early October, 2005
- I'd quit cricket to sing for a living, says Flintoff
By Rob Watts
(Telegraph, October 9 2005, 2pp.)
He has terrified Australian opposition with his fiery fast bowling and his swash-buckling strokeplay. But for years England's cricketing colossus Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff has been tormenting his teammates with something almost as fearful - his singing. Now The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that, after crooning Tom Jones and Elton John hits in dressing rooms all over the world, the England all-rounder is starting singing lessons and is on the verge of entering a recording studio. There is even talk of a Freddie Flintoff single. ... Flintoff's vocal coach Jon Christos will not reveal what Flintoff will record. The cricketer is known to be an avid Elvis Presley fan, although he kick-started England's Ashes celebrations at the Oval last month by roaring through some Elton John classics. "I promised Fred I would not give away what we're doing," Christos said. "It's not Elvis. He had a couple of tracks in mind. All I can say is that they'll have a Rat Pack feel."
- Bill Stewart, folksy radio announcer, owner, dies at 84
By Trudi Hahn
(Star Tribune, October 9 2005, 2pp.)
?Bill Stewart, a radio man who loved to inspire people and insisted on freedom of speech even when he didn't agree with the views expressed, died Tuesday after fighting Parkinson's disease for 32 years. He was 84. He and his wife, Betty Ann, met "over what Bill always called a hot microphone" at Purdue University's WBAA and married a few years later while working at radio stations in Fort Wayne, Ind. ... Station license finally in hand, the Stewarts put WPBC on the air on Oct. 18, 1949, with a daylight-only schedule. In 1953, Stewart told the Minneapolis Star that they wanted their station to "be godly without giving religion in big doses." He sprinkled his daily show, "Scrapbook," with homilies, quotations and homespun philosophy. ... The music on WPBC was mostly hit parade material, but when they saw Elvis Presley on "The Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey Show" on TV in December 1955, they had some long talks. "If we had to play junky music with morally degrading lyrics, we'd get out of the business," Stewart told the Minneapolis Tribune in 1969.
They switched to semi-classical music and confined the popular hits to the noon hour. ...
- Soul Man: In Sam Cooke, master biographer Peter Guralnick has found a fascinating successor to his last subject, Elvis Presley
By JAMES MARCUS
(NYNewsday.com, October 9 2005, 2pp.)
DREAM BOOGIE: The Triumph of Sam Cooke, by Peter Guralnick. Little, Brown, 750 pp., $27.95.
Peter Guralnick's last project was a two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, whose hip-swiveling passage through American life he recorded with supreme tact and the sort of investigatory zeal we expect from, say, Robert Caro. "Last Train to Memphis" and "Careless Love" won extravagant praise and popular acclaim. But what would the author do for an encore? How could Guralnick possibly find another figure of comparable interest? Well, he found one. Sam Cooke - gospel wunderkind and the Thomas Edison of soul music - was born in Clarksdale, Miss., in 1931. He grew up in the Bronzeville section of Chicago with eight siblings and a fire-and-brimstone preacher for a father. But as Guralnick recounts in "Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke," he was always the household favorite, a charmer noted for "the infectiousness of his grin, or his unquenchable enthusiasm." ...
- Peoria resident brings back the magic that was Elvis
(kvoa.com, October 8 2005, 2pp.)
Anytime Paul Spoonmore is going about his life, working as a mechanic for Southwest Airlines, pumping gas, washing his car in the driveway or hanging out at a local bar, at least one person will mention the E-word. "What, do you think you're Elvis?" It's a question the Peoria resident didn't have to worry about a little more than a year ago when he had long sandy blonde hair and no sideburns. Those days are gone, though, since August 2004 when friends convinced Spoonmore to perform an Elvis tribute show. ... He has become a very strong performer. Strong enough to impress Emil Flaim, whose band would back up the King's crew and also was the opening act on the 1956 Vaudeville show featuring Elvis. "I knew the real Elvis," Flaim said. "From when I was with him in '56, Paul (Spoonmore) has a lot of the same mannerisms -- laid back, shy. Elvis was a country boy back then." ...
- Youthful passion for the old ways: A singer-songwriter makes no apologies for her middle-of-the-road popularity
By George Palathingal
(Sydney Morning Herald, October 8 2005, 2pp.)
Katie Melua's debut album, Call off the Search, found its way onto more than a million coffee tables in Britain last year, putting her somewhere on the musical map between Norah Jones and Jamie Cullum. "Edgy" or "groundbreaking" aren't the first words you might use to describe Melua's light, stripped-back, jazzy pop. "For me," she says, "music isn't about trying to be cool, it's about making things that you feel passionate about. And this is a style that I feel passionate about." ... Given further prompting, she instead explains why she thinks the music she makes, which she admits "some would call old-fashioned", is so popular. "I think it's about challenging people," she says. "It's about not giving them, like, tons of production and, y' know, people looking really sexy. It's just about music. I think people have just wanted something presented in a very simple way. ... if you look at great artists like Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, they all did songs that other people wrote," she says. "There is this unwritten law these days that if you don't write your own songs then you're not a real artist. That's not fair because interpretation, it's the hardest thing. You kind of can't get your own songs wrong. But when you sing someone else's song, you're jumping off a high cliff." ...
- Memory of Elvis still vivid
By Melissa Sanchez
(Star-Telegram, October 7 2005)
Sonny West is takin' care of business. The former bodyguard for Elvis Presley is traveling with the King's Ransom exhibit, which features about 250 of Presley's personal belongings and is on display at the State Fair of Texas. West, 67, recently talked about how he became the King's bodyguard, what Presley always carried with him and what Presley would think about his daughter Lisa Marie's career.
Question: How did you first meet Elvis?
Answer: We went to the same high school, but we were in different grades. The first time I saw him playing was at Tech High School in Louisiana in 1954. We were sitting on the lawn, and he walked over with his guitar and started playing That's Alright Mama. I thought, "He's pretty good."
Q: When did you become his bodyguard?
A: In April 1960, my cousin Red West brought me to meet Elvis. Red had defended him throughout high school where kids tried to beat him up because of his long hair. When we spoke, he asked me to be his bodyguard.
Q: Did Elvis really keep a gun in his boot?
A: Yes, he always did. One time, he was riding a motorcycle and lost it. He spent two hours looking for it on the road because he didn't want some kid to get a hold of it and hurt himself. (The gun is on display in the King's Ransom exhibit.)
Q: Is it a myth that Elvis never wore a watch?
A: Yes, he loved jewelry. He just got bored of it very fast and gave it away to buy more. He never carried a wallet though, just his American Express card.
Q: You're wearing a gold necklace with a lightning bolt surrounded by the letters T.C.B. What does it mean?
A: Elvis designed it in 1970. It was his motto: "takin' care of business in a flash." He only gave it to close friends and family.
Q: When did you see Elvis start to deteriorate?
A: In '74, we started to see a change. He was taking drugs for an ingrown toenail even though he wasn't in any pain. He had an addictive nature and he couldn't beat it. I asked him "Elvis, what about the good old days when you didn't need any of that stuff?" and he said,"There are no more good old days."
Q: When was the last time you talked to Elvis?
A: On my birthday, July 5, 1976. We had just finished a tour in Memphis and I drove him home in his white Lincoln limo. He loved my wife's cooking so I asked him if he had any birthday cake and he said he was going to have some brought up to his room. He walked away and I never saw him again. He fired me eight days later because of expenses. But it wasn't that. He replaced us. Elvis didn't want us to try and stop his drug problem anymore.
Q: How did you find out about his death on August 16, 1977?
A: My wife and I were showing and breeding horses at the home of a doctor and his wife. It was dismal outside that day -- raining really bad. The doctor came out of the house as we were trying to calm the stallion and said "Sonny, have you heard?" and I answered, "Elvis died." I fell to my knees and cried. I'll never get over his death.
Q: Have you been back to Graceland?
A: I tried to go in 1997, but I just couldn't. There was a huge crowd in front and when I got close all I could see was his grave. I had to leave. There were too many memories there.
Q: If Elvis were alive today, what artists do you think he would admire?
A: Celine Dion. Boy, would he love her. She sings with so much emotion just like he did. He would love Mariah Carey's range and Whitney Houston too. He always did love Tina Turner.
Q: What would he think about his daughter's Lisa Marie's career?
A: I don't think he would be very happy. Her lyrics are so dark. She doesn't have his showmanship or charisma. At one concert, someone even yelled at her,"You ain't yer daddy, honey."
Q: What do you think about the whole Elvis experience?
A: It was a wild ride. He was humble and unaffected by his fame. He loved his fans. I always say, but not in a religious way, that Elvis and Jesus are the two most popular people this world has ever known.
...
- Serendipity and talent fueled guitarist's career: Sharon Isbin to play 2 Vivaldi concertos with Zurich ensemble
By STEVEN BROWN
(Charlotte Observer, October 7 2005)
Many musicians take up their instruments because an irresistible fascination draws them in. Not Sharon Isbin. "I started by default," Isbin said. Her brother, dreaming of being the next Elvis Presley, had signed up for guitar lessons at a music school. Then he found that the school taught only classical guitar. "He bowed out," Isbin said in a telephone interview. "And I volunteered out of family duty." ... In a few years, the youngster staked her claim in a corner of the musical world long dominated by men. ...
- Texas' Brown trying to avoid Royal letdown
By Jake Curtis
(San Francisco Chronicle, October 7 2005)
Somewhere in the back of Mack Brown's mind he must hear Elvis crooning, "It's Now or Never." We're referring to Elvis Presley and his 1960 hit, of course, not Elvis Peacock, a star running back at Oklahoma in the mid-'70s when the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry was as big as it is now and when the Sooners dominated as they do now. Darrell Royal won two national titles as Texas' coach, but he retired after the 1976 season, having gone winless in his final six games against Oklahoma. There are those who say the angst of the Oklahoma-Texas rivalry led Royal to retire. Which brings us to Brown, the current Texas coach whose team has finished each of the past five seasons ranked in the top 12, including three in the top six. However, all five of those seasons included a loss to Oklahoma and coach Bob Stoops, leading to a lot of criticism of Brown in Longhorn country. ...
- You know you make me wanna Shout!
By Raven Tyson
(Daily Aztec, October 6 2005)
It's showtime - and everyone is the performer. The Shout! House isn't the average some run-of-the-mill bar; the atmosphere is set with two dueling pianos, a dancing wait staff, singing patrons and plenty of alcohol. From Elvis Presley to Gwen Stefani, Elton John to the Rolling Stones, Sublime to Garth Brooks and everything in between, The Shout! House piano players cover every decade and music genre anyone could ask for. The pianos - set up face to face - adorn the stage with two large mirrors illuminating from behind. Throughout the night, the pianists - in teams of two - play audience requests, engage the crowd in sing-a-longs and add their own adult humor to many all-time favorites. ...
- U2 blinds Boston with a fever pitch show
By Timothy Malcolm
(Daily Free Press, October 6 2005)
They came to the United States in 1982 enamored of American culture. They wore cowboy hats, dressed in black and carried replicas of the guitars played by B.B. King, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins. More than 20 years later America is now enamored with their every move. Led by their kingly singer, U2 rocked a sold-out crowd Monday night at the TD BankNorth Garden with a sonic throttling of echo-inducing guitars, pounding drums and the screams of thousands of fans. Throughout the show Bono stuttered, strutted and sauntered on a curvaceous walkway that made him one with his audience. ...
- Performance of Elvis' in Lamar
By WILLIAM THOMPSON
(Lamar Daily News, October 6 2005)
A Hawaiian luau is set for Oct. 15 at the Lamar Community Building, and nationally-recognized Elvis Presley impersonator Endre "Elvis" Samu will perform a rendition of Presley's famous "Aloha from Hawaii" concert that evening. Myrna DuVall, owner of Chez W. DuVall's Restaurant in Granada, said she first brought Samu to Granada for a performance about a decade ago. "Some of the people who heard him thought he was lip-synching to actual Elvis songs, he was that good," DuVall said. "He has been on the Today Show." ...
- World's best 'Elvis' to shake up the stage in native Cyprus
(Yahoo! News / AFP, October 6 2005)
His hip-swaying moves and throaty renditions of Elvis hits have earned Cypriot Mario Kombou the title of "World's Best Elvis Impersonator," and next week he is to grace the stage before adoring fans on his native island. The Elvis tribute singer has been in big demand since he was crowned "The King" in Memphis, Tennessee in the "Images of the King Contest" on August 16, when he was catapulted to international fame. People come from all corners of the globe to compete in what is regarded as the world's biggest and most prestigious competition, taking place on the anniversary of Elvis' death and held annually in Elvis' hometown. ... The British-born Cypriot from London's Muswell Hill has come a long way from being a one-time hairdresser and practicing his Elvis moves in front of a mirror. ...
- Berra finds Elvis and Webster inspiring
By MARK BONTHRONE
(scotsman.com, October 6 2005)
CHRISTOPHE BERRA could be forgiven for being frustrated at seeing his path to the Hearts top team blocked by internationalists Steven Pressley and Andy Webster - but rather than bemoaning the fact the youngster has revealed he relishes the chance to learn from them on a day-to-day basis. ... But while other more impatient players might be voicing their discontent about seeing their club careers stall Berra knows he still has plenty of time on his side. And furthermore he believes that training with both players and watching them in action, soaking up any hints and tips offered, can only make him a better player for the future. Andy is still quite young himself but he already has so much experience and both him and Elvis [Steven Pressley] have been a big help. ...
- Reinventing a Classic
By Pamela Robin Brandt
(Miami New Times, October 6 2005)
In the early Nineties, before South Beach rents became terminally stratospheric, there was no lack of fun-fueled, reasonably priced neighborhood eateries -- like Lulu's, a Southern truck stop on acid whose entire second floor was designed as a shrine to Elvis Presley. Then there was the Strand (the original one, on Washington Avenue), strongly geared toward locals yet hip enough to draw visiting celebrities. ...
- Mashups are everywhere you look in entertainment world
By TIM CAIN
(Herald & Review, dated September 30, found October 6 2005)
For the technologically meek, terms like "mashups," "bootleggers" and "cut and paste" may cause anxiety. But there's no need to be afraid. Just think about Elvis Presley, Kurt Vonnegut or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. They're essentially all the same thing. We've been living in a mashup society for at least the last century. The easiest definition of a mashup is taking at least two distinct pieces of something to make a unique third whole. Most recently, the practice reached the mainstream musically when radio stations across the country played "Boulevard of Broken Songs," a mashup of Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and Oasis' "Wonderwall," with Aerosmith's "Dream On" thrown in at the end for good measure.
... Perhaps the form that borrows the most from itself and is best-suited to mashups is music. In the 20th century alone, forms melded into one another and created new genres with which today's listeners are more familiar. Bluegrass and western swing melded and, with some input from the folk music brought to the United States by European immigrants and a little bit of gospel, became country (or country-western). Blues and jazz combined and begat rhythm and blues. A lover of all types of music, a poor young man from Mississippi named Elvis Presley combined all of the styles and helped popularize a form of music that today - more than 50 years after his first recording and more than 25 years after his death - is a multi-billion dollar industry. ...
- An urgent call to the dictionary police
By Sarah Hall
(mcall.com, October 6 2005)
Today we celebrate the latest entries to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. ... One of the obligations of the dictionary folks is to define words and terms that have taken root in American conversation. It generally results in several new entries each year. ... The Merriam-Webster staff is to be commended for keeping up with the verbal Joneses of the English language. Those folks certainly don't seem to miss much. It's hard to argue that when it comes to words, the keepers of American dictionaries probably have the last one. If that's the case, I think we need to give them more license, ostensibly make them the dictionary police. What words they add they should be able to take away, or at least demand they be used in some way where we can keep them reasonably straight. ... Brad Pitt may be awesome in the eyes of a lot of young women, but if he really was, Jennifer Aniston wouldn't have let him get away. And your mom's pasta sauce was never awesome no matter what secret ingredient she put in it. At best, the writer and the pasta sauce should be deemed "great." If we need to describe Brad with a little more buzz, then he's "cool." It's true cool isn't a word with a consistent definition either, but somehow, especially since the days of James Dean and Elvis Presley, it's morphed into the right effect to for just about any situation, unless of course it's "un-cool." ...
- Wichita broadcaster Lee Nichols dead at 99
By Sarah Hall
(Austin American-Statesman, October 6 2005)
Lee Nichols, who spent more than 20 years as a broadcaster in Wichita [Kan], has died. He was 99. Nichols died Saturday in Spearman, Texas, where his funeral was held Wednesday. A native of Amarillo, Texas, Nichols came to Wichita in 1951 as a disc jockey at KWBB. He became one of the first Kansas disc jockeys to play rock 'n' roll music, and in 1956 he introduced Elvis Presley to more than 4,000 screaming fans at a Wichita concert. ...
- Former Nevada Supreme Court Justice David Zenoff dead at 89
By Sarah Hall
(Channel 4 KRNV / Associated Press, October 6 2005)
Funeral services are scheduled Thursday in San Diego for former Nevada Supreme Court Justice David Zenoff, who died Monday at age 89. Zenoff is remembered for officiating at Elvis Presley's marriage, founding a Las Vegas-area youth camp and being a leveling influence on the court. His daughter, Terrie Zenoff Sanders of Phoenix, recalls that her father presided over the 1959 divorce of actors Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, and attended Fisher's wedding later that year to actress Elizabeth Taylor. ...
- Johnstown jailhouse rockin' for a cause
(The Advocate, October 5 2005)
To celebrate the 70th birthday of Elvis Presley, the Johnstown Historical Society cordially invites you to attend "Jailvis," the first annual Elvis-Fest. The proceeds of this celebration are to fund the renovation of the historic Johnstown Jail and expansion of the museum rooms. The Jailvis Shoppe will make available numerous items of Elvis and of Johnstown. You can have your photo taken with Elvis for $2. ...
At 8 p.m. the Opera House will feature nearly twenty vocalists expressing Elvis' musical legacy in the Jailhouse Rock Concert. Admission is $5. The door will open at seven for those wanting to visit the Jailvis Shop, have their photo taken with Elvis, or visit the museum room prior to the concert. No taping will be permitted. On Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. the Elvis-Fest continues with a Look-Alike Competition and Auction. Donations of products and services from the businessmen, and Elvis sights and sounds will be available for bid. The $5 admission charge will give you five one dollar tickets to spend in the Jailvis Shoppe or for the auction action. Doors will open one hour prior to the event.
- United Way bets on casino atmosphere to help raise funds
By KRISTA LEWIN
(Journal Gazette/Times, October 5 2005)
Members of the United Way of Coles County auction committee believed it was a sure bet that the music of Elvis serenading attendees and the casino-styled atmosphere would fuel the fun and help drive up the bids during the annual fund-raiser. "It's a Sure Bet with the United Way" was this year's theme. People entering the auction area Tuesday night at the Cross County Mall were encouraged to sign up for the 50/50 drawing or sign up for an auction number for the silent auction and the live auction. Every dollar raised at this auction and the golf outing pays for administrative costs, said Rick Hall, auction committee member. That way when people pledge during the year, they know that their money is going directly to the agencies, he said. "Plus, it's fun," said Hall. ...
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