early May
- Elvis Fan Celebrates 35th Anniversary Of His Concert Weekend At The Von Braun Center: Jennie Carpenter Shares Her Memories
Kelly Druley
(whnt.com, May 30 2010)
Today marks the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley playing his first concert in Huntsville at the Von Braun Center. Elvis played five shows on the tour stop in Huntsville from May 30th to June 1st in 1975. ...
- 'American Idol' guru sniffs around Graceland
By Wayne Risher
(tennessean.com / THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL, May 30 2010)
The creator of American Idol wants a piece of America's most enduring pop idol, Elvis Presley.
- 'Baby, Let's Play House' tells of Elvis Presley's passion, heartbreak: Elvis' love life told tenderly [book review]
By Scott Coffman
(courier-journal.com, May 29 2010)
In the hands of a lesser writer, a book about Elvis Presley's love life might have been an unmitigated, vulgar disaster. In the well-informed, creative hands of author Alanna Nash, we are thankfully given a journey that informs us as much about ourselves as it does about Elvis and his love life.
Let's be honest, Elvis was all about sex from the start: It was the repressed sexuality of the '50s that seemed to melt in heat waves emanating from his swiveling hips, the innocent screaming teen desire that surrounded him onstage and the housewife whose drudgery was relieved if but for a moment by fantasies of this unusual new artist with the bedroom eyes.
Nash pulls from this heated miasma a frank and fascinating portrait of an essentially lonely man. That she does so with grace and intelligence instead of tabloid vulgarity speaks both of her respect for the material and her own talents as an artist: When I read her phrase " ... the cantilevered poetry of Elvis's swiveling midsection ... " I knew I was in good hands. That description, like the book itself, is the work of a master.
Author Nash is wise to assume that the reader comes to the Elvis story fresh. Readers who are unfamiliar with all but the most basic Elvis narrative will find the Elvis story told from birth, but in a manner likely not used before: from the point of view of the women, as presaged by the book's subtitle.
There are dozens of stories -- both sweet and lurid -- to enthrall anyone with a fascination of the depths of stardom only achieved by a very few, among them Elvis Aaron Presley. From his youth to his tragic death, from lean, loose-hipped newcomer to thick, aging superstar, women adored this honey-voiced Southerner and the aura of sex that surrounded him.
There is no little amount of space spent trying to "explain" Elvis and his interactions with women -- including his mother. That seemed almost unnecessary to me. The stories and their telling are fascinating enough to need no deeper exploration; readers will draw their own conclusions, anyway. What Nash does is remind the reader that Elvis was influential, talented, and -- above all -- human. After decades of hearing Fat Elvis jokes, one cannot help feeling a tinge of guilt when shown the depth of Elvis's talent, his generosity and his warmth, and reminded that the manner of his death was truly heartbreaking. The women in his life -- loyal to a fault -- still remember him with great passion, as if each felt she was the love of his life. After reading this book, I suspect that, in one way or another, each of them is right.
- Memorial Day Elvis Car Show
(myfoxmemphis.com, May 27 2010)
Elvis Presley is one of the most recognizable icons in the world. For the first time ever, the kings love for collecting cars will be celebrated during "The Elvis Motor Classics International Car Show" At Graceland. ... The Elvis Motor Classics International Car Show" is going on all weekend. Tickets are $10 for adults and free for children 12 and under.
- Russell Brand Wants Elvis Presley Wedding
(inquisitr.com, May 25 2010)
Russell Brand wants to get married by an Elvis Presley impersonator. The 'Get Him to the Greek' star insists he and fiancee Katy Perry have not yet finalized plans for their forthcoming nuptials but would consider tying the knot in Las Vegas. ...
- Elvis Presley's Palm Springs home to be featured on KCET
By Terria Smith
(The Desert Sun, May 25 2010)
Elvis Presleyıs former Palm Springs home is set to be featured on the television show "California's Gold with Huell Howser" 7:30 p.m. today on KCET. ...
- Elvis Presley - Presley's Favourite Records For Sale
By Terria Smith
(contactmusic.com, May 24 2010)
ELVIS PRESLEY's personal record collection is to go under the hammer at an auction in London.
The King handed a stack of 26 discs, including tracks by Ray Charles, Fats Domino and Sammy Davis, Jr., to his guitarist and pal Scotty Moore in 1968 and asked him to transfer them to reel-to-reel tapes.
But Moore has now decided to sell off the collection after the Blue Suede Shoes hitmaker never asked for his music back. Moore says, "Elvis left me the briefcase with the records and asked me to mail the tape back to his house in Memphis. I made a safety copy for myself and kept the records and tape in my studio in Nashville. Elvis never asked for the records to be returned."
Presley's collection is now expected to earn as much as $187,500 (£125,000) when it is sold at the Fame Bureau auction house on Thursday (27May10).
- New Cirque Du Solei Show Features Elvis
(kypost.com, May 17 2010)
Elvis Presley Enterprises has teamed up with Cirque du Soleil for a fascinating new show. The life and music of the legendary entertainer is now featured at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Viva ELVIS, a fusion of dance, acrobatics, and live music, is a tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley. Significant moments in his life blend with chart-topping songs to create an unforgettable experience.
Thirty of Elvis' songs are used in the production, with remixes designed to accentuate and boost the emotional charge of his performances. Elvis' voice is the only male singing voice in Viva ELVIS, joined occasionally by live female singers and a live band.
In 1979, Priscilla Presley became Co-Executor of the Presley Estate after the death of Elvis's father Vernon Presley. Since then, she has brought the Presley Estate from a burgeoning entity into a successful organization consisting of the famous Graceland Mansion, a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing, and television and video projects.
Priscilla Presley is the special guest on 9 News at Noon Monday.
- Million Dollar Quartet Featured on "CBS Evening News"
By Thomas Peter
(/www.playbill.com, May 17 2010)
Jeff Gior looked into the new musical Million Dollar Quartet and its history on the "CBS Evening News" May 15.
The Tony nominee for Best Musical is based on a 1956 jam session at the Sun Records studio in Memphis, which featured Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. Gior interviews Lewis, the last surviving member of the quartet (who still performs at age 74); Tony nominee Levi Kreis, who plays Lewis in the musical; and the musical's co-librettist, Colin Escott. (Escott and Floyd Mutrux are also nominated for Best Book).
Million Dollar Quartet is currently running at the Nederlander Theatre.
- Wanda Jackson and the Lustre Kings
By Brian Baker
(citybeat.com, May 10 2010)
May 14 * Cincinnati * Southgate House
If the '50s had been a more enlightened and progressive period in music history, Wanda Jackson's name would be accorded the same reverence as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley. But because the music industry adhered to the misguided notion that no one would accept a Rockabilly girl playing as hard, loud and fast as the boys - on minor hits like "Let's Have a Party," "Fujiyama Mama," and "Mean, Mean Man," which should have been bigger, and major Country hits like "Right or Wrong," "In the Middle of a Heartache" and "The Box It Came In," which should have cemented her iconic stature - Jackson doesn't enjoy the same vaunted position as her storied male contemporaries.
"I was never that big superstar," Jackson says. "I was right there with them, recording and working the same places and on tour with all of them, but I never had those big hits because America wouldn't accept a girl doing this kind of Rock & Roll."
Of course, Jackson's fans don't give a flying fig about the misogynistic missteps of a bygone era. Their devotion has kept her touring over the past five decades. After a recent European jaunt, she's out for a string of American dates backed by New York's Lustre Kings, one of the best Rockabilly bands in the country. "I don't feel that old," Jackson says with a laugh. "In your mind you're always twenty- or thirty-something, but your body reneges on you. As long as my husband and I have our health and we enjoy our travels, I'll do it as long as I feel comfortable and people will come out to see me. This Rockabilly scene just exploded around me and they won't let me quit."
Jackson's career took an upswing with the '80s Rockabilly revival, making her a big draw in Europe and Scandinavia. In 2003, Jackson did her first domestically recorded album in 20 years, attracting artists who counted her among their influences (including Elvis Costello, Rosie Flores and The Cramps). The resulting album, Heart Trouble, generated great reviews and rekindled interest in Jackson. Just last year, she was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an Early Influence, and she recently wrapped up sessions for her latest album, tentatively slated for early fall release. ...
- The Jordanaires Perform With Elvis Tribute Artist Ron Moore
(chattanoogan.com, May 10 2010)
The Jordanaires, featuring Ray Walker, Gordon Stoker, Curtis Young and Louis Nunley, will be performing with Elvis Tribute Artist Ron Moore in a one-time only performance at the Choo Choo Centennial Theatre on Friday, May 21, at 7:15 p.m. Part of the proceeds from the concert will go to benefit the Unbroken youth initiative - an asset-based community organizing initiative and "call to action" headed up by the city of Chattanooga Department of Education, Arts & Culture and partners - engaging youth in communities across the city to build literacy and address social issues through the arts - and also benefiting Eagles Rest Ranch horse therapy program.
An international award-winning documentary crew will be in Chattanooga filming this event to be aired in January 2011.
"The Jordanaires are legendary, and Ron Moore is recognized as having the closest singing voice to Elvis out there right now. It's a great opportunity to capture this moment on film," said Executive Producer Ron Lillie of Summerhill Television.
The Jordanaires' Ray Walker and Gordon Stoker were Elvis's back-up singers for over 15 years, during which they recorded over 100 songs with Presley. They also made numerous TV appearances with Elvis, such as the landmark The Ed Sullivan Show, and performed in over 18 of his films.
In the May 21 Choo Choo Centennial Theatre performance the Jordanaires will be backing up lead singer Ron Moore, who recently moved from Toronto, Canada to Chattanooga, making the Tennessee city his new entertainment headquarters. Mr. Moore gained notoriety for his Elvis sound-a-like performances, and was requested to sing for the cast of "The West Wing." Mr. Moore is also the feature player in "The Church of Elvis," a new three part documentary that traceıs Elvis spiritual journey throughout his life. Mr. Moore said, "Almost no one knew the King's journey better than the Jordanaires, and I'm extremely honored to share the stage with them."
- Elvis impersonator abandons record bid
(edinburghnews.scotsman.comEdinburgh Evening News, May 10 2010)
An Elvis Presley impersonator was forced to abandon his attempt at a world record singing marathon. Simon Goldsmith, 36, had hoped to sing for more than 43 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds. After performing Elvis hits non-stop for more than 35 hours, the delivery driver had to abandon the attempt on medical advice.
- New Elvis claim
(au.news.yahoo.comThe West Australian, May 10 2010)
Elvis Presley died of chronic constipation, it has been claimed. The rock 'n' roll legend, who died on the toilet in 1977 from what has always been believed to have been heart failure, is said to have refused surgery which would have relieved him of the problem, according to a doctor close to the star.
Doctor George "Nick" Nichopoulos was with the singer when he died and believes his refusal to deal with the problem killed him.
Speaking about the release of his book The King and Doctor Nick, he said: "We didn't realise until the autopsy that his constipation was as bad. He would get embarrassed." Dr Nichopoulos said Elvis suffered from a hereditary condition called bowel paralysis. He added: "If they had done the colostomy then, he'd probably still be here."
- Marilyn's leading men: Convention guest reflects on a Hollywood career that saw her cross paths with Elvis, Liberace and The Three Stooges
By Mike Morsch
(montgomerynews.com, May 09 2010)
Marilyn Hanold has quite a diverse resume. She appeared in a film with The Three Stooges and on the campy 1960s ³Batman² television series as a partner in crime with Liberace.
She was Playboyıs ³Playmate of the Month² in June 1959 and starred in ³Frankenstein meets the Spacemonster,² a cult classic from 1965 that is considered so bad by some critics that itıs actually viewed today as perhaps an unintended cinematic masterpiece.
Oh, and in the late 1950s, she went on a few dates with Elvis Presley. "Elvis thought that it was the coolest thing that I had been in a film with The Three Stooges. He thought that was the best," said Hanold.
... Hanold's career also included work with Carol Burnett, Jonathan Winters, Sid Caesar and George Gobel. She appeared on "Candid Camera," :The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Bewitched."
In the late 1960s, she married oil baron Rulan Keaton Neilson, president of Skyline Oil Co., who died in 1993. Both were active in the Utah arts scene including with the Utah Symphony Orchestra and the Utah Opera Company. The couple had three children.
But she still has a fondness for Elvis and her voice perks up a bit when she recalls their time together.
She told a story about the time she was performing in a stage production and Elvis was in the audience. Another woman named Marilyn -- no evidence to suggest that it was another famous Marilyn from the 1950s-- was making a fuss over Elvis. Hanold didn't much like the other Marilyn carrying on over Elvis like that, so she played the whole part directly to Elvis while he sat in the audience.
After the show, Elvis came backstage. When Hanold saw him, she threw up her arms and shouted, "Elvis," to show the other Marilyn that she knew him. Only one problem: Hanold had never met Elvis.
³" put my arms around him and whispered in his ear, 'Please donıt give me away.' And he said,'Don't worry,' and he put his arm around me and I could feel a thousand eyes boring into my back as we went down this long drive and into a beautiful big limousine."
Elvis took Hanold to dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel where they danced and he sang "Love Me Tender" to her. "It was just wonderful. He was very charming and very nice,' said Hanold. "He had a strange collection of goons hanging around, but he was very, very nice person. And very good looking. He had that southern style of charm." ...
- Uncle Len brings country legends to Valpo station
By Phil Wieland
(nwitimes.com, May 2 2010)
Johnny Cash. Eddy Arnold. Ferlin Husky. Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton. Even Elvis.
After 62 years in the radio business playing mostly country music, Len Ellis has met nearly all the greats of the genre up close and personal. Ellis, 82, helped found the Country Music Association -- he has card No. 1 -- and started WAKE radio (AM-1500) in Valparaiso in 1964, bringing country music to the Midwest despite warnings that area audiences were too sophisticated to be interested in the likes of Hank Williams and Roy Rogers.
Ellis retired 27 years ago and has traveled extensively since then, turning the station over to son Leigh Ellis. But "Uncle Len" is coming out of retirement, sort of, to do a regular series of broadcasts sharing his knowledge and stories of the past and the people he knew. It's part of WAKE's recent switch to all classic country with Ellis doing "Uncle Len's Legends" weekdays on the station.
His romance with country music and its stars began on his own honeymoon. He was working at a station in Alma, Mich., when he and his wife, Bernice, married 60 years ago. While honeymooning in Florida and Biloxi, Miss., he heard about a new station in Biloxi. After an audition, he was hired on the spot. The station had a big band format, but it was losing money and the owner decided to switch to "hillbilly" music. Ellis said, "What's that?" "No one knew what it was, but when we started playing it, we started getting mail from all over the country," he said.
He returned to school at Columbia College in Chicago to avoid losing his G.I. Bill education benefits. He figured he would return to Biloxi, where he was offered the manager's job. Instead he got a part-time job at WJOB. In this case, part-time meant four hours a day, six days a week for $40 plus $16 to cover the cost of the train ride to work.
"Those were great days," he said. "Heady days. It was so exciting the way the Calumet Region was still under a wartime theme. A lot of the people were from the South and had come here to work in the mills, and when we started playing country music, it caught on. To have so much notoriety was super."
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While there he made his first trip to Nashville, Tenn., and soon was hobnobbing with the biggest stars in the business. On that first trip he was picked up by guitar great Chet Atkins, who treated him to lunch and a tour of the city before leaving to rehearse for "The Grand Ol' Opry" show that day. He made three to five trips a year to Nashville after that and soon was arranging shows for the stars at the Hammond Civic Center.
"We did 10 shows a year for 12 years, and there weren't many stars we missed," Ellis said.
On one early Nashville trip, Ellis was returning to his hotel when he saw a shadow nearby. The shadow belonged to Elvis Presley, who was waiting for his manager, Col. Tom Parker, to come down.
"I told him he was going to be a great star. He said, 'Thank you, sir.' He kept 'sirring' me, and I was just a kid myself."
He first applied for a license to start a station in Valparaiso in 1961, but it took almost four years to get it approved. In 1970 he applied for an FM adjunct, which took only two years to get. Ellis has been involved with a few other radio stations and cable TV over the years, but eventually sold all of them while building up WAKE and its sister FM stations under the Radio One Communications banner WLJE, WZVN and WXRD.
"My biggest kick is to say I did something to make country and western acceptable," Ellis said. Although he has continued to do features for the station since his retirement, his "Legends" show relies on his vast experience. For each feature, he talks about a particular classic country star, and then the station plays a record by that person. He records five shows in one day, and the station airs a different one each day three times a day. Ellis said he might even be interested in doing more for the station under the new format. "This area has been so kind to us, I feel I owe something to the community."
And the legends go on.
- Elvis Impersonator's ale house rock
(Belfast Telegraph, May 2 2010)
An Elvis Presley impersonator is hoping to shake up the record books with a three-day ale house rock.
Simon Goldsmith, 36, of Little Bealings, Suffolk, opted for a little less conversation and a lot more singing as he takes on the marathon stint for charity. The delivery driver is hoping to sing Elvis songs non-stop for more than 43 hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds to secure the Guinness World Record. Instead of the bright lights of Las Vegas, Mr Goldsmith will use a quiet country pub as the venue for his unusual attempt. The man to beat is German Thomas Gothje, who set the record in Heide, Germany, between June 24 and 26 2004.
Mr Goldsmith, who performs regular gigs as an Elvis impersonator under the stage name Harry Isaac Presley, said: "I love crazy ideas and I wanted to do something a bit special, so I looked up some world records and this one really appealed to me. "I've got no problem in staying awake for that long, it's just the effect on my vocal chords. I'm going to have to work on some tricks to keep my voice fresh." He began the challenge on Friday at the White Lion pub, in Lower Ufford, Suffolk, and intends to rock around the clock until Sunday morning.
A spokesman for Guinness World Records said: "Simon has been in contact with us with the intention of breaking the current world record. We'd like to wish him the very best of luck in his effort."
Mr Goldsmith is raising money for St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich, where his father, David, died aged 58 in April last year after a battle with cancer.
- How we met: Harper Simon & Ben Okri
(independent.co.uk, May 2 2010)
Harper Simon, 37, is a singer-songwriter who used to be a member of the UK-based band Menlo Park. He has just released his first solo album with the help of musicians who have played with Bob Dylan, Patsy Cline and Elvis Presley. He lives in New York and Los Angeles.
Simon Golds
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