early October 2007
- ELVIS ON DECK
(New York Post, October 12, 2007)
ELVIS was definitely in the building the other night when Bill Clinton hosted a book party at Tabla for daughter Chelsea's ex-boyfriend, Ian Klaus. To fete "Elvis Is Titanic," which chronicles his adventures as a teacher in Iraqi Kurdistan, Klaus piped in wall-to-wall Presley hits and snacks like cajun popcorn. Klaus, who's already pounding out a sequel, told us he can't take credit for the title - it came when he asked a class if they knew who Presley was, and one student answered in broken English, "Of course we know . . . Elvis is Titanic. He is like Titanic of music." Guests included Turkish ambassador Falah Bahir, Bill Buford, Orhan Pamuk and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild.
- Bing still matters
By TED NESI
(Sun Chronicle, October 11, 2007)
A few months back, America observed the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. Radio stations played Elvis marathons, and loyal fans made the pilgrimage to Graceland. Life magazine, which ceased publication in April, still published a special tribute issue. Why all the fuss? A headline in the Chicago Sun-Times gave an explanation: "30 years after death," the paper declared, "Elvis still matters."
This coming Sunday also marks 30 years since the death of a pop culture icon, perhaps the only man who can challenge Elvis in the pantheon of stars: Bing Crosby.
The two men were a generation apart - in fact, Elvis's ascendance brought down the curtain on the era that Crosby dominated completely.
In "A Pocketful of Dreams," jazz historian Gary Giddins' definitive 2001 book on Crosby's early years, the author laments that Americans today fail to appreciate the crooner's pivotal role as the founding father of modern pop culture. "That was the cost of having played Everyman too long and too well," Giddins writes. "Harry Lillis Crosby" - Bing's given name - "was the most influential and successful popular performer in the first half of the twentieth century."
Giddins compiled an astonishing set of statistics to make the Crosby case, which extends far beyond music:
- Bing made the most popular recording of all time, "White Christmas," a 50-million-seller that hit the Top 40 in every year but one between 1942 and 1962, and still made the charts as recently as 1998.
- Bing had an eye-popping 396 hit records between 1927 and 1962; by comparison, Frank Sinatra had 209, Elvis 149, and the Beatles a paltry 68.
- Bing holds the all-time record for #1 hits, with 38, far outdistancing the Beatles' 24 and Elvis's 18.
- Bing was also a movie star - between 1915 and 1980, he was the only actor to rank as the #1 box office attraction five times, and he made the top ten a total of 15 times between 1934 and 1954.
- Bing won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1944, and was nominated twice more.
- Bing was an accomplished broadcaster, too - he was a top radio star from 1931 to 1962, longer than any other entertainer, and he later became a fixture on television variety shows and his annual Christmas specials.
But an array of facts and stats can only begin to convey just how much Crosby dominated American life in the years before and after World War II. The first bona fide modern superstar, he was a living, breathing, crooning institution.
"The thing you have to understand about Bing Crosby," jazz legend Artie Shaw said in 1992, "is that he was the first hip white person born in the United States." Like Walt Whitman or Bob Dylan, Bing's was an authentically American voice - breezy and confident, colloquial, a little sentimental, and eminently democratic.
Yet despite all that, 30 years after his death, Crosby is not the same fixture in American pop culture as his two direct descendants, Sinatra and Elvis, who followed him in the pop culture parade. Their legacies are well established. Bing, on the other hand, is brought out only once a year, at Christmas, with the ornaments and the electric window candles, to provide the yuletide soundtrack. It's a nice legacy, but there's so much more. Happily, an abundance of terrific Crosby material is available these days, like the CD release of "Fancy Meeting You Here," his freewheeling collaboration with Rosemary Clooney from 1958, or the pristine DVD edition of the bubbly 1954 blockbuster "White Christmas," also with Clooney, that captures Crosby at his most effervescent. ...
- Sara Bareilles' 'Little Voice' makes it big
By Ashley Bailey
(Eureka Reporta, October 11, 2007)
Eureka native Sara Bareilles joined the ranks among celebrated musicians such as Elvis Presley, Madonna, the Rolling Stones and Justin Timberlake when she performed her first show at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Wednesday night. ...
- Memphis producing top prospects
By Barton Simmons, Rivals.com
(USA Today, October 10, 2007)
Memphis has a reputation built on two big things: Barbecue and Elvis Presley. After this week, that reputation may need to be adjusted to include big-time football prospects. Following LSU's Saturday night win over Florida in Baton Rouge, the Tigers received some good news when 6-foot-6, 315-pound Memphis native Alex Hurst committed to LSU. Hurst's commitment came just days after fellow Memphis star Antonio Harper committed to Miami to play linebacker. ...
- Worth the Trip: Antiques stores bring Miami to life
By Marija Potkonjak
(East Valley Tribune, dated September 21st 2007, found October 10, 2007)
People collect everything - busts of Elvis Presley, frog salt and pepper shakers, Mickey Mouse phones - and somehow all of it seems to end up in Miami, Ariz. "You'd be surprised," says Gene Brass, co-owner of Grandma Weezy's Attic. "We just bought a bulldog collection."
Miami's Sullivan Street is the heart of antiquing in the Cobre Valley. Once temperatures cool, Valley residents and winter visitors will make the drive east to find that must-have item at the perfect price. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays are the time to go, because all the shops are open for business. ... On a weekday, Sullivan Street might just be a ghost town. Nary a soul is on the streets of downtown Miami. Only a few shops are open. But Friday morning, the street awakens and Miami becomes a quarter of the bustling town it once was. Between Miami and Globe there are about 30 stores to choose from. If you have a particular store in mind, it's always a good idea to call ahead.
While you're there
Check out the Elvis memorabilia at Grandma Weezy's Attic, 411 Sullivan St., Miami. (928) 473-9004. ...
- Exclusive: listen to a track from Paul Anka's new album
(timesonline.co.uk, October 9, 2007)
How does a man who has written hits for Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Tom Jones and Buddy Holly celebrate 50 years in the music industry? He releases an album, of course.
After a lifetime of being covered by others, singer and songwriter Paul Anka turns the tables on Classic Songs, My Way, with renditions of songs by Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel and The Killers.
But a man responsible for monster hits such as My Way, made famous by Frank Sinatra, and Shešs a Lady, performed by Tom Jones, canšt release an album solely filled with covers.
The Canadian has also collaborated with Jon Bon Jovi and Michael Buble to include new renditions of his hits My Way and You Are My Destiny.
Classic Songs, My Way is released on October 15 by Universal Music TV.
- Saloon's new owners add flair with famous figures, 'some TLC'
By Niis Bue
(Daily News Online, October 9, 2007)
Lifesize likenesses of John Wayne and Elvis Presley greet people in the Pastime Saloon, reflecting the new owners' admiration for the late performers. Jerry and Beverly Gravette, who moved to Castle Rock two years ago, both are big fans of John Wayne but Beverly is the one who especially likes Elvis. ...
- AVRev.com to Give Away the 'Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time' this October - Artists Include Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Eagles
(Yahoo! News / PRWEB, October 9, 2007)
Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and Radiohead fail to crack top 100.
To celebrate the release of their "Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time" list, online audio/video publication AVRev.com is giving away all 100 albums. From now until October 31, 2007, anyone over 18 years of age can log on to AVRev.com and click the "Top 100 Rock Albums of All Time" link and enter to win these 100 compact discs. The winner will be announced in early November on http://www.avrev.com.
Rather than pick albums based purely on emotional impact and popularity, AVRev.com's panel of judges used a mathematical system to establish scores in various categories such as Performance, Songs and Songwriting, Sound, Production, and more. ... A discussion group was created for fans to vent about their favorite records being omitted from the list or to praise the brilliance of the AVRev.com judges' picks. This discussion group is at http://www.avrevforum.com/ ...
- A Bridge From Rock to Jazz
By WILL FRIEDWALD
(New York Sun, October 9, 2007)
There's a concert recording of Elvis Presley playing in Las Vegas in 1973 in which he does something remarkable: He launches into "Hound Dog," one of his earliest blockbusters, but instead of giving it the familiar 1956 rhythm-and-blues-style treatment, he sings it completely differently, back-phrasing it over a funk vamp inspired by Motown and Southern swamp rock. The point isn't that the new treatment is better, but that it shows that Elvis, at this late stage in his career (though he was only 38) had the capacity to experiment and grow as an artist. He had the restless nature not to leave well enough alone, and was motivated to retool his signature works, the way Frank Sinatra did with "All or Nothing at All" and John Coltrane did with "My Favorite Things."
The great barrier between rock and jazz is not just one of rhythm, harmony, and instrumentation, but the concept of interpretation. That's the meat of the matter that separates rock-oriented pop from jazz and pop that's based on the Great American Songbook. Rock hinges on the idea that there is only one definitive version of any given song, usually by the guy who wrote it. All other performances of the song are not interpretations, as they are in the world of Sinatra and Coltrane, but mere covers.
Interestingly, 2007 may be remembered as the year in which more jazz musicians than ever made efforts to break down these boundaries. In only the past few months, we've discussed in these pages albums by jazz musicians addressing the music of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and, most recently, Herbie Hancock's magnum Joni Mitchell opus. Now, you can add Elvis Presley and Elton John to the list of rock icons whose work has been retooled for jazz purposes.
There have been jazz tributes to everyone from President Kennedy to Burt Bacharach. But until now, no jazz project has gone directly into the heart of rock 'n' roll and addressed the canon of the music's single most dynamic and central figure, the King himself (and I don't mean Oliver, Nat Cole, or Benny Goodman). Pianist Cyrus Chestnut's new album, "Cyrus Plays Elvis," is the first full-length homage (that I know of) by a major jazz artist to the man who almost single-handedly affected the greatest sea change in all of American pop.
As a Southern musician whose playing is immersed in gospel, blues, and soul, Mr. Chestnut is a likely candidate to reinterpret Presley's catalog, from early breakthroughs like "Don't Be Cruel" to such mature statements as "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto." What's commendable is that Mr. Chestnut doesn't feel the need to get all downtown and weird on us - he puts his personal stamp on the material while staying true to the spirit of the originals. "Minds" is still a dance-driven vamp with a minor undercurrent that mirrors the message of the text; "Ghetto" is a slow, somber ballad with a spiritual message - even the way the title phrase repeats itself suggests a church choir.
- David Main, 52, really was larger than life: David Main was known for imitating celebrities
By Paul Willis, Special To The Rocky
(rockymountainnews.com, October 8, 2007)
When people said David Main was larger than life, they weren't dabbling in hyperbole. Mr. Main was a large man - most of his adult days he carried about 400 pounds on his 5-foot-6 frame - but his stature was only part of the reason for the description.
With a voice that enabled him to successfully mimic several key figures in American history, such as Elvis Presley and John Wayne, a seemingly innate talent for music and a personality that enriched nearly everyone he encountered - including those whose vehicles he repossessed and nurses who provided care for him during his final days - Mr. Main was, in many ways, larger than life. "Everyone who was at his funeral, they couldn't say a bad word about him," Kelly Main said of his brother, who died Sept. 22 at St. Joseph's Hospital from complications stemming from his weight. ...
- Tennessee's Music Highway
By ROBERT HILBURN. Los Angeles Times Service
(Miami Herald, October 8, 2007)
Knowing how obsessed Elvis fans can be, I wasn't surprised when my wife and I drove up to the Heartbreak Hotel and found, true to the song's lyrics, that it actually was ''down at the end of Lonely Street'' and that the desk clerk was ``dressed in black.''
Our room was lined with photos of the King, and two TV channels were devoted 24/7 to Elvis Presley's music and movies. And, as expected, the souvenir shop contained Elvis novelties such as Love Me Tender tea sets and copies of the work shirt a teenage Presley wore when he drove a truck for Crown Electric. (Guess which one I bought.)
But one thing that did surprise me on this, the first night of our five-day Memphis and Nashville music tour, was the Elvis look-alike chatting it up in the lobby. You might expect an official greeter in a Vegas skyscraper but hardly at a modest, 128-room place like this.
It wasn't until I saw him chowing down on biscuits and gravy at the complimentary breakfast the next morning that I realized the laugh was on me. The guy wasn't a hotel employee but another guest, which brings us back to the point about obsessed Elvis fans.
More than 50,000 flock to Memphis for Elvis Week each August for a candlelight vigil at Graceland marking the anniversary of Presley's death.
But you don't have to wait until Elvis Week to get a dose of the King. He rules here year-round. For $100, at one of the official souvenir shops across from Graceland (Elvis' home), you can play pool on the same table that Presley and the Beatles used during their meeting in Los Angeles in 1965. And just 15 minutes away at the Arcade cafe, you can have one of Elvis' beloved peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Fried, of course.
Once you get past the carnival atmosphere, you can find an inspiring story in the music history of Memphis and Nashville, linked by Interstate 40 -- the ''Music Highway.'' Thanks to nearly a dozen museums and historical sites, there is no richer, more illuminating showcase of musical roots in the country than in this 220-mile stretch of highway.
And we're talking more than simply the land of Elvis. The region's heritage also includes landmark figures such as Hank Williams, Otis Redding, Patsy Cline and Al Green.
When you follow the music trail through Tennessee, including a visit to the National Civil Rights Museum, you realize that the music was part of a wider social and cultural revolution that involved race, class and politics. ...
... Elvis might have been rock's greatest star, but I wouldn't want him decorating my house. Graceland's living room, with its 15-foot-long white sofa, is tasteful enough in a formal 1950s way, and the black baby grand piano adds a nice touch to the music room.
But brace yourself before entering the den. The jungle theme, complete with a waterfall and an overload of wooden exotica, might have reminded Elvis of relaxed times in Hawaii, but the decor is more likely to remind visitors of dated scenes from a tacky '60s comedy. I felt dizzy after seeing the wildly conflicting patterns on the multicolored drapes covering the billiard-room ceiling and walls.
While touring the Colonial Revival-style structure, which attracts 600,000 visitors a year, you'll see lots of Elvis' personal items as well as gold records and colorful jumpsuits from the Vegas years. Yet there's a more affecting side of Graceland: the rags-to-riches saga of the young man from the housing projects buying the home of his dreams, partly for his financially struggling parents.
Looking at the garden (where he now rests) and the horses in the pasture, you understand how the property was a source of pride and a sanctuary.
Figure on spending three to four hours at Graceland, the various museums and the souvenir shops, but skip the restaurants. There are better choices, including Neely's, a family barbecue operation, and, of course, the Arcade cafe. ...
- Cyrus Chestnut: Reinventing Elvis
By James Hattori
(npr.org, October 7, 2007)
Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut and pop icon Elvis Presley aren't a likely pairing: Chestnut is one of the top pianists of a generation born many years after songs like "Love Me Tender," "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" made Presley the king of rock 'n' roll. But on Chestnut's new CD, Cyrus Plays Elvis, he offers a fresh outlook on Presley.
As a child, Chestnut was more interested in the music composed by Vince Guaraldi on Peanuts cartoons than Presley's hip-shaking antics. It wasn't until he recorded a version of "Love Me Tender" with a Chinese jazz vocalist that the wheels in his head started to turn. Chestnut says that in the moment while playing it, he realized that there was more to the song, so he decided to comb the Internet and track down some songbooks.
"I started listening and what I found out is that there are some similarities," Chestnut says. "Elvis loved blues and gospel. I love blues and gospel, so hence a connection. It was not my intention to re-create Elvis, just give an interpretation." It was important to Chestnut that his versions would not be "corny" or what he calls "space age," essentially blowing out an interpretation to overly grandiose proportions. Instead, he wanted to "draw water from a dry well."
On a classic like "Heartbreak Hotel," Chestnut reveals a haunting and melancholy side, using the song's words as inspiration. "Life kind of has a way of throwing you curve balls at any point of given time," Chestnut says. "I thought about heartbreak and I thought about the lyrics: 'Since my baby left me.' The person is distraught because the person who is close to him has left. The ceiling has fallen and the floor has dropped."
Chestnut aims to know as much about the song as possible in order to get inside of it. The words mean just as much to him, if not more than the chord progressions that propel the song. ...
- Bringing 'The King' to the 8-to-12-Year-Old Set
(npr.org, October 7, 2007)
Elvis Presley's fans are all over the map. They come in all colors, shapes and sizes.
But a couple of groups may still need a nudge. In his new illustrated biography of Presley, author Geoff Edgers targets a group he says under-appreciates "the King" - the 8-to-12-year-old set.
Edgers, a reporter at The Boston Globe, traces Presley's colorful roots to Depression-era Mississippi, then shows children how the singer created a sound all his own. Illustrator John O'Brien brings Presley to life with black-and-white illustrations on nearly every page. Edgers speaks with guest host James Hattori about why children should know about Presley, and how they respond to his story.
A new illustrated biography of Elvis Presley traces Elvis's colorful roots and shows 8-to-12-year-olds how the King created a unique sound
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