Elvis Week
- Elvis Presley fans mourn 33 years since he died
(Detroit Free Press, August 16 2010)
Candles flickered in the balmy night as thousands of Elvis Presley fans filed silently by his grave during a vigil at Graceland, marking 33 years since the American icon died. ...
- Elvis faithful make journey to Graceland
(telegram.com, August 16 2010)
Elvis Presley fans from around the world flocked to Graceland on Sunday for the annual late-night procession past the king of rock 'n' roll's grave.
Presley died at his Graceland mansion on Aug. 16, 1977. The procession is the highlight of a weeklong series of fan-club meetings, film showings and Elvis-impersonator contests. Elvis purchased the 13-acre Graceland property in 1957 for a song - just a bit more than $100,000.
Dozens of multicolored, empty chairs lined the walls of Graceland on Sunday afternoon, their early-arriving owners seeking refuge from 100-degree temperatures at water stations.
Paul Fivelson came from Chicago to meet up with a buddy he met at the vigil three years ago. Wearing shorts and a black Elvis Week T-shirt, Fivelson said he likes to be near the front of the line to meet interesting people as they walk by the famous stone wall, which has personal messages from fans written on it.
Fivelson, 58, said he takes pride in being "a die-hard Elvis loyalist" who listens to the American icon's music every day. His granddaughter's name is Presley.
Before the procession, fans from as far as Japan and England browsed Graceland's sprawling souvenir shopping center and gathered under a large tent across the street from the mansion to listen to performers belt out Elvis tunes.
- Elvis Presley impersonators in Manila, 15 Aug 2010
(www1.voanews.com, August 16 2010)
Monday marked the 33rd anniversary of the death of U.S. pop singer Elvis Presley. His life was celebrated half a world away.
It might sound like Las Vegas, but this gathering of studded bell bottom pants, long sideburns and blue suede shoes took place Sunday in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Chito Bertol is founder of the Elvis Presley Friendship Club:
"To us, Elvis was the greatest," said Chito Bertol. "No one can compare as Elvis. When Elvis was gone, we have to continue. We have to continue."
Twenty-two contestants representing a few generations belted out the Elvis classics ranging from 73-year-old Walter Perez, who earns extra income from his Elvis impersonations to Christian Angping who, at the age of 14, was born well after the death of Elvis and found Elvis watching You-Tube videos:
"It's unique," said Christian Angping. "His voice is unique, because nobody else sounds like him nowadays."
There was one foreigner in the competition, cement company executive Eddie Lombardo, who grew up in Sydney, Australia impersonating the singer nicknamed "The King:"
"You have to get the essence of Elvis out," said Eddie Lombardo. "You have to get into the mood of Elvis and the way he sang the song, the way he put the feelings into the song. I mean anybody can sing a song, but you have to put [in] the feelings."
Eddie apparently did just that:
Eddie Lombardo tied for first place with fellow businessman Jun Espinosa for the 20,000 - peso first prize. The Elvis Presley Friendship Club is growing rapidly, and counts partner clubs across Asia.
- Elvis Look-Alike Contest Rocks
(cbsnews.com, August 16 2010)
Elvis Presley impersonators united in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, for an annual contest to mark the 33rd anniversary of the death of the King. CBSNews.com's Ken Lombardi reports. ...
- Elvis Presley: Ten of Our Favorite Performances
(cmt.com, August 16 2010)
Monday (Aug. 16) marks the 33rd anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, and his popularity continues to grow as his music is discovered by those who weren't yet born in 1977. Die-hard Elvis fans take his music and legacy seriously and recoil with anger when the uninitiated -- or the uninformed -- dismiss his entire career by pointing to his final years when he was overweight and his concerts were often subpar.
If you've never spent
much time with his music, you owe it to yourself to get one of many compilations of his hits. (God knows, RCA has sliced, diced and reissued his catalog more times than we can count.) From there, listen to Elvis at Sun, a collection of his earliest work at Memphis-based Sun Records. And then maybe check out the audio and video for the TV special that became known as the '68 Comeback Special.
The truth is that Presley's career cannot be adequately summed up in 10 songs, so we didn't even try. Instead, CMT.com staff members Chet Flippo, Chris Parton, Stephanie Pendergrass, Whitney Self and Calvin Gilbert each picked two songs among their favorites as they reflected on his career. Decisions changed several times while determining which titles to include and which to omit -- another indication that this is in no way a definitive list.
Interestingly enough, Presley wasn't the first to record most of the songs we selected, yet he made them his own. Maybe that's why he remains one of the greatest singers who ever lived.
"Always on My Mind" -- Elvis' recording of "Always on My Mind" is one of the few songs with the power to always make me stop whatever I am doing or thinking and pay
full attention to the performance. It's one of the few instances of the true majesty a pop performance can impart. Willie Nelson's version of "Always" is commanding; Elvis' "Always" totally rules. It was written by a trio of Southern songwriters
-- Mark James, Wayne Carson Thompson and Johnny Christopher. (James also wrote "Suspicious Minds" and "Moody Blue" for Elvis.)
Even though it became a huge hit, it was first released as the "B" side of a single. The "A" side was "Separate Ways." More than 300 other artists have since recorded "Always on My Mind," from the Pet Shop Boys to B.B. King. Elvis' version was played at the 2006 World Cup football match, and an alternate studio take was included on the 1997 boxed set, Platinum: A Life in Music. -- CF
"Are You Lonesome Tonight" -- Generally speaking, I've never been a huge fan of recitations,
although this one seems as though we're eavesdropping on an intimate conversation. The song was written in the 1920s and had already been recorded several times before Presley and producers Steve Sholes and Chet Atkins covered it in 1960 during a two-day session that also yielded his version of "It's Now or Never." It's an excellent showcase for the subtle side of his incredible vocal skills, and the recording still induces chills when he reaches the final tag to sing, "Is your heart filled with pain/Shall I come back again?" -- CG
"Good Rockin' Tonight" -- Can you say "euphemism"? His Sun recordings were not nearly as polite as the ones he'd later make, and his version of this Roy Brown R&B song sheds some light on why parents were concerned about the advent of rock 'n' roll during the mid-'50s. In the first place, he's inviting the object of his affections to meet him behind the barn. And then he proclaims, "I'm gonna hold my baby as tight as I can/Tonight she'll know I'm a mighty, mighty man." Good rockin' tonight, indeed. -- CG
"Hound Dog" -- "You ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine." I used to sing this song as a little girl before I had even heard Presley's recording. It's slightly less than two minutes of pure energy. In fact, when he went to record
his future No. 1 hit, he reportedly insisted on 31 takes until he had it just to his liking. During a 1970 concert at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Presley told the audience a story of how while trying to think of a gentle, sweet song to serenade to a certain lady, he "got up real close to her" in "a real tender, touching moment" said, "Baby ... " He then belted out, "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog" and proceeded to sing the entire tune to the audience's delight. With those hip gyrations, his signature smile and sense of humor, it's not exactly tender -- but it sure is sexy. -- WS
"Love Me Tender"
-- Rrrawwrrr! This song will make any woman weak in the knees. I used to have a poster hanging above my bed featuring a sequence of four black-and-white photos of Elvis playfully kissing a woman in a stairwell. I saw it one day while I was perusing an old record store in Nashville and had to have what is now referred to as The Kiss. Above the top it reads, "Love Me Tender." Several women have come forward to say they are indeed the mystery lady in the photographs. However, the woman has never been officially identified. No wonder this love song is among those featured in Rolling Stones' "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." Each time I hear this seductive masterpiece, I think of these photos and pretend that woman is
me. -- WS
"Now and Then There's (A Fool Such as I)" -- "Now and Then" we all play the fool for someone,
don't we? And the King was no different. Backed by the Jordanaires, Presley
can't seem to let go after having his heart broken as he promises to foolishly love for the rest of his life. Not only did
he put a rock 'n' roll twist on Hank Snow's original, but without fail his
version of this classic will leave you unsuccessfully trying to mimic the incredible bass voice of Ray Walker. -- SP
"One
Night" -- When I first heard Elvis' "One Night" as a child, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "One night with you/Is
all I'm now praying for." You can't say that on a record! Especially in the 1950s. Even as a kid, I had heard that the original
title of the song was "One Night (Of Sin)," and that was enough to intrigue me and my friends. Smiley Lewis' original R&B
hit of "One Night (Of Sin)" was far raunchier than Elvis' cleaned-up version of the Dave Bartholomew/Pearl King song. Elvis
and his team rewrote the lyrics to whiten it up, but it still remained a very suggestive and tempting song for the times.
Keith Richards once told me that Scotty Moore's authoritative guitar playing on Elvis' recording of "One Night" -- especially
the definitive final notes -- was a huge influence on him. -- CF
"Suspicious Minds" -- With a storyline
about being trapped in a relationship that's going bad, but still too good to quit, this is Elvis' soulful peak for me. I
dare anyone to resist singing along with "because I love you too much baby," and you can really hear him dig in deep during
the slowed-down bridge section. Besides being listed on tons of "greatest songs" lists, it helped relaunch his career after
the '68 Comeback Special and introduced the world to the new, reenergized Elvis -- and his sideburns. -- CP
"That's
All Right" -- This was the first single Elvis ever released, way back in 1954, and while it didn't go to the top of the
charts, its legacy lives on as one of the most loved rockabilly songs ever. I just love how after so long, you can still play
it anywhere and watch the smiles grow. You'd have to fight not to feel the spirit of early rock 'n' roll -- or imagine him
swivel and shake and drive the girls wild -- and that still makes it an irresistible dance tune. It's easy now to forget how
remarkable Elvis' cool factor was back then, but looking back on this song, it seems inevitable that everyone would want to
be him or be with him. -- CP
"The Wonder of You" -- What could be more romantic than Presley's heartfelt
declaration of love in "The Wonder of You"? "And when you smile the world is brighter/You touch my hand and I'm a king/Your
kiss to me is worth a fortune/Your love for me is everything." The song was recorded in the late '50s by Ray Peterson, but
no one comes close to conveying emotion and perfectly portraying characters in their songs like Presley. And that's the wonder
of Elvis. -- SP
- Elvis Presley's Life and Influence Documented in Film
By Marina Galperina
(spinner.com, August 16 2010)
Elvis - A 50th Anniversary
As we commemorate 33 years since the death of Elvis Presley, his friends, collaborators and even his first girlfriend gather to recall personal anecdotes of his life with 'Elvis: A 50th Anniversary Celebration.' The documentary finds Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers and Cliff Richards all weighing in on the King's immeasurable influence, in addition to featuring the first color footage of Presley performing live. Watch 'Elvis: A 50th Anniversary Celebration' for free from our friends at SnagFilms after the jump.
- UFO fan Elvis Presley
(contactmusic.com, August 16 2010)
Elvis Presley reportedly had a lifelong belief in extra terrestrials and saw a number of UFOs during his life.
The 'Suspicious Minds' singer is said to have made several sightings of UFOs during his life, with his interest sparked by an unusual sighting made by his father, Vernon, on the day he was born, January 8, 1935.
The singer's hairstylist and friend, Larry Geller, explained: "His father told us he'd gone out to have a cigarette at 2am during the delivery and when he looked up into the skies above their little shack, he saw the strangest blue light. He knew right then and there that something special was happening."
Author Michael C. Luckman - who wrote a book, 'Alien Rock: The Rock 'N' Roll Extraterrestrial Connection', about musicians who have had contact with otherworldly beings - believes Elvis was later visited by aliens when he was a child.
He claims the singer was "contacted telepathically by two alien beings when he was eight years old," who gave him a glimpse into his famous future, although he "had no idea what it all meant at the time".
Larry - who eventually became Elvis' 'spiritual mentor' - confirmed he had extraterrestrial experiences while he was with the singer, who was dubbed the King of Rock N Roll.
Recounting a time they had been driving through the desert and saw unusual lights, he told AOL News: "They were moving far too quickly to be airplanes, so we just chalked it up to UFOs. "Another time, we were walking through his Graceland home and noticed odd lights in a field moving back and forth.
"Elvis was a deeply spiritual person and was very interested in the metaphysical. He had an eclectic outlook on things. Although he never had any major alien experiences, he was certainly a believer. "He had his feet on the ground, but his head in the heavens."
Elvis died 33 years ago today (16.08.77).
- Elvis Presley fans mark his death
(Belfast Telegraph, August 16 2010)
Elvis Presley fans from around the world flocked to Graceland for the annual late night procession past the king of rock'n'roll's grave. ...
- Elvis fans make pilgrimage to Graceland
(bigpondnews.com, August 16 2010)
Elvis Presley fans from around the world flocked to Graceland on Sunday for the annual late night procession past the king of rock 'n' roll's grave.
The procession is the highlight of a series of fan-club meetings, film showings and Elvis-impersonator contests that have been held during the past week to mark the anniversary of Presley's death.
Presley died at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, on August 16, 1977.
Among the crowd at Sunday's procession was Shelley Somerville, who flew from Australia with her husband for their honeymoon. It's the third candlelight vigil for Somerville, who said she liked Elvis' gospel music the most. 'Elvis has touched a lot of hearts, and there's something spiritual about him,' said Somerville, a 31-year-old administrative assistant. 'There's a calming feeling around him.'
Dozens of multi-coloured but empty chairs lined the walls of Graceland on Sunday afternoon, their early-arriving owners seeking refuge from 38-degree Celsius temperatures at water stations.
The procession usually attracts several thousand fans and runs into the early hours.
Fans usually leave flowers, teddy bears and other items at the grave site, which also is the resting place of Presley's father Vernon, his mother Gladys and grandmother Minnie Mae.
Before the procession, fans from as far as Japan and England browsed Graceland's sprawling souvenir shopping centre and gathered under a large tent across the street from the mansion to listen to performers belt out Elvis tunes.
The week's festivities included conversations with writers, photographers and close friends of Elvis, including Joe Esposito, part of the Elvis entourage nicknamed the 'Memphis mafia.
- Elvis Presley's hair sold for £10,700 at auction
(mirror.co.uk, August 16 2010)
A jar of Elvis Presley's hair which had been collected by his barber and then given to a friend sold for £10,700 at an auction in Memphis, Tennessee. ...
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