mid July, 2005
- Shreveport fans want guitarist's statue next to Elvis
(Daily Comet / Associated Press, July 21, 2005)
Efforts are underway here to raise money for a bronze statue of Shreveport guitarist James Burton, once a band leader for Elvis Presley. The statue would be placed near an existing statue of Elvis outside the Municipal Auditorium, where Elvis performed on the old Louisiana Hayride show in the early 1950s. "I just think he has done almost as much as Elvis to put this place on the map," said Martha Phillips, an Orange County, Calif., resident who said she first visited the Hayride more than 50 years ago, even before Presley's first peformance there. With help from the Shreveport Downtown Development Authority, the local Elvis Angels Fan Club has raised nearly half the money needed for the $50,000 statue. ... Fans hope to unveiling the stature to kick off the James Burton International Guitar Festival set for Aug. 19-21 in Shreveport. The festival's main event, the "James Burton and Friends" concert, is set for Aug. 20 in Municipal Auditorium. Burton, a Louisiana-born musician who still calls Shreveport home, played with Elvis between 1969 and 1977. Johnny Wessler, executive director of Friends of the Municipal Auditorium, said plans are to put Burton's statue to the left side of Elvis. "That's where he always played, right over his left shoulder," Wessler said.
"That's the way it was in just about every picture you see. He's right there."
- Week of July 21: LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
(5th item)
(Metro Pulse, Week of July 21, 2005)
The odds against getting a royal flush in poker are 649,739 to 1. The odds that Elvis Presley is still alive are 1,000 to 1. The odds that the Loch Ness monster exists are 150 to 1. And the odds that Elvis will someday crash a UFO into the Loch Ness monster are 14 million to 1. If you would have asked me a month ago, Leo, I'd have given you similar odds, 14 million to 1, that you would ever walk on water while closing a big deal on your cell phone and seeing a double rainbow appear over a cloud that resembles your face. But as of today, the odds of that happening have dropped to a mere 10 to 1. Magic time begins now.
- The new, cool prize at MMP: A statuette of Elvis: NASCAR event winners will take home likeness of the King
By Craig Wack
(Commercial Appeal, July 21, 2005)
... Starting with Saturday's O'Reilly 200 Craftsman Truck Series race, winners of NASCAR events at MMP will take home a bronze likeness of the King of rock and roll himself, Elvis Presley.
"I don't want to make anybody mad at home, but this is huge," said Hamilton, who is defending champion of the O'Reilly 200. "I raced 15 years to try and win that guitar (at Nashville) and won it last year. The tie-in with Elvis is a great idea for the Memphis area and all of us Elvis fans out there. You bet we will be fighting for that trophy." Hamilton, along with his son, Nextel Cup driver Bobby Hamilton Jr., drove up to the gates of Graceland on Wednesday morning in race cars to help out with the unveiling.
It's becoming more common for tracks to award race trophies that are creative or that somehow represent the track. Nashville gives out a Gibson guitar painted by artist Sam Bass; Dover, the Monster Mile, gives out a concrete monster; and Texas hands out a giant cowboy boot. "This trophy is a signature piece that will stand alone in NASCAR's victory lanes," said Jason Rittenberry, MMP vice president and general manager. "Like our first-ever NASCAR night race this Saturday, the trophy is yet another chapter that we're proud to add to this city's storied sports history."
The statue is enough to make Bobby Jr., the 2003 winner of the Sam's Town 250 Busch Series race, come back this October to try to win his own Elvis. "I'm working on some stuff now, because I want to be a part of this," Bobby Jr. said. "I want to be first in line on who to wreck to get this. If you look at every trophy we race for in the Busch series ... this will be one of the coolest. I guarantee that'll be the hype when these guys get here. Forget about the money, forget about everything else if they could bring that trophy home."
MMP is adding a twist to their trophies -- there is a limited run of 12 made. Ten of the Elvis statuettes, which are 27 inches tall and 60 pounds of cast bronze each, will be awarded at races, one will be on display at Graceland and one will be at the MMP offices. The trophies are the continuation of a business relationship between Elvis Presley Enterprises and the racetrack, which started last year with Elvis's likeness placed on a Busch car and an NHRA dragster.
"Elvis was a sports enthusiast, cars were one of his passions, and he loved Memphis. This award in his image embodies all three," said Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. "Fans from around the world love Elvis, and now NASCAR drivers will have a chance to win the ultimate Elvis collectible."
John Tucker photography
- Baylor general counsel to retire
By Mike Anderson
(Waco Tribune-Herald, July 21, 2005)
In his four decades in Waco, Noley Bice has worn many hats: Baylor University general counsel, trial attorney, mediator, fly fisherman and even Elvis impersonator. On Wednesday, Bice announced he will retire one of those titles on Sept. 1 when he steps down as Baylor's lead in-house attorney. Baylor officials said associate general counsel Charles Beckenhauer will succeed Bice on an interim basis. ... A visit Wednesday to Bice's second-floor office in Pat Neff Hall gave some insight into what some of those leisure activities might be. Just inside the door was a big book filled with drawings of fly-fishing lures. A stereo played B.B. King and Eric Clapton. On the wall hung a large velvet painting of Elvis Presley. For the last several years, Bice has teamed with a group of attorneys and other friends to perform in a group called The Unnaturals. As the group's front man, Bice dresses up as Elvis in all his glory, complete with pompadour. The group has played at Baylor Christmas parties and other social gatherings. "We are non-talented non-professionals who just enjoy having a good time," Bice said. ...
- Gaughan's Recollections of Memphis Don't Match Stats
(CMT.com, July 19, 2005)
Sometimes a driver's feelings about a venue don't match reality. Memphis Motorsports Park is one of those places for driver Brendan Gaughan. Ask Gaughan about Memphis and he doesn't have fond recollections of the place, or at least the race track because he loves the tourist amenities of the area. But when talking about the track he's never optimistic.
Gaughan on Memphis:
You've had a 13th and an 8th in your two starts here:
"Really? A top 10? That surprises me. I've always done horrible there. For some reason I've felt that that track has never been that good to me. I've spun out and I've hit things. Rambo and I talked about it right after Kentucky. We've been making fun of each other. His first Busch race with the Herzog Motorsports team was at Kentucky and of course Rambo joined us and had to go to Texas and Michigan and Milwaukee and all these places that I had track records at and have won. So I asked Rambo and he said, 'How did you do at Memphis'? and I said, 'Horrible.' So he and I think we're going to do well since we're going to be at a track that we can't brag about.
"It's a fun little town. Sams Town is near and that's part of the Boyd Gaming Group, so we'll probably be visiting Sam's Town at some point that week. Then of course you have Beale Street, which is in my opinion the best thing about the Memphis track. After a tough day I can do down to Beale Street and we can have a party."
Are you an Elvis fan and have you seen Graceland?
I've not seen Graceland but you know I grow facial hair quite rapidly and a couple years ago I grew the actual Elvis chops and bought the glasses and showed up and got my man Rick Crawford to do the Elvis voice. I just look like him. I can do the look. It only takes me about four days to grow the chops."
- Chesney Sells Out Three Atlanta Shows
(CMT.com, July 19, 2005)
Kenny Chesney sold out all three of his recent Atlanta shows with fans purchasing nearly 18,000 tickets to each show of a three-night stand that ended Monday (July 18). He's the first artist to accomplish this feat at Philips Arena, and only Elton John and Elvis Presley sold out three consecutive concerts at the city's former arena, the Omni. To mark the occasion, the venue presented Chesney with a flat-screen TV, and several of his friends from the Virgin Islands flew in for a concert.
- It's in the Pop stars: Book 'Popstrology' shows how a 'birth song' predicts your life
By BILL HUTCHENS
(News Tribune, July 19, 2005)
There's a new pickup line brewing for the new millennium: "Hey, baby, what's your song?" Ian Van Tuyl, author of the book "Popstrology" and father of what he calls "the art and science of reading the pop stars," thinks there's a universe of meaning behind 331/3 years of hit songs. "Popstrology" is a painstakingly organized handbook for using pop music charts (or, more specifically, No. 1 songs) to discover how those songs might have influenced you in your formative years - and might still be influencing you today.
Van Tuyl's music commentary could help "reveal your personality traits, guide your relationships and discover your true destiny," according to the "Popstrology" jacket. "For me, discovering the fact that I was born when the Monkees were No. 1 was the epiphany that led to 'Popstrology,'" Van Tuyl said during a recent phone interview while walking his dog in upper Manhattan. "I never really found the right belief system I could get behind. Religion never really stuck with me," he said. But after that discovery, "things started falling into place." ... "I thought maybe the pop stars have some power beyond just making you want to dance or (have sex) or cry," Van Tuyl said.
... Van Tuyl uses 331/3 years of rock history to illustrate the music "coming in with a bang," by way of Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" in April 1956, and "going out with a whimper" with Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting for You" in August 1989. And then there's the fact that 331/3 just happens to be the play speed, in revolutions per minute, of a standard 12-inch record.
... But "Popstrology" isn't just about how the stars affect other stars. It's for the common man. At least one common man hates it. "It's just a colossal waste of energy and time," said Charlie Rice, owner of Tacoma's Drastic Plastic record store. He didn't even want to look up his birth song. "As if astrology wasn't bad enough." ...
- What Does Forest Lawn Have in Common with Elvis Presley, Pink Floyd, Frank Sinatra, Loretta Lynn, Bono, and Jimi Hendrix?
Source: Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries
(Yahoo! Finance / BUSINESS WIRE, July 19, 2005)
* The Answer Lies in Forest Lawn Museum's Ground-Breaking Exhibit, "Revolutions," Featuring Works by Artists Who Defined Musical Culture Visually as Well as a Special Showing of "Taken by Storm: the Album Art of Storm Thorgerson".
"Revolutions," a ground-breaking, free exhibit that features the artists behind the images synonymous with identifying the pop culture of the 60's and into the new Millennium, opens July 31st at the Forest LawnŽ Museum in Glendale. Showing never-before-seen art and original creations, from photographs to posters, original artwork used for albums and CDs, magazine art and drawings, the exhibit showcases artists who created visually beautiful and thought-provoking work cherished by the world's musical icons.
... Renowned in the music, arts and photography world, these artists have had some of the greatest influence on the evolution of graphic art as performance art aligned with the world's best musicians of every genre. From Michael Doret's infamous Kiss CD covers and Robert Grossman's Angel Elvis to Guy Webster's prolific and diverse works that include Bob Dylan, Igor Stravinsky, Janis Joplin, and the Monterey Pop Festival, over 20 artists have loaned more than 100 images. Even though some of these original creations have been used as reproductions for magazine covers, album or CD covers, all are being brought to the public for the first time ever in their original form. Many of these artists practiced their craft in the Los Angeles area, making this debut a homecoming for their works. ... The "Revolutions" exhibit is free and open to the public, and will run from July 31st to October 9th, 2005 at the Forest Lawn Museum, Forest Lawn-Glendale, 1712 S. Glendale Blvd., Glendale.
- Debbie Reynolds keeps on singin' and dancin' no matter what blows life deals her
By Joel Selvin
(San Francisco Chronicle, July 19, 2005)
For Debbie Reynolds, her work is her life. At an age when most of her Hollywood contemporaries are either retired or dead, the petite dynamo tours 40 weeks a year. "I've never had a problem drinking or drugging," the 73-year-old said. "I'm so busy working. I guess my drug is dancing. I get my kick on the stage. I just step on the stage and the pain of life passes and I'm happy. I love my work. That's my hobby." ... She shared the Top 10 at the height of the rock 'n' roll boom with Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers with "Tammy," a treacly ballad that she still sings in every performance. "I have to sing that, " she said from her Beverly Hills home across the street from her daughter and grandchild. "My audiences yell at me if I don't." ...
- Ed Williams: Ed thinks future seems promising for recent high school graduate
(Union Recorder, July 18, 2005)
Sometimes a person comes along that has potential greatness written all over them. That something special that Muhammed Ali, Elvis Presley, Ric Flair and a select handful of others possessed. That something that let's you know that you're in the presence of someone who literally transcends whatever their field of endeavor happens to be. Folks, these type people seldom come along, and if you read their biographies, you'll find that most knew years before they hit it big that they would. They just had that sort of "air" about them. And folks, I believe I've discovered a young man who possesses that same quality. That hint of greatness waiting to be realized. The young man I'm referring to lives in Houston County and his name is Derek Da Ron Winn. ...
- Elvis-A-Rama Gets Serious With Over $250,000 in Prizes/Cash: 'Don't Be Cruel' Reality TV Show Rock 'N' Rolling
Press Release Source: Elvis-A-Rama
(Yahoo! Finance / PRNewswire, July 18, 2005)
In 1954, Elvis Presley walked away from his everyday job as a truck driver into a recording studio, and his life was forever changed. Now a new reality television show, "Don't Be Cruel," will offer the same opportunity to the world's best Elvis tribute artist, who will drive away in a 1965 14-karat gold-plated Cadillac and record an unreleased song co-written by Presley in 1973.
"Don't Be Cruel" is currently in production, with the first casting call being held in Las Vegas this August 8-9, setting the stage for the creation of a new legend. Plans call for the winning contestant to also receive a $50,000 one-year "dream" performance contract at the new Elvis-A-Rama Experience, projected to open in the Hawaiian Islands in summer 2007. Hawaii was Elvis's favorite place to visit -- his legendary 1973 "Aloha from Hawaii" special was the first concert to be broadcast live via satellite, reaching more than a billion people.
Elvis-A-Rama, the popular Las Vegas attraction that showcases more than $6 million in authentic, Elvis-owned memorabilia, is spearheading the search for the second coming of the King. Founder and curator Chris Davidson, one of the world's most prominent private collectors of Elvis-owned material, is determined to scour the corners of the globe for the ultimate tribute artist. Those efforts will be recorded and televised in what is certain to be a hit show. ...
- Yesterday, I was Presley - today I am Lennon
(Weston Mercury, July 18, 2005)
The Beatles John, Paul, George and Ringo are alive and well and living in Worle thanks to the man who must be their biggest fan. Dave Presley ditched his Elvis surname and changed it to John Paul George Ringo Lennon. And it doesn't end there. The 54-year-old's daughter Caroline suffers from a similar strain of Beatlemania and has changed her surname to Lennon. She also decided to change her four-year-old son's name to Richard John Lennon. However Dave's second daughter, Kylie, is purely a Paul McCartney fan. She has changed her surname to Kylie McCartney. His third daughter, Selina, has decided to stick with the King of rock-and-roll and keep her Presley surname. The Beatles-mad family members changed the Presley family name at Bristol Magistrates Court - and now their passports and bank accounts show they are part of The Beatles family. ...
- Michael Jackson
By George Rush and Joanna Molloy
(Arizona Daily Star, July 18, 2005)
Possibility of jail chilled Jackson
He's a free man today. But Michael Jackson is said to have been so afraid of dying in prison that he planned to have his body frozen. Just like baseball Hall-of-Famer Ted Williams, Jackson discussed having his remains cryogenically preserved so that he might be brought back to life, according to author Michael Luckman. "Michael has gone to extreme lengths to achieve immortality," says Luckman, who met the pop star last year and remains tight with several Jacko associates.
Besides taking GH3, a Romanian-developed drug that purportedly makes you live longer, Jackson invested millions in DNA research in the hope of engineering perfect offspring, Luckman tells us. The self-sculpting Jackson is also said to have deposited his own genetic matter in three sperm banks around the world. Jackson's lawyer, John Branca, did not respond to detailed calls and e-mails. Luckman also delves into Jackson's fascination with UFOs in his book, "Alien Rock: The Rock 'n' Roll Extraterrestrial Connection" (VH1 and Pocket Books), due out July 26. Besides describing Jackson's alleged plan to build an alien landing pad in the Arizona desert, he writes about such extraterrestrial believers as Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and Jerry Garcia.
- Jews rock the world
By Nara Schoenberg
(Chicago Tribune , July 17, 2005)
This has been a heady year for the Jews of rock 'n' roll. After three fans announced their intention to launch a Web site called the Jewish Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the already well-established Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland sued for trademark infringement. Suddenly, a bevy of world-class lawyers was fighting over ... the right to tell the stories of Gene Simmons, Michael Bolton and four-fifths of the J. Geils Band. Then, a few weeks ago, the legal clouds lifted sufficiently to allow the three fans - New Yorker writer Jeffrey Goldberg, Washington Post reporter David Segal and radio executive Allen Goldberg (no relation to Jeffrey) - to launch their diplomatically renamed site, Jewsrock.org.
So now, the world has a place to go if it wants to find out whether Paula Abdul is Jewish, how Alan "Moondog" Freed helped set rock 'n' roll in motion, who Nudie Cohn was and why David Lee Roth is a hero to his people. In honor of the occasion, we asked Jeffrey Goldberg about the Web site, the Jewish contribution to rock 'n' roll, and his own experience at the hands of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The following is an edited transcript:
...
Q. So it still counts?
A. It totally counts. I mean, we;re not judging people and their commitment to Judaism, we;re simply saying these are people who are Americans and Jews and have done something interesting in music. But the fact is, he came back. And that;s what counts. And, in all seriousness, I;m surprised at the depth of the American Jewish contribution to rock 'n' roll, not only in terms of performers, but in terms of the people who define the canon in some way. I mean, Leiber and Stoller, two Jewish boys from Los Angeles, wrote Elvis Presley's biggest songs. That's kind of interesting and it's not well-known. ...
- Fire Ruins Home, Not Gratitude:
Woman who lost newly rented space receives gifts from friends, strangers
By Gabrielle Finley
(The Ledger, July 17, 2005)
It was a long week for Janice Sansom and family. Monday afternoon, a fire wiped out their newly rented mobile home on Marjorie Road in a matter of minutes. They hadn't even finished moving in. ... Meanwhile, the family is savoring the few personal mementos that were saved.
Her granddaughter's baby clothes and family photos survived the fire.
Sansom even recovered two pictures from her Elvis Presley collection. The entire collection, which included records, T-shirts, refrigerator magnets and music boxes, was worth about $3,500, she said. ...
- The coolest cool concert stories: Seeing Elvis... sorta
(second news item)
By Lita Quick, Wichita
(Wichita Eagle, July 17, 2005)
My coolest concert was when I went to Elvis Presley. My ex-husband was in the Army, stationed in Hawaii. I went to Elvis Presley's last concert in Hawaii. Myself and three friends purchased three tickets and were on the third row. Well, that morning as I was getting ready, I lost one of my contacts, and back in the '70s, you could not replace them as fast as you can today. I was so angry because I was not going to wear my glasses to see Elvis. We went to the concert anyway, even though I could not see him real clear.
I was really desperate to see him, so during one of his songs, I went over to the side of the stage so I could see him up close and one of his body guards almost didn't let me. But I explained what happened and he said I could stay for a couple of minutes, then I would have to take my seat. I said, 'OK,' and thanked him. After Elvis had just finished a song and I was getting up to go to my seat, the spotlight came on me and he started singing "Love Me Tender" and he started walking over to where I was. I tried to leave but the body guard would not let me. Elvis came over to me and put a green scarf with his name on it and kissed my cheek. Then, he went to the front of the stage and was doing the same to all the girls at the front.
I was so embarrassed but happy at the same time. Needless to say, my friends were mad and happy at me. I have been to a lot of concerts, but this had to be the greatest and an experience that will stay with me forever.
- Gospel music, Elvis part of MSU history
(Murray Ledger-Times, July 18, 2005)
Pete Lancaster remembers it like it happened yesterday. All he was doing one July day in 1975 was a favor for then-Murray State University President Dr. Constantine Curris by offering whatever assistance he could to those running the Blackwood Stamps School of Music, co-headlined by legendary Gospel acts the Blackwood Brothers and J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet. That included period visits to the Regents Hall headquarters for those acts to see if there was anything they needed. Then the phone rang and, with nobody manning the residence hall's main office, Lancaster decided to answer it, having no clue with whom he was about to speak.
"I said, 'Regents Hall, this is Pete Lancaster. How may I help you?' And the person said, 'Uh, yeah Pete, is J.D. Sumner there?' So I hand him the phone and he says in that low voice of his, 'Oh, hello Elvis,'" Lancaster remembered, realizing how he had no idea that the voice had been that of the King of Rock n' Roll himself, Elvis Presley. "No, I really didn't, but you're just not expecting something like that.
Sumner and his group no doubt received added attention from the music world through the relation with Presley, but the group proved it could more than make a name for itself on its own. Actually, that was probably etched into stone many years earlier. The Stamps bear the name of V.O. Stamps, the man credited with first making Gospel music a widely-known, commercial commodity. He founded the School of Music in 1924 and eventually formed the first version of the Stamps Quartet. Since then, the group has achieved perennial power status in the Gospel world with the a cappella version of "Sweet, Sweet Spirit" still stirring audiences to this day, around five years after Sumner's death at the age of 73. ...
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