Early August
- Shoeless Joe's sweet spot: Travel to the southern home of the legendary White Sox outfielder that now serves as a shrine to his place in American folklore
By DAVE HOEKSTRA
(Chicago Sun Times, August 9 2009)
The American south is pretty good at myth making. Like snowballs down a mountain, Elvis Presley, Brett Favre and Hank Williams all rolled out of these parts. And now the growing community of Greenville (pop. 76,000) has turned to Shoeless Joe Jackson as a tourist attraction.
In April 2006, the red brick home in which the legendary White Sox lived and died was dismantled and moved to across the street from Fluor Field, the beautiful new stadium of the Greenville Drive, the Boston Red Sox' Class A affiliate. The home opened as the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum & Baseball Library in June, 2008. The house is at 356 Field Street -- in honor of Jackson's .356 lifetime batting average, the third highest in baseball history.A life-size bronze statue of Jackson has been erected downtown in the Joe Jackson Plaza. The statue base is made from original bricks salvaged from Comiskey Park. Fans leave autographed baseballs and lucky pennies at Jackson's humble gravesite in Woodlawn Cemetery on the near northeast side of town.
If the shoe fits, wear it. Just as Elvis used music to break out of Tupelo, Ms., Jackson played baseball to get out of the Greenville textile mills. Museum curator Arlene Marcley said a major movie star is working with the museum on a major motion picture on Jackson's life. Jackson has a place in American folklore for his involvement -- or lack of involvement -- in the Chicago Black Sox scandal. ...
- Antiques & Collectibles: Elvis still has a hold on market
By Sandy Erdman
(postbulletin.com, August 8 2009)
Elvis Presley dominated the pop charts in the 1950s and remained a musical force until his death in 1977. Elvis memorabilia is hugely popular. From a 1966 signed Christmas card going for about $800 to a postage stamp that was so popular that almost 600 million were printed, collectors value everything Elvis.
With the continued interest, new price guides have been released by such authors as Rosalind Cranor and Steve Templeton. The market for Elvis is alive and healthy, and so are devoted fans like Cheri Schendel, her sister, Marilee Barrientos, and their cousin, Carol Dennis, all of Winona.
Cheri started collecting about 18 years ago and gets items for her birthday, Mother's Day and Christmas. ...
- Blagojevich channels Elvis for appearance
(upi.com, August 8 2009)
Rod Blagojevich performed Elvis Presley's "Treat Me Nice" during a Chicago appearance, a publicist for the disgraced former Illinois governor says. Publicist Glenn Selig confirmed Blagojevich performed the song during a paid appearance Friday at the 14th annual block party for the Chicago company Optimus, the Chicago Tribune reported. Optimus President Tom Duff said Blagocevich, who faces federal charges after being removed from office in January amid corruption allegations, practiced with a backing track for days prior to his performance. "He was waffling between two different songs" before settling on 'Treat Me Nice,'" Duff told the Tribune. ...
- Elvis' drummer brings King's beat to Hagerstown
By ERIN JULIUS
(herald-mail.com, August 8 2009)
Someone watching Saturday's show at The Maryland Theatre might have mistaken the performer for Elvis Presley himself, were it not for the modern glow of the cell phones and digital cameras in the audience. Chris MacDonald's tribute to Elvis included one real connection to the King himself: drummer D.J. Fontana. "D.J. helped make that early sound Elvis had," MacDonald said as he introduced Fontana, who was inducted April 4 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "He was the beat behind the King, MacDonald said.
Fontana was on drums for several songs, starting with "Don't Be Cruel." He also was featured on ³Jailhouse Rock.² Fontana created the unmistakable rhythmic opening to that song, MacDonald said. ...
- From Elvis In Memphis
(CD review)
By MARK KEMP
(rollingstone.com, August 5 2009)
After a decade of putting Hollywood glitz above his Memphis roots, Elvis Presley staged a musical comeback on TV in 1968 and then returned home for two extraordinary albums: From Elvis in Memphis and Back in Memphis. The first was a classic, and the second wasn't so shabby. Legacy compiles all of his 1969 Memphis recordings here, including hits "In the Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds" (his last Number One single before his 1977 death). What makes these sessions remarkable: the newfound maturity and soulfulness in Elvis' vocals, and producer Chips Moman's warm, distinctly Southern musical backing.
Track list:
Wearin' That Loved On Look
Only The Strong Survive
I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)
Long Black Limousine
It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'
I'm Movin' On
Power Of My Love
Gentle On My Mind
After Loving You
True Love Travels On A Gravel Road
Any Day Now
In The Ghetto
I'll Be There (Digitally Remastered)
Hey Jude (Digitally Remastered)
If I'm A Fool (For Loving You) (Digitally Remastered)
Who Am I? (Digitally Remastered)
Inherit The Wind (Digitally Remastered)
This Is The Story (Digitally Remastered)
Stranger In My Own Home Town (Digitally Remastered)
A Little Bit Of Green (Digitally Remastered)
And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind (Digitally Remastered)
Do You Know Who I Am (Digitally Remastered)
From A Jack To A King (Digitally Remastered)
The Fair Is Moving On (Digitally Remastered)
You'll Think Of Me (Digitally Remastered)
Without Love (There Is Nothing) (Digitally Remastered)
In The Ghetto
Any Day Now
The Fair Is Moving On
Suspicious Minds
You'll Think Of Me
Don't Cry Daddy
Rubberneckin'
Kentucky Rain
My Little Friend
Mama Liked The Roses
- Sun Records star Billy Riley dies at 75
(Yahoo! News Singapore, August 4 2009)
Billy Lee Riley, a rambunctious performer who helped develop the Sun Records sound as a studio musician for other headliners, has died. He was 75. Riley's singles included "Red Hot" and "Flyin' Saucers Rock & Roll," the latter of which led him to call his band "The Little Green Men" for a time.
... Riley was one of the early performers who recorded at Memphis' legendary Sun Records, but he was overshadowed by his cohorts, including Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Among many other songs, Riley and his band played on the original Sun recording of Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire." Riley's voice at times had a cadence similar to Presley's but early on he sang with more of a growl. His voice softened in his later recordings, which focused more on blues. ...
- Elvis Presley - Elvis - The Ed Sullivan Show: The Classic Performances
(Music DVD review)
By General Jabbo
(blogcritics.org, August 4 2009)
1956 is often viewed as the "Big Bang" year for rock 'n' roll and no star made a bigger bang than a young man from Tupelo, MS named Elvis Presley. Presley's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show shattered TV records with 72 million viewers, making millions of girls swoon and inspiring countless musicians in the process. Those performances are collected on Elvis - The Ed Sullivan Show: The Classic Performances.
Ironically, these performances almost never happened. Sullivan wasn't interested in booking Presley and it wasn't until his appearance on The Steve Allen Show killed Sullivan in the ratings that he booked him for three appearances for a then unheard of $50,000. Presley won over Sullivan though by being easy to work with and a gentleman and Sullivan essentially apologized to his audience for typecasting him in the first place.
While this material has been previously released as Elvis - The Ed Sullivan Shows, those DVDs featured the entire broadcasts as they originally appeared. For fans who just want the Elvis portions, this is the DVD to get. The songs are complete and the picture quality is excellent.
And what performances they were. Elvis and his legendary original band featuring Scotty Moore on guitar, Bill Black on bass, and DJ Fontana on drums, along with the Jordanaires on backup vocals delivered 15 classic performances that ranged from pop ("Don't Be Cruel") to tender ballads ("Love Me Tender") to rockers ("Hound Dog," "Ready Teddy") and even gospel ("Peace in the Valley"). These songs caused such a frenzy that Elvis' third appearance in January of 1957 was famously filmed from the waist up. This was rock 'n' roll at its most primal and it scared parents.
The DVD includes a number of bonus features, including a silent home movie of a 1955 Elvis performance from Houston, TX (The earliest known footage of the King), interviews with Sun Records founder Sam Phillips and TV personality Wink Martindale, home movies of Elvis and Priscilla, and original Ed Sullivan clips promoting the show.
Elvis defined a generation with his sound and his look. His music influenced countless artists, including the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, literally paving the way for rock as we know it today. The importance of these performances cannot be underestimated. For fans that wonder why they call Elvis "the King," this DVD offers ample proof.
- Jackson, Grateful Dead Royalties Sound Sweet to Music Investors
By Adam Satariano
(bloomberg.com, August 3 2009)
Michael Jackson, the Grateful Dead and "The Sound of Music" are finding new fans in pension funds, private equity and banks convinced that old hits will
play on as technology expands the way people use music. Competition is increasing for music publishing catalogs and the income they generate from stores, radio and Web play, ads and movies. Last month KKR & Co., the private-equity firm run by
George Roberts, bought a majority stake in Bertelsmann AG's music-rights unit.
Unlike recorded music, publishing is buffered from falling CD sales by its more diverse revenue sources. Owners can earn cash returns of 7 percent to 20 percent or more a year, depending on the songs and how they're marketed, investors and
dealmakers say. Jackson's June 25 death has heightened interest
in his stake in a catalog that includes Beatles tracks.
... Publishers own rights to lyrics and melodies. The biggest
owners continue to be record labels, such as Vivendi SA's
Universal Music Group and EMI Group Ltd. In addition to KKR,
recent buyers have included private-equity firms Pegasus Capital
Advisors LP and Spectrum Equity Investors, the Dutch pension
fund Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP and Credit Suisse Group AG.
... Pegasus bought Spirit Music Group in April, gaining songs
from the Grateful Dead, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Billie
Holiday. ...
- Life still a party for Wanda Jackson, queen of rockabilly
By ROCHELLE HINES
(rgj.com / Associated Press, August 3 2009)
It took Wanda Jackson a long time to get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but now that she's there, the 71-year-old Queen of Rockabilly and her uninhibited voice are busier than ever.
... What she did was help spawn rockabilly, a combination of the terms rock 'n' roll and hillbilly. Musically, it's an uptempo blend of blues, country and Western swing that emerged during the 1950s when rock and roll was in its infancy. She was 14 when she won a chance to perform on an Oklahoma radio station in 1952. Country singer Hank Thompson tuned in and was so impressed, he invited her to sing with him and his band and helped her get her first music contract with Decca Records when she was in high school.
Later, when she switched to Capitol Records, she was booked with an up-and-coming singer named Elvis Presley. Presley encouraged her to try rock 'n' roll and the pair worked together from 1955 to 1957. "He gave me his ring that I wore around my neck, we became boyfriend and girlfriend for a little while there," Jackson said. ...
- From Elvis in Memphis: Legacy Edition
By GEORGE THOROGOOD
(edmontonsun.com, August 2 2009)
Another August, another archival Elvis release on the anniversary of the King's death. This time it's a good one: A 40th-anniversary edition of his 1969 homecoming set From Elvis in Memphis. Cut with legendary producer Chips Moman and a funky Memphis-soul studio combo in the wake of Presley's '68 comeback special, it's a remarkable return to form for His Elvisness, containing late-period hits In the Ghetto and Gentle on My Mind. He hadn't been this good for years -- and he would never be this good again. This two-disc reissue includes a second disc with 1970s companion release Back in Memphis (featuring more songs from the Moman sessions, which also yielded gems Kentucky Rain and Suspicious Minds), along with a handful of previously released bonus cuts and outtakes, mono single versions of 10 cuts and some surprisingly frank liner notes. ...
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