Source: http://elvispresleylive.blogspot.com/2012/01/elvis-among-friends.html
EARTH BOY EASY COME EASY GO SUCH AN EASY QUESTION ECHOES OF LOVE
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Elvis’ Circle G Ranch — Part 1
Last week, I mentioned that Elvis had his own little private trailer village tucked away in the far reaches of his Circle G Ranch in Mississippi. His foray into cowboy communal living is an interesting story, especially because spring 1967 was probably the happiest period of his life.
When the Circle G Foundation asked me to write an article about the ranch, I started searching the web and various Elvis books to learn all I could about the ranch. I found lots of Circle G Ranch pictures, and the most common topic is some variation of this:
This is called the ranch house, and it has declined a lot in the forty-five years since Elvis was last in it.
I didn’t help when the highway was moved practically up to the house. It was a flower shop when this picture was taken.
After decades of neglect and abuse, the Circle G ranch house is ripped up and falling apart. The inside photos are even sadder. If the Foundation gets enough support to entice a wealthy fan/benefactor to buy this place, they plan to rehabilitate the ranch house as the Visitors’ Center for their projected amenities at the ranch.
Elvis and Priscilla started out using the ranch house immediately after purchasing the property on February 9, 1967. But Elvis liked having his buddies around, and he figured the way to do that was to buy eight house trailers and have them installed on poured concrete pads near the lake. Plumbing and electrical power systems were installed, and a septic system was dug. It was like Elvis had built his own little “Memphis Mafia Village.”
This is an aerial view taken some years after Elvis owned the Circle G. The ranch house is essentially hidden by tree cover at the top left of the picture. The building and swimming pool in the peninsula jutting out into the lake were not there when Elvis was. The upper oval marks where the house trailers were located. During Elvis’ time, there appeared to have been more trees along the fence line behind the trailers. The arrow above shows the approximate location of the famous E P barbeque grill.
Priscilla probably was very happy to have the accommodations for the guys set way back on the 163 acre property. The roll of the land created a high spot of pasture that blocked the view of the lake and the trailers from the house. However, Elvis seems to have really loved hanging out with his buddies in the trailer area. As a result, on March 3, he ordered one more two-bedroom trailer for him and Priscilla.
Two days later, he took off for Los Angeles for the planned start of filming on Clambake. However, there were production delays and Elvis suffered a minor concussion from a fall in the bathroom of the Rocca Place home he rented. A week later, Jerry Schilling got married in Palm Springs, and of course, Elvis and Priscilla attended.
Elvis probably returned to the ranch for a few days before principle filming for Clambake finally began on March 20. His trailer would have been set up and functioning when he arrived there, so this is when Elvis’ Circle G experience changed from the ranch house to the house trailer.
Sorry for the poor quality of these pictures. I was lucky to find any at all. It’s almost like Elvis banished cameras from the ranch when he and his buddies were there. The website where I found these photos offers proof this was one of the Circle G trailers Elvis bought, but they can’t say for sure it was the one Elvis and Priscilla used. However, we do know Elvis had a front porch built on theirs, so this may be it.
Clambake filming paused sometime in early April 1967, and Elvis was able to enjoy about three straight weeks on the ranch. It could be argued that this was the happiest time of his life. We will look into this in more detail next week with Part 2 of our series on Elvis’ Circle G Ranch.
© 2013 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
.
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Source: http://www.elvisblog.net/2013/03/02/elvis-circle-g-ranch-part-1/
BABY WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO BAREFOOT BALLAD BEACH BOY BLUES BEACH SHACK
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Happy 8th Birthday, ElvisBlog
I almost missed the eighth anniversary of the start of ElvisBlog. 527 articles posted, a new one added every weekend (except for three when my wife had surgeries). Still plugging along.
The switch to WordPress last April has worked out pretty good. They have a way to upload lots of pictures in a short time. The set-up to leave Comments is much simpler, so comments to ElvisBlog have quadrupled.
However, the switch also left me without the Stats the old blog platform made available. I was completely hooked on reading the numbers for page views and unique visitors every morning. So, I got Google Analytics. Obviously they have a much tighter matrix, because they cut ElvisBlog’s numbers by two-thirds. Really bummed me out. The happy news is that you good folks (unique visitors) have doubled in the first nine months on WordPress.
That’s enough of the victory lap. So, to celebrate the birthday, lets go back to the early days. During the first four years of ElvisBlog, no pictures were published, just text. So, I went back to 2006 to see what stories would benefit the most from having images included.
The winner is: The Strange Story of Barney and Mabel
(You can tell this is a strange story by looking at the chaos in this room. Here’s the old blog article, now updated with photos.)
Elvis fans come in many forms, including an extremely rich English aristocrat who lives in a castle. His name is Sir Benjamin Slade, and he has a substantial Elvis collection. One of his more recent additions was a rare 1909 teddy bear from famous German manufacturer Steiff. A teddy bear with that pedigree has intrinsic collectible value, but Elvis owned this one for a while, which made it even more valuable. Sir Benjamin purchased the teddy bear, named Mabel, at auction in Memphis for $75,000. However, he didn’t keep it long. In a very generous move, he loaned Mabel to a nearby tourist attraction that was assembling an exhibition of rare teddy bears. Mabel joined the British Bear Collection from Barnwell Castle, the Wareham Bears from Dorset, and others. The total insured value of these combined loaner bears was $900,000.
Mabel
The insurance company insisted on 24-hour-uniformed security with highly trained guard dogs. Security Guard Greg West was on duty when Mabel the bear showed up at the exhibition area. His canine partner of six years was a Doberman named Barney.
All the most valuable bears in the collection were kept inside glass cases. However, Mabel needed some prep work, so she was left on a large worktable. Greg West came strolling through with Barney the Doberman, who was not on a leash. Seeing Mabel laying there belly-up, West could not resist giving her a stroke and saying what a nice little bear she was. Barney saw this and freaked out.
In a jealous rage, he attacked Mabel and tore her head off. The ninety-seven-year-old, $75,000 Steiff teddy bear that Elvis once owned was decapitated – by the guard dog. Uh oh. Barney must have liked the taste of stuffing, because he went on to tear up several other bears worth another $25,000.
Greg West and Barney
The insurance company can’t be too happy about having to pay this claim, and Sir Benjamin is really mad. Who can blame him?
The attraction where all this took place is Wookey Hole Caves near Somerset. How’s that for a name? Their website boasts that Wookey Hole has 300,000 visitors a year and is “the most stunning underground caverns in the British Isles.” In addition, the Wookey Hole attractions include: Dinosaur Valley (20 life-size dinosaurs), Victorian Arcade (large collection of Edwardian Arcade machines you can play), Pirates of the River Axe (pirate ship game area involving nerf cannonballs), Magical Mirror Maze (distorted mirrors plus a maze you try to navigate through), and Enchanted Fairy Garden, (a river trail where you encounter fairies, elves, and dragons). What Wookey Hole doesn’t have anymore is Barney the guard dog – and probably not Mabel the Elvis bear either, if Sir Benjamin has any sense.
Barney and the Rubble
© 2013 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
.
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Source: http://www.elvisblog.net/2013/02/16/happy-8th-birthday-elvisblog/
1970-11-16 ES Oklahoma City - Go Cat Go Recorded Live at the Fair Grounds Arena, Oklahoma City / Oklahoma November 16, 1970 Evening Show Audience Recording Sundial 501 51:57 min. 107 MB Sound Quali
Friday, March 29, 2013
Photos of Elvis Playing Musical Instruments — No Apps Required
It’s been a while, so I thought I’d check out elvis.com/news to see if anything going on would make a good ElvisBlog article. Most of the ‘news’ stories were uninspiring, but one did catch my eye.
So, now you can watch photos of Elvis playing various musical instruments on your smartphone using Elvis Mobile Apps. Being an old dinosaur who somehow manages to get by without a smartphone, I could not check out what instruments EPE has selected for this feature. I wonder if they include any of these.
The picture on the webpage shows Elvis in Loving You costume playing a guitar. It’s a fairly common photo. But, have you ever see the one above of him playing an electric bass guitar. This looks to be young Elvis, so the picture could be from the 1957 recording session for “(You’re so Square) Baby, I Don’t Care.” Remember how Bill Black was having trouble getting the bass intro straight, and Elvis had to step in and play the licks.
I think this shot of Elvis with a double neck guitar came from the publicity photos for one of his movies, but I can’t remember which one.
Here is another instrument that Elvis could actually play – the piano. This shot was snapped during the recording session for “Love Me Tender.”
Elvis played the piano before rehearsals for the Steve Allen Show. (Thanks Al. www.alfredwertheimer.com)
The website where I found this one said it was taken aboard the USS Randall, which was the troop ship that took Elvis to Germany. That looks like his medals for sharp-shooting hanging from his chest. I didn’t realize he got them during basic training, not active duty. I also didn’t know that troop ships had pianos. That white streak pointing to the guy’s chin is a drumstick.
Speaking of drumsticks, look what Elvis is doing here. I’ve never read that he had any particular skill as a drummer, but he must have found it fun to play around with them.
It certainly looks like he was enjoying it here.
That’s Boots Randolph in this shot with Elvis. Boots was a music legend on the sax, so maybe Elvis did have enough skill on the drums to accompany him.
I guess if you can play guitar, then a ukulele would be no big challenge. This photo was taken in 1961.
The most famous examples of Elvis playing the ukulele are shots from Blue Hawaii.
The fact that there are at least two photos on the internet of Elvis playing the accordion indicates that maybe he actually knew how to.
Here’s another shot of him in his Army uniform playing an instrument. Do you think he was actually playing the accordion or just goofing around?
We know Elvis was goofing around with this trumpet.
He may actually have been trying to play the trumpet here under the tutelage of professional trumpeter Chet Baker.
This shot on the set of Loving You shows Elvis playing(?) the clarinet.
I found this picture on the internet twice. One site called it a clarinet, and the other called it a flute. I think it’s a flute.
And this is a pan-flute. Well, if Cartman and the guys on South Park can play the pan-flute, why not Elvis.
And finally, we have Elvis playing the tambourine. You probably recognize this shot from the ’68 Comeback Special.
If any readers have the Elvis Mobile Apps and access their photos of Elvis playing musical instruments, could you please advise on ‘Comments’ what they actually show. I’d like to see how the it compares.
© 2013 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Source: http://www.elvisblog.net/2013/03/22/photos-of-elvis-playing-musical-instruments-no-apps-required/
ECHOES OF LOVE EDGE OF REALITY EL TORO EVERYBODY COME ABOARD
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The Evolution of Elvis Tribute — Part 4
If you’ve been an Elvis fan for a long time like me, you’ve noticed EPE’s change in attitude toward Elvis Tribute Artists. For the first two decades after his death, Graceland distanced itself from the hordes of men who performed as Elvis impersonators. Actually, they went farther than that. Ever protective of his ‘image,’ EPE filed a lawsuit against the Legends In Concert in 1983 to prevent the show’s “Elvis” from looking like, dressing like, or moving like the real Elvis.
We can assume it became impossible to sue all the hundreds (thousands?) of tribute artists, causing Graceland to accept a begrudging coexistence with them. Early in the 2000s, Todd Morgan, EPE’s director of media and creative development said, “We represent the real thing. The impersonator thing for the public and the press… has often been a negative. When you think impersonator, you think of parody. We could never find a comfort level in embracing it.”
Then in 2006, Morgan said something much different. “Over the past year we have had a lot of discussion about the Elvis tribute artist phenomenon and what to do about it.” (Cynics would say “what to do about it” is code for “how to make money off it”) “We realized it was never going to go away. It has gotten bigger, the entertainment has gotten better. So, we thought maybe if we get involved in some way, maybe we can bring attention to the most talented tribute artists.”
And their answer was… The Ultimate Elvis Artist Tribute Contest.
If you’ve been to any of the past six Elvis Weeks, you know this is now a huge, big-ticket event. Every competitor has previously won top prize at an Elvis tribute contest around the US and several foreign countries. These guys are great entertainers and professional showmen. There is certainly none of the parody or damage to the Elvis ‘image’ that EPE once worried about.
I have been to several competitions, and I love the good Elvis Tribute Artists. From Shawn Klush in 2007 to Ben Portsmouth in 2012, these guys are great.
EPE has a new tie-in with the Ultimate Elvis winners. Now, they are presenting shows around the country with past winners headlining. The Elvis Lives tour seems to be a great success.
The ultimate purpose of this article was not to give unpaid endorsements for EPE’s Ultimate Elvis contest or its Elvis Lives tour. I really wanted to show just how far the evolution of Elvis tribute has come. To do that, we have to go back and see what some of those guys that gave it a bad name looked like. For years, I have kept a file titled “Elvis Impersonator Losers.” After showing a few here, I’m going to delete the whole file. Better gone and forgotten.
Fat Elvises are a recurring theme. With all the iron bars here, it looks like this guy is in jail. I think Elvis Week could use one, so we can keep these guys from walking the streets of Memphis and getting shown in the media around the country.
Todd Morgan certainly had a point about parody.
Okay, we’ve got a group of Elvi’s with moustaches hovering around a copy of the Heisman Trophy. Nothing strange about that.
Oh, no. Not another fat Elvis.
Is that really an old female Elvis? Some of the young ones are pretty hot, but this one… probably not so much.
I saw this guy (or one of his peers) at the Collingwood Elvis Festival a decade ago. I don’t think he actually performed, just added to the ambiance of the event.
Sad, just sad. Another candidate for the bad impersonator jail at Elvis Week.
Maybe this guy isn’t really an Elvis Impersonator Loser. It would actually be pretty cool if an old dude could put on a good Elvis show.
Give me a break. Where do you even get a wig like that?
Do we really have to look at another fat Elvis? Hey, we’re not finished yet.
Well, at least they’ve got nice jumpsuits and sunglasses.
Just to end on a high note, here’s Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest winner Shawn Klush, showing what a good ETA looks like.
I’ve seen Shawn twice. If you never saw Elvis in concert, Shawn’s show is as close as you’ll ever get.
© 2013 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Source: http://www.elvisblog.net/2013/02/09/the-evolution-of-elvis-tribute-part-4/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)