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News last updated on June 30, 2009
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We all know that with the passing of Colonel Parker in 1997, not only the
person of Colonel Parker was gone forever, but also gone were all of his
memories. During his lifetime, neither 'the Colonel' nor his right-hand man,
Tom Diskin wrote a book about the times with Elvis.
Even though Elvis has been dead for more than thirty-one years now, Elvis
fans still hunger for more and detailed background information - especially
about the concert years.
Charles Stone, who was born November 8, 1943, and grew up in Wichita Falls,
Texas, didn't know, when he started to work for Concerts West, that one day
he would work with Colonel Parker and the Elvis entourage.
Still 'Taking Care Of Business' in the Elvis world, tour producer, Charles
Stone, shares his memories with Elvis fans worldwide. As tour producer for
the Elvis Presley Tours in the 1970's, Charles Stone also worked closely
with Colonel Tom Parker.
His inside view of the business details of the Colonel and how to manage and
handle the Elvis deals was something special. Charles was one of the few
members who was inducted into the Colonel’s "Snowman's League" - a
mysterious accommodation of the Colonel.
Along with Charles' memories, the book will present a number of private
shots of Elvis on stage, a look “behind the wall" at the Colonel's private
home in Palm Springs, rare shots of the sound systems, speakers and mixing
boards taken and contributed by sound engineer, Bruce Jackson, and, of
course, paperwork.
For the very first time, Charles Stone opens his original tour books,
showing you reprinted documents and paperwork that gives you an inside view
as you have never before had into the details of how the tours were produced
and how things were arranged.
The rare pictures, along with the paperwork that has never before been seen,
will give you a new perspective and a close-up look at how the Elvis Tours
were produced.
This is definitively the very first book about "Elvis & The Colonel" that is
written by a guy who was there. The storyline is based on Charles' memories,
unlike previous Colonel books that were based on false assumptions and
fabricated stories told by a third party.
Note:
Praytome told Elvis Unlimited that the most talked about photos in the book
are those provided by Bruce Jackson of the set up of the venue and stage
area. This book has exclusive stories about Charles' personal relationship
with the Colonel.
In this book, you get a much
more personal look at the Colonel than in any other book ever written about
the Colonel.
You can read a full review of this book in the one of the next issues of
Elvis Unlimited.
Order Now: Charles Stone "My Years with Elvis and the Colonel"
Click on the banner to enter
Bobby Wood, piano player,
producer, arranger and band leader for the Memphis Boys is working on a new
book.
If all goes well, the book should be out in one year's time. Although Wood
is probably best known for his work with Elvis in the American Sound Studio
in January 1969, the King is just "one chapter" in the biography of this
musician.
The title is not yet known.
Another "That's The Way It Is" set showed up. According to the flyer the
eight disc set - 7 CDs and 1 DVD - entitled "Elvis 1970" is limited to 500
copies and comes with a 14 pages booklet with the complete tracklistings.
It contains soundboard recordings of:
CD 1. Rehearsal at MGM Soundstage Culver City July 15, 1970
CD 2. Live At The Hilton, Las Vegas, August 11, 1970 Dinner Show
CD 3. Live At The Hilton, Las Vegas, August 12, 1970 Dinner Show
CD 4. Live At The Hilton, Las Vegas, August 13, 1970 Dinner Show
CD 5. Live At The Hilton, Las Vegas, August 14, 1970 Dinner Show
CD 6 + 7. Rehearsal At RCA Studios, Hollywood, CA. July 24, 1970
DVD: Three Different Graceland Documentaries
The producers from Praytome Publishing, who were present with a promotion stand during our event in Breda,The Netherlands announced to us that a new book is in production.
'Elvis on Tour '72', will be filled with pictures from the huge archive of tour photographer Ed Bonja.
Another Praytome release to look forward to!
It's been a year in the making, but we are almost ready to release Elvis, The Beauty Queen & Me, with Jeanne LeMay.
The majority of this DVD was filmed during Jeanne's trip to the UK last year. She was filmed talking candidly about her time with Elvis at Graceland, on tour and in Vegas. She openly discusses how she was able to enjoy a close relationship with Elvis through her friendship with Linda Thompson, how she became a secretary at Graceland and what went on there.
Her memories of those times are funny, fascinating and extremely riveting. Jeanne is a great talker and her warmth comes across beautifully in the programme.
Over the past few months we have been lucky enough to have tracked down and
acquired some STUNNING new 1974 cini film of Elvis, still on the original
reels!!! Myself and David Wilson have been working hard on having the reels
digitally transferred and restored.
The speed has now been
expertly corrected, the picture quality has been enhanced and the brightness
and colour has been worked on enabling us to now offer the footage in
virtually perfect quality.
So, what is the footage of?
You'll get to see Elvis in Vegas during his August 29th 1974 midnight show,
September 1st dinner show and the infamous September 2nd closing show
(wearing the beautiful Tiger jumpsuit). There's lots of karate on these
clips with Red West coming on stage at one point. Elvis even knocks poor
Charlie on his backside... Amazing stuff!
There will also be some 1973 footage shot at Graceland. This includes the
gates, the grounds, up at the mansion itself and the pool area. This is NOT
the poor quality Dutch footage that has been doing the rounds for years, but
new footage taken from the reels and restored by us. This is TV quality
material.
We are also extremely excited to tell you that we have been restoring some
AMAZING footage (running for a staggering 13 minutes) of Elvis in Kansas
City, Missouri on the evening of June 29th 1974. This is the most beautiful
clear, close-up footage that we've seen in a long, long time with Elvis
wearing the fantastic Embroidered Eagle jumpsuit.
Here is an indication of how the restoration process is going...
This incredible DVD is a GREAT price (compared to other similar DVDs
released over the last few years) and will be officially released on August
15th, where we will have a worldwide premier at our Let Yourself Go! event
in Worthing, Sussex.
Note:73 footage of Graceland is fan footage from August 1973 while Elvis was in Las Vegas. & being an official DVD release the live footage will not have matching sound although there may be a few sections throughout the documentary where original sound may be used where Elvis is talking and not singing, this is due to the copyright issues.
Tcb1
J.A.T. Publishing has taken you on Elvis' final tours in 1977 ... they went
further back to show you 'The King' being beamed via satellite in 1973 ...
they followed Elvis on his electrifying tours of 1970 ... allowed you to
witness his 1969 triumph in Las Vegas, and marvel at the 1968 comeback.
Now you can travel back to 1957 with their new book, Elvis In Gold!
Elvis In Gold is a hardcover
photo journal focusing on Elvis' gold lamé tuxedo. Over 100 glorious black
and white images (many never before made public) illustrate Elvis wearing
his golden outfit or jacket on stage and in the studio.
From the iconic photo session that gave us the best LP cover of Elvis'
career, to Presley's three masterful 1957 tours. From the
Mississippi-Alabama fair in 1957, to Honolulu in 1961, 'Elvis In Gold' takes
you to the era where Elvis changed our culture forever.
Along with photos of Elvis at his most vibrant and handsome, you get the
stories behind the gold. Find out how and when Elvis got his suit. Discover
the ways in which the gold suit image was successfully marketed. Take a look
at every single concert Elvis wore his suit or jacket at. Elvis In Gold has
it all.
The imagery of the young Elvis is inexorably tied to his gold lamé suit. It
didn't just symbolize the fifties it WAS the fifties. As the first
publication to celebrate this epitome of an unforgettable era, this book is
a must for anyone that loves Elvis at his most vital. After all was anything
cooler then Elvis In Gold?
Buy Elvis In Gold ... a new '50s book from JAT Productions coming August
1st, 2009.
Pre-Order Now: Elvis In Gold
Click on the banner to enter
Jim Ed, Maxine and Bonnie Brown, who all traveled and performed with Elvis
in the 1950s, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of their crossover mega
hit “The Three Bells” Saturday, July 4, with a special appearance at the
Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Produced by Chet Atkins for
RCA Records, “The Three Bells” was released on July 3, 1959. It soon rose to
No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart and stayed there for 10 consecutive
weeks. It also spent four weeks at the top of the pop chart and even climbed
to No. 10 on the rhythm & blues rankings.
“Chet had a good track record when it came to choosing and producing songs,”
says Maxine Brown in her 2005 memoir, Looking Back To See, “and his
confidence in this one was exactly the encouragement we needed. I think that
on this session, the Browns sang better than we ever had before.”
Originally a French song (“Les trois cloches”), the Browns’ version of “The
Three Bells” chronicles the birth, marriage and death of “Jimmy Brown”
against the backdrop of the little valley chapel in which these momentous
events are celebrated and observed.
The song made the Browns internationally famous. They were named the No. 1
vocal group in England in 1959, an honor they followed with extensive tours
of Europe. In the U. S., “The Three Bells” earned them appearances on such
network powerhouse programs as American Bandstand, The Jerry Lewis Telethon,
The Ed Sullivan Show and The Arthur Murray Show. The Beatles’ John Lennon
and Paul McCartney have cited the Browns as one of their early vocal
influences.
On July 3, 1963, the Browns were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry.
Maxine Brown has been a frequent Elvis Week guest and is popular with Elvis
fans around the world.
In the 50 years since “The Three Bells” was released, it has become an
American standard and a staple of virtually every greatest hits collection
sold on television and in magazines.
The Browns disbanded in 1967, after which Jim Ed and Maxine pursued solo
careers. Jim Ed continues to represent the family as one of the most popular
cast members of the Opry.
All 40 of the trio’s children and grandchildren, including the descendants
of their late sister, Norma, who occasionally filled in for various members
of the group, will be in Nashville for the celebration.
Following the Browns’ Opry appearance, the trio will perform on The Midnite
Jamboree at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop on Music Valley Drive.
Hi Andylon,
I've been working on a YouTube page for B&K Enterprises. As you know I
worked on the documentary 'Fit for a King' for over four years.
I have become good friends with Butch & Kim Polston, and had the pleasure of
spending many hours at Bill Belew's home. I've been fortunate enough to have
enjoyed several 'road trips' with Gene Doucette over the years.
We have so much amazing footage that was not used in the film 'Fit for a
King' and also not used in the DVD extras. We felt that our B&K YouTube
channel would be the perfect place to release this amazing footage.
Interviews with Gene Doucette in the 'All access Jumpsuit display',
unreleased stories from Bill Belew, and many behind the scenes stories about
all of the costumes.
Its also the perfect place to keep everyone up to date on the next
documentary, that will cover all of Elvis wardrobe throughout his entire
career. Costume expert Butch Polson and myself are working on this new
project right now.
I hope fans will keep coming back to our YouTube page as we continue to
share more incredible new stories and footage.
Link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/bkenterprisescanada
Andy Dumas
Director/Producer - Fit for a King
Mike Maple/The
Commercial Appeal
Just after their wedding, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley visited
Memphis to attend a tribute concert to Elvis at The Pyramid and spend time
with patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Memphians reminisce
on King of Pop’s visits Presleys, fans mourn singer’s sudden death.
Michael Jackson’s first known visit to Memphis came as a member of The
Jacksons in 1981. It opened with fireworks and ended with a glowing review.
His last known visit was in 1994 as a new husband when the King of Pop had
just married the daughter of the King of Rock and Roll. Jackson came with
Lisa Marie Presley as a spectator at an all-star tribute concert to Elvis
Presley at The Pyramid.
Jackson died on Thursday afternoon at UCLA Medical Center after arriving in
a coma, according to a city official. He was 50.
Just after their wedding, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley visited
Memphis to attend a tribute concert to Elvis at The Pyramid and spend time
with patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
The day after the 1994 Elvis tribute concert in Memphis, Jackson and Lisa
Marie were headed for a visit to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital when
they stopped along the way at Burke’s Book Store.
“I tried to engage them in conversation and got nowhere,” says store owner
Corey Mesler, who described Jackson as all business. “I said, ‘Hello, I’m
the owner of the store.’ He said, ‘Hi, do you have any books on Halley’s
Comet?’”
Mesler says he then turned to Lisa Marie, asking how the tribute concert had
gone for her dad.
“She looked at me with kind of a blank look on her face and didn’t say a
word.”
But Mesler said the couple then spent almost an hour and a half selecting
mostly children’s picture books to take with them to St. Jude. They then
returned to their waiting car, and a security man “came up to pay. He handed
me a VISA card, and it was declined. He said, ‘What can I do, I just put
$10,000 in that account.’”
Mesler says he told the guard he could send a check later for the roughly
$900 bill: “The check came by FedEx the next day.”
Former NAACP director Benjamin Hooks commended Jackson in 1984 as one of the
few entertainers who wasn’t singing about kinky sex and drugs. But charges
of kinky sex would eventually lend a Rasputin quality to Jackson’s once
clean-cut image.
When their brief marriage ended, Presley remained quiet about the
relationship, except to say once that Jackson, like her father, never
understood or came to grips with the powerful charisma that propelled him to
stardom.
Presley said in an e-mail Thursday night: “I am so very sad and confused
with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children who I knew
were everything to him and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so
many levels, words fail me.”
Elvis’ former girlfriend, Linda Thompson, told The Commercial Appeal in
2006: “Lisa Marie is 100 percent authentic. She loved him. She met him when
she was just a kid. He had just done ‘Thriller.’ She probably had quite a
bit of a crush on him. Her motives were pure. I can’t speak for his.”
Priscilla Presley’s father, Paul Beaulieu, said he and his wife never
understood the marriage: “We both laugh. It was ridiculous.”
Jackson’s legacy remained part of a powerful legacy that Memphis understood.
Music critic Walter Dawson said the Jackson brothers’ 1981 concert put them
“among the few masters of contemporary music. ... The Jacksons, with their
charge led by Michael Jackson, have the appeal, that ability to transcend
labels and categories — but at the same time they are able to confirm all of
the quality in each of them.
The new CD from the Showroom Label is out in few days and contains a very
fine audience recording.
Tracklisting
01 | 00:00 | See See Rider |
3:17
02 | 03:17 | I Got A Woman / Amen | 3:30
03 | 06:47 | Love Me | 1:45
04 | 08:32 | Trying To Get To You | 2:02
05 | 10:34 | Sweet Caroline | 2:21
06 | 12:55 | Love Me Tender | 1:39
07 | 14:34 | Johnny B. Goode | 1:39
08 | 16:13 | Hound Dog | 1:37
09 | 17:50 | Fever | 2:49
10 | 20:39 | Polk Salad Annie | 3:48
11 | 24:27 | Killing Me Softly (sung by Voice) | 2:44
12 | 27:11 | Spanish Eyes | 3:13
13 | 30:24 | Suspicious Minds (incomplete) | 3:16
14 | 33:40 | Band Introductions | 2:03
15 | 35:43 | Blueberry Hill | 0:41
16 | 36:24 | I Can't Stop Loving You | 2:18
17 | 38:42 | Help Me | 2:37
18 | 41:19 | An American Trilogy | 4:01
19 | 45:20 | Let Me Be There (with reprise) | 3:39
20 | 48:59 | Can't Help Falling In Love | 1:51
Total playing time = 50:50 min.
He Knew.
Years ago Michael and I were having a deep conversation about life in
general.
I can't recall the exact subject matter but he may have been questioning me
about the circumstances of my Fathers Death.
At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with
an almost calm certainty, "I am afraid that I am going to end up like him,
the way he did."
I promptly tried to deter him from the idea, at which point he just shrugged
his shoulders and nodded almost matter of fact as if to let me know, he knew
what he knew and that was kind of that.
14 years later I am sitting here watching on the news an ambulance leaves
the driveway of his home, the big gates, the crowds outside the gates, the
coverage, the crowds outside the hospital, the Cause of death and what may
have led up to it and the memory of this conversation hit me, as did the
unstoppable tears.
A predicted ending by him, by loved ones and by me, but what I didn't
predict was how much it was going to hurt when it finally happened.
The person I failed to help is being transferred right now to the LA County
Coroners office for his Autopsy.
All of my indifference and detachment that I worked so hard to achieve over
the years has just gone into the bowels of hell and right now I am gutted.
I am going to say now what I have never said before because I want the truth
out there for once.
Our relationship was not "a sham" as is being reported in the press. It was
an unusual relationship yes, where two unusual people who did not live or
know a "Normal life" found a connection, perhaps with some suspect timing on
his part. Nonetheless, I do believe he loved me as much as he could love
anyone and I loved him very much.
I wanted to "save him" I wanted to save him from the inevitable which is
what has just happened.
His family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but
didn't know how and this was 14 years ago. We all worried that this would be
the outcome then.
At that time, In trying to save him, I almost lost myself.
He was an incredibly dynamic force and power that was not to be
underestimated.
When he used it for something good, It was the best and when he used it for
something bad, It was really, REALLY bad.
Mediocrity was not a concept that would even for a second enter Michael
Jackson's being or actions.
I became very ill and emotionally/ spiritually exhausted in my quest to save
him from certain self-destructive behavior and from the awful vampires and
leeches he would always manage to magnetize around him.
I was in over my head while trying.
I had my children to care for, I had to make a decision.
The hardest decision I have ever had to make, which was to walk away and let
his fate have him, even though I desperately loved him and tried to stop or
reverse it somehow.
After the Divorce, I spent a few years obsessing about him and what I could
have done different, in regret.
Then I spent some angry years at the whole situation.
At some point, I truly became Indifferent, until now.
As I sit here overwhelmed with sadness, reflection and confusion at what was
my biggest failure to date, watching on the news almost play by play The
exact Scenario I saw happen on August 16th, 1977 happening again right now
with Michael (A sight I never wanted to see again) just as he predicted, I
am truly, truly gutted.
Any ill experience or words I have felt towards him in the past has just
died inside of me along with him.
He was an amazing person and I am lucky to have gotten as close to him as I
did and to have had the many experiences and years that we had together.
I desperately hope that he can be relieved from his pain, pressure and
turmoil now.
He deserves to be free from all of that and I hope he is in a better place
or will be.
I also hope that anyone else who feels they have failed to help him can be
set free because he hopefully finally is.
The World is in shock but somehow he knew exactly how his fate would be
played out some day more than anyone else knew, and he was right.
I really needed to say this right now, thanks for listening.
~LMP
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley video-clip "You Are Not Alone" 1995.
The latest project from JAT Publishing is scheduled for release in about 4
weeks.
This is still possible to pre-order Elvis In Gold this new book from JAT
Publishing.
There's a trailer available on YouTube for this project.
The necklace was given to Dr. Nick by Elvis, who personally placed it around
his neck. The majority of the TCB necklaces were simply made of gold. This
necklace is unique in that it is accented with diamonds.
This TCB was the highest Elvis auction item yesterday in Vegas. Dr. Nick's
TCB neck lace went for $97, 500.00 US Dollars.
Click the link below to see Dr. Nick talk about the necklace.
OPEN: Saturday & Sunday
27 & 28 June, 2009 - 1300. PM - 1800 PM.
EpGold Shop
Sionstraat 12,
1947 JT - Beverwijk
The Netherlands
The Netherlands : 0251 - 821240
Other Countries Dial : + 31 - 251 - 821240
E-Mail:
elvisinternational@casema.nl
Music icon Michael Jackson,
whose fame spanned from his childhood with the legendary Jackson 5 to a
superstar solo career that earned him the nickname 'King of Pop,' died
Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 50.
His brother Jermaine Jackson confirmed Jackson's death from suspected
cardiac arrest at a press conference Thursday evening.
Jermaine Jackson said his brother's physician was with him at his home at
the time of his suspected cardiac arrest, and both the physician and the
paramedics who transported to the UCLA Medical Center attempted to
resuscitate him.
"Upon arriving at the hospital at approximately 1:14 p.m. a team of doctors,
including emergency physicians and cardiologists, attempted to resuscitate
him for a period of more than one hour, but they were unsuccessful," he
said.
Jackson was pronounced dead at at 2:26 p.m. PDT, his brother said.
"My family request that the media please respect our privacy during this
time, and may all love be with you Michael, always. We love you."
The L.A. County Coroner's
Office has taken possession of Jackson's body and an autopsy is expected
Friday.
Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Lt. Greg Strenk said the
department's robbery-homicide department was investigating Jackson's death
because of the high-profile nature of the pop star.
Multiple reports said he had gone into cardiac arrest, though the official
cause of death wasn't immediately known.
Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical
decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier
all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the
race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
The L.A. County Coroner's Office has taken possession of Jackson's body and
an autopsy is expected Friday.
Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Lt. Greg Strenk said the
department's robbery-homicide department was investigating Jackson's death
because of the high-profile nature of the pop star.
Multiple reports said he had gone into cardiac arrest, though the official
cause of death wasn't immediately known.
Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical
decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier
all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the
race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.
Jackson was born in Indiana in 1958. He rose to fame as part of the
successful pop group The Jackson 5, formed with his brothers in 1967. The
group went on to earn four number one hits in 1970 alone, and the
12-year-old Jackson became the undeniable breakout star of the group.
Related StoriesFans Around the World Mourn 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson
Friends, Fans Mourn the Death of 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson Jacko's Nanny
in Hiding Video Jermaine Jackson Speaks on Michael's Death Michael Jackson's
Body Flown to L.A. County Coroner's Office EMT Vehicle Leaves Michael
Jackson's Home In 1972, Jackson enjoyed his first solo hit with the song
“Ben.” Six years later, he made his film debut in “The Wiz,” in which he
renewed his friendship with producer Quincy Jones.
Collaborating with Jones, Jackson went on to become remarkably successful
with his solo efforts “Off The Wall” in 1979 and “Thriller” in 1982.
From there, Jackson went on to become the undeniable “King of Pop,” winning
eight Grammy awards for “Thriller” alone.
During the 1980s, he became an icon with a distinct style of fashion and
performing, as well, wearing one sparkling glove, bejeweled military
clothing and short pants with socks.
It was around this time that Jackson began experimenting with excessive
cosmetic surgery, including lightening of his skin.
In 1992, Jackson founded the "Heal the World Foundation," a charity that
brought underprivileged children to his Neverland Ranch, where Jackson would
spend time with them and allow them to stay the night.
This practice raised many eyebrows, especially when Jackson was accused of
molesting a 13-year-old boy who had become a regular Neverland guest.
Jackson maintained his innocence. In 1994, he settled the case out of court
for an undisclosed amount.
Jackson briefly was married to Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis. The
union drew intense public scrutiny, there was speculation as to whether the
marriage was simply an attempt to improve Jackson’s image, though he
maintained that they lived genuinely as husband and wife; however, the
marriage broke up after less than two years.
From there, his career never quite recovered, but he remained in the news,
making headline after headline for strange and unusual behavior, including
dangling his child over a balcony in Germany in 2002.
In 2004, police raided the Neverland Ranch, issuing an arrest warrant for
charges of child molestation based on allegations of a boy who had appeared
in Martin Bashir's infamous documentary about Jackson. Later that year, a
man filed a lawsuit against him, alleging he had been molested 20 years
earlier, explaining that he had repressed the memory until 2003. However, a
judge eventually dismissed the lawsuit.
In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested the 13-year-old cancer
survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of playing the boy with
alcohol and groping him. The case took a fearsome toll on his career and
image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.
Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was
scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first
set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an
extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping
dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death
spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near
Jackson's rented home, was roped off with police tape.
In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen
flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends
by cell phone.
"No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York
City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. "It's like
when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square
when Michael Jackson died."
Lisa Marie Presley and Priscilla Presley Statements
Regarding Michael Jackson.
"I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken
for his children who I know were everything to him and for his family. This
is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me."
--Lisa Marie Presley
“I’m in shock, as I know everyone must be. What a tragic loss. My heartfelt
thoughts are with his family at this very difficult time.”
-- Priscilla Presley
We at Elvis Presley Enterprises also send our sympathy to the Jackson family
in their time of sorrow.
100 years ago today, Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk was born in Breda, Holland.
Parker claimed to be a US citizen born in Huntington, West Virginia who had been orphaned at a young age.
In this in-depth Spotlight
EIN takes a look at the darker side of Colonel Tom Parker - and includes
plenty of insights from Elvis’ colleagues and friends.
The beautiful chapel off the Holland Casino, home of the unique Elvis
collection, will be highlighted during the evening and night hours (from
10pm-3.30am).
A picture of Elvis and the Colonel is projected on the wall of the historic
building. It's impossible to not see this huge picture, the traffic that
passes by slows down to see everything.
The opening off the big Elvis expo in the Holland Casino of Breda (The
Netherlands) was witnessed by lots of press crews.
The Dutch National news station has broadcasted an item about the opening of
'100 years Parker, 1000x Elvis' where you can see some of the highlights of
the expo.
You can see the news item on the link below, just forward to 10min30.
Sampler complete track of " I washed my hands in muddy
water"
"After the great success of “The Brighest Star On Sunset Boulevard” , we
continue the release of another great rehearsal “Plugged In & Geared Up”
complete track of " I washed my hands in muddy water"
This is by far an outstanding rehearsal, Elvis playing the songs he liked
from his early career.
This is also a rare inside view to follow the progress of the filming for
the “That’s the way it is” informal segment. (The electric guitar part)
A large part has been release on various releases in mono or altered stereo
but never UNCUT AND IN AMAZING STEREO ! Straight from the original tapes!
Finally it is available on this release and in the best quality !
Packed in a deluxe digipack and a 20 page booklet.
If you liked “The brightest star on sunset boulevard” by Gravelroad Music,
You’re definitively going to love this new release “PLUGGED IN & GEARED UP”.
This is a release you’ll be playing over and over again!
1 Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home
2 Something
3 Words
4 I Just Can't Help Believin'
5 Little Sister/Get Back
6 I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
7 I Was The One
8 Cattle Call
9 Baby Let's Play House
10 Don't
11 Money Honey / Hard Headed Woman
12 A Fool Such As I
13 Froggy Went A Courting / Viva Las Vegas
14 Such A Night
15 It's Now Or Never / Are You Horny Tonight?
16 What'd I Say
17 The Lords Prayer
18 My Country 'Tis Of Thee
19 Nagila Hava
20 My Baby Left Me
21 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
22 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me #2
23 Stranger In The Crowd
A new documentary on the untold story of Elvis Presley's deep spiritual
journey, his friendship with Larry Geller, and his ever lasting connection
and bond to his devoted fans.
With never seen before images! Interviews with Elvis' friends and
confidants, music experts, ETAs, and the thousands of fans who travel to
Elvis Week.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSET-b7rwDA
While everyone is so focused on the Colonel's birthday, no one has mentioned
that on June 26th,1979 Vernon Presley, Elvis' father Vernon passed away.
Just two years after his son. So this marks the 30th anniversary of Vernon's
death.
Also on June 26th, 1977 Elvis performed his last concert to a live audience
at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, In at 8:30 PM. It was filmed by CBS
and aired live on tv after Elvis' death.
So June 26th has 3 important events in Elvis history. Colonel Parker's
birthday, Vernon Presley's death and Elvis' last concert appearance.
Click below to read about the Colonel celebration in Breda, if you are in town, stop by and say hello!
Tomorrow night is D-Day for the new documentary about Tom Parker. The show,
which aires on Veronica TV in Holland, portrays the Colonel in a very
different way with the focus on his Dutch background.
If you're in town, be sure to see the documentary on a Movie Screen tonight
at the Must See Theater, as part of the Elvis weekend in Breda.
Tickets are available at the theater. If you'd like to see the trailer, feel
free to click the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIh-ZUi-D6k
Click here
to watch a video of Ken Berryhill, who met Elvis when he was producer and
director of the Blackwood Brothers Show.
Ken shares the story of how The Blackwood Brothers turned Elvis down when he
wanted to join their quartet.
Released on June 23rd was this new SONY Special Product featuring three
classic Camden albums in a triple pack CD set.
'Burning Love & Hits From His Movies', 'Separate Ways' & 'You'll Never Walk
Alone' make up the collection.
With this costing under $10.00 [US dollars], we can't complain at the price,
but having to change the disc ever 25 minutes could be a pain.
Here is the cover for the upcoming DVD Love Me Tender - The Love Songs by EMI Music.
This new documentary
is a single disc release
presented by actress, Ashley Judd, will give an in-depth look at the love
songs Elvis recorded throughout his career.
This 2 hour documentary is set for release in the U.S
and is region free
on August 25th (No UK / EU date at this time).
PICTURE: LOANNE PARKER HOLDING THE CUPPER PLAQUE
Tomorrow morning, at 11 am precisely, the Elvis Festival in the city of
Breda, The Netherlands kicks off with the unveiling of a cupper plaque at
the house where the young 'Dries van Kuijk' grew up.
The exhibition opens at 2 pm at Holland Casino. If you'd like to attend the
unveiling of the plaque by the van Kuijk Family, be sure to be at the
Veemarktstraat 66 at 11 am. See you there!
Coming Soon from Elvis Unlimited Productions!
Elvis Unlimited is proud to announce our next project, Inside Jailhouse Rock
- The Sequel
Why the sequel, you ask? Well, Inside Jailhouse has already been done by the
legendary Ger Rijff. The "Inside" series was also created by Ger Rijff. His
"Inside" titles include Inside King Creole, Inside Loving You and Inside
Jailhouse Rock. Therefore, an "Inside" book is incomplete without it's
creator, Ger Rijff. So in cooperation with Ger Rijff, we have decided to do
the sequel to Inside Jailhouse Rock.
Inside Jailhouse Rock - The Sequel will follow the typical format of our
Inside series which will be a limited edition box set including a book, DVD,
vinyl record, and much more. Inside Jailhouse Rock – The Sequel is an Elvis
Unlimited Productions written by Megan Murphy, concept by Ger Rijff,
designed by Kenneth Dokkeberg, published by Henrik Knudsen.
Highly notable Elvis collectors including Sherif Hanna, one of the world's
top Elvis collectors and historians, Ger Rijff, creator of the "Inside"
series, Todd Slaughter, president of The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club Of
Great Britain, Chris Giles, publisher of Inside Loving You & owner of The
Elvis Shop, Hubert Vindevogel, President of the oldest fan club in Belgium,
The United Elvis Presley Society which has been in existence since the early
60's; Carlos Ares, President of the fan club in Argentina and Expert on
Elvis vinyl, and countless more have contributed incredible material for
this project.
After the great success of “The Brighest Star On Sunset Boulevard” , we continue the release of another great rehearsal “Plugged In & Geared Up”
This is by far an outstanding rehearsal, Elvis playing the songs he liked
from his early career.
This is also a rare inside view to follow the progress of the filming for
the “That’s the way it is” informal segment. (The electric guitar part)
A large part has been release on various releases in mono or altered stereo
but never UNCUT AND IN AMAZING STEREO ! Straight from the original tapes!
Finally it is available on this release and in the best quality !
Packed in a deluxe digipack and a 20 page booklet.
If you liked “The brightest star on sunset boulevard” by Gravelroad Music,
You’re definitively going to love this new release “PLUGGED IN & GEARED UP”.
This is a release you’ll be playing over and over again!
1 Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home
2 Something
3 Words
4 I Just Can't Help Believin'
5 Little Sister/Get Back
6 I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
7 I Was The One
8 Cattle Call
9 Baby Let's Play House
10 Don't
11 Money Honey / Hard Headed Woman
12 A Fool Such As I
13 Froggy Went A Courting / Viva Las Vegas
14 Such A Night
15 It's Now Or Never / Are You Horny Tonight?
16 What'd I Say
17 The Lords Prayer
18 My Country 'Tis Of Thee
19 Nagila Hava
20 My Baby Left Me
21 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
22 You Don't Have To Say You Love Me #2
23 Stranger In The Crowd
The first “real” Elvis Presley's name tags from his army uniform are to be
sold at auction.
The current owner said he got them from a US army quartermaster after
Presley did his national service in Germany.
The three tags, which simply say Presley, could sell for £500 at Mullock's
auctioneers in Ludlow, Shropshire on Thursday.
Mullock's said: "Anything related to Elvis is enormously popular. There are
thousands of collectors and impersonators who would love these."
The first “real” STAR dvd will be out very soon, after the tremendous success of the STAR dvd series, the producers take the “final” step, and will produce a factory pressed import DVD ! A dream come true for all STAR fans around the world!
ELVIS - HOLLYWOOD , VOLUME ONE, will kick off with the first 4 movies, and has 17 (!!) new clips, (compared to Hollywood Elvis volume one) all clips for Jailhouse Rock have been re-done,since better footage became available.
Highlights are LOVING YOU (record version) TELL ME WHY (Elvis second screentest), FIRST IN LINE (ode to Judy Tyler), MY WISH CAME TRUE (Elvis “dream” of becoming an actor)
YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL (new edit, 3 performances make the record version, and 2 extra versions are included)
All previous and new STAR dvds will be re-released this way, and all will have lots of extra’s, are improved where possible, include new artwork and double layer discs! All discs come with fully animated menus, with sound. All movies are divided into separate tracks in the menu, so if you just wanna play the “Jailhouse Rock” songs.. the choice is yours! And last but not least, there is a “bonus feature” segment, including extra songs, outtakes and rare movies.
After this release the series will continue in “chronical” order, volume two will have: GI BLUES, FLAMING STAR, WILD IN THE COUNTRY, BLUE HAWAII and FOLLOW THAT DREAM
ELVIS - HOLLYWOOD VOLUME ONE - COMPLETE TRACKLISTING:
BLUE SUEDE SHOES
WE’RE GONNA MOVE
LET ME
POOR BOY
LOVE ME TENDER
LOVE ME TENDER END TITLE
ANYWAY YOU WANT ME
LOVING YOU (record version)
GOT A LOT O’ LIVIN’ TO DO
PARTY
LONESOME COWBOY
TEDDY BEAR
HOT DOG
MEAN WOMAN BLUES (record version)
TRUE LOVE
LOVING YOU (take 5)
TELL ME WHY
JAILHOUSE ROCK (record version)
TREAT ME NICE (record version)
DON’T LEAVE ME NOW
I WANT TO BE FREE (record version)
BABY, I DON’T CARE
YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL (record version)
TREAT ME NICE (movie version)
FIRST IN LINE
JAILHOUSE ROCK (take 5)
CRAWFISH
KING CREOLE
DANNY
DIXIELAND ROCK
LOVER DOLL
HARD HEADED WOMAN
NEW ORLEANS
YOUNG DREAMS
STEADFAST, LOYAL AND TRUE
TROUBLE
DON’T ASK ME WHY
AS LONG AS I HAVE YOU
KING CREOLE (take 3)
MY WISH CAME TRUE
Bonus features:
OPENING MEDLEY FULL SCREEN
WE’RE GONNA MOVE (take 4)
1957
On June 25th the 4 day event to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Colonel
Tom Parker starts. During this event which is organized by ElvisMatters,
Praytome Publishing will present the latest release, a book by author
Charles Stone.
"My Life with Elvis & The Colonel" is the title of the 128 pages hardcover
book that contains the memories of Concerts West's Charles Stone who worked
for Colonel Parker and the Elvis entourage in the 1970's.
As always you get an high quality product from Praytome Publishing with
unreleased pictures from the archives of Charles Stone and soundengineer
Bruce Jackson. Beside the paperwork you will also find a lot of stories and
additional information never before told. This is definitively the very
first book about "Elvis & The Colonel" that is written by a guy who was
there. The storyline is based on Charles' memories, unlike previous Colonel
books that were based on false assumptions and fabricated stories told by a
third party.
German fans who pre-order the book before the official release date June 29,
2009 and complete the payment will receive a special bonus (free handling
and shipment).
The complete European.
Frontcover of the upcoming book by Charles Stone
Praytome Publishing Team will attend the ElvisMatters event.
ISBN: 978-3-00-027543-2
www.colonelparker.info
Pre-Order Now: Charles Stone "My Years with Elvis and the Colonel"
Click on the banner to enter
The Dutch TV station invites fans of Elvis to participate in the upcoming
search for the ultimate Elvis singer with the "E Factor".
The show will run on Friday evening and promises to be an exciting event for
all fans, mainly in Holland.
If you feel like walking in the King's footsteps, the here's your chance!
For more information: check out the link below (in Dutch).
We at the International label deeply regret and apologise for the blunder on
the sound mastering on the TTWII Complete Works Box Set fans purchased with
their hard earned money earlier this year. We are truly sorry and did not
realise this until at least 2 weeks after the box sets had sold out.
Therefore in light of this, we would like to come clean and explain exactly
how all this came to be.
The digital files created from the tape reels were transferred at a high
48bit and in 192k resolution. This was done by someone outside the main team
of the International label. For name protection we will refer to this person
as George.
The files were made up in 2 sections; a left channel and a right channel
file. This of course was impossible for the main producer to play as the
necessary equipment to play files in the resolution they were received in
was not available. Therefore the digital files were given directly to the
Sound engineer who at the time, felt to the producer, to be competent in the
area of processing this to CD mastering. Any faults or opinions in the
recording conclusions would ultimately come from him.
The Producers were then informed by the engineer that the sound is in a very
weak Stereo but in such, it was almost mono sounding. (As you can hear some
separation although to most, it does indeed sound like mono).
Since the Producers had no guide in the quality of the sound, they accepted
the conclusion from the engineer that what was, was.
There are prominent people within the Elvis world that know the stress, the
deceit, promises and the lies of the real story that went behind the making
of the box set due to the engineer’s false representations and
qualifications. One prominent person witnessed the whole sage from the
conception idea and is thinking about writing a book on this story on how
the box finally came to light (or nearly did not) after nearly 2 years in
the making, that would make very interesting reading.
Cutting a long story short, when the box was finally released, George
received his complementary copy of the box set. By this time the box set was
already sold out before it was released. George informed us that what he was
listening to from the box set is not what it should be and further explained
what the blunder could be. George then sent a sample of a song that he tried
out and it came back in FULL STEREO and furthermore, in pristine condition.
In realisation now, maybe George should have done the CD mastering.
It was evident at that point, what the blunder was. Because the engineer
received the files in 2 sections, that is left and the right, when placing
on his software grid, (I assume on pro-tools but can’t be sure) a simple
mistake was made. The engineer did not realise that he had to pan the left
channel to the left and pan the right channel to the right. Therefore the
sound was not properly separated giving a mono illusion although it is in
fact in stereo but not properly separated. Again, not known at the time and,
there was never really a question to judge the engineer’s competence.
At that point there was absolutely nothing we could do about it. There was
just no way could we correct a wrong so late after everything was sold out,
finished and everyone paid out. The producers were very dismayed that the
fans, although were very happy with what they received, were not getting
what they deserved or what should have been. It was decided that maybe in a
year or more, we may re-release these again separately at a knock down give
away price to replace the discs in their box sets.
Then comes along Audionics!
At first, the International Producers were a little sceptical on this as to
wondering on where the source of the files had come from. But after that it
was thought that it would be great for the fans as our blunders have been
rectified by someone else. Where then files came from for this we still
don’t know, but we have our suspicions as you may read later.
However on release of ‘Stranger in the Crowd’ we were shocked that even
though they have achieved the stereo sound, it was very weak and flat
compared to what we had (as you too will notice when you download the FREE
WAV file version of the International version). The fans of course who have
bought the release of SITC have no reference to compare to apart from the
TTWII box set, so anything would be seen as an improvement.
Our concern at that point was diminished upon FTD’s announcement of ‘The
Wonder of You’ with the great Vic Anesini at the restoration helm. So we
were happy now that fans would get a nice official release and a nice clean
copy that the fans finally deserve. So basically, now all is OK. My only
concern with FTD (as always) is their habit of unnecessarily editing the
shows dialogues etc that takes away the overall feel of the show, thus
making it incomplete. I mean plenty of room on the CD, why make edits. But
other that, as far as were concerned, FTD are doing the job giving the fans
what they have asked for. Remember if it was not for the International, fans
would still have nothing, so with FTD all was good.
Indecently the FTD’s announcement of ‘The Wonder of You’ was a planned
release by FTD well ahead of the Audionics release. Because of the instant
fan reaction of the TTWII Box Set, it clearly showed a release from this era
was needed. I know this because a prominent person in FTD was
searching/asking for pictures of Red ladder suit shots as early as February
from the show just after the box set came out.
Now things change upon the announcement of the Audionics release of ‘Twenty
Days & Nights’ with a further immanent release of ‘Something’.
There were 2 concerns that we at the International label had.
The first being, the fact that the Audionics had released SITC in poor
quality stereo compared to what we now have, must be evident that the new
release of ‘Twenty Days & Nights’ and the planned release of ‘Something’
would suffer the same fate as SITC quality wise. This time of course, there
is no FTD to save the day and that fans, again, would have to shell out more
money for what is unnecessary and is bad mastering. Again the evidence on
this for fans to take the free WAV download and compare our AUG 13 DS with
the SITC release. Fans will notice a sharp difference and therefore the only
conclusion to make from this, is that the upcoming releases by Audionics
will suffer the same fate as SITC.
The second concern was that we noticed that the artwork cat# on new the
Audionics was very similar to the box set cat# and the signatures were very
similar. We then concluded and ultimately and evidently realised that our
engineer who cocked up our sound was responsible for the art covers from
Audionics. This raises other questions and concerns, however!
With all this in mind we realise that the best thing to do now is to
re-release 5 shows in full WAV high res quality to the fans for free. They
are all ready for burning to CD with CD ART PRINT (we never did have the AUG
11 MS in the first place which is why we are only doing the 5 and not 6
shows). There is little point in purchasing the Audionics versions when
these are much better in quality as you will evidently hear for yourself.
Since it was us that started this whole crazy TTWII saga, we feel it is up
to us to close this chapter once and for all. This whole thing has just
gotten out of hand.
We again at the International label would like to apologise to all fans for
the major blunder on the sound. This is about the best thing we can do to
make a wrong made to right, that is to give you master files in full WAV
quality that you can download for free, with artwork to make your own CD’s
that is far superior than the Audionics releases.
Let’s just hope for an ultimate release by FTD on these last couple of shows
will finally come round to being officially released that we all would
welcome.
We at the International label would like to thank the person for uploading
the initial files onto a private server but unfortunately we are told this
is restricted to few downloads. If other fans can help upload these files
onto newsgroups and bit torrent, there is simply no way any official company
can take this off. In the meantime here are some links and as more links are
spread but many of the fans that are helping us to do so the more links we
will inform you.
(Scan EER)
Here are the links:
IF YOU ATTEMPT TO DOWNLOAD THESE THEY WILL TAKE AT LEAST AN HOUR PER FILE
(AS ITS IN HIGH PRESTINE QUALITY)
When making Audio CD’s please remember to ‘No pause between tracks’ since
these are live concerts.
AUG 10 DS
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZRXH4ECB
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MY7ZYGO1
AUG 11 DS
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=II01XL1N
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XIM4XCV8
AUG 12 DS
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6IRI7C1Y (part 3 12th Dinner
Show)
AUG 12 MS
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2FA311LZ
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WZKABBY6 (part 4 12th Midnight
Show)
AUG 13 MS
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2EZBT02D
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6CK5LXQP (part 5 13th Dinner
Show)
CD ART PRINT
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BDYZKTGY (part 6 CD covers)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JFNZ3BRF (LP Style covers & Labels)
N.B NO 11th Midnight Show (already released by BMG on Live in Las Vegas Box
Set CD 2)
As recorded live in the International Hotel
showroom in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 12th, 1970, Dinner Show.
AUDIONICS® STEREO 2009-02-2
The follow-up release to "STRANGER IN THE CROWD" by Audionics label is
entitled "TWENTY DAYS & NIGHTS" and contains the excellent August 12, 1970
dinner show. The first outing of this recording as part of boxed set called
"TTWII - The Complete Works" was presented only in mono sound.
As all the other shows recorded during the first week of his third
appearance at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, NV, Elvis’ performance
was brilliant and featured many highlights such as I've Lost You, I Just
Can't Help Believin', Patch It Up, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me and
Bridge Over Troubled Water to name a few.
"TWENTY DAYS & NIGHTS" is in FULL STEREO sound, complete and taken from
original mastertape. As its predecessor there is no noise, balance of
instruments and voices are excellent too. This release will be presented in
a beautiful 3-panel digipack and accompanying photographs taken from the
actual show .
Fans will be able to enjoy another great performance the way it was recorded
in August 1970. If you enjoyed our previous release then "TWENTY DAYS &
NIGHTS" is not to be missed!
Coming very soon ....from the same label, CD "SOMETHING" featuring
the August 11, 1970 DS also in FULL STEREO.
Tracks:
01. Opening Vamp / That's All Right, Mama - 02. I Got A Woman - 03.
Monologue #1 - 04. Hound Dog - 05. Instrumental Intermezzo / Monologue #2 -
06. Heartbreak Hotel - 07. Monologue #3 - 08. Love Me Tender (with false
start) - 09. I've Lost You - 10. I Just Can't Help Believin' - 11. Patch It
Up - 12. Monologue #4 - 13. Twenty Days And Twenty Nights (with false start)
- 14. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - 15. Polk Salad Annie - 16. Band
Introductions - 17. Blue Suede Shoes - 18. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
- 19. Bridge Over Troubled Water - 20. Suspicious Minds - 21. Can't Help
Falling In Love
Total running time: 73:59
As recorded at the Hilton Hotel showroom in
Las Vegas, Nevada, September 3rd, 1973, Dinner show.
Sample in 160kbps mp3
format (part of song Trouble)
As recorded at the Hilton Hotel showroom in Las Vegas, Nevada, September
3rd, 1973, Dinner show.
The next release from Straight Arrow (SA 2009-13-02) will be previously
unreleased Las Vegas September 3rd, 1973 Dinner show. It is very strong
concert, containing the only known 1973 version of "It's Now Or Never", rare
"Polk Salad Annie" performed only twice in 1973, part of "Jailhouse Rock"
and for 'rare live excerpts' fans there are bits of "Guadalajara", "Miracle
Of The Rosary" and "Farther Along".
This show was taped by the same person as Dec. 02nd, 1976 concert released
as "LAST VEGAS OPENING NIGHT" and once again for this CD release, an
original mastertape will be used. The sound quality is excellent - regarding
the off-line source.
As a bonus, 4 tracks from the closing show are also included. They originate
from the B-side of the same master tape cassette. All prior releases of
these songs from the closing show derive from a substandard source.
Note: to prevent any speculations, we would like to make clear that the CD
"Top Acts In Vegas Vol. 4" from 1995 is containing September 2nd, 1973
Dinner show, NOT September 3rd, 1973 Dinner show as stated in the CD design.
The date is wrong.
Excerpts from the sleeve notes:
"Elvis was coming to the end of his 1973 summer season at the Las Vegas
Hilton, one most notable for much banter with his musicians and frequent
lyric changes. The Labor Day dinner show, Monday, September 3, was just such
a performance. At 8:45 pm, the star, in his glittering "Blue Superman"
jumpsuit, appeared to warm applause. He seemed a little sleepy, but would
soon be his energetic self. After "C. C. Rider", as he was welcoming the
crowd, the microphone came off the top of its stand in three pieces, which
he then tossed to Red West, commenting about how it needed to be taped up.
"Fever" was peppered with ad-libs, and at one point a female yelled out,
"Room Three-Forty Five!" to much audience laughter. "Now you've listened to
HER story", sang Elvis, and there was a lot of leg action as he concluded
the song out on the ramp the Hilton had added to the main showroom.
Introductions were interspersed with humour, especially when Elvis recalled
how he'd thrown water on piano player Glen Hardin the night before. "He came
[after the show] in with all of the arrangements, all of his wardrobe, and
quit, you know. Made a big deal out of it! ... I'm gonna do it again tonight!"
Glen nimbly sprang out of the way as Elvis aimed a glass of water at him.
Intros over, Elvis sang a few bars of "Farther Along", Glen echoing him on
piano. He stopped, and instead began "Release Me".
"That's about it, folks", Elvis reluctantly announced, adding that the hotel
didn't like them to stay on stage too long. But then someone called out for
"Polk Salad Annie". Turning to Glen, he quietly said "For The Good Times",
and Hardin began to play the introduction. Yet again Elvis instantly changed
his mind, and attacked the request for "Polk Salad Annie" instead. Over more
requests, he began "Can't Help Falling In Love". Before he disappeared
behind the showroom's descending gold curtain, someone gave him a lei of red
flowers, which he sweetly put around his neck".
Tracks:
01. Opening Vamp / C. C. Rider - 02. I Got A Woman / Amen - 03. Love Me -
04. Steamroller Blues - 05. You Gave Me A Mountain / Guadalajara (partial) -
06. Trouble - 07. Long Tall Sally / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On / Mama
Don't Dance / Flip Flop & Fly / Hound Dog - 08. Love Me Tender - 09. Fever -
10. Bridge Over Troubled Water - 11. Suspicious Minds - 12. Introductions by
Elvis of Singers, Musicians - 13. Farther Along (partial) / Release Me - 14.
An American Trilogy - 15. Mystery Train / Tiger Man - 16. Jailhouse Rock (partial)
- 17. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel - 18. It's Now Or Never -
19. How Great Thou Art - 20. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face / Miracle
Of The Rosary (partial) - 21. Polk Salad Annie - 22. Can't Help Falling In
Love - 23. Closing Vamp / Announcements.
Bonus (September 3, 1973 Closing Show):
24. C. C. Rider - 25. Love Me - 26. Steamroller Blues - 27. You Gave Me A
Mountain - 28. Trouble
Approximate running time: 79:41
The Documentary Channel has their own youtube channel.
You can now watch Fit for a King in it's entirety - 1 hour 16 mins(minus the
DVD Extra footage)
Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMtBUPyZxZw
The King's home-town festival is staying in the black.
The Tupelo Elvis Presley Festival, which lost $46,000 three years ago, made
$92,944 this year — almost $13,000 more than it made last year.
That word comes from the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association, which
started the festival as a fundraiser 11 years ago.
Executive Director Debbie Brangenberg says lower ticket prices attracted
enough people to offset a drop in sponsorships.
After the loss in 2007, the festival cut back from two downtown stages to
one, and cut out a car giveaway that cost $25,000.
Elvis left the building a long time ago, but the new owner of the Presley
Estate hopes "The King's" airplane and other possessions will attract
visitors to his Palm Springs home.
Estate owner Reno Fontana is acquiring the music legend's private jet, car
and performance ring to help promote the home as the "Graceland of the
West."
Presley bought the home at 845 W. Chino Canyon Road in 1970 and owned it
until his death in 1977.
Fontana placed the winning bid for the items on May 30, through a Webcast
for a Kruse International auction, said Kelly Ellert, director of public
relations for Kruse International. Fontana said he bid $600,000 for the
three possessions.
"It's an investment and it will pay for itself in the next three years," he
said.
Fontana made the purchase with money he got through a private placement
memorandum, he said.
"It allows us to sell stock in the (Presley Estate) company without being
publically traded," he said.
The airplane, a 1962 Lockheed Jetstar JT 12-5, was advertised by Kruse
International as the last jet Presley owned.
His 1968 "Gold" Fleetwood Eldorado was advertised as the car Presley owned
longer than any other vehicle.
According to various Web sites, Presley shot the car with a pistol when it
wouldn't start about a year after he bought it.
And Presley wore the ring Fontana bought during performances, a Kruse
International advertisement showed.
Fontana's goal is to eventually allow VIP gamblers and "high-rollers" from
Coachella Valley and Las Vegas casinos to "drive to dinner in Elvis's car,
sleep in Elvis's bedroom and fly home in Elvis's plane," he said.
Fontana would like to remodel the plane to enable it to fly again, he said.
He also would like to have it re-painted.
As for the ring, Fontana said it may be symbolically used during wedding
ceremonies that take place at the estate.
The Praytome Publishing designer, Regina
Wiegand, checks the first run of the cover printings.
On June 25, Charles Stone's new book "My Years With Elvis & The Colonel"
will premiere at the
ElvisMatters
four-day event "100 Years Parker, 1,000 Times Elvis" in Breda, The
Netherlands. This latest Praytome Publishing project will be available to
the Elvisworld when it debuts at this celebration of Colonel Parker's 100th
birthday. For more information about the event, visit the official website
www.colonelparker.info
The weekend after next the book "My Years With Elvis & The Colonel" by
Charles Stone will have its premiere during the festivities for the 100th
birthday of Colonel Parker in Breda , The Netherlands. The latest Praytome
Publishing project will be presented to the Elvisworld during this 4-day
event organized by ElvisMatters. For more information about the event visit
the official website www.colonelparker.info.
The printing process started last Monday at Dassel
Druck.
The book will be on time for the Breda event, and fans can expect a high
quality product -as always: a hardcover book with unreleased pictures
allowing one an inside view of the memories of Elvis Presley's tour
producer, Charles Stone.
Colonel Parker was a smart manager and naming one of Elvis' albums "Something
For Everybody" was also a stroke of genius. The title not only fits the
Elvis' LP, but also the content of the new book by Praytome Publishing:
never-before-seen pictures, new information, new documents and paperwork,
new inside views...
Today, we are happy to share with you the complete cover artwork. Below, is
an image of how the back cover will look:
The backcover of Charles Stone's book "My
Years With Elvis & The Colonel"
Frontcover of the upcoming book release ISBN: 978-3-00-027543-2
Pre-Order Now: Charles Stone "My Years with Elvis and the Colonel"
Click on the banner to enter
OPEN: Saturday & Sunday 13 & 14 June, 2009 - 1300. PM - 1800 PM.
EpGold Shop
Sionstraat 12,
1947 JT - Beverwijk
The Netherlands
The Netherlands : 0251 - 821240
Other Countries Dial : + 31 - 251 - 821240
E-Mail:
elvisinternational@casema.nl
Tickets for Elvis Presley In Concert on February 22, 2010 in Zurich, at
Hallenstadion, will be on presale exclusively for Elvis Insiders for
48-hours only on Monday, June 15, beginning at 8:00 a.m. (Swiss Time).
Tickets for the general public will be on sale beginning Thursday, June 18
at 8:00 a.m. (Swiss Time).
The link to purchase the presale tickets online will be placed on the Elvis
Insiders members only message board shortly before the presale.
If you are not an Elvis Insider visit
www.Elvis.com/insiders for more information or to join and
you can find out more details on Elvis Presley In Concert at
www.Elvis.com/concert.
Following our previous information, we are now proud to present the official
ELVIS FRENCH STAMP (see attached files).
The official release date in France is October 2nd 2009, but the national
subscription will take place on June 13th 2009, during the celebration of
Elvis visit in Paris 50th anniversary, organised by Elvis My Happiness, with
special guest Joe Esposito, coming to Paris especially for this event.
Other guests include celebrities and artists who met Elvis during his stay in Paris, such as: Clyde Wright, member of the Golden Gate Quartet and Nancy Holloway, American singer established in the city…
Elvis My Happiness will exclusively propose a special ELVIS STAMP package
containing (see attached files):
. 10 prepaid envelopes
. 10 stamps
. the exclusive “1st day” card
. the exclusive prepaid “1st day” envelope
. an exclusive promo CD
A set of 10 stamps and/or a set of 10 prepaid envelopes are also available
through Elvis My Happpiness shop.
Please contact Elvis My Happiness website for more details (orders and
prices).
Thank you Very Much !
The EMH Team In Paris.
Sony confirmed that the 'From Elvis In Memphis' Legacy release will in fact
be a double CD.
CD 1 will be the original album and CD 2 the rest of the masters.
The tracklisting for the double CD 'From Elvis In Memphis' is:
CD 1 (15 Tracks)
The original 'From Elvis In Memphis' album with additional tracks:
Suspicious Minds
Don't Cry Daddy
Kentucky Rain
CD2 (17 Tracks)
The original 'Back In Memphis' album with additional tracks:
Rubberneckin'
My Little Friend
Mama Liked The Roses
I'll Be There
Hey Jude
If I'm A Fool (For Loving You)
Who Am I
News Sony May 20, 2009:
To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Elvis' historic American Studio
session that resulted in "Suspicious Minds," "In the Ghetto" and "Kentucky
Rain" among many others, Sony Music will release a deluxe version of From
Elvis In Memphis, including all the 32 masters recorded at these sessions.
These recordings have been remastered from the original album masters for
optimum sound quality. More details on the release to come.
Parkzicht, Paul Windhausenweg 1, Breda, Holland
Friday- June 26, 2009
20.00 h. Opening of a 3-day Elvis exhibition with never seen before items +
exhibition featuring Colonel Parker in his birthplace, Breda where he was
born 100 years ago on June 26, 1909.
20.30 Live performances - Back to the fifties with Travelin’ Men + guests
Entrance - 3 euro
Saturday - June 27, 2009
11.00h. Record fair with various Elvis Fan Clubs Entrance 1 euro
20.00 h. Live performances with
SPECIAL GUESTS BRENDA HALL & SHAUN NIELSEN
Entrance 20 euro - advance sale 15 euro
Sunday - June 28, 2009
11.00 h. Record fair with various Elvis Fan Clubs
14.00h. Live performances with special guest
The winner of the Elvis impersonator Worldchampionship in Memphis Tennessee.
Entrance 3 euro
Our special guests
Elvis Memories Belgium
Elvis Unlimited (Denmark)
It’s Elvis time (Holland)
Elvis for everyone (Holland)
+ Book signing
Michael Knorr en Oscar Hentschel (private Elvis - Elvis in Germany)
Megan Murphy (Inside G.I.Blues, Inside Roustabout,
Elvis is Back, Inside Love me tender, Inside Blue Hawaii.
Praytome publishing
(photo of Harold getting a guitar pick from Elvis taken by George Hill, Johnson City, TN Feb 19, 1977)
Dear EpGold readers,
I am sorry to report that he passed away on Wednesday, June 10th. Here is a
brief write-up I have made on behalf of his Family.
Harold passed away peacefully this afternoon at 2:12 pm EST, June 10, 2009.
He was surrounded by family while Elvis music was playing from the # 1 HITS
double CDs.
Over the past 10 days, he became less and less responsive, but over this
time he would respond to certain key words. ELVIS, TED, (his brother who was
a Border Patrol Agent killed in the line of duty in 1967) and BORDER PATROL.
Harold was widely known as an Elvis photographer, capturing him in dozens of
concerts from 1975 - 1977. But he was also well known by members of the U.S.
Border Patrol. Since his brother's tragic death in 1967, he has been a
devoted advocate for the Border Patrol and its' Agents. He continuously
sought for improvements to the Border Patrol so future Agents would be
better protected.
Theodore L. Newton, Jr. and George F. Azrak were partners, killed in the
line duty. Today, the U.S. Border Patrol's highest award for bravery is
named after them. In 2007, Harold headed a campaign, lobbying Congress to
have the Station they were working out of, in Murietta, CA, renamed in their
honor. Legislation was passed last year and the Official Renaming ceremony
was held a little over 6 weeks ago. Harold was there and it would be his
last tribute honoring his brother. It was an extremely proud moment for his
Family.
During his time in the hospital and at the Hospice House, a few of his
favorite photos of Elvis were displayed in his room so that he would have
pleasant memories to reflect on. One of his nurses at the hospital was a
huge Elvis fan and wanted to know all about the photos. Thomas told her who
Harold was and about his Elvis photography and she became an instant friend!
Thomas returned the following day with some of Harold's beautiful 8x10
prints and gave them to the nurse.
She was very excited about the photos and talked to him, wanting him to
wake up and tell her all about them. When he was being moved from the
hospital to the Hospice House, she asked if she could kiss him goodbye and
to thank him again for the wonderful photos. When she kissed his forehead,
his eyes opened for the first time in several days and he had a little grin
on his face. He was a little more responsive that day than he had been or
would be for the remaining days he had left. It is a sweet memory to have of
him; his Elvis photographs still pleasing the fans and realizing the pride
he had in knowing his photography of Elvis meant so much to so many.
No funeral plans have been made at this time, but he is to be laid to rest
in his Family plot in Tacoma, WA.
Cards and condolences can be sent to his Family in care of:
Thomas Harvey
P.O. Box 2093
Kirkland, WA 98083
USA
Wolf Call label compiled a new CD with tracks from other CDs.
Tracklisting:
1.That's The Way It Is - radio spot
2.Promised Land - alternate mix
3.tJust A Little Bit - remastered mastertake
4.It's Only Love - long version
5.Let Us Pray - alternate master
6.Never Ending - remastered
7.Let's Forget About The Stars - remake
8.Viva Las Vegas - remastered mastertake
9.Sylvia - spliced take 3/9
10.Wisdom Of The Ages - alternate mix
11.As Long As I Have You - remake
12.Fools Fall In Love - remixed take
13.Santa Lucia - remake
14.Your Love Is A Long Time Coming - alternate master
15.A Mess Of Blues - remixed take
16.His Latest Flame - alternate take
17.She's Not You - remastered take
18.The Girl Of My Best Friend - alternate take
19.For Ol'Times Sake - Cleaned alternate take
20.I Got A Think About You Baby - alternate master
21.Angel - solo take
22.Big Boots - solo take
23.Britches - solo take
24.Thanks To The Rolling Sea - solo take
25.You're A Heartbreaker - acetate
We Will released the biggest stars last Concert they ever did.
The Artist is: Buddy Holly .Elvis Presley .Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash
Buddy Holly Concert from Feb. 2, 1959 (mono)
Elvis Presley Concert Jun 26 1977 (Stereo) First time from mixingboard the
concert was not complete recorded so we have taking bandintro from the day
before…
Roy Orbison Dec 4 1988 uncut (Stereo)
Johnny Cash 2003 live from mixingbord rec by Minidisc!! John R Cash & June
Carter on stage 2002
The will come with includes a 14-colour booklet and Beautiful pictures of
Roy and Elvis 1976 and Cash and Elvis 1971.
And a letter from Cash to Elvis: Cash ask Elvis if will be gust in Johnny
Cash TV Special, and we have Elvis letter back to Cash “he say is not up to
me ,but I will someday...(and more)
Release date September 2009
More info and cover Soon...
Click
here to watch a video of Gene Autry Turner, who met
Elvis when he presented him with a Sherriff's badge from Tupelo.
He presented it to Elvis at Graceland in July 1971.
The ticket sale for the video screen concert on february 2010 in Rotterdam
has only started a week ago but a lots of tickets are already gone by now.
On the Ahoy floorplan, we can see that the Arena and Arena Tribune are
almost sold out.
The other areas in the venue are showing lots of taken seats. Although
February 2010 seems to be far away, it is recommended to book your tickets
fast! EPE announced a few times in the past that the video screen show will
not tour again, but the chance that this IS going to be the last time is
very likely!
Look out to buy the tickets only on the official site, since there are other
ticket sites that are selling the seats at much more higher prices!
Jeffrey Smith
For almost as long as there’s been rock ’n’ roll, Los Angeles has been a
city at the center of its history and mythology—a town in which legends are
made, burned, rebuilt, merchandised, forgotten. The city has had its fair
share of native rock talent and has been the adopted home of many more
singular rockin’ careers, but the powerful draw of L.A. has also meant that,
through the years, the city has been the site of some of the most notable
and unusual rock ’n’ roll encounters.
Some chance meetings have resulted in remarkable music—as in the low-key
introductions that led to Crosby, Stills and Nash blending their first
harmonies in a Laurel Canyon home. Some convergences have been darker—there’s
the brief and creepy tangling of the Beach Boys with an aspiring songwriter
named Charles Manson. Others are simply odd footnotes: David Bowie visiting
an inpatient Iggy Pop at UCLA’s neuropsychiatric institute.
But perhaps the greatest of L.A.’s rock ’n’ roll tête-à-têtes occurred on a
still summer night in 1965, high up in the rarefied climes of Bel Air. There,
in a splendid home on Perugia Way, Elvis met the Beatles.
Or more precisely, the Beatles met Elvis. When the group traveled to the U.S.
in 1964, they frequently cited Elvis as a major influence. Beatles manager
Brian Epstein contacted Presley’s manager, the famously colorful Colonel Tom
Parker, about organizing a meeting, but the logistics could never be worked
out. The closest the Fab Four got to contact with the King came after their
first visit to The Ed Sullivan Show, when the curiously charisma-deficient
host read from a telegram: “Congratulations on your appearance on The Ed
Sullivan Show and your visit to America. We hope your engagement will be a
successful one and your visit pleasant. Give our best to Mr. Sullivan.
Sincerely, Elvis & the Colonel.”
The following year, when the Beatles returned for a second U.S. tour, it all
came together. The Beatles were in Los Angeles for a week, staying in a
rented Benedict Canyon house while they played two nights at the Hollywood
Bowl. Elvis was at his home on Perugia Way in Bel Air, having just returned
from location, shooting his latest movie, Paradise, Hawaiian Style.
Epstein again initiated contact with Colonel Parker, and the decision was
made that on the night of August 27, the Beatles would come to Elvis’ home
for an informal get-together. Intensive security arrangements were worked
out, and it was agreed that no press would be involved and no pictures would
be taken or recordings made of whatever happened.
“So many things could have gone wrong,” says Jerry Schilling, who was living
at the Perugia house at the time and working as a member of the “Memphis
Mafia,” the entourage of guys who tended to all manner of Presley’s personal
and professional needs. “If Colonel and Brian hadn’t gotten along, it
wouldn’t have gotten past the phone-call stage. But there were no ego
battles, and from the start it was approached as a pair of music greats
coming together out of admiration for each other.”
The uncomfortable subtext to the meeting was that, in 1965, Presley’s
moments of musical greatness were behind him, and he had become deeply
despondent over the string of mediocre films and uninspired soundtrack
material he found himself contractually bound to deliver. “I remember asking
him once what his next movie was going to be,” recalls George Klein, a
pioneering rock ’n’ roll disc jockey in Memphis, who began a lifelong
friendship with Presley when the two met in an eighth grade music class. “He
said, ‘Same story, different location. I beat up the bad guys, get the girl
and sing 10 lousy songs.’ But as down as he was about what he was doing, I
don’t think he really felt threatened by the Beatles. He appreciated the
excitement of their records, and he thought they were fine songwriters. I
remember him saying several times, ‘There’s room enough for everybody.’
Probably me and some of the other guys around Elvis felt more defensive than
he ever did.”
Just before 10 p.m. on the 27th, Colonel Parker and Memphis Mafia “foreman”
Joe Esposito rode in limos over to the Beatles’ Benedict Canyon house,
picked up John, Paul, George, Ringo, Epstein and the Beatles’ road manager,
Mal Evans, and returned to Perugia Way. “There was a huge crowd of fans at
the gate to Elvis’ house,” recalls Esposito. “The Colonel didn’t want any
press, but he leaked word to a few fan clubs so that there’d be some
excitement outside.”
Elvis and then girlfriend (later wife) Priscilla Beaulieu met the Beatles at
the door of the home, and as introductions were made between the Beatles and
the seven or so Mafia members, the group moved to the smaller of two den
areas, which was equipped with a large TV, a stereo system and a bar. As
everyone found a place, there was an awkward lull. The two greatest rock ’n’
roll acts in the world were finally together, face to face. Now what was
supposed to happen?
“No matter who you are,” says Schilling, “walking into Elvis Presley’s house
is a different experience. His presence put things on a certain level, and I
think the Beatles could feel that. But Elvis knew how to handle it. He said,
‘If you guys are just going to sit around and stare at me, I’m going to
bed.’ That broke the ice and got a laugh out of everybody. Right away, the
Beatles understood that Elvis was a guy with a sense of humor—and a guy who
really loved crazy British humor. It wasn’t too long before John and Elvis
were talking about Peter Sellers and favorite scenes from Dr. Strangelove.”
With the mood loosened up, the gathering turned into a friendly,
free-flowing affair. Colonel Parker and Esposito oversaw the action at a
craps table and roulette wheel that had been set up in the home’s larger
den, while Schilling teamed with Ringo to take on Evans and Elvis’ cousin
Billy Smith in a game of pool. Elvis wasn’t a drinker, so very little
alcohol was served (though George Harrison slipped out to the swimming pool
area, where he smoked pot with hairstylist Larry Geller and Mafia member
Alan Fortas).
“I think there was probably some nervousness on both sides when the night
began,” says Esposito. “But it turned out to be a really enjoyable,
down-to-earth, getting-to-know-you situation. Not a wild party—just a really
fun night. For us, it was great to see Elvis enjoying himself that way.”
Early on, Elvis showed off one of his musical pastimes to Lennon and
McCartney—plugging a Fender bass into an amp to play along to records.
Charlie Rich’s “Mohair Sam” was a favorite that summer, and Elvis nailed the
boogeying bass line. There were guitars in the house, and there are varying
accounts as to what extent the rock luminaries jammed. Esposito remembers a
few ’50s oldies—not Elvis tunes—getting a run-through, though the
left-handed McCartney had trouble doing much with a guitar strung for a
right-hander. Schilling remembers Elvis playing bass but doesn’t recall any
serious jamming. “I was paying attention that night,” he laughs. “That’s
something I wouldn’t have missed.”
Whatever music got made, the four-hour get-together was successful enough
that the Beatles wanted to return the favor, inviting some of Elvis’ guys to
spend time where they were staying. “Just as they were leaving,” Schilling
recalls, “John said to me, ‘I know Elvis can’t get out, but if you’d like to
come up to our place, we’ll be there the next few days.’ ”
So Schilling found himself on a Benedict Canyon patio, at a table with John,
Paul and George (Ringo was inside, on the phone with his wife). Either
because they were freshly shampooed or wanted to protect their hair from the
sun, the three Beatles had their heads wrapped in towels. Schilling
remembers one other detail from that afternoon: “I was amazed watching their
security guys grab up these girls who were scaling the canyon walls to get
to the band, but the Beatles were so used to it they didn’t even notice.”
At one point, Lennon leaned over and asked Schilling to deliver a message to
Elvis. “He said, ‘I didn’t have the nerve to tell Elvis this last night,”
Schilling recalls, “but you see these sideburns? I almost got kicked out of
school for trying to look like him. Tell Elvis that if it hadn’t been for
him, I wouldn’t be here.’ ”
Later, back on Perugia Way, Schilling found Elvis sitting alone in the den
where the Beatles’ evening first started. “I didn’t tell him right away that
I’d just spent the day at their place,” says Schilling. “Elvis was a nice
guy, but loyalty was very important to him. I built up to it slowly, then
told him what John had said. He didn’t say anything, but he had this little
proud smile on his face. I could see how much it meant to him.”
In the years since that August night, just a few unofficial photos have
emerged—shots taken at the Perugia gates, most likely by a fan, as the
Beatles appear to be leaving. The encounter lives on as a cherished memory
for those lucky enough to have been there, but Esposito has come to question
the occasion’s no-photo policy. “At the time, it seemed like the right thing
not to have pictures or recordings, to let these guys just be themselves.
But now I kind of wish we could have had some pictures taken, because it
really was a helluva night.”
CHUCK CRISAFULLI is an L.A.-based writer whose books include Me and a Guy
Named Elvis and the forthcoming Elvis: My Best Man.
Hello,
I am sorry to report such sad news to the Elvis World.
A few days ago, I received some terrible news from the Family of Harold
Newton. Harold has been admitted to a Hospice House near his home in South
Carolina. He is not expected to make it through the next 24 hours. Recently,
he was diagnosed with Stage 4, non-small cell lung cancer.
His Family has set up a BANK OF AMERICA account where anyone wishing to make
donations can do so.
Any Bank of America
Harold J. Newton Fund
Acct Number: 223007047157
Harold is well known in the Elvis World for the numerous concert photos he
shot of Elvis in the 70's. During Elvis Week, he would sell his prints at
the Memorabilia Convention and was always proud to talk to anyone about his
experiences of seeing Elvis in concert and taking the amazing photos that he
shot.
If you have any questions, please can contact me at:
DJPHIL@IMAGESINCONCERT.COM ATTN: Harold Newton
Thank you for your help,
Derek Phillips
Last weekend, the Tupelo Elvis festival, was held in Elvis' birthplace
Tupelo. Eye catcher was the parade in the centre of the city.
The route of the parade is exactly the same as the one from 1956 to
celebrates Elvis' return to his roots.
Did you ever meet Elvis and live in the Memphis area? We would like to
capture your story as part of the Elvis Legacy Project.
EPE will be filming Legacy videos on Friday, June 12 and Saturday, June 13,
at the Memphis Hilton East, located at 939 Ridge Lake (near Poplar &
I-2140), from 9 am to 5 pm.
To schedule a videotaped interview for the Graceland Archives or for more
information, call 901-344-3127.
For more about the Legacy Project, visit
www.elvis.com/legacy.
And here it is... the official Festival Poster for the event '100 years
Parker, 1.000 times ELVIS' in the city of Breda.
A great shot by our special guest Ed Bonja graces this colorful poster. The
size of this particular poster is 90 x 120 cm (or 33" x 47"), which spells:
H-U-G-E. If you're lucky enough to get one, this is a souvenir for life.
Photo: Duke and Michael having fun in a
Chinese restaurant in Sweden.
Exclusive Review for EpGold by Arjan Deelen
The storm that is ’The Original Elvis Tribute 2009’ has now calmed down, and
all of us involved still have difficulty shaking it out of our system. It
was an emotional rollercoaster ride, with stirring music, enthusiastic
crowds, many unique experiences, a lot of laughter, and yes, some tears too.
Even the band was deeply moved by seeing Michael Jarrett perform his own
songs on stage. To see that tiny, fragile figure shake with emotion, singing
as if his life depended on it, sometimes with his fists in the air to
punctuate his singing… it was almost otherworldly. None more so than in
Belgium, when earlier in the day Michael had been suffering from severe
heart fibrillation….
We all wondered whether he could go on, but for Michael this was never a
question. In the best showbusiness tradition he went on and worked his ass
off, even though he still had the fibrillation. That night it seemed that
there was a divine intervention of some kind, because his performances of
I’M LEAVIN’ and I’LL BE HOME ON CHRISTMAS DAY were just absolutely
breathtaking, and he got a strong and heartfelt standing ovation. Where
Michael got the power from to pull that off, I’ll never know.
His performances were made even more poignant by the presence of his
daughter Michele, who sang backing vocals on the tour. Of course both songs
were about Michael’s divorce from Michele’s mother, and it was very
emotional to hear father and daughter harmonize on the songs that described
a situation that had affected them both deeply.
Michele was only a 1-year old when her mom and dad divorced, and she said
that her relationship with her father had always been somewhat strained, and
that only since the dead of her mother about 2 years ago there has been a
little more contact.
This tour was basically the first time that father and daughter really spent
quality time together, and a few tears were shed along the way…
Here you can see Michael perform I’M LEAVIN’, with Michele doing the harmony:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djPbXH40hxU
It’s always difficult to present a ’new’ singer doing Elvis songs, but Ted
Roddy handled the job with great aplomb. His laid-back, no-nonsense approach
added a lot of credibility to the show, while his vocals were just spot-on,
especially on songs like FAME AND FORTUNE, POWER OF MY LOVE, CLEAN UP YOUR
OWN BACK YARD and WAY DOWN. Vocally, he was especially close on the songs
from the ‘68/’69 era. Here he performs a cool version of ‘Walk A Mile In My
Shoes’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWHEwfpKAdU
And everybody just LOVED Duke Bardwell. With his bigger-than-life
personality, his handsome features, his mischievous smile and his wonderful
sense of humor, he charmed audience everywhere we went… especially the
female part!
We soon realized that he was our secret weapon and indeed NO ONE could
resist that ol’ Louisiana charm! And the boy could sing and play too! In
fact, he was really good and many were surprised by his very soulful and
authentic performances, like the reworked ‘Heartbreak Hotel’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5nwDON3dmw
But really, somehow it seems unfair just to pick out certain individuals,
when in reality this was a team-effort… or in this case, a dream team effort.
This band was lucky to have the finest players in the business, like ace
drummer Marc Singer (who played on a lot of Hollywood soundtracks like ‘Star
Wars’) and topnotch guitarist Thierry Le Coz. Just check out this great
version of ‘Little Sister’, with Thierry looking every inch the rock star
and sounding like a true guitar hero during his guitar solo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfU_z1mGOuw
The tour is over now, but the show made such an impact that we will HAVE TO
continue. The warm, heartfelt reactions from fans everywhere moved us all
deeply… People shaking your hands feverishly, sometimes with very limited
English, telling you again & again that this is the best Elvis Presley show
they had ever seen… including one woman who had actually seen Elvis in the
70s!...
The band being treated like true rockstars, with endless autograph sessions,
appearances on breakfast television, newspaper & radio interviews… it was
very special.
For me, it was very gratifying to see people like Michael and Duke finally
get their day in the sun. The funniest quote from the tour is probably from
Michael (who at the age of 71 is probably the world’s oldest teenager!), who
after a long autograph session in Sweden said: “You know, they say that
Capricorns are late bloomers, but this is ridiculous!”.
This remarkable show will return in 2010, so for booking info please contact
me at:
deelen@elvis.dk
(Rainbow Records RR-19730703-2)
Soon to be released – exactly 36 years after it was recorded - is the latest
production from “Rainbow Records”. This release will feature the complete
performance of Elvis Presley in Atlanta, Georgia - recorded July 3, 1973.
Again the producers of Rainbow Records have been working for months on this
new project, as “best possible quality” is always what we claim for when
releasing an audience-recorded Elvis Presley show.
This time we have found four (4!!) different sources of tapes for Elvis´
higly entertaining show in Atlanta which marked the closing of his June/July
1973-Tour. As you can imagine, we did our best – spending a total of 7 weeks
- to make our new release sound as good as possible!
You can expect Elvis in great mood doing a fine set of songs like the rarely
performed “Memphis Tennessee”, “Something”, Help Me Make It Through The
Night” and many others. Needless to say that the cd-booklet will have its
“usual” 20 pages full of rare photos, articles, memorabilia….. .
Release Date: July 3rd, 2009
Talking of a real eye catcher! How about this huge Elvis & Colonel Parker
Wall? With help of a specialized company, we will transform the large wall
of the exhibition room to a gigantic picture wall.
This picture simulation by Robert Aarts gives a good idea, but actually
seeing Elvis more than life size is just unbelievable! It will blow you away,
just as it did us when we saw the first presentation.
Info:
• Free
• June 25, 26, 27, 28 (evening and night)
• Outside of the Holland Casino (Kloosterplein 20, Breda)
Todd Slaughter and Jon Aldersea are working on a documentary DVD entitled
"Hard Road To Memphis" containing a documentary on the 30th Anniversary trip
of the UK fan club.
The DVD is slated for release September 2009, after a screening on the
Travel Channel in August.
Frontcover of the upcoming book release ISBN: 978-3-00-027543-2
We all know that with the passing of Colonel Parker in 1997, not only the
person of Colonel Parker was gone forever, but also gone were all of his
memories. During his lifetime, neither 'the Colonel' nor his right-hand man,
Tom Diskin wrote a book about the times with Elvis.
Even though Elvis has been dead for more than thirty-one years now, Elvis
fans still hunger for more and detailed background information - especially
about the concert years.
Charles Stone, who was born November 8, 1943, and grew up in Wichita Falls,
Texas, didn't know, when he started to work for Concerts West, that one day
he would work with Colonel Parker and the Elvis entourage.
Still 'Taking Care Of Business' in the Elvis world, tour producer, Charles
Stone, shares his memories with Elvis fans worldwide. As tour producer for
the Elvis Presley Tours in the 1970's, Charles Stone also worked closely
with Colonel Tom Parker. His inside view of the business details of the
Colonel and how to manage and handle the Elvis deals was something special.
Charles was one of the few members who was inducted into the Colonel’s "Snowman's
League" - a mysterious accommodation of the Colonel.
Along with Charles' memories, the book will present a number of private
shots of Elvis on stage, a look “behind the wall" at the Colonel's private
home in Palm Springs, rare shots of the sound systems, speakers and mixing
boards taken and contributed by sound engineer, Bruce Jackson, and, of
course, paperwork.
Charles Stone (bottom right corner) during the Elvis concert March 11, 1974 - Hampton, VA
For the very first time, Charles Stone opens his original tour books,
showing you reprinted documents and paperwork that gives you an inside view
as you have never before had into the details of how the tours were produced
and how things were arranged.
The rare pictures, along with the paperwork that has never before been seen,
will give you a new perspective and a close-up look at how the Elvis Tours
were produced.
This is definitively the very first book about "Elvis & The Colonel" that is
written by a guy who was there. The storyline is based on Charles' memories,
unlike previous Colonel books that were based on false assumptions and
fabricated stories told by a third party.
From June 25th - June 28th, there will be a special celebration party for
the 100th birthday of Colonel Parker in his hometown, Breda, The Netherlands,
organized by the Belgium Fan club "ElvisMatters". For more information,
visit the official website for the event:
www.colonelparker.info
The close connection between Charles Stone and Colonel Parker and the 100th
birthday anniversary of Elvis' famous manager make the perfect combination
for the world premiere of the latest Praytome Publishing book
ElvisMatters will have the honour and exclusive privilege to have the world
premiere of Charles Stone's book, "My Years with Elvis and the Colonel".
The Praytome Publishing crew will also be in Breda for the event and to
answer any questions you might have about this new release - or any previous
releases.
Because the book will premiere at the ElvisMatters event, shipping will
begin June 29, 2009. Contact your local dealer to order the book.
Click on the banner to enter
Her photos and journal entries of the times she spent with Elvis can be
found in the two books and the first DVD volume of the "Elvis - Behind The
Image" series. Her friendship to Elvis was something special for her and
when she talks about the good days of the private human being Elvis Presley
- everybody is touched....
Yes, we are talking about the famous Sandi Miller who is also a well-known
guest from the Elvis Insiders Messageboard where she constantly supports the
fans with her stories and by talking about her times with Elvis. Sandi will
be special guest at the "Elvis Convention '09" in Randers, Denmark. Sandi
will answer all your questions and will be happy to sign her books and DVDs
for you.
For tickets and information, please visit www.elvisunlimited.com or send an email to info@elvispresley.dk
On June 7th, Sandi will contribute to a meeting in the Netherlands. The
location for the meeting is the Hotel Hoogeveen (Mathijsenstraat 1, 7909 AP
Hoogeveen) From noon to 5 P.M. she will be available for questions & answers,
book signing and photos.
For the Dutch Readers:
Zondag 7 juni 2009 organiseert Elvis For Everyone een Elvis dag in Hoogeveen van 12.00 tot 17.00 uur.
De lokatie is nieuw: Hotel Hoogeveen (Mathijsenstraat 1)
***MET: Sandi Miller (USA) - Casper Slee - Megan Murphy + diverse stands!
SANDI MILLER (speciale gast uit de USA)
Sandi was close met Elvis en welkom bij Elvis thuis, op
filmsets, zijn shows, in de bioscoop en noem maar op. Zij was een van de
weinige mensen buiten zijn vaste kring die hij toeliet in zijn privé
leven. Elvis vertelde Sandi: ‘I can buy anything I want but I can’t buy
peace in my heart’.
Sandi verteld haar verhalen over Elvis aan de hand van de vele unieke
foto’s die zij maakte. Sandi werkte mee aan diverse boek en DVD
projecten, o.a. Behind The Image 1 en 2... en wist u dat Sandi een
woordje Nederlands spreekt?
-SIGNEER EN FOTOSESSIE met SANDI MILLER
Uiteraard is er alle gelegenheid om uw boeken te signeren, met Sandi op de foto te gaan en/of vragen te stellen.
-LIVE: CASPER SLEE (zie ook zijn nieuwste clip "It's Still Here" op YouTube)
-SIGNEERSESSIE met MEGAN MURPHY (bekend van o.a. de "INSIDE" boeken)
-DE GROOTSTE ELVIS BEURS VAN NEDERLAND!
o.a. EFE + Elvis Corner (Utrecht) + Elvis Unlimited (Denemarken)
-USA REIZEN 2010 INFOMIDDAG + FILM
-GRATIS GELIMITEERDE COLLECTORS CD
MET UNIEKE OPNAMEN!
ENTREE: Slechts 10 Euro (inclusief CD voor iedereen)
Hotel Hoogeveen is zeer eenvoudig te vinden en ligt direct aan de A28 - afslag 26.
Ook is Hotel Hoogeveen gemakkelijk te bereiken via het openbaarvervoer. Tevens net als altijd hebben wij een busservice voor 1 Euro. Bel bij aankomst het fanclub infonummer: 06 166 43 874
This weeks show is a special 5 hour edition in celebration of 500 editions
of Elvis Express Radio and Lee is joined by many friends who wanted to come
along and be part of the commemorations.
Listeners are in with chances of winning several prizes, everything from
fridge magnets to original Vegas memorabilia, so don't miss out on this 5
hour Elvis-Fest, FREE on Elvis Express Radio.
Click Here:
http://www.elvis-express.com/elvisradio_lvis500show.html
OPEN: Saturday & Sunday 06 & 07 June, 2009 - 1300. PM - 1800 PM.
EpGold Shop
Sionstraat 12,
1947 JT - Beverwijk
The Netherlands
The Netherlands : 0251 - 821240
Other Countries Dial : + 31 - 251 - 821240
E-Mail:
elvisinternational@casema.nl
2010 will be the release of Paul's next book. A deluxe book with 450-600
pages about Elvis' time in Vegas from 1956 to 1976. 500 + pictures are 95%
in color!
Paul told Elvis Unlimited in this exclusive news report, that he has a
picture of Elvis which he had taken in a photo booth in 1956.
This book will be jam packed with memorabilia that has never before been in
any book yet. Paul had spend close to 10 years researching this project.
Overlook Press which also recently released The Elvis Encyclopedia by Adam
Victor, will release this Elvis Vegas "Bible" worldwide.
Every show from 1969 to 1977 will be described in details.
Which ever celebrities Elvis had met and had a picture taken of will be available in the massive hard cover book.
In September 2009, the Hal Leonard Corporation will release five new
Elvis music books:
Elvis Presley for Alto Sax: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack (paperback)
Elvis Presley for Clarinet: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack (paperback)
Elvis Presley for Flute: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack (paperback)
Elvis Presley for Tenor Sax: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack
(paperback)
Elvis Presley for Trumpet: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack (paperback)
As indicated, each book comes with a play along CD and features 15 popular
Elvis songs.
It appears each book features the same set of songs which include Blue Suede
Shoes; All Shook Up; Love Me Tender; Jailhouse Rock; Hound Dog; Teddy Bear
and Return to Sender.
All 5 books are available for pre-order from Amazon in the US.
Are you ready to set sail on The Elvis Cruise in November? Or is your
mind not made up and haven’t made a reservation just yet? Either way, you’ll
want to be sure to listen to The Elvis Cruise podcast presented by Sixthman,
organizers of the 2009 Elvis Cruise from Tampa to Cozumel.
In this Elvis Cruise edition of the Sixthman Podcast, Kevin Kern, Director
of Public Relations for Elvis Presley Enterprises and Jerry Schilling, one
of Elvis’s best friends growing up, give you a few reasons on why you need
to pack your bags and set sail with them in November on Carnival’s
Inspiration for The Elvis Cruise.
Click here
to listen to the podcast or download through iTunes.
June 1 (Bloomberg) -- Media baron Robert F.X. Sillerman had a great run
until he tried to break into real estate -- with Elvis Presley as his
partner.
The 61-year-old Sillerman -- who works out six days a week, offsetting an
appetite for ice cream and cookies -- made a fortune in radio, buying up
stations nationwide and selling them en masse for $2.1 billion in 1998. He
then rolled up concert venues and talent agencies for the likes of Metallica
and basketball star Michael Jordan and sold that business for $4 billion in
2000. A year later, he co-produced the Broadway adaptation of his friend Mel
Brooks’s movie “The Producers.”
Sillerman made what may have been his best deal in 2005, when he bought
television’s American Idol, the talent show that has franchises around the
world and tops U.S. TV ratings.
Then, in 2007, Sillerman rolled the dice on real estate -- at exactly the
wrong time. He started a company called FX Real Estate and Entertainment Inc.
and took over 18 acres (7 hectares) on the Las Vegas Strip. He borrowed $475
million through Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group AG to pay for the property
and start developing a resort with an Elvis theme.
Sillerman owns the commercial rights to Elvis -- and Muhammad Ali -- through
another company, New York-based CKX Inc., which also owns Idol.
The FX investment turned out to be a blunder by a dealmaker who, according
to business partners and friends, rarely makes them. “Bob always sees the
big picture and knows how to maximize things,” Brooks, 82, says. “He’s one
of the brightest people I know.”
Track Record
Sillerman has built and sold five public companies, making money for
investors -- and himself -- each time.
One of those sales prompted a class-action lawsuit in 1998 from an investor
who accused him of a conflict of interest when he executed a stock swap
between two companies he controlled. He settled the case. In June 2007, he
proposed to take American Idol parent CKX private, offering CKX holders $1.3
billion in cash, plus shares of New York-based FX Real Estate, again drawing
a shareholder suit.
That deal died along with Sillerman’s real estate dreams. The Vegas project
is in default. Plans for a new hotel and convention center at Graceland,
Elvis’s Tennessee home, are on hold. FX Real Estate fell to pennies a share
in April from its February 2008 peak of $7.88 and was delisted from the
Nasdaq stock exchange.
‘Golden Touch’
A separate real estate venture -- construction of a resort on the Caribbean
island of Anguilla, featuring residences costing as much as $12 million and
a hotel with personal butlers -- also stands unfinished and in default.
“Some people are mad at Bob because he had the golden touch,” says William
Huff, founder of W.R. Huff Asset Management Co. in Morristown, New Jersey,
the largest investor in FX Real Estate after Sillerman himself. “I think
there was a naive perception of infallibility,” Huff says. “Bob is not
infallible.”
Huff says he hasn’t given up on the Vegas project. “There are a lot of
people who are more screwed than Bob,” Huff, 59, says. “Bob never broke
ground, which is phenomenal. Once you have the steel up, you’re toast.”
Priscilla Presley, Elvis’s wife from 1967 to 1973, says the economy, not
Sillerman, is to blame. “I have a lot of confidence in Bob,” she says. “When
the timing is right, I’m sure all this will come back on the boards.”
Sillerman says he got into something he didn’t really understand. “I’m not
very knowledgeable about real estate,” he says in an interview at CKX’s
16th-floor offices on Madison Avenue in New York, where the walls are clad
in maple and brushed metal. “I think I’ve demonstrated that to the world.”
Practical Joker
Sillerman keeps what’s left of his gray hair close cut and sports a mustache.
A Lance Armstrong “LiveStrong” cancer wristband -- Sillerman survived tongue
cancer in 2001 -- peeks from under French cuffs and the sleeve of a blue
suit coat. He wears no tie.
Sillerman has trouble being serious even in serious times. He loves
practical jokes and once paid a bellhop in Paris to let him into a friend’s
room so he could jump out and scare her when she arrived. Yet these days he
spends much of his time grimly negotiating with the banks that loaned his
company $475 million for the Vegas project.
There are signs that he’s stretched. In March 2008, he took out a $23
million loan from Deutsche Bank AG on his five-story modernist town house on
the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to property records. The house
has a rooftop lap pool and a bullet-proof glass atrium installed by a
previous owner, S.I. Newhouse Jr., head of Conde Nast Publications Inc.,
according to a 1994 New York Times article about the house.
$29 Million
Sillerman says the loan was for estate planning purposes and declines to say
more.
He disclosed another loan from Deutsche Bank, for $29 million, in an April
filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It’s backed by his
29 percent stake in CKX. If CKX shares fall to $2.50, according to the
filing, the loan defaults. CKX closed at $6.97 on Friday, up 90 percent in
2009 after a 64 percent slide in 2008. This loan, Sillerman says, was for
investment purposes.
CKX is good collateral. Sillerman is chairman and chief executive officer of
the company, which he formed in 2004 to buy up entertainment properties. It
acquired Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment Ltd., the company that owns
American Idol, in 2005, for $161 million plus 1.9 million shares of CKX. The
show is based on a production called “Pop Idol” that Fuller, 49, launched in
Britain in 2001. Now, there are Idol clones in 100 countries.
Top Show
The show, which auditions would-be pop-music stars, features a panel of
judges that screens out contestants in the early rounds. Viewers vote by
telephone and text message for winners in later segments. American Idol has
been the most- watched program in the high-consuming 18-to-49 age group in
the U.S. for the past six years.
“It’s the only show that can consistently bring in 24 or 25 million viewers
in a telecast,” says Brad Adgate, senior vice president at Horizon Media Inc.,
a New York-based company that buys slots for advertisers.
That audience means News Corp.’s Fox network can charge advertisers, which
include Apple Inc.,AT&T Inc. and Coca-Cola Co., $650,000 for a 30-second
commercial.
Idol finalists have sold more than 42 million albums and 47 million
single-song downloads, according to Billboard magazine. The fourth album by
the winner in the show’s first season, Kelly Clarkson, debuted at No. 1 on
the Billboard 200 this March and sold 255,000 copies in its first week.
Allen Wins
Kris Allen, a 23-year-old college student from Arkansas, was crowned this
year’s winner, with almost 100 million votes cast after his final
performance in May.
Sillerman profits from American Idol through his stake in CKX. Revenue from
Idol advertising, merchandise sales and touring by its performers rose 15
percent to $96 million in 2008 and accounted for about a third of CKX’s
$288.1 million of total revenue.
As CEO of CKX, Sillerman got paid $1.96 million in 2008, including a $1.15
million bonus, a $24,000 car allowance and other items. He made $773,230 in
2007, with no bonus, according to company filings.
Fuller runs the CKX subsidiary that produces Idol. He got a $1.49 million
bonus on top of a $1.04 million salary in 2008. He also received 200,000
shares of CKX stock. Sillerman got no new shares in 2008.
Hands Off
Until this year’s finale, Sillerman had never been to a taping of Idol,
Fuller says. “He trusts it’s being run smoothly,” Fuller says. “He doesn’t
meddle with things that aren’t broken.”
Sillerman says his business is brands, like Elvis and American Idol. The
Vegas real estate project is just a vehicle for Elvis. Similarly, CKX says
it will launch a consumer product based on Ali, whose name and image
Sillerman bought from the Ali family for $50 million in 2006. Sillerman
won’t say what the product is. Earlier plans to sell Ali-branded shoes and
apparel at retailer Steve & Barry’s LLC collapsed when the chain went
bankrupt.
Paul Kanavos, a partner in the Vegas and Anguilla projects, says that if
anyone can recover from the real estate wreck, it’s Sillerman. “He’s the
calmest, coolest businessman I’ve ever met,” Kanavos, 52, says.
Though his net worth has fallen along with CKX and FX Real Estate stock,
Sillerman still lives large. He and his wife, Laura -- a copywriter, author
and poet -- split their time between the town house in Manhattan and a
beachside spread in Southampton, New York. They shuttle back and forth by
helicopter and take longer trips by private jet.
Bobecue Blast
Until 2006, the Sillermans threw an annual picnic in Southampton known as
the Bobecue, featuring bands, booze and hundreds of partiers. Sillerman says
they stopped the tradition after he decided the guest list had gotten out of
hand. He asked a stranger how he knew about the party. The guest said he had
heard about it from -- literally -- a friend of a friend of the brother of a
friend of Sillerman’s.
“It got to be sort of silly,” Sillerman says.
Silly can be a good thing in Sillerman’s world. He once dressed up as a
Turkish diplomat on the Orient Express between Paris and Venice, donning
military medals and a silver turban he borrowed from his wife and speaking
only through his “interpreter” -- his friend Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow, a
rock music disc jockey for New York’s WABC radio in the 1960s and 1970s.
Syndicating Lassie
Morrow, 71, has worked and partied with Sillerman since 1978, when the pair
began buying radio stations together.
Entertainment is in Sillerman’s blood. His father, Michael, founded the New
York-based Keystone Radio Network and was the man who syndicated Lassie, the
black-and-white television show starring a bighearted collie dog.
Sillerman inherited the “X” in his name from his father. Family code
dictated that Sillerman not learn what the initial stood for until his 18th
birthday and that he not disclose the name to anyone except his future
spouse. Even Morrow doesn’t know.
Bob and his brother, Michael, grew up in the affluent Riverdale neighborhood
in the Bronx. Sillerman studied political science at Brandeis University in
Waltham, Massachusetts. While a student, he launched Youth Market
Consultants, which advised companies on selling to teenagers.
Underwear Ambush
Sillerman met Morrow in New York a few years later. The occasion: Morrow and
his wife had stripped to their underwear and burst into a friend’s apartment
to show off their new tans from a trip to Jamaica. They didn’t know the
Sillermans would be there, Morrow says.
The two became friends and went into business together, hiring a small plane
to fly them from town to town as they bought radio stations. Morrow was
astonished at the boldness of Sillerman’s dealmaking. “You and I buy a
couple loaves of bread,” Morrow says. “Bob buys the bakery.”
Sillerman and Morrow sold their stations to Bell Broadcasting for $50
million in 1985.
In 1988, Sillerman bought New York-based radio station operator Metropolitan
Broadcasting from investment bank Morgan Stanley. He took a bank loan to pay
Morgan Stanley for its equity and then hived off one of Metropolitan’s four
stations and sold it to another company he controlled, Command
Communications, using the proceeds to pay off the loan, according to a 1989
Wall Street Journal story on the transaction.
Huff Irked
FX Real Estate investor Huff held Metropolitan bonds, and Sillerman’s move
made them riskier. “That did not sit well with me,” Huff says, and he sued.
Sillerman invited Huff to his office to talk. They eventually settled the
matter. Huff says he was so impressed with how Sillerman handled the
purchase that he joined Sillerman’s next deal and almost every one
thereafter.
Sillerman sold the remaining Metropolitan stations to Westinghouse
Broadcasting Co. for $400 million in 1989. Three years later, he started
another radio chain, SFX Broadcasting Inc., with partner Steve Hicks,
brother of Tom Hicks, the founder of Dallas-based buyout firm Hicks, Muse,
Tate & Furst Inc., now called HM Capital Partners LLC.
SFX went public in 1993, a perfect time for Sillerman to be in the radio
business. A federal law passed in February 1996 lifted the limit on the
number of stations a radio broadcaster could own nationally. Broadcasters
amassed stations, boosting ad revenue by reaching wider audiences and
cutting costs by combining sales forces.
Buying Billy Joel
In 1997, Sillerman agreed to sell SFX Broadcasting to Capstar Broadcasting
Corp., a company formed by Hicks Muse and Steve Hicks, for $2.1 billion in
cash and assumed debt.
Not content to roll up just one industry, Sillerman in 1995 started a
separate public company called Marquee Group Inc. that bought up agencies
that represented athletes and musicians. One of its purchases was QBQ
Entertainment Inc., a talent agency whose clients included singer and piano
player Billy Joel, heavy metal band Metallica and the late comedian Rodney
Dangerfield.
“We spent 30 minutes out of a 32-minute meeting talking about Rodney
Dangerfield,” QBQ founder Dennis Arfa says. “Two days later, I got a
proposal.”
Sillerman bought QBQ for $3.1 million in cash and payments of $1.6 million a
year for eight years, according to regulatory filings. Arfa declined to
discuss terms of the deal.
Dead’s Promoter
Marquee was one of two companies Sillerman ran that bought up entertainment
properties. The other was SFX Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of SFX
Broadcasting that was not part of the deal with Capstar. The company bought
concert venues and regional promoters, including Bill Graham Presents, the
San Francisco promoter of the Grateful Dead, for which Sillerman paid $65
million in 1998. From 1997 to 2000, SFX Entertainment spent about $1.5
billion on acquisitions.
Sillerman made deals at high velocity. On one day alone, May 4, 1998, SFX
announced five. The day’s biggest transaction was the purchase, for $100
million, of Falk Associates Management Enterprises, a company owned by
basketball agent David Falk, who represented the Chicago Bulls’ Michael
Jordan and the New York Knicks’ Patrick Ewing.
Falk says Sillerman initially wanted him to join Marquee. Falk insisted on
being part of the more prestigious SFX. “It was like asking if Rolls-Royce
would like to join the Yugo group,” Falk, 58, says.
Lawsuit
On that same May 4, Marquee disclosed that SFX had made a bid for it, too.
The price, disclosed two months later, was $100 million in SFX stock. At the
time, Sillerman was chairman of both companies and owned 9 percent of
Marquee’s shares.
A Marquee shareholder named Herbert Behrens led a class- action lawsuit
against Sillerman, Marquee and SFX, which read, in part, “The individual
defendants have clear and material conflicts of interest and are acting to
better the interests of SFX and themselves at the expense of Marquee’s
public stockholders.” The suit wasn’t settled until September 2000, when SFX
agreed to pay Marquee shareholders an additional $2.9 million without
admitting wrongdoing.
By that time, Sillerman was one deal down the road. The month before the
settlement, he sold SFX Entertainment to Clear Channel Communications Inc.,
the radio and billboard company, for $4 billion.
Sillerman’s mark on the concert business remains. Clear Channel spun off SFX
in 2005 as Live Nation Inc., now the world’s largest concert promoter.
Cancer Shock
Sillerman’s seemingly charmed life took a blow in 2001. While shaving one
morning, he felt a lump in his neck. The diagnosis was cancer in the base of
his tongue, a surprise since he’d never smoked cigarettes -- or anything
else, he says. He underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Around the same time, he helped his friend Mel Brooks out of a bind. Brooks
was working on a theater adaptation of “The Producers,” a 1968 comedy about
a pair of bumbling swindlers. When one of the backers, DreamWorks SKG
co-founder David Geffen, pulled out, Sillerman jumped in, forming a
partnership with Brooks, and becoming one of four producer groups.
“I have no idea how business really works,” Brooks says. “I made him one of
the producers to watch my back.” The show ran for 2,502 performances and won
a record-breaking 12 Tony Awards. Sillerman later produced Brooks’s Broadway
adaptation of his movie “Young Frankenstein.”
Sillerman’s next big deal unfolded in 2004, when he bought Sports
Entertainment Enterprises Inc., a defunct owner of a golf course in Las
Vegas. He used it as a vehicle to purchase 85 percent of Elvis Presley
Enterprises Inc., a company controlled by Elvis’s daughter, Lisa Marie.
Graceland Upgrade
Sillerman paid $50.1 million in cash, assumed $25.1 million of debt and gave
Lisa Marie a batch of stock. A 90-year lease on Graceland and the rights to
its name were part of the deal. Elvis lived on the 13.5-acre Memphis estate
from 1957 until his death in 1977. CKX has purchased an additional 31 acres
around Graceland to build a hotel and convention center.
Those plans are on hold.
Sillerman also agreed to pay Priscilla Presley $6.5 million for commercial
rights to the Presley name and to pay her a consulting fee of $560,000 a
year for 10 years.
Four months later, Sports Entertainment bought 19 Entertainment. Sillerman
changed the name to CKX -- for content is king, plus that ubiquitous X. In
April 2006, CKX bought an 80 percent interest in the name and likeness of
Muhammad Ali.
Anguillan Dreams
While assembling the pieces of CKX, Sillerman made his fateful move into
real estate. The ultra-swank hotel in Anguilla, a self-governing U.K.
territory about half the size of Washington, D.C., was his first project.
He’d been vacationing there for years and had gotten to know local
officials. Around 2003, they asked him to build a golf course on the island.
Sillerman and Kanavos, his partner, then decided to also build a resort.
Kanavos is the founder of closely held, New York-based Flag Luxury
Properties LLC, in which Sillerman owns a 30 percent stake. Flag, which led
the development, took out a $180 million loan from investors arranged by
Credit Suisse.
Sillerman’s Elvis project in Vegas got rolling in mid-2007. That June,
Sillerman announced a series of transactions through which he and Fuller
would take CKX private, buying out other shareholders with cash and FX
stock.
Andrew Baker, then an analyst at Cathay Financial Inc., said at the time
that the price was too low. American Idol was red-hot, and the Vegas project
was just a plan.
Another Lawsuit
As plans for the purchase went forward, in December 2007 CKX shareholder
Richard Nierenberg sued, charging, “The purpose of the merger is to enable
Sillerman and his associates to acquire the company and its valuable assets
for their own benefit at the expense of CKX’s public shareholders.”
Sillerman says the suit has no merit. “Every transaction in America gets
challenged by shareholder lawsuits,” he says.
Sillerman says one reason he wanted to take CKX private is that management
had its eye on properties whose owners didn’t want to sell to a public
company.
The complaint has yet to be resolved, according to CKX filings with
regulators. Nierenberg’s lawyer, Joseph Rosenthal, didn’t return phone
calls.
Sillerman and Fuller intended to pay for the shares with a $700 million
loan, according to regulatory filings. Then the credit crisis hit, and banks
stopped lending.
Defaulted in Vegas
By September 2008, Sillerman was in default on the $475 million Credit
Suisse loan because the value of the Strip property had plunged far enough
to violate the loan’s covenants. Sillerman’s lenders seized cash collateral
in the company’s reserve accounts in January and applied $21 million of that
to the loan.
Construction in Anguilla stopped, too. On May 21, Credit Suisse asked for a
judgment against Sillerman in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan for
allegedly failing to pay a $21.4 million personal guarantee he made in the
event the Anguilla loan defaulted, according to documents filed by Credit
Suisse.
Sillerman declined to comment on the matter.
Throughout all of the setbacks, Sillerman has remained preternaturally calm,
Kanavos says. “There hasn’t been a week in the last 12 months when we
haven’t had bad news,” Kanavos said in April. And not once has Sillerman
panicked or even raised his voice, he says.
Sillerman says his battle with cancer puts his real estate flameout in
perspective. “Not everything has worked out in business recently, but I’ve
got no complaints,” he says. “You only get one chance at this. I’ve been
luckier than anyone I know.”
None of his many friends in the entertainment industry will be surprised if
Bob Sillerman launches a new public company sometime soon -- if only to put
the failure of the last one behind him.
On June 29, FTD will be releasing THE WONDER OF YOU. Featuring the
complete concert performance from The International Hotel, Las Vegas on
August 13, 1970, it’s been mixed FOR THE FIRST TIME in its entirety by Vic
Anesini.
Filmed as part of the legendary THAT’S THE WAY IT IS movie, unique
performances include; Stranger In The Crowd, In The Ghetto, Make The World
Go Away and Don’t Cry Daddy.
THE WONDER OF YOU is a single disc digipack.
Note: Both Blue HAWAII and STANDING ROOM ONLY
vinyl will be issued on June 29 along with ‘The Wonder Of You’.
THE WONDER OF YOU
1) That’s All Right 2:56
(Arthur Crudup)
2) I Got A Woman 2:29
(Ray Charles)
3) Hound Dog 3:19
(Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller)
4) Love Me Tender 4:32
(Elvis Presley/Vera Matson)
5) Don’t Cry Daddy 2:33
(Mac Davis)
6) In The Ghetto 2:44
(Mac Davis)
7) I Just Can’t Help Believin’ 3:49
(Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil)
8) Stranger In The Crowd 4:00
(Winfield Scott)
9) Make The World Go Away 3:21
(Hank Cochran)
10) Sweet Caroline 3:22
(Neil Diamond)
11) You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ 4:15
(Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil)
12) Polk Salad Annie 5:35
(Tony Joe White)
13) Introductions 3:42
14) The Wonder Of You 2:39
(Baker Knight)
15) Heartbreak Hotel 1:41
(Mae Boren Axton/Tommy Durden/Elvis Presley)
16) Blue Suede Shoes 1:09
(Carl Perkins)
17) One Night 1:52
(Dave Bartholomew/Pearl King)
18) All Shook Up 1:19
(Otis Blackwell/Elvis Presley)
19) Bridge Over Troubled Water 4:22
(Paul Simon)
20) Suspicious Minds 6:06
(Mark James)
21) Can’t Help Falling In Love 2:09
(Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore/George Weiss)
Guitar: James Burton, John Wilkinson, Elvis Presley
Guitar & vocals: Charlie Hodge
Bass: Jerry Scheff
Drums: Ronnie Tutt
Piano: Glen D. Hardin
Vocals: The Imperials, The Sweet Inspirations, Millie Kirkham
Joe Guercio and his Orchestra
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Elvis Express Radio is giving away some great Elvis goodies on next weeks
500th show. Thanks to our friends at
EP Gold Webshop,
listeners are in with a chance of winning CD's, DVD's, Books, Pictures and
even original Vegas items.
So join the party next week,at
www.elvis-express.com
from Friday June 5th for our 500th edition of Elvis Express Radio.
Marian Cocke who was Elvis' nurse has informed us that her 1978 book titled,
I Called Him Babe is once again available through her web site.
The cost for an autographed copy with shipping is 20 US dollars and 25 US
dollars for overseas and Canada. For more informaon, visit her new web site
at
www.mariancocke.com
The book is described as a laminated 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 with the original cover.
On the 22nd of August this year,James along with all of the guest performers at The James Burton International Guitar Festival will be attempting to break The Guinness World Record for the largest ever guitar ensemble.
He wants your help and is looking for 6,500 of his electric and acoustic
guitar playing friends to join him with this attempt. Wow 'Cluster Pluck'
was amazing to listen to with six or so players can you imagine the sound
from 7,000 players. Good luck James together you will do it!.
"We need ALL Elvis fans to attend and show their love of ELVIS and his music.
This event will take place at 3pm on Elvis Presley Avenue here in Shreveport,
Louisiana in front of Elvis' statue. Thousands of guitarists will be playing
two Elvis songs at the same time.
What a tribute to Elvis!!!! in The Guinness Book Of Records.
God Bless All Of You."
James & Louise Burton.
If you live in the Memphis Metro area or are visiting June 4th - June
6th, check out this event
http://www.memphisfilmfestival.com
June 4-6, '09, at Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center, Olive Branch,
Mississippi
Annie Helm - Elvis' co-star in Follow That Dream is the special guest for
the Memphis Film Festival.
Elvis connections:
Annie Helm - Follow That Dream
Richard Devon - Kid Galahad
Will Hutchins - Clambake & Spinout
Don Collier - Paradise Hawaiian Style
A GATHERING OF GUNS—TV WESTERN REUNION
June 4-6, '09, at Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center, Olive Branch,
Mississippi
(just a quick 20 minutes south of Memphis, Tennessee. Shuttle service from
airport available. )
Also Jeff Connors, Chuck Connors’ son,
will attend with his father’s “Rifleman” rifle.
Will Hutchins
“Sugarfoot” WC Columnist for 15 years
Robert Fuller
“Laramie” “Wagon Train”
Ty Hardin
“Bronco” WC Columnist
Henry Darrow
“High Chaparral”
Jan Merlin
“Rough Riders”
Don Collier
“The Outlaws” “High Chaparral”
Richard Devon
“Yancy Derringer”
and Classic Badman
Johnny Washbrook
“My Friend Flicka”
Les Gilliam
Entertainment by
The Oklahoma Balladeer
James Drury
“The Virginian”
Denny Miller
“Wagon Train”
Peter Brown
“Lawman” “Laredo”
Anne Helm
Our Leading Lady
Special Events include:
Three viewing rooms showing over 74 hours of western TV shows
$100 Prize TV Western Trivia Contest open to everyone.
Two live radio show recreations featuring attending stars
Daily celebrity panel discussions including special phone hookups with Kelo
(“26 Men”) Henderson, Clint (“Cheyenne”) Walker, Jimmy (“Annie Oakley”)
Hawkins, stuntlady Jeannie Epper, Linda Cristal (“High Chaparral”), Robert
Horton (“Wagon Train”).
Memorabilia Auction
Dealer’s Room with all stars signing photos One Festival rate covers all:
$20 per day per person. $25 a couple.
$60 all three days per person. $75 couple.
Additional: Saturday Night Banquet/Awards
Presentation/Entertainment: $40 per person.
Continuing updated information at
www.westernclippings.com
and
www.memphisfilmfestival.com
Whispering Woods hotel reservations: (662) 895-2941. Festival Room Rate is
$89.
Ray Nielsen
MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL
PO Box 87, Conway, AR 72033
(501) 499-0444 email:
rnielsen@alltel.net
Boyd Magers WESTERN CLIPPINGS
1312 Stagecoach Rd SE
Albuquerque, NM 87123
(505) 292-0049 email:
vidwest@comcast.net
Whispering Woods Hotel
11200 Goodman Rd,
Olive Branch, MS
Directions from Graceland:
Go North on Elvis Presley Blvd. to I-55 South
On I-55 S, take Exit 289 towards Southaven/Olive Branch
Turn left onto Goodman Rd. (MS-302E)
Follow Goodman Rd. (MS-302E) to just past Hacks Cross Rd. and you will see
Whispering Woods Hotel.
Sony Special Products releases June 23, 2009 is the 3 disc set "Elvis
Presley - Triple Feature" at a low price: "Burning Love and Hits From His
Movies", "Separate Ways" and "You'll Never Walk Alone".
Another first day of the week... and that means: another look at the event
sechedule for the last weekend of this month. A festival with so many
activities attracts people from all over the world.
And some of them are VERY well known. Among the fans who have confirmed
their visit to the Elvis Weekend are Sue McCasland who wrote the magnificent
book “Elvis live at the Sahara Tahoe”.
Also our dear friend Pal Granlund (pictured here with Evis) will be there,
just like super collectors Markus Henfling, Michael Werner, Jürgen Keilwerth
and so many others. No doubt that you're in good company!
For those of you already making your plans for the 2009 holiday season, be
sure and mark Friday night, November 20 as the night of the lighting
ceremony at Graceland.
This is the Friday before Thanksgiving.
There will be special guests and activities announced at a later date.
Treasured Memories of Elvis. This photo of Elvis on stage was taken at the
Las Vegas Hilton during the Summer Festival engagement (September) of 1972.
Elvis was wearing a blue jumpsuit with silver designs. Judy considers her
photos of this engagement to be her favorite set.
Judy Palmer's first book "My Treasured Memories of Elvis" will be released
in June. (production has taken longer than I originally planned.)
No one has ever seen all her photos in one book, in context with her stories.
Judy has been known as one of the best fan photographers of Elvis for over
35 years.
"My Treasured Memories of Elvis" is a hard cover, full color book of 114
pages with over 150 photos, nearly all the photos are of Elvis Presley.
Many of her photos are full page, or half page.
Pre-Order Now: Treasured Memories of Elvis
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RELEASE DATE: 13TH JULY 2009
LABEL: MEMPHIS RECORDING SERVICE
CAT# : MRS20006656
ARTIST: ROY ORBISON & FARON YOUNG
TITLE: SING ELVIS PRESLEY & OTHERS
TRACKLISTING: (INCLUDES 20 PAGE BOOKLET WITH RARE PHOTOS)
An unreleased home-recording recording of a rare and off¬stage behind the scenes glimpse, of the early Rock n’ Roll era featuring Roy Orbison and Faron Young.
In the fall of 1956, these two musicians visited the home of Judy Baker
in Corpus Christi, Texas for some partying and socializing.
Someone brought a guitar and requested an impromptu performance. Judy
captured the evening on her portable tape recorder.
This has become known as the ‘Party of 56’ and photographs are included in
the enclosed 20 page CD booklet.
The recording shows a testament to the pervasive influence of Elvis Presley
on the music and performers of the day.
FARON YOUNG
1. All Over Again 1:52
2. Good Rockin' Tonight :40
3. Heartbreak Hotel 1:31
4. Blue Suede Shoes 1:26
5. Long Tall Sally 1:11
6. You're Just Like Water 2:26
7. Blue Suede Shoes :49
8. Hound Dog :07
9. Tutti Frutti :52
10. I Walk The Line :49
11. Honky Tonk Man 1:01
12. Blue Suede Shoes :41
13. The Wake Of Love 1:24
14. Tutti Frutti :42
15. I'm Walking The Floor Over You :30
16. Night Train To Memphis :26
17. Don't Stay Away (Til' Love Grows Cold) :28
18. I'm Movin' On :18
19. My Two Timin' Woman :44
20. Singin' The Blues 1:26
21. Just Call Me Lonesome 1:15
22. Honky Tonk Man 1:30
23. All Over Again :36
24. You'll Never Walk Alone :37
25. Mountain Dew 1:13
26. Mr. Brown 2:17
27. (I'm Gonna Live Some) Before I Die :47
28. I Miss You Already (And You're Not Even Gone) :18
29. Tutti Frutti 1:11
ROY ORBISON
30. That's All Right 1:33
31. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You 1:07
32. I Was The One 2:55
33. That's All Right 2:42
34. Hey Miss Fannie 1:09
35. Mary Lou 2:00
36. You're My Baby 2:32
37. Slippin' and Slidin' 1:22
38. Ready Teddy 1:08
39. Hound Dog :59
40. Don't Be Cruel 2:17
41. Lawdy Miss Clawdy 1:08
42. Closing Chatter :50
Please note:
This is a home recording. Every effort has been taken to achieve optimum sound quality, however since these recordings are previously unreleased, priority is given to its historical content.
Read this incredible story of that day: The Party Of '56.
Written by David Banner (2002.)
1956 Party TAPE . It was the Fall of 1956. The 20-year-old Roy Orbison was touring with his band, The Teen Kings, still enjoying the popularity of their hit Ooby Dooby released by Sun Records. The song peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Pop Chart and re-entered a couple of times. They were being booked by Stars Inc. in Memphis, sharing the stage with some other Sun Records acts like Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and some Country singers also. Some of them where Johnny Horton, Sonny James and Faron Young. Faron was a Capitol Records artist and had just had his first No. 1 Country hit with Joe Allison's Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young sometime back.
It is not clear exactly when this recording was made, possibly around or after September 1956 after Hound Dog was released, but it would be wise to assume that it took place after a show with Roy and Faron. Some sources indicate that the location was Corpus Christy, Texas. For sure we know that it was made by Judy Baker into a home tape recorder using a hand microphone. Judy became a Country Music hostess but little we know about her. She was born in 1924 and died in February 2000, now buried in Goodlettsville, Davidson County Tennessee, USA. The tape stayed in her position through the years and surfaced after her passing. A few pictures were taken that night while the guitar was passed around to the hands of Roy and Faron. Elvis was Roy's favorite singer, and vice versa. Roy had seen a few of Elvis shows in Texas, and they met at the Overton Park Shell in Memphis in June, 1956. Both Roy and Faron sing mainly Elvis songs, Roy also does a few Little Richard tunes and one of his first recordings Hey Miss Fanny, a hit by The Clovers a few years back.
The importance of this recording is enormous. To Roy Orbison fans, this
reveals an early Orbison, casual and relaxed singing songs they have
never heard him sing before, and we know how a fan feels like when
something like this comes across. For Elvis's fans this means the
discovery of new versions sung by Elvis's favorite singer. Either way,
an early piece of history not to be missed.
Courtesy of Andylon Lensen -
www.epgold.com
Pre-Order Now: Roy Orbison and Faron Young Sing Elvis & Others
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