Source: http://elvispresleygalore.blogspot.com/2008/01/live-at-madison-square-garden.html
BLACK STAR BLESSED JESUS HOLD MY HAND BLOWIN IN THE WIND BLUE CHRISTMAS
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Cashing In On Those Old Gifts From Elvis
I’ve been following auctions of Elvis memorabilia for so long that certain trends have become obvious. One is that prices for Elvis’ rings really dropped after the recession hit in 2008, but they are coming back pretty strong now. Another is that Elvis gave away a phenomenal amount of his wardrobe and jewelry to his Memphis Mafia buddies and other friends.
My favorite auction house, Heritage Auctions, has a good one coming up on August 10. Their Entertainment and Music Memorabilia Auction contains 49 Elvis items. Some of the offerings do not need a Letter of Authenticity – stuff like rare records, movie posters, signage from Las Vegas performances. But clothing and jewelry do. And these LOAs tell us who Elvis gave the articles to, and who is converting their old Elvis treasures into cash.
Sonny West and Elvis — 1970
Sonny West must have decided to clean out the closet, because he offers seven items of Elvis clothing at the upcoming auction. There are also one item each from Alan Fortas, Richard Davis, Marty Lacker, and Joe Esposito. A nice leather jacket has a LOA from Charlie Hodge, but this must be the second (or third?) time through the auction cycle for it, because Charlie died some years ago.
Patsy Presley — 1976
A new name showed up this time on six Letters of Authenticity – Patsy Presley. The item descriptions identify her as Elvis’ double cousin, and this peaked my curiosity. She gets this interesting distinction because her father was Vernon Presley’s brother Vester, and her mother was Gladys Smith Presley’s sister Clette. Seems like those Presley boys were both courting two of the Smith sisters back in Tupelo. They married and had kids, making Elvis and Patsy double cousins.
Patsy Presley (center) at Graceland –1960
Most Elvis fans will know that Elvis’ Uncle Vester presided as Graceland gatekeeper and good will ambassador for many years.
See the resemblance to Vernon and Gladys?
Some fans may also know Patsy Presley from her appearances at different Elvis festivals.
Patsy Presley — 2013
An interesting piece of trivia about Patsy Presley is that she married Gee Gee Gambill in 1967, after which he became one of the Memphis Mafia, overseeing Elvis’ wardrobe. He was also one of just five in the group invited to Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding. While guys closer to Elvis, like Jerry Shilling, Red West and Charlie Hodge, were snubbed, Gee Gee got to be there because he was “family.”
At some point, Patsy Presley and Gee Gee Gambill divorced, and she later married Clayton Geranen. Both Gambill and Geranen died in 2005. According to internet search results, Patsy Presley worked as a secretary at Graceland for many years, and was devoted to Elvis. She and Priscilla became close friends, often going shopping or to the movies together. It was reported a few years ago that Patsy remains friendly with both Priscilla and Lisa Marie, the one Elvis relative that both have chosen to keep in touch with.
Finally, one website made reference some years ago to the existence of the Patsy Presley Collection on eBay. I have been unable to find it there now, so perhaps she decided to move a group of Elvis items quickly by auction. Here’s what she is offering on August 10.
Army Jacket, Pants, and Hat:
Diamond Ring:
Gold Chai Pendant:
Graceland Gate Openers:
Graceland Office Wall Clock:
Racquetball:
Check out what the auction website says about this green racquetball:
“Elvis’ affinity for racquetball is well-documented. On the eve of the King’s passing he had played with guests at Graceland – this was one of the balls used. LOA from Patsy Presley Geranen. Estimate: $800 – up.”
Now I’ve seen it all. A racquetball gets a Letter of Authenticity, and the auction house thinks it will bring $800. If this represents a new trend, it’s pretty weird. Oh, well. That’s what makes Elvis World so interesting.
© 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/2013/07/20/cashing-in-on-those-old-gifts-from-elvis/
CLEAN UP YOUR OWN BACKYARD C MON EVERYBODY COME ALONG COME WHAT MAY
Monday, July 29, 2013
Conan O’Brien Sings Elvis
Two weeks ago we learned that Conan O’Brien is a huge Elvis fan. Because of his fame and media presence, Conan has been able to manifest this more than the average fan. In his interview with Peter Guralnick, he stated:
“[In] 1983, I listened for the first time to the Sun Sessions, Elvis’ earliest work that he did with Sam Phillips. It blew my mind. It was like a drug. I couldn’t get enough. It made me go out and buy a guitar. It made me try and play that music.”
Now, thirty years later, we know Conan was successful in his effort to play Elvis music. Thanks to Google and YouTube, there are examples of Conan performing three Elvis original hits and two of his famous cover songs from albums or live shows.
When Conan left the Tonight Show in 2010 after NBC’s sorry late-night scheduling snafu, he was contractually prohibited from other TV work for six months. He had often spoken of his fantasy to be a traveling rock musician, and he decided this would be the perfect time to do it. With the remnants of the Tonight Show Band, re-christened The Legal Prohibited Band, backing him up, Conan created a comedy/music variety show and took it on the road.
Most of the songs he sang were from the genre he had loved for thirty years – Rockabilly. However, each song was retooled with humorous lyrics reflecting Conan’s own life story. “Polk Salad Annie” is a great example. You remember the spoken part in the beginning where Elvis explains what polk salad is and tells about a poor girl down South who cooked it all the time because they were so poor and had nothing else to eat. Conan changed the story to being upper-middle class in Brookline, Massachusetts and goes on with some really funny stuff.
On June 10, 2010, his concert was recorded for a vinyl album. No CD – Conan played homage to a music format of the past, just as he did with his choice of songs.
In addition to “Polk Salad Annie,” you will note two other Elvis songs on Side One of the album: “Blue Moon of Kentucky” from Elvis’ Sun Records days, and “Too Much Monkey Business” from the Guitar Man album.
To hear Conan sing “Polk Salad Annie,” click here.
To hear Conan sing “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” click here.
To hear Conan sing “Too Much Monkey Business” click here.
In his introduction, Conan knowingly gave due credit to Chuck Berry who wrote and originally recorded the song.
Side 2 opens with another Elvis classic, “King Creole.”
To hear Conan sing “King Creole,” click here.
I looked up some of the other songs. “Twenty Flight Rock” was a song Eddy Cochran sang in the 1956 movie, The Girl Can’t Help It. Another example of Conan’s deep involvement in Rockabilly music.
All of the links above take you to YouTube, but the videos are just a static pictures of the album labels. We can hear but not see the performances. I guess they recorded the show, but didn’t film it. Too bad.
However, there is one Elvis song that Conan preformed that was captured on film. On April 30 of this year, Conan and the band did “Hardheaded Woman” on his TV show.
Conan gave a wild and exuberant performance. He even did a move that would have made Elvis proud. While still playing guitar, Conan danced around behind the mic stand.
If you would like to see Conan sing “Hardheaded Woman,” click here.
I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Conan O’Brien’s tribute to Elvis. Don’t be surprised if he shows up wearing a jumpsuit one of these days and sings more Elvis hits. I can’t wait.
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© 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/2013/06/23/conan-obrien-sings-elvis-2/
AMEN AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL AN AMERICAN TRILOGY AN EVENING PRAYER
Conan O.Brien — A Genuine Elvis Fan
On May 31, Elvis.Com had a news item and link to Conan O’Brien interviewing Peter Guralnick. Well, I’ve got three of Guralnick’s Elvis books, and he knows more about Elvis than anybody, so this was something I wanted to watch.
However, once it got going, I was very impressed with the knowledge Conan exhibited and the quality of his statements and questions. For example, I was curious how Conan became an Elvis fan.
“When I was in college, and it’s the 80s, and I had sort-of come of age with 60s and 70s music. Elvis wasn’t a big interest of mine. And, then, I want to say, 1983, I listened for the first time to The Sun Sessions, Elvis’ earliest work that he did with Sam Phillips.”
“It blew my mind. It was like a drug. I couldn’t get enough. It made me go out and buy a guitar. It made me try and play that music. And, in a sense, I’ve never gotten past that music. I can’t get past early Elvis. I can’t get past Jerry Lee Lewis. I can’t get past Carl Perkins. I appreciate other music, but I’m always drawn back. It’s just this energy.”
Even better was Conan’s concern about Elvis putting up with all the crummy songs in the later movies:
“What I’ve always noticed about Elvis that bothers me to this day is there’s nobody more talented. There’s nobody who’s better looking. He’s a rare example of the complete package and he is at the right time. He’s got it all — and he’s passive. He doesn’t like the songs they give him in the movies, but he sings them. He doesn’t like the movies, but he does them. Why was he so passive? Why did he sing the song “Clambake?”… These songs are dreadful. And you think, he was Elvis Presley. Why couldn’t he stand up and say, ‘I’m not doing this! Get me Leiber/Stoller. Get me real songwriters. Let’s make a real soundtrack”
Conan makes a good point. With his stature, why didn’t Elvis insist on better movie songs? The answer to the question takes Guralnick some time to explain, and as you might imagine, it partly involves Col. Parker.
The most profound thing Conan said was about the unfair treatment Elvis and his fans sometime get these days:
”I listen to Elvis nearly every night on Sirrius. I love it. But, every once in a while, they’ll say, ‘Now we’re going to the Movie Soundtrack Show… I switch the channel. I can’t take it, because it’s Elvis digging a ditch. It’s not something he wants to be doing. He’s doing his best.”
“But, the artists like Elvis who survived into the 80s and 90s got a chance to work with real [bands]… They’re redeemed. They get to work with great producers. Johhny Cash had this whole resurgence. Roy Orbison gets a resurgence. They’re taken seriously. They are treated appropriately – as icons and heroes. And their work is refurbished… There’s always part of me that’s very sad that Elvis couldn’t have lived to see how great his work was. He was someone who was revered. To see that whole generation come out and play with him and support…. And let him know that his work meant something in the American tapestry, but he never got that chance.”
Conan got a little wobbly at the end of that quote, so some was edited out for clarity. However, Peter Guralnick agreed with Conan one this point, and so do I.
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night (1988) – Think five guitars is enough? Who’s that guy on the left?
If Elvis had lived into his fifties, he may well have had an event like Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night, playing with a bunch of contemporary musicians. It would have changed the perspective of those Elvis detractors out there, and proved that you and I are right.
I highly recommend you watch the entire Conan O’Brien and Peter Guralnick interview by clicking here. It is seventy-two minutes of excellent Elvis information by two genuine, knowledgeable Elvis fans.
Next Week – Conan Sings Elvis
© 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/2013/06/09/conan-o-brien-a-genuine-elvis-fan/
BIG BOSS MAN BIG LOVEBIG HEARTACHE BITTER THEY ARE HARDER THEY FALL BLACK STAR
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Six Degrees of Elvis Presley
Do you remember the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon that became popular in the late 90s and still enjoyed by some folks to this day. It was created by four students at Albright College in Pennsylvania who came up with the concept while watching Footloose. It was invented on the notion that any actor could be linked to Kevin Bacon through no more than six connections. Originally, connections meant appearing in a movie together, but over time it has come to include spouses, siblings, parents or children, girlfriends/boyfriends, etc.
If it takes six connections to make the chain from someone to Kevin Bacon, that person is said to have a Bacon Number of 6. Elvis has a Bacon Number of 2. It goes like this: Elvis appeared in Change of Habit with Ed Asner, and Asner appeared in JFK with Kevin Bacon. Two steps (degrees of separation) = a Bacon Number of 2.
So, let’s look at a variation of this we will call Six Degrees of Elvis. Believe it or not, we can find an Elvis/Bacon Number of 6 for this guy.
Kanye West
As scary as that connection sounds, here’s how it works.
Former beauty queen Linda Thompson was Elvis’ girlfriend for four years. She moved out of Graceland in 1976.
Elvis and Linda (in see-through dress)
Then, in 1981 Linda Thompson married former Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner. They had two boys, but ultimately ended up divorcing.
Linda Thompson and Bruce Jenner – 1981
In 1991, Bruce Jenner married Kris Kardashian. They remain married to this day, and have two teenaged daughters.
Recent Photo of Bruce and Kris Jenner
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Kris Jenner has three daughters from her previous marriage, including media favorite Kim Kardashian.
Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West just had a baby, although they aren’t married.
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian
So that’s the six degrees of separation between Elvis and Kanye West. Maybe it would have been smart to stop after the five degrees of separation between Elvis and Kim Kardashian. She’s a lot easier to look at than an arrogant rapper.
Speaking of good looking women, let’s go back to Linda Thompson and look at some interesting photos of her.
Linda on Jungle Room Chair
Linda and Son Brody Jenner
Autographed Glamour Photo
Linda Thompson at 58
Elvis and Linda – 1975 or 76
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If you’ve ever played six degrees of separation between Elvis and another star, e-mail your successful connection to philarnold@charter.net. If enough come in, we’ll look at them on an ElvisBlog post.
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© 2013 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
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Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Source: http://www.elvisblog.net/2013/07/13/six-degrees-of-elvis-presley/
DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM DOIN THE BEST I CAN DOMINIC DONCHA THINK IT S TIME
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
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer?
Did Elvis die because of a book? According to this interesting story, a book may very well have helped to kill Elvis Presley. You all know the book I am talking about. Elvis: What Happened was published just 2 weeks before Elvis died in 1977 and was an expose by Red and Sonny West as well as David Hebler, former bodyguards to the King who had been fired by Vernon Presley, Elvis’ father. The book was written in collaboration with Steve Dunleavy, a hard-drinking, controversial Australian reporter greatly favored by none other then Rupert Murdoch.
The West brothers tried to appease loyal Elvis friends and fans by saying their intention was to help Elvis by publicizing his drug dependency. But we all know that was a load of horse poop and the real reason they wrote the book was vengeance, plain and simple. It certainly wasn’t for money as this story makes it very clear that all the proceeds from this awful but bestselling book went back to the Murdoch’s news corporation, not the author(s).
Can a book be blamed for killing the King of Rock & Roll? No of course not. Elvis was on his way to his death bed long before these ingrates decided to write this horrible book. (I have never been able to bring myself to read this book, my opinion that it is horrible is based on what others have written about it.) In fact, it is my belief that it wasn’t a book that left Elvis feeling so empty and unfulfilled that he subconsciously felt had nothing left to live for but in fact, it was the loss of his mother Gladys that started him down that fateful road.
Elvis Presley and Rupert Murdoch: The King and Papa Paparazzi
Music journalist Chet Flippo, editorial director for the Country Music Television cable channel and its website, CMT.com, tells a fascinating story in his latest Nashville Skyline column about embattled publishing mogul Rupert Murdoch’s role in the waning days of Elvis Presley’s life.
Now that Murdoch and his News Corp. are embroiled in the cellphone hacking scandal that’s rocking the United Kingdom, Flippo revisits the period in the 1970s when the Australian media giant was lobbying to bring his gossip-mongering ways to the U.S. by acquiring two Texas newspapers — the San Antonio News and the San Antonio Express.
“He later combined both newspapers as the San Antonio Express-News, but early on, he instructed the News staff to turn the paper into a ‘screamer.’ And the paper soon did so. With a vengeance,” Flippo writes. “The staff began introducing Murdoch’s patented tabloid formula of sensationalism, sex, celebrities, crime and corruption. The facts be damned.”
Buy the Book At Amazon – Out of print but used copies are available.
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer? is a post from: The Elvis Presley Blog
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myElvisPresleyBlog/~3/G-Ko_3QGyo8/can-a-book-be-considered-a-killer
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Conan O’Brien and Peter Guralnick: The Elvis Interview
Last week I learned that Conan O’Brien is a huge Elvis fan and has a deep knowledge of all things Elvis. This was very apparent when I watched a recent video interview he did with probably the best expert there is on Elvis, Peter Guralnick. So, I rushed to write a blog article about Conan’s love for Elvis.
Unfortunately, in last week’s post I zipped past Guralnick too quickly, and that’s not right. Guralnick is a leading music critic, writer on music, and historian of American popular music. He has been writing books chronicling the history of blues, country, rock and roll and soul since he graduated from Boston University in 1971 with a master’s degree in creative writing. The first of Guralnick’s two-volume biography of Elvis Presley, Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley in 1994, told the happy, inspiring story of Elvis’ life and career up to his departure for Germany in the Army. I own this book and read it many years ago. I liked it a lot.
Guralnick followed with Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley in 1999, and I started to read this one, too, but I just couldn’t handle the down side of Elvis’ life. There are some things I just don’t care to dwell on. However, both books have been acclaimed as in-depth, scholarly examinations of Elvis Presley’s life and music.
My favorite Guralnick book is Elvis – Day By Day, co-written with Ernst Jorgensen.
It has been a valuable aid in writing numerous ElvisBlog articles. Lots of little known facts, and 300 photos, too. Guralnick was granted unprecedented access to hundreds of thousands of photos, documents, letters, artifacts, and memorabilia by Elvis Presley Enterprises and Colonel Parker. So, let’s look at some of the points Guralnick covered in chatting with Conan O’Brien about Elvis.
You are probably aware of Elvis’ spiritual awakening in the 60’s, but did you know it had an effect on his music? Guralnick said, “Between ’64 and mid-’66, He never went into the recording studio except to record the movie songs. The reason was not because the movies were killing him. The reason was that what he wanted to do every waking moment, morning, noon and night, was to study his religious texts.” The Colonel decided Elvis had to break out of this pattern, and the way would be to record a gospel album. “That’s what brought him back into the studio to record How Great Thou Art. But, while he’s doing that, he’s also doing all the songs like “Down in the Alley.” He would just go from one to another. That essentially began his regeneration.”
And you probably think Elvis never toured Europe was because Col. Parker was an illegal alien (from Holland), and he was afraid he might not get back into the U.S. Conan stated, “Had Elvis toured Europe, they would have lost their minds. The Europeans would have gone crazy for him. They always desperately wanted Elvis to tour.”
Col. Parker and Elvis
However, Guralnick disagreed that the Col. Parker angle had anything to do with it. He based that on interviews with Tom Hulett, the promoter for many of Elvis’ American tours. “I got the same thing from Helett that I got by inference from the Colonel. That basically, they were afraid to take him to Europe. Why? He’d get busted… because of everything that was happening. Paul McCartney’s getting busted. There were a lot of busts going on. The Colonel used the term ‘We can’t guarantee Elvis’ security overseas.’ And you can read that the way I think he meant it. I mean, he was never going to say it.”
Conan asked another question about the Colonel. “You got closer to the Colonel than anybody. What was your take on the guy?” Guralnick replied, “Col. Parker, whom I very much liked, was a fascinating guy… Elvis saw the Colonel as being the one person who could take him to other worlds – the worlds he wanted to go to. It was a partnership that worked very well for many years. One of the great things about the partnership is that everybody in Hollywood, everywhere they went, took them as total yokels. And the two of them just chortled, I mean, took these guys who were taking them for rubes, and taking them for everything they had. Hal Wallis was ready to tear his hair out… over and over again, in which he was taken contractually by somebody he felt so superior to.
Elvis and Hal Wallis
Did you know Elvis had a photographic memory? Guralnick says so: “One place he seemed to get some joy – he was a big movie buff. Dr. Strangelove, Monty Python. He could recite all the lines from Monty Python.”
“He had a photographic memory. When he was a kid, he memorized Gen. MacArthur’s farewell speech. He was so admiring of Dr. Martin Luther King, that he could recite the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.”
Guralnick spent some time discussing efforts by Col. Parker, Vernon, Dr. Nick and the Memphis Mafia buddies to intervene and help Elvis with his prescription medication problem. They never worked. “He was in the hospital in ’73 in Memphis for a form of glaucoma, and Dr. Nick brought in two psychiatrists under the guise that they were optometrists who were consulting. Elvis immediately saw though it.”
Conan O’Brien made one final lament to Guralnick near the end of the 72-minute interview. “I think about this with Elvis, wishing that, or hoping, that he could have been well enough to live longer and see, you know, how respected he is now by people like you, by intellectuals, by historians. How he’s achieved that status.”
Again, I recommend that you click here and watch this fascinating interview between Conan O’Brien and Peter Guralnick. You won’t be disappointed.
Last week’s article ended with a tease about Conan singing Elvis songs on the next one. Now that Peter Guralnick has been given the attention he deserves, we’ll try to cover Conan singing Elvis next week.
© 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/2013/06/16/conan-obrien-and-peter-guralnick-the-elvis-interview/
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