elvis was the religion, almost a cult. Men were crying; kids were crying. He had an effect no other entertainer had. People want to be close to that." Cordell is the next best thing, says his manager, Jim Winters, of Southland Entertainment. He has 30 costume replicas, no wig and 500 Elvis songs locked into memory. Recordings of back-up bands like JD Sumner & The Stamps and Jordanaires play while his mother Priscilla sings harmony. And for one night, he has Charlie Hodge.
'Elvis was the religion'
"The country boy makes good, or just that he was so sincere when he sang," Cordell offered as explanation for the Elvis craze. "Before Elvis there was nothing. Elvis was the religion, almost a cult. Men were crying; kids were crying. He had an effect no other entertainer had. People want to be close to that." ...
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