AIRDATE CONFIRMED PRISCILLA'S PRESLEY'S APPEARANCE ON LARRY KING LIVE.

Priscilla Presley was to have appeared as a guest on CNN's Larry King Live on Wednesday, February 5. King's show that night shifted to coverage of a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, so King taped his interview with Priscilla. It will air next week while King is on vacation and that week's airings of his shows are all pre-recorded rather than live. Larry King's staff had given us an airdate of February 12. They have now changed it. Airdate is Tuesday, February 11. Times are 6:00 PM/ET, 9:00 PM/ET and 12:00 Midnight/ET. Check local listings for times in your area.

Fans have asked us what the purpose of Priscilla's interview is. There is no particular project, occasion or agenda for the interview. King has extended several invitations to Priscilla over the years since her well-recieved previous appearance on his show. 

2003/02/08 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS A. PRESLEY DIE MUSIK, DER MENSCH, DER MYTHOS.

This is the hottest news for the German Elvis fans.

The famous author of his book ( some call it the bible, next to Ernst Jorgensen last issue ) you are able to purchase this unique issue , updated till last year in the German language "" Elvis A. Presley Die Musik, Der mensch, Der Mythos" .

A 2 kilo, over 600 pages with many great pictures.. Normal Version : 65 Euro - Deluxe Version : 100 Euro.

For more details, information and to order go to the German site : www.Hannibal-verlag.de

2003/02/07 Praytome / Ep.Gold.Com.

Christopher P. Tyler To Join Ep.Gold Full-time


Ep.Gold is proud to announce that Christopher Tyler, who has in the past conducted several interviews for us, will now be joining our staff to write a regular monthly column. Earning his undergraduate degree at Towson University and his graduate degree at the University of Baltimore, Chris is also a professional writer by trade and an individual who has studied the life of Elvis Presley for well over two decades. Recently, when I spoke with him, Chris had this to say. "I joined Ep.Gold for one simple reason and that is because it is by far the best Elvis web page on the Internet. And because of its popularity, my message will be brought to a tremendously large readership." As for the focus of his column, Chris said, "For too long, I think the press -especially in America - has not focused on the real Elvis Presley. They've lost sight of the man and that is the main thrust of what this column will be about." Chris also mentioned that he hopes the column can be used to positively spread the word about a variety of Elvis related projects he'd like to see the "Elvis Community" come together on. "I don't expect everyone to agree with everything I have to say, but I hope that my column can serve as a lightning rod to show the significance of Elvis Presley in the 21st century. Elvis Presley was a complex and wonderful man and I believe the time is long overdue for someone to directly confront the false misconceptions about who he really was and that is what I intend to do."

2003/02/07 Christopher P. Tyler / Ep,Gold.Com

PRESS RELEASE FROM ELVIS UNLIMITED - DENMARK NEW BOOK : PIECES OF MY LIFE .

Hi!,

After the great success of our latest photo book "All Elvis" have we decided to do a follow up.
The title of this one will be "Pieces Of My Life - A Collection Of Rare And Unpublished Pictures Of The King".
As you can tell from the title this book contains many rare and never before published photos of Elvis. Those are from all areas of his life. Again, like the "All Elvis" we are talking about an 80 page soft cover book in full Colour.
Printed on heavy glossy paper. A must have for every Elvis photo collector.

The release date for "Pieces Of My Life" is not set yet, but it’s due for March 2003.
More info later..

2003/02/07 Elvis Unlimited - Denmark / Ep.Gold.Com

AMC & ELVIS MOVIE MARATHON.

AMC is having an Elvis movie marathon Saturday February 8th, 2003 starting at 12:15 pm est. 
On Thursday they started to promote this Marathon on Elvis at AMC.

2003/02/07 George Nelson / Ep.Gold.Com.

VIDEO VHS ELVIS & JUNE LINK TO BUY.

in case any U.S. ONLY fans want to purchase the VHS 'collector's version' of Elvis & June which is not available in stores, here is a link...
Elvis & June A&E store 
Please note that A&E won't take orders outside of the United States. This version (video only) contains 12 minutes of bonus content including more home movies, never-seen photos from June's scrapbook and extended interviews. The collector's version and is available only through A&E's store at the moment.

2003/02/07 BC International / Ep.Gold.Com.

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT LIVIO MONARI - ITALY : " FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER A COMPLETE ELVIS ITALIAN DISCOGRAPHY BOOK" 

Augusto Morini, one of the greatest experts in Rock 'n' Roll with cooperation of the bigger Elvis collectors in Italy, is working on a realy complete Elvis italian discography due for release next summer. It will be a deluxe book all in full colors, with details on all the Elvis italian releases, RCA memorabilia, magazine covers. Possibly it will contain a promotional CD with all the Elvis italian tracks: It's now or never - surrender - you don't have to say - ask me - softhly - santa lucia.....

Also, all the Elvis CD's available here are german pressings, the single CD a little less conversation was pressed here and has italian spot on cover.

More details soon.............

To keep updated with Elvis In Italy : Go to the website : www.freewebs.com/rockinrebel

2003/02/07 Livio Monari / Ep.Gold.Com.

FYI - ELVIS CHARITY EVENT IN ORLANDO THIS WEEKEND.

For anyone out there in the Orlando, Florida USA area..this is just to let you know about the 24th Annual Charity Event sponsored by the E. P. Continentals Fan Club. Come join us for fun and a good cause - this event benefits the Russell Home For Children!! 
SPECIAL GUESTS: Marian Cocke, Dick Grob, Nancy Walters, Julie Parrish, Gordon Stoker, Myrna Smith, and Steve Christopher 
FESTIVAL LOCATION: Travelodge Hotel, 5711 W. 192, Kissimmee, FL 
DATE/TIMES: Sat. Feb. 8, 10am - 4pm, Sun. Feb. 9, 10am - 3pm. 
COST: $3 adults, $2 children 6-12, under 6 free. 
There will be Elvis memorabilia, entertainment, auction, and raffles. 

2003/02/07 FYI / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS FEATURED IN NEW NBA LOVE IT LIVE COMMERCIAL.

EPE and BMG have collaborated with NBA Entertainment to feature Elvis in an NBA "Love It Live" commercial that will run all season. The clip of Elvis shows him in his 1968 TV special singing his #1 hit "All Shook Up". This continues the promotion of the hit album ELV1S 30 #1 HITS and contributes to "black leather awareness" in this the 35th anniversary year of EP's 1968 TV special. Following is the press release issued today by NBA Entertainment:

THE KING OF ROCK IS BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT 
IN NEW NBA LOVE IT LIVE COMMERCIAL

Elvis Presley’s got the NBA “All Shook Up” in Spot Set to Debut During NBA All-Star Game on TNT (8:00PM/ET)

New York, NY February 6, 2002 - The King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley “shakes up” the NBA on February 9th in a new NBA Entertainment-produced television spot as part of the NBA’s “Love it Live” campaign. The spot, which features Presley performing his classic “All Shook Up,” will debut during the NBA All-Star Game to be televised on TNT (8:00 p.m./ET). 

The :30 spot, which will run throughout the NBA season, combines video images of Presley singing his 1957 #1 hit single “All Shook Up” from the famous 1968 Comeback Special, interspersed with NBA game action footage, NBA dancers, and highlights featuring the New Jersey Nets’ Jason Richardson, the Sacramento Kings’ Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic and the Phoenix Suns’ Amare Stoudamire grooving to Presley’s hit.

NBA Entertainment will also debut its latest Read to Achieve spot, highlighting the community events taking place during NBA All-Star 2003 in Atlanta, GA. 


2003/02/07 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

LIVE PERFORMANCE BY JXL AT FUJI ROCK IN JAPAN.

Now you can watch the video clip from JXL at Fuji Rock In Japan,
with the biggest hit from Elvis in 2002. : "A little Less Coversation " .

2003/02/07 JXL / Ep.Gold.Com.

E 1 WORLDWIDE CHARTS.

ELV1S 30 # 1 HITS is back in Sweden on its 19 week in the album chart. Position #2 this week, up from last weeks #6 position and from #22 two weeks ago. On the best selling chart for last year, the album was on position #6.

'A Little Less Conversation' has now dropped out from the top 60 single chart. On the best selling single chart for last year, the single was on position #7.

After 19 weeks the CD "ELV1S 30 #1 Hits" 1 is still doing well with sales of 25,802 this week and is at #36 on the Billboard Album Top 200. It also has been certified triple platinum. On the Billboard Country Chart the CD remeained #4. 

On the Dutch album Charts the CD remained steady at #12. Sad news from Germany, in its 19th week the #1 album fell from #21 to #41.

2003/02/07 Various / ElvisNews.

THE DEFINITIVE ELVIS REVISED 8 SET DVD RELEASED ON FEBRUARY 18, 2003.

The Definitive Elvis Revised will be released on February 18th. The fans will see new and some never before seen photos of Elvis in this version with approximately 14 minutes that were re-edited.The package will be as the original except for the exception of saying "Revised".

2003/02/06 Don Wilson / Ep.Gold.

LISA ON TOUR.


Monday (Feb.3), Atlanta, GA. Star 94FM (Steve & Vikki) Morning Show (Lisa's interview - MP3) 
Tuesday (Feb.4), New York, NY. Z100 (Elvis/Zoo) 7:20am- ET 
Tuesday (Feb.4), New York, NY. 95.5 WPLJ (Big Show) 8:30am- ET 
Today, Thursday (Feb.6), Dallas, TX. Kiss FM (Kidd Kraddick) 5am-10am CT 
Tomorrow, Friday (Feb.7), Houston, TX. 104 KRBE (The Morning Show) 5:30am-10am CT 

2003/02/06 Elvis World Japan.

RENEWED DUTCH ELVIS SITE.

To all the Dutch readers of Elvis Collector's Gold we can say that the totally new and improved Dutch 'Elvis Today Tomorrow And Forever' site is online now. The name remained the same but there is new and easier address http://www.elvisnederland.com

2003/02/06 Elvis Today Tomorrow And Forever / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS POT LUCK ALBUM REVIEWED BY OUR COLUMNIST GEORGE NELSON.

George Nelson our Columnist for Ep.Gold now written an indepth review on Elvis BMG / RCA Album : "Pot Luck" .
Go To The Menu : BMG CD Reviews or


2003/02/06 George Nelson / Ep.Gold.Com.

PARK SUGGESTED FOR COCO PALMS.

The venerable Coco Palms hotel property, which has been closed for a decade, would become a state historical park under legislation proposed by Sen. Gary Hooser, D-7th (Kaua'i, Ni'ihau). The Coco Palms was closed after sustaining damage from 1992's Hurricane Iniki.

The resort was the prototype for tropical resorts throughout the Pacific, with its clamshell-shaped sinks, Polynesian art and decor, thatched roofs and quiet lagoons. It was the site of the Elvis Presley's wedding in the film "Blue Hawaii."


2003/02/06 ElvisNews.

THEY SAID NO CAMERAS AT ELVIS THE CONCERT? DON'T EVER BELIEVE THEM!

In response to inquiries we get every time our show goes out on tour:

Are cameras allowed at Elvis-The Concert? Yes. Flash? Yes. Audio and video devices are not allowed, but regular still cameras with flash are allowed at all our concerts. In fact, we encourage flash because it adds to our efforts to re-create the feeling of being at an Elvis concert when Elvis was alive. 

However, every time we tour we hear from fans who say that the staff at one venue or another has told them "no cameras" or that the tickets issued by the venue or their ticketing services say "No cameras." It's a mistake. Anytime you encounter this with Elvis-The Concert, it's a mistake. Don't ever believe it.

Our show's producer and his staff always make a special point of emphasizing to each venue's management that we DO want the fans to be allowed to bring still cameras with flash. But, usually one venue or another on a tour does not communicate this to their front line staff or to their ticketing services. This is why you get wrong information. They don't know that the "no cameras" policy for most concerts does not apply to Elvis concerts and Elvis fans.

Please do take your camera with you no matter what you are told. Often, we've had such problems making venues communicate properly that the camera thing doesn't get straightened out until show night when our own announcer tells the audience it's okay. Then, we have unhappy fans who left their cameras at home thinking the venue's "no cameras" statement was true. 

If, prior to your attendance of Elvis-The Concert, you receive such wrong information from a venue employee, please refer them to this article. If you encounter this on actual show night at the venue, you can whip out a copy of this article and you can also point out to them the statement always found in our souvenir concert program book inviting fans to use their cameras and encouraging the use of flash. 

2003/02/06 EPE

THE E TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY ON LISA MARIE PRESLEY WILL BE AIRED IN MARCH, 2003.

Don Wilson our exclusive Columnist for Ep.Gold. (well known from the DVD 8-set serie " Elvis - The Definitive"" ) is now also assisting with the E True Hollywood Story on Lisa Marie Presley.

This Documentary is 2 hours in lenght and will air in March, 2003.

The people that are interviewed for it so far : Shiley Dieu, Jerry Schilling, Edie Hand, George Klein and a few others.

More details coming soon.

2003/02/05 Don Wilson / Ep.Gold.Com.

PIC OF THE WEEK.

This week we have a great shot from Elvis back-stage from the early fifties.
Go to the Menu : Pic Of The Week or


2003/02/05 Ep.Gold.Com.

THE KING STRIKES BACK.

The German radioshow "The King Strikes Back" on Radio Rheinwelle (Wiesbaden) will have the "Elvis Radio Chart". At our site you can contribute to the chart, by choosing your favourite song. You can choose from the following list: 
A Little Less Conversation (remix)
Loving You
Such a Night
C'mon Everybody
Patch It Up
It's Only Love
My Boy
Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues
Young Dreams
Little Sister

2003/02/05 ElvisNews.

ELVIS ON CAPITAL FM ALL TIME FAVORITES POLL.

Thousands voted for their favourite songs of all time in the Capital FM (Officially Londons most listened to music station) Hall of Fame Top 500. Elvis Had 3 entries in the top 50 at number 12, 40 and 50.

The Top 5:
1 Queen - Bohemien Rhapsody
2 Robbie Williams - Angels
3 George Michael - Careless Whisper
4 U2 - With Or Without You
5 John Lennon - Imagine

12. Always On My Mind
40. Suspicious Minds
50. A Little less Conversation (remix)


2003/02/05 ElvisNews.

NEW EDITION ESSENTIAL ELVIS UK.

The latest copy of Essential Elvis UK has just been sent to the printers. The March / April edition includes an indepth and exclusive interview with George Nichopoulos, conducted in Memphis in January. Dr. Nick talks openly to editor Andrew Hearn about Elvis' health, the medication, the racquetball venture and the time Elvis actually shot him in the chest! There's some great stories about life on the road too. (Picture Andrew Hearn interviews Dr. Nick in Memphis - January 2003)

This edition also brings another exclusive with bodyguard Dave Hebler about the infamous book, karate and midnight drug raids in Memphis!

2003/02/05 Essential Elvis - Andrew Hearn / Ep.Gold.Com

POSTPONED PRISCILLA'S PRESLEY'S APPEARANCE ON LARRY KING LIVE.

Priscilla Presley was to have appeared as a guest on CNN's Larry King Live on Wednesday, February 5. King's show that night is shifting to coverage of a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. King will now be taping his interview with Priscilla and it will air sometime next week while King is on vacation and that week's airings of his shows are all pre-recorded rather than live. We will post an airdate for Priscilla's interview as soon as it is confirmed.

Fans have asked us what the purpose of Priscilla's interview is. There is no particular project, occasion or agenda for the interview. King has extended several invitations to Priscilla over the years since her well-recieved previous appearance on his show. The subject matter is expected to be wide-ranging and what the content of the program ends up being will depend mostly upon what it is that King asks about and focuses on in the conversation. 

2003/02/05 EPE

LISA MARIE'S RADIO DEBUT NEW YORK.

2003/02/05 Elvis World Japan.

LISA MARIE'S DEBUT ALBUM TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.

Lisa Marie Presley's debut album, 'To Whom It May Concern' will hit stores on April 8th, 2003. For updates and information, check here as the time grows closer! In the meantime, listen to the first single, LIGHTS OUT!

RealAudio Hi Lo

2003/02/05 Lisa Presley.Com

A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION IN PORTUGUESE CHARTS.

The Hit Single "A little Less Coversation climbed this week from #17 (again) to # 11 in the Portuguese Single Charts.

2003/02/05 Burning Star.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MR MAURICE P. COLGAN CONDUCTED BY CHRISTOPHER P. TYLER.

EpGold is proud to announce an exclusive interview with Mr. Maurice P. Colgan of Swords, County Dublin, Ireland recently conducted by staff writer Christopher P. Tyler.


2003/02/04 Maurice P.Colgan / Christopher P.Tyler / Ep.Gold.Com.

CHART UPDATES.

In the Netherlands the album "ELV1S 30 #1 Hits" climbed again, from #15 to #12 on the Top 40 Album Chart. In Germany the CD climbed two spots #23 to #21. 

2003/02/04 Various.

SHOULD ELVIS BE CLONED?

More people think Albert Einstein should be cloned than Jesus, according to a new survey. 1000 people were asked whether Einstein, Jesus, Mozart or Elvis Presley should be cloned for the benefit of mankind. Einstein gained 22% of the vote compared with just 12% who thought Jesus should be cloned. Mozart came third with Elvis bringing up the rear in the four-horse race. A total of 61% said that none of the four should be cloned, and five per cent said they did not know. The survey was carried out to mark the publication next month of a controversial novel, The Coming, by Michael Rigg and John Alexander.

2003/02/04 Yahoo News / ElvisNews.

JOHN WILKINSON SIGNED GUITAR FOR SALE.

John Wilkinson, Elvis's rhythm guitar player, has donated a brand new acoustic Folk guitar to the Cultural Council of Mol Belgium. The guitar is one of the eyecatchers of the auction on May 11th 2003 and is accompanied by a Certificate of Autenticity and a signed picture of Elvis and John on stage. The auction takes place at the Cultural Center of Mol Belgium (0032/14.33.08.88) and raises money for the Belgian cancer research. Starts with no reserve. Bids can be placed here: p.verbruggen@pi.be

2003/02/04 JohnWilkinson.Net / ElvisNews.

LISA MARIE PRESLEY ON RADIO IN NEW YORK CITY TODAY.

7:20am Z100 (Elvis/Zoo) (Listen it on line) 
8:30am 95.5 WPLJ (Big Show) 

2003/02/04 Elvis World Japan.

A WEEKEND WITH THE KING.

An Anniversary Celebration In Palm Springs, California "Elvis Presley Country" May 8-11, 2003
Special Guest Star: Charlie Hodge, Sonny West, Al Dvorin, Ed Bonja and many more .... 
Sunday morning Gospel singing with Charlie Hodge and the Tribute Artists ....
Free celebration festivals with singing Elvis's ....

Please see web site at www.celebritysunglasses.com for the details!! 

2003/02/04 Elvis From Poland.

ELVIS MUSEUM ON EPGOLD.COM.

We are proud to add some beautiful private items, memoribilia, etcetera on our Column "Elvis Museum", conducted by Robin Klarenbeek.
To view this 6 page items of Elvis:
Go To The Menu Elvis Museum or


2003/02/04 Andylon Lensen / Robin klarenbeek / Ep.Gold.Com.

E 1 IN FINLAND CHARTS.

Elvis 30 #1 Hits Album dropped from # 5 to # 10 on the official Finnish album chart.

2003/02/04 Kari Paju - Finland / Ep.Gold.Com

BILL LYNN ELVIS PRESLEY'S DRUMMER VISITED SCOTLAND.

Nearly 4 years ago a Fax arrived in the middle of the night. It turned out it was from someone called Bill Lynn, who has a Holiday company based in Branson/MO called 'American & Country Music Holidays'. He asked us if we could, through the Magazine, help him promote his company and try and get people to go over there on holiday. A lot more faxes went across the water before we finally agreed and we have worked together ever since, and have also become firm friends. A lot of people have been on one of Bill's holidays, including ourselves. We have visited Branson, truly one of the magical places to be, Nashville and a dream came true when we visited Graceland in Memphis/TN.

It was probably about a year before we found out who Bill Lynn really was. It turned out he had been the drummer for Elvis Presley for 5 years, and a close friend for 17 years, right up to Elvis's death on August 16th, 1977.

Bill has had a very colourful career. He was born in Bogota/Colombia and after his father's untimely death at only 33 his mother brought the 6-year old to the United States. They lived in Miami/Florida for 18 years. Even at that early age Bill would drum on his mother's pots and pans along to records from Duane Eddy, Buddy Holly, Everly Brothers, Little Richard. Bill Haley & the Comets, Chuck Berry & others.


After earning enough money from his newspaper sales, shoe shines and weekend drug store maintenance cleaning jobs he purchased a used drum set for $20.00 dollars and would practice in the garage with various songs being played on the local rock radio station.

At 11 years of age he formed his own trio and at 14 he was called to play with a Country & Western band, never forgetting the song 'Heartaches by the number'. He continued to play with that band at square dances with another young musician called Charlie McCoy.

At 16 he 'changed' his age to 18 so that he could play in bars with various bands and was always asked to perform a drum solo, which later titled him as 'The Drummatic Bill Lynn'!

In 1960 Bill signed a contract with ABC Paramount Records in Nashville/TN as their 'studio drummer'. He recorded with many of the 'exclusive' artists: Ray Charles, The Impressions, Brian Hyland, Jimmy Velvet, Tommy Roe, Jimmy Gilmore, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Bobby Vee and others.

During this same period Bill was introduced to Elvis Presley at RCA Recording Studio 'B'. During one of Elvis's recording sessions the drummer left the studio for coffee and Bill was asked to accompany the next song 'Its Now Or Never'. As the recording progressed, they liked it that much that Bill's drum track stayed on the final print.

In 1963 Bill moved to Los Angeles and joined a 'Beatle' group, dressing and playing 95% of Beatle and Rolling Stone music in night clubs, the Hollywood Palladium and even the famous Coconut Grove.

Bill was called on to play with several other groups on his 'Day off', and when Elvis Presley was filming one of movies in Hollywood, Bill went to visit him.Elvis slightly remembered him, but having a drummer already contracted for the movie 'Easy Come - Easy Go' Elvis asked Bill if he could play any other instruments. Having had some previous basic instruction on piano, guitar, bass and saxophone, Bill was hired to play each instrument during the filming, which gave Bill extra pay for playing each one. There was one problem, Bill already had a band-job in Sacramento/California, 350 miles north. Not wanting to loose the job with Elvis Bill commuted by plane every day, making do with only a couple of hours sleep. A couple of weeks passed before Elvis found out what Bill was up to and when he did, he went into hysterics of laughter. Bill was asked to continue working with Elvis as a musician and extra in other movies. Bill and others cleared parks and movie houses for the private Presley who yearned for a normal life and time to himself. "That's what he wanted most!"


On many occasions Bill was asked to drive to Elvis's house to pick up Priscilla and escort her back to the studio to join Elvis for lunch. Bill was frequently with Elvis until 1969/70, when Elvis began his live performances. There was friction with Priscilla and almost everyone was discharged, but to this day Bill wears his staff TCB (one of only 150 ever made!) pin on a chain around his neck, as Elvis Presley's drummer, friend and aide he keeps on "Taking Care of Business" (in a flash) for the King of Rock 'n Roll. 'In a Flash' ment 'now' so fun and spontaneity wouldn't fade, says Bill, who was nicknamed 'Flash' by Elvis because he was quick at getting things done. 

In 1980 Bill's long-time friend Jimmy Velvet asked him to join him in Memphis and market his newly developed Elvis Presley Museum and in 16 years as Marketing Director he arranged tours for the museum to be presented in numerous shopping malls, expositions and trade fairs. Adding an Elvis tribute singer to the exhibition of artefacts, Bill would perform as a drummer, marketing director and promoter.


Bill freely talks about Elvis:"He was very generous, good mannered and humorous. He also was a real friend! There are many misconceptions about Elvis and the circumstances of his death. He had bone cancer. It was kept hush-hush by the family and left out of doctors reports. Elvis took prescription pills for the cancer pain. He died of a hypertensive heart attack, the same as his mother. He thought he would die when he was the same age she died. He died 4 years earlier. He did not take drugs, he took prescription pills and although he took pills, he was not a drug addict, if you have a headache or any other pain, you take a pill, that's what Elvis did!"

During the late 70s and 80s Bill became a restaurateur and night club owner, sometimes purchasing by himself or sometimes co-owning. He would be managing and also playing the drums in his establishments in Los Angeles, Memphis, Nashville, South America and Germany.


In 1994 Jimmy Velvet asked Bill to co-ordinate the marketing for the new 'Legends & Super Stars Museum', soon to open in Branson/Missouri. After a few months of analysing this 'new up and coming little town', Bill recognised the huge amount of tourists visiting Branson, but he did not notice any international visitors and decided to form his own company to try and fill this space. This is now called 'American & Country Music Holidays' and hopefully it will promote international tourism to Branson. By including Nashville and Memphis, he felt that eventually international travellers would 'notice' Branson and its plentiful and variety of entertainment, attractions, scenery and the very hospitable people in this small town of less than 4500, but which has in excess of 5 million visitors each year!

Nowadays Bill Lynn promotes the Elvis Presley heritage where-ever he can, combining it with his own holiday company and lately he is promoting a book written by Wayne Carman about a side of Elvis a lot of people have never heard of. It gives a revealing and in-depth look at Elvis Presley, his love for God and his passion for the martial arts. As his friend and training partner, Wayne gives an inside glance into Elvis's commitment to the T.C.B. (Taking Care of Business) Creed and how he applied these principles to achieve the many goals in his life.


Last week Bill Lynn finally visited Scotland to share some of his many stories with us. Appropriately he stayed at the Manor Park Hotel in Monkton, only a stones throw away from the only place in Britain Elvis has ever been to, namely Prestwick Airport. Of course this was the place Elvis passed through en-route to Germany on March 2nd, 1960. This is now marked with a plaque, which we took Bill to visit on Wednesday. Local celebrity, Tommy Truesdale, well known for his love of anything to do with Elvis, joined us to meet Bill and the stories were soon flowing again.

Bill spent 4 days in Scotland and enjoyed every minute of it. He left on Thursday for more meetings in Blackpool and London before setting off home to Branson/MO on Sunday. He made the promise that he would be back later on in the year.

2003/02/03 CMD Magazine / Ep.Gold.Com.

E1 TOP COUNTRY ALBUM.

In the Top Country Album Charts US, E 1 stayed this week on the same spot No # 4 ( 18th week ).

2003/01/03 Billboard / Ep.Gold.Com.

E1 BILLBOARD CHARTS

The Billboard Top 200 Album Charts in the US, E 1 Album dropped this week ( 18th week ) from No # 25 to No # 29.

2003/01/03 Billboard / Ep.Gold.Com.

E1 1 TOP 75 ALBUM CHARTS UK.

The E 1 Album dropped in the Top 75 Album Chart from No # 29 to No # 37 this week in the UK.

2003/01/03 Dot Music / Ep.Gold.Com.

FALSE STORY CIRCULATING ABOUT 68 & ALOHA NEW DVD RELEASES.

The following story has found its way onto Elvis fan sites and message boards everywhere: 

I just want to let my fellow Elvis fan's know that I just got off the phone with a Customer Service Rep from EPE and she told me that the Aloha DVD is just about completed. All the songs have been included so the copyright problems have been cleared up. She also said that the show is complete from start to finish and the extra songs have been put after the show which means no breaks. All that they are waiting for now is the packaging to be completed. She would give no release date which she said would be posted very soon on EPE's website. The 68 Special Edition just got completed with "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" now being included. I just thought I would pass this news on to my fellow Elvis fans because I know some would be interested in hearing this.

It is true that the songs Elvis taped on stage after the concert for later insertion in the Aloha broadcast show will be grouped together for viewing rather than remaining as interruptions to his live show. But, that's nothing new. That's how they appear on the DVD that has been available already and we do expect to keep it that way. But, other than that, all the information in that article is not true. 

If someone at Graceland is indeed the source of the false information, we are very sorry and we trust that she was simply trying to be helpful and did not realize she was incorrect in what she said. Although how anyone here could be so wrong in such a detailed way, we can't imagine. It sounds bizarre. We thought our front line people on the phones were all properly informed. We're taking extra measures to be sure they have correct information.

We still have much work to do on our Aloha from Hawaii project and even more work to do on our 68 Special project. The releases are not about to happen soon - they will be quite a bit later this year. Exact release dates have not been determined. Also, all the music publishing problems are not resolved, but we're working on it. Johnny B. Goode is still a problem for Aloha and Are You Lonesome Tonight? is still a problem for '68. Problems for two other songs in Aloha did get resolved. All of this is exhaustively explained in the FAQ/Status of Elvis' TV Specials, which we updated a couple of months ago. All the information in that FAQ is still accurate and up to date. When we updated the FAQ, we posted a notice about it in News and issued an E-newsletter alert. Still, we keep seeing all kinds of wrong information out there and it appears from the many E-mails we get and all the talk on message boards that a lot of people aren't aware of our FAQ or that it's up to date. Many of the things we see people speculating or asking about are covered in the FAQ.

As promised, anytime there is new and concrete information to report, we will immediately update the FAQ again, post an article in News and issue an E-newsletter alert. Via these means you will always know immediately whatever new information we have to share. We are very excited about these projects and look forward to giving you absolutely every detail as soon as we can. Please hang in there with us. Thanks!

2003/02/01 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

MIKE STOLLER REMEMBER THE ELVIS PRESLEY SONGBOOK (PART THREE).

Many of the songs you and Jerry wrote have a delightful element of humor. Two songs Elvis recorded of yours fit that bill, "Girls! Girls! Girls!" and "Little Egypt." 

"Girls! Girls! Girls!" and "Little Egypt" were both written for The Coasters, who were sort of our alter egos. We wrote funny songs for them. Jerry's the lyricist and I write the music, but we work closely with each other on everything. The Coasters were really our voice. "Girls! Girls! Girls!" wasn't a big hit for The Coasters. So we said, "Well, maybe Elvis could do it," and be obviously liked it. 

What was the procedure toward getting your songs to be considered by Elvis? 

Same. You'd present it to Freddy Bienstock. I know Elvis did "Little Egypt" in the comeback special. 

"Little Egypt" was also in Roustabout. There were songs you wrote specifically for Elvis. And then there other songs he recorded that were first done by other artists. Do you believe Elvis delivered a better performance of those songs you specifically wrote for him to sing? 

That's hard to say I think Elvis' performance of the songs that we wrote for him were generally better than those that were written for someone else. "Love Me" is an exception. It was a great performance. I like the original version of "Bossa Nova Baby" done by Tippie & the Clovers better than Elvis' version. It's got a Latin feel and it had certain elements of bossa nova, but it wasn't the real thing. The Clovers' version was much cooler than Elvis' version, which was in the film Fun In Acapulco. 

Was "Dirty, Dirty Feeling" originally written for the film King Creole? 

I think it might have been. It was written for him. It did come out on one of his albums [Elvis is Back]. 

Were you surprised by Elvis' versions of any Leiber And Stoller songs he recorded? 
You mean songs that were done by other people first? 

Yes. 
Yeah, there were some that were very different from the originals. "Three Corn Patches." Somewhere along the line I lost the original acetate. It was recorded by O.C. Smith, but it never came out. The band was virtually the Count Basie Band with an arrangement by Frank Foster. It was cookin', but it was jazz. And Elvis' version is not jazz. lt's not cookin' that way. It's plodding by comparison. 

Your impression of Elvis' rendition of "Fools Fall In Love"? 

If I remember correctly, I thought it was in the wrong key I thought it was too high for him. It could have been that he learned it from the Drifters' records, and I think that as sung by Johnny Moore, who had a higher voice. That happened sometimes with Elvis. He'd learn something, and he'd want to do it in the same key that he learned it in. He covered another Drifters record also, "If You Don't Come Back." Elvis didn't do a bad performance of that at all. Of course, I'm partial to the Drifters' because we produced it, and we got what we wanted out of the chart and evervthing else. "If You Don't Come Back" and "Three Corn Patches" were not on the Elvis Presley Sings Leiber And Stoller album for this reason.... At one point in Elvis' career, The Colonel wanted a pile of money and, since he took 50 percent of everything that Elvis got, they sold all of the artist royalties to RCA Victor. I believe it was for $5 million. However, they continued to record Elvis after that. Those two songs were not among the ones that Parker had sold. So the album actually contains only performances on which RCA owed no royalties to Elvis. 

I'm curious about a song you and Jerry wrote, "You're The Boss." It was recorded as a duet by Elvis and Ann-Margret for the film Viva Las Vegas. 

That was a song that did modestly well in a version we produced as sung by La Vern Baker and Jimmy Ricks, the bass singer of the Ravens. After we stopped taking assignments to write for Elvis, we submitted "You're The Boss" for a Presley movie. When we didn't hear anything further about it, we assumed they didn't like it and didn't record it. Around 1980 when I was in London, I helped put together, an album for RCA Victor called Elvis Presley Sings Leiber And Stoller. Some 10 years later RCA decided to release it as a CD. They told me Thorne Nogar found this version of "You're The Boss," and it was included on the CD. It was a major surprise for us. [laughs] It was nice. I really liked that. 

Speaking of La Vern Baker, Elvis recorded "Saved," a song she first cut. He did an amazing vocal performance of that song. 

Oh it's great. I loved it. There's no need to compare them, but La Vern's record of "Saved" is one of our favorite productions. She was incredible. We did it in Atlantic's old studio, the top floor of an old brownstone, and the first time I heard Elvis do it was in the comeback special. Corky Hale, my second wife, had just moved in with me, and we had a party in our apartment. She cooked a meal, and we had about 30 people over. She had rented four or five television sets [laughs] and plugged them in all over the living room. So I remember that very well. I had no idea Elvis would perform "Saved" or "Trouble" on the show. He looked so great on that show. It was a knockout. That was the epitome of Elvis. His performances were great, and the way he looked was great. It was the way you would have hoped Elvis would have stayed. 

Did you ever see Elvis live in the Vegas years? 

Yes. I went to see him a few times. I introduced Corky to him. He was very polite. Sometimes I'd see the Colonel playing $100 chips at the roulette table. 

Did he ever see you? 

Oh yeah, he wasn't particularly interested. He was more interested in playing roulette with Elvis' money. [laugh] 

What were your impressions of his live show? 

Disappointment. 

Why? 

Sad. He had become bloated. He was doing a caricature of himself. Yes, he still had a great voice, but he seemed to be making fun of himself. It's one thing to have a sense of humor about one's self but he really was like an Elvis impersonator, and it was sad. 

Do you think Elvis knew how good he was? 

I don't know. That's a hard question. And if he did - let's put it this way, in the early days, he was extremely confident in the studio. He was very confident, and if you read that as knowing how good he was, I suppose he did. On the other hand, when he went on the movie set, he was very insecure. I remember one incident in particular where a couple of actors were sitting around talking. They were talking about their wives or their cars, just family stuff, and they were laughing, and Elvis walked in and wheeled around and said, "You think you're so hot?" He thought they were laughing at him. 

Are there any Leiber And Stoller songs that you feel Elvis would have done a great job with? 

Yeah, I'm sure there are many that he could have done. Years later when he was working with Chips Moman, I was told that they had actually cut a track of "Kansas City," but the voice never went on. I would have loved to have heard Elvis sing it. 

Lastly, why do you think the songs you and Jerry wrote connected so well with Elvis personally and on a commercial level? 

It's hard for me to say I know that he liked what we wrote. He respected us. We came to know what a great talent he was very quickly after starting to work with him. The other thing is there was a creative rapport, and we were told numerous times after Jailhouse Rock that he considered us his good luck charms. He always wanted us in the studio. That was one of the things also that we got into a hassle with the Colonel about. The Colonel said, "You have to come out to California." Jerry was ill and I wasn't gonna go out anyway I don't know what songs were done on those sessions 'cause we weren't there. Elvis wanted us to be in the studio with him, and they were willing to fly us anywhere in order to please him. Of course we'd been functioning as unpaid producers on the records of our songs. [laughs] Somewhere between five and 10 years ago, Jerry and I went to Memphis for the first time. Georgie Klein, a longtime friend of Elvis' from Memphis, who we first met in the '50s, gave us a special tour of Graceland. While we were doing that he said, "You know what really killed Elvis? He really wanted to do something important as an actor. He wanted to do something like a Marlon Brando or a James Dean." And of course that's what we brought to them with "A Walk On The Wild Side" and the Colonel killed it. (End) 


2003/02/01 Ken Sharp - Gold mine / Ep.Gold.Com.

Playin' With the King' Really Takes Off!

Some weeks ago a huge project was announced here on EP Gold. The "Playing With the King" tribute CD album. This album would be a double or maybe even triple CD of both original Elvis tunes, performed by artists and other original songs, with an Elvis feel to them. For example, legendary American singer Maria Muldaur, who's perhaps most famous for "Midnight Oasis" and was nominated this past year for a Grammy, will be performing an original song she heard while touring Ireland. It's called "From Galway to Graceland" and is a haunting ballad, based on a true story. 

We have also been fortunate enough to sign 2 of the biggest producers in the business, who collectively have produced everyone from Frank Sinatra to Faith Hill. We are hoping to be able to announce their names very soon. As of today, January 31, 64 of the top recording artists in the US have already said they'd like to participate in the project and we expect twice that number before we're through. While many of these people knew and in some cases played with Elvis, we have people representing every discipline from Country to Cajun, and from R&B to Bluegrass and pure Rock! 

We'd love to hear from artists in Europe and the UK, so if you know of any heavy folks out that that you think might be interested, please have them contact Ken Vrana at kvrana@nc.rr.com or by phone at (919) 469-5662 EST (US) Meanwhile, EP Gold will keep you posted on how the project is progressing!

2003/02/01 Ken Vrana - E - Caitlin Prodctions/ Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS vs JXL NOMINATED IN THE NETHERLANDS.

In his homecountry the single 'A Little less Conversation' is nominated for an Edison award. This is the Dutch Music Award (like the U.S. Grammy Award, U.K. Brit Award and German Echo Award) which is awarded every year in several categories since 1960. JXL is nominated in the Pop Category. The award will be presented to the winner on March 6 in the heineken Music Hall and broadcasted on the Dutch Channel SBS6 and Radio 538. Elvis Presley won an award in 1970 for the "Worldwide 50 gold awards" release. 

2003/01/31 ElvisNews.

ELVIS BIOGRAPHY BRINGS NEW LIFE TO FAMILIAR TALE.

A quarter-century after his death, Elvis Presley has taken his publishing place among such immortals as St. Augustine, Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill, and Abraham Lincoln. 

Thank Viking books for that. Its current Penguin series presents concise biographies written by authors who have a kind of kinship with their subjects. For ''Elvis Presley: A Penguin Life,'' the publisher chose Bobbie Ann Mason - and it chose well.

Mason, the award-winning author of ''In Country'' and ''Clear Springs,'' has this in common with ''the King'': the South. Presley grew up in Tupelo, Miss., and Memphis, while Mason's roots are in Mayfield, Ky. When Presley began the singing and strutting that would change popular music and indeed American culture, Mason was a teenage girl ''entertaining various fantasies of meeting him.'' When he made his first appearance on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' in 1956, there she was in her Kentucky home, ''about two feet from the TV screen ... enthralled.'' She grew up listening to the same musical stew - blues, gospel, country, pop, and a dash of everything else - as Presley. She says simply that ''he was one of us.''

But even so, Mason faced a walk down a well-worn path. Scores of books - of varying degrees of accuracy and literacy - have been written about the King, from the savage ''Elvis'' by Albert Goldman to the touching ''Elvis: In the Twilight of Memory'' by former girlfriend June Juanico to the definitive two volumes ''Last Train to Memphis'' and ''Careless Love'' by Peter Guralnick.

The story is so familiar: the insecure, dirt-poor kid who soaks up the musical sounds of the South, cuts a record in the '50s, then starts gyrating onstage, creating hysteria, fame, and condemnation - and earning him and his canny manager millions. The star who wasted his talent in awful movies for more than a dozen years, then resurrected himself in a 1968 TV special. The man whose moral restraints vanished with the death of his beloved mama and who comforted himself with fatty food, washed down with dozens of pills. The caped crooner with the bloated body who nonetheless won the cheers and the love of his audiences. The lost and lonely soul who died at age 42 in the bathroom of his Memphis mansion.

But Mason brings her Southern kinship to this oft-told tale. Read her description of how hamburgers were served in Dixie, and you begin to understand why the young Presley craved them: ''A burger bought at a hamburger joint - the bun soaked with grease, the thin dill coins and an onion slice, all flattened by the fry cook's spatula and then packaged in a thin waxed paper - was heavenly. You unwrapped it and wolfed it steaming hot - the tart pickle and sharp onion and tangy mustard mingling and caressing the palate with contradictory flavors. Add a peach Nehi or a chocolate milkshake, more incongruous sensations, and you had bliss.''

Beyond the descriptions are her interpretations. Take Presley's extraordinary politeness: ''The effort to preserve dignity, the struggle against being defined as `white trash,' was a fierce, ongoing drama. [His mother] Gladys made sure Elvis was always polite. ... She taught him subservience. Like Uncle Tom behavior for blacks, it was a survival strategy.'' And here's why the Presleys might hire as manager a greedy con man like Colonel Tom Parker, whose Southernness was even a sham: ''Elvis and his father probably recognized the Colonel - the old carny as he was often called - as a type of horse trader, and they knew he was good at his work because they could see how smooth he was. ... If some straight-talking Yankee had come at them, offering to manage Elvis for only 10 to 15 percent, the Presleys might have been so suspicious of his assertive manner and his Northern accent that they would not have dealt with him.''

Such insights, and the crisp writing, make the book a worthy addition to Elvisiana, but a supplementary addition nonetheless. No one wanting to examine this extraordinary life should stop with Mason's skillful summary, but should go on to Guralnick's two volumes, which Mason gratefully acknowledges as her prime source material.

In her book, Mason describes an early Presley concert in Jacksonville, Fla. A county judge had warned him to tone down his act or face arrest, leading the singer to invoke the familiar hysteria by ''quirking his index finger to mimic the Elvis gyration.'' Reading this book is a little like going to that finger-wagging concert. You get a lot out of it, but if you want the whole rocking, shaking show, you've got to read Guralnick.

2003/01/31 Richard P. Carpenter - Globe Staff / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS WORLD JAPAN EXCLUSIVE.

First time on the Net.
From 8mm film I took in Hawaii, Nov.1972.

To watch this 8mm film, surf to Exclusive Elvis World Japan


2003/01/31 Elvis World Japan.

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT.

This future publication is currently being compiled and written by a gentleman who holds the first hand knowledge and experience of what the story entails. The gentleman’s name is Tony Marshall. He was born in Lancashire in 1967 and grew up in the Gorbals in Glasgow and now resides in Nottingham. From 1985 to 1998 he embarked on a thirteen-year odyssey that took him from local Amateur Dramatics Societies to Hospital Radio to Disco Functions to European Stage Productions to the glamour of the Miami Hilton. 

His is a unique story in the sense that every event that is covered in the book comes under a song title heading. The songs are classics that were either playing on the radio or at a disco or were hits at the time and are poignant to his telling of the story. For example, read about the dark opening memoir “Life On Mars” by David Bowie – the year is 1976 and a young boy embarks on his own ‘Life on Mars’ scenario with a childhood that he finds unhappy so to escape he reads stories about his heroes on the TV screen and listens to music only to find how ironic his life was going to become in later years whilst embarking on this fascination for his heroes.

Tony Marshall gave up life in the Entertainment Business due to the fact that he finished it on a high. He moved to Nottingham in 2001 in order to undertake an IT home study course with the National IT Learning Centre in Newark. He is currently employed by a Telecommunications Company called The Message Pad in Carlton where he is now an Accounts Manager and in his free time somehow manages to compile his memoirs in order for his next project to develop for completion. 

And now, after 5 years out of Entertainment, Mr Marshall is ready to re-live it all again and present his story in a unique setting for his colleagues at the Message Pad. In aid of Comic Relief on Friday, March 14, 2003 “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” – The Presentation, will unfold in the form of Mr Marshall reciting the stories of thirteen characters he had a close working and a personal bond with throughout his years in Entertainment, who he refers to as ‘My Team’. Throughout this special evening there will be a raffle with prizes, a quiz based on the story “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, Mr Marshall will also display special artefacts and there will be a musical interlude by his colleague, guitarist Damian Benner. 

Tony Marshall is available for promotional interviews by contacting him either at The Message Pad on 0115 9874446, his home on 01158 459856 or his mobile on 07930 430390. 
Alternatively you can drop him a line via email: tony.marshall2@ntlworld.com

2003/01/31 Tony Marshall / Ep.Gold.Com.

BRAND NEW RELEASE
   
I have always wanted to do a project with just me playing the piano
and singing some of my favorite old hymns ... well I finally did it and
HERE IT IS ... "TIMELESS TREASURES"

If you would like to have a CD or CASSETTE read the rest of this e-mail
if not ... just enjoy the picture. (lol)
Thanks for your friendship and God Bless you according to HIS WORD ... Donnie

If you like old hymns, singing with not too much instrumentation and ME ... Then This Is For YOU!!!

SONGS INCLUDE:

1. I Love To Tell The Story 
2. What A Friend We Have In Jesus / No Not One 
3. Leave It There
4. No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus 
5. O Come Angel Band 
6. It Is Well
7. Never Grow Old / How Beautiful Heaven Must Be / What A Day That Will Be
8. Great Is Thy Faithfulness 
9. The Haven Of Rest 
10. Wonderful Peace 
11. Ship Ahoy
12. God Bless These Folks (A special song for all or our friends by Marty and I)

To get your copy just click on reply and enter your NAME and ADDRESS ... and ... specify whether
you need CD or CASSETTE. 
We trust our friends and do not encourage the use of credit cards ... your order will be shipped ASAP
and upon receipt you can submit your payment via check or money order. 

CD's are $18.00 each and CASSETTES are $12.00 each
(Plus $2.00 for shipping and handling)

Other CD's Available:
Southern Classics / Homecoming Favorites / Refining Fire

Marty and I both thank you for your friendship and continued prayers ... it is truly a privilege to able 
to call you "Our Friend."
May the God of all sufficiency shower you with all grace from now until the Son appears 
in power and glory according to His "WORD OF PROMISE"

donnie.sumner@juno.com 

2003/01/31 Donnie Summer / Bud Glass / praytome / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

I am proud to announce the release of my personal story, From the Shadows of The King on CD and DVD. As most of you know I am a motivational speaker and have been sharing this unique story throughout North America and Europe. 

The CD is an audio version of my incredible story, and the DVD is a visual autobiography of my life and times with Elvis and includes bonus material of 11 memorable stories of my life with him.

Please take a moment to check out my website at www.davidestanley.com and view the products which are listed under the SD Products link. 

I know how much you all love Elvis; therefore, I know that you'll love this incredible new product. As you know, I am one of the privileged few who knew Elvis and knew him well. But the privilege of my life was being allowed to share in 17 years of his life and now being able to share that with you. 

Thank you for loving my big brother, Elvis Presley. I know for a fact that he truly loved all of you. 

Best wishes,
David E. Stanley

2003/01/30 David E. Stanley / Ep.Gold.Com.

E1 ALBUM IRELAND CHARTS.

The E 1 Album dropped one spot from No # 19 to No # 20 in the Ireland Album Charts this week.

2003/01/30 Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS LIVES TV SPECIAL VH! ON FRIDAY JANUARY 31, 2003.

The Elvis Lives TV Special will have a rerun on Friday January 31th, 2003 3 P.M. Est. on VH1.

2003/01/30 VH1 / Ep.Gold.Com.

MIKE STOLLERS REMEMBERS THE ELVIS PRESLEY SONGBOOK( PART TWO. )

You and Jerry acted as unofficial producers of those sessions. 

At that point, I don't think the title of producer had come into being for recordings. Had it been a film, the credit would not have been producer, it would have been director. Our role on those sessions evolved. Elvis trusted us, and nobody stopped us. Colonel Tom came in and out of the studio. When Steve Sholes was there, he would call out the take slates, like "RCA 39-4734, take three." When we took over we just started yelling, "'jallhouse Rock' take four, 'Jailbouse Rock' take five!" Jerry worked from the booth, but he would come out on the floor too. I worked in there with the musicians. I played piano on just one track, "Treat Me Nice." Dudley Brooks played on the other sides. He was a good piano player. Scotty Moore, Bill Black, D.J. Fontana, and The Jordanaires were also on the sessions. Jerry and I worked together with Elvis very well. But on the last day of recording, some of the guys from the film studio came over and they approached Jerry and said, "Listen, we're gonna start filming on such-and-such a date. You should come over and play the piano player in the film." He said, "But I'm not a piano player." They said, "That's all right, you look like one." [laughs] The day that Jerry was supposed to report at MGM for wardrobe he had this horrible toothache. He said, "Man, I can't make it. You better go in my place." I said, "But they wanted you." He said, "They won't know the difference." So I went and the only thing they said to me is, "You better shave your beard off 'cause it's a scene stealer." [laughs] It was done over a number of weeks. I wasn't allowed to say anything in the film [laughs] 'cause then you've got to get paid. Elvis' musicians and I were covered under a Musicians Union contract. They had a scale payment for something called 'sidelining,' which meant that whether you played on the original recording or somebody else did, you went through the motions of playing for the camera. I think we got 36 bucks a week for that. 

Were you actually playing piano along with the music during the scene where Elvis sang? 

Yeah, but it didn't matter. The piano had no strings inside. It had keys, but there was nothing inside, so you couldn't hear anything. 

Did you hang out with Elvis much on the set? 

I hung out with Elvis and his band on the set. Elvis was normally kept at a distance, but on one occasion he invited me up to his penthouse suite. The Presley entourage had the whole top floor of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. So I went up with all the guys. There was a pool table there, and Elvis and I were shooting pool. I looked up at one point and nobody else was there. Elvis came back into the room and he said "Aw Mike, I feel real bad, but the Colonel's here and he don't want nobody else here. So I guess you gotta go." 

When did you recognize Elvis was a little more special than you and Jerry initially felt he was? 

In the beginning we were kind of curious about this guy who was such a big hit, a white guy singing R&B mixed with country. But he was very knowledgeable, and we found that out when we hung out with him at Radio Recorders. We would talk about blues records, and he knew a lot about blues. He surprised us. He also knew all of our stuff. And of course, in addition to that, he knew all the country stuff and gospel. While we were working on the Jailhouse Rock recording sessions, we realized he was a very special talent. 

One of the most beautiful songs you ever wrote for Elvis and one of his own personal favorites is the # 1 smash, "Don't." 

"Don't" was written for him by request. One afternoon, it was a Friday, while we were doing the filming, a lot of which is "hurry up and wait," he said, "Hey Mike, why don't you write me a real pretty ballad?" I said, "I will. I'll call Jerry, and we'll get to work." I called Jerry that evening and we got together on Saturday and wrote "Don't." I thought it was a good song for Elvis. I like the song and I like what he did with it. As I recall, it's 12 bars long, but it's not a blues [song]. On Sunday, we booked a studio to do a demo and we called Young Jessie to sing. I gave the demo to Elvis on Monday and he loved it. Then there was a big to-do with Colonel Parker and the Aberbachs because I hadn't gone through the proper channels. They were afraid, because when Elvis fell in love with a song, he really fell in love with it and he might insist upon recording it. Although so many aspects of his career were handled by other people, the one thing that he handled himself was picking the songs he sang. He would not sing a song he didn't like, at least not until much later. They had this fear he might record something and they might not own the publishing. I'm referring to Tom Parker and the Aberbachs. 

That was a crucial mistake on the Colonel's part to not allow Elvis to record quality songs just because they didn't own the publishing rights. 

Yes, I agree with you. And certainly it would have been better for Elvis' career, but it wouldn't have satisfied Tom Parker. He wanted Elvis to grind out the same thing over and over. He didn't want to take any chances. You stretch a little bit artistically and it's a wonderful thing. Look what happened with The Beatles. They stretched. It was wonderful. It was exciting. I think Elvis had the ability to do that, but the Colonel wasn't willing to chance anything with his golden goose. 

What's your take on the Colonel today? Do you think overall that the Colonel was the right person to be guiding Elvis' career? 

He certainly helped to make Elvis a superstar. But ultimately he wouldn't have been the best person to guide the career of somebody with an innate talent like Elvis - and not just a talent but a supreme talent. At one point, Jerry was invited to a very elegant New York cocktail party and was approached by an agent and producer, Charles Feldman. He said, "I'm so happy to meet you because I've just optioned a novel by Nelson Algren called A Walk On The Wild Side." He said, "Here's what I want to happen. I have already gotten the following people involved: Elia Kazan to produce, Bud Schulberg to write the script. I have James Wong Howe to do cinematography. And I want you and your partner to write the score, and I want Elvis Presley to play the lead." Jerry called me up and told me this, and we were thrilled. We were so excited. We thought, "Wow, we're gonna be able to bring this exciting plum to Jean and Julian and The Colonel and Elvis." We went up to the Hill & Range office 'cause Elvis Presley's music was co-owned by Elvis and the Aberbachs. Jean was there, and Julian came in. The Colonel was somewhere else. The whole thing was laid out for them. They said, "We will have to speak to The Colonel. Can you wait outside?" So we waited outside and we figured The Colonel would be over the moon about this. We waited a long time, and we were summoned in by Jean and he said [adopts Viennese accent], "The Colonel says if you ever dare try and interfere in the career of Elvis Presley again you will never work in New York, Hollywood, London or anywhere else in the world." That was it. We virtually stopped writing for Elvis after that. After King Creole, the only songs we submitted to Elvis were songs that we'd already written or recorded before. 

Wasn't "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello" written for Elvis? 

No, it wasn't. As a matter of fact, with one exception, we stopped writing for him altogether and only submitted previously written and already recorded songs. As for "Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello," we had a demo that was considerably different than the way Elvis did it. It had a very different feel, less country, more Latin. 

The one exception was "She's Not You." 

Right. Doc Pomus called us up one day. We were all in the Brill Building. Doc was an old friend, and we had produced lots of Doc and Morty's [Shuman] songs with The Drifters. Mort had either gone off to Japan or moved to Paris. Doc called us and said, "Come on up. Let's write a song for Elvis." So we wrote "She's Not You" with him, the three of us. That was written for Elvis at Doc's request. 

The three songs you and Jerry wrote for King Creole have a distinctive New Orleans, Dixieland sound. 

The inclusion of brass instruments in the arrangements was a departure from Elvis' usual quartet. Michael Curtiz, the director of King Creole, was at the sessions. That was probably the best movie that Elvis ever made. It had the best story, the best script and the best cast. We wrote three songs. One was "King Creole." Unlike "Loving You" and "Jailhouse Rock," which were written first and then became the title of the films they were in, "King Creole" was the title of the film before we wrote the song. Elvis did a great job on it. I especially liked "Trouble," and I loved the way he did it in the comeback special. 

What inspired you and Jerry to write a song such as "Trouble"? 

We had written songs like that before - "Riot In Cell Block #9," "Framed," kind of talking blues things - and we knew Elvis could do that kind of stuff. 

That track captured less of the happy-go-lucky Elvis. it carried a menacing undercurrent of sexuality and danger. 

Yeah. It was braggadocio, like John Henry, Paul Bunyan - one of those bigger-than-life folk heroes. The other song, "Steadfast, Loyal And True" was a high-school alma mater-type of song. Just the other day I heard this acapella version of it. It's on that four-CD box that came out recently [Today, Tomorrow And Forever]. I thought it was charming. I really enjoyed it. 

You and Jerry also oversaw those King Creole sessions. 

Yes, we did, in so far as the songs that we wrote. I remem- ber that the studio was very crowded. The Colonel was there, Michael Curtiz and Steve Sholes were there. There were lots of film studio executives in there. And of course Thorne Nogar, the great recording engineer, was there too. 

Was there a formula you and Jerry followed when writing songs for Elvis Presley? 

No. We didn't write from formula. I mean you're influenced by everything you've heard in your life when you write. But no, we had no formula. There are different types of songs. "Love Me" is quite different from "Loving You," which is quite different from "Don't." "King Creole" is quite different from "Jailhouse Rock." 

You and Jerry wrote a holiday song for Elvis, "Santa Claus is Back in Town." 

We were at the session. We wrote it in the hallway between takes on something else. [laughs] They needed another holiday song. It was spur of the moment. 

It's one of the more pure blues songs Elvis recorded. 

Yeah, and it's a little risque. Obviously RCA Victor didn't catch on to the fact that "Santa Claus is coming down your chimney tonight" didn't really refer to a chimney. [laughs] 

2003/01/30 Ken Sharp - Goldmine / Ep.Gold.Com.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN SCIENTOLOGY CONNECTION?
( Roger Friedman)

I broke the news a couple of weeks ago that Lisa Marie
Presley, daughter of the King and Priscilla, would be
releasing her first album on April 8. What would the songs
be about, we wondered? Certainly a couple of them
concern Elvis, according to available lyrics.

But at least one song will preach the Scientology cause that
tries to stop parents from giving their children drugs like
Ritalin to treat Attention Deficit Disorder. Scientology wages
a constant war against psychiatry in general, hoping to
attract alienated young people before they can be treated by
doctors.

Presley's title track, "To Whom It May Concern," is about just
this.

Presley's official web site is linked to a charity called the
Citizens Commission on Human Rights, which promotes
the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard. CCHR has 23 listings at
guidestar.org for tax free chapters. Its main chapter, in Los
Angeles, has a substantial war chest to fight
against psychiatry. Fellow Scientologists Kirstie Alley and
Juliette Lewis are featured in pictures with Presley at
rallies protesting against psychiatry.

Two years ago, Lewis turned up on a Creative
Coalition panel of celebrities discussing violence in the
media and their influence on kids, but she
blamed psychotropic drugs for the problems affecting
children.

Both Lisa Marie and her mother, Priscilla, are longtime
members of Scientology, which requires hefty annual
donations from its members. One wonders how much of
Elvis Presley's estate has gone to Scientology and whether
his millions of fans have any idea where their money has
gone. Scientology seems to be in direct conflict with Elvis
Presley's own personal credo, which was "Shake, rattle and
roll" with a barbiturate twist.

2003/01/30 Roger Friedman / Ep.Gold.Com.

E 1 ALBUM IN THE TOP 20 COUNTRY ALBUMS US.

In the 17th week of the top 20 country charts US the E 1 Album dropped one spot and is this week No # 4.

2003/01/29 Billboard / Ep.Gold.Com.

E 1 BILLBOARD 200 CHARTS.

This week E 1 Album dropped from No # 12 to No # 25 in the 17th week of the Billboard 200 charts.

2003/01/29 Billboard / Ep.Gold.Com.

LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS NAMES 50 SOUND RECORDINGS TO THE INAUGURAL NATIONAL RECORDING REGISTRY.

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today announced the first annual selection of 50 recordings to the National Recording Registry. Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian is responsible for selecting recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Registry recordings must be at least 10 years old. Nominations for the registry were garnered from members of the public and from the National Recording Preservation Board, which is composed of leaders in the fields of music, recorded sound, and preservation. The Board also helped with the review of nominations.

In making the announcement of the registry, the Librarian stated, "The challenge of reviewing more than 100 years of the history of recorded sound in America and selecting only 50 significant recordings for the inaugural recording registry was formidable. The registry was not intended by Congress to be another Grammy Awards or 'best of' list. Rather, Congress created the registry to celebrate the richness and variety of our audio legacy and to underscore our responsibility to assure the long-term preservation of that legacy so that it may be appreciated and studied by generations to come. The creation of the registry is one part of the legislation that charges the Library of Congress with developing a comprehensive national recording preservation program, the very first of its kind. Acknowledging the inception of this significant responsibility, many of my first selections for the recording registry recognize important firsts in the history of recording in America: technical, musical, and cultural achievements."

The Librarian of Congress announced William Ivey as chairman of the board of directors of the National Recording Preservation Foundation. The foundation is a charitable and nonprofit corporation created by the Preservation Act to promote and ensure the preservation and public accessibility of the nation's sound recording heritage. The foundation will accept gifts and administer a grants program to support sound preservation in archives throughout the United States. Ivey is past chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and presently Branscomb Scholar at Vanderbilt University. The Librarian hailed Ivey's long-term experience in promoting the preservation and accessibility of our cultural heritage.

The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and the world's largest library, with more than 126 million items, including some 2.6 million sound recordings. The collection includes more than 500,000 LPs; 450,000 78-rpm discs; more than 500,000 unpublished discs, 200,000 compact discs; 175,000 tape reels; 150,000 45-rpm discs; and 100,000 cassettes.

Among the unusual formats in the collection are wires, instantaneous discs, cylinders, music box discs, rolls, bands, dictabelts, and Memovox discs. The collection includes most musical genres with particular strengths in opera, chamber music, folk, jazz, musical theater, popular, and classical music. There are more radio broadcasts (more than 500,000) preserved in the Library of Congress than in any other library or archives in the United States. The audio collections include NBC radio shows from 1933 to 1971 on 150,000 sixteen-inch lacquer discs; the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service collection of more than 200,000 discs of programs broadcast to America's armed forces from 1942 to the early 1990s; thousands of field recordings of Native Americans, ex-slaves, immigrants, urban voices and rural music; near- complete inventories of many commercial labels acquired through copyright deposit.

Additional highlights include a comprehensive collection of all of Duke Ellington's recordings, including unpublished recordings as well as nearly every known commercial recording, as well as every recording of the early New Orleans jazz pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton. More information on using this collection, as well as access to an electronic catalog of recordings and digitized selections, is available at www.loc.gov/rr/record/.

For more information, consult the National Recording Preservation Board Web site: www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb.

2003/01/29 Public Affairs Office- Washington. / Ep.Gold.Com.

DVD ALOHA ALMOST COMPLETED.

According to one of our users on the FECC message board the " Aloha From Hawaii " ( new edition ) would be almost completed. Here's the details as mentioned on the board : " I just want to let my fellow Elvis fan's know that I just got off the phone with a Customer Service Rep from EPE and she told me that the Aloha DVD is just about completed. All the songs have been included so the copyright problems have been cleared up. She also said that the show is complete from start to finish and the extra songs have been put after the show which means no breaks. All that they are waiting for now is is the packaging to be completed. She would give no release date which she said would be posted very soon on EPE's website. The 68 Special Edition just got completed with "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" now being included. I just thought I would pass this news on to my fellow Elvis fans because I know some would be interested in hearing this. "

2003/01/29 Steve Smith.

ROCKIN RON CADE AND THE ELVIS & FRIENDS RADIO SHOW CELEBRATE 25 YEARS.

Rockin' Ron Cade and the "Elvis & Friends Radio Show" Celebrate 25 Years 1/28/2003 
Rockin' Ron Cade started the Elvis & Friends Radio Show on February 3, 1978 on WCRP Radio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Later, it had several other homes before taking up residence at WOGL Oldies 98.1 FM in Philadelphia, where it is now heard every Sunday from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM. A shorter version of the program can be heard every Sunday from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM on WODJ Oldies 107.3 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The show covers all genres of music Elvis recorded - rock, gospel, country, pop, movie music - presenting the hits, the lesser known material and rarities, and featuring interviews with Elvis-connected guests. 

Our congratulations to Ron Cade and the Elvis & Friends Radio Show on their silver anniversary, and our thanks for twenty-five great years of serving Elvis and his fans and reaching out to new audiences. 


2003/01/29 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

LISA PRESLEY TO APPEAR ON ABC PRIMETIME.

Recently, ABC has run promos for their news magazine show Primetime indicating an upcoming appearance by Lisa Marie Presley, but no date is given. This has caused a number of calls and E-mails to Graceland/EPE for further information. It appears that the date is not locked in yet. Lisa's record label, Capitol Records, tells us that they expect it to air sometime in April, specific date to be announced. This Primetime appearance is part of a significant amount of news media work Lisa is doing as part of the launch of her debut album To Whom It May Concern, which is set for release on April 8. We will post a confirmed date for the Primetime appearance, as well as any others, as soon as we have confirmation. 

2003/01/29 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

MIKE STOLLER REMEMBERS THE ELVIS PRESLEY SONGBOOK.

The roll call is staggering - Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, John Lennon, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, and Frank Sinatra are just some of the artists who have recorded songs written by the golden team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They boast a rich catalog of songs that will live forever. Among the luminous jewels framing the Leiber And Stoller songbook include standards such as "Stand By Me," "Love Potion Number Nine," "On Broadway," "There Goes My Baby," "Kansas City" "Young Blood," "Ruby Baby," "Along Came Jones," "Yakety Yak," "Poison Ivy" "Is That All There Is?" and numerous others. 

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees, Leiber And Stoller created a wondrous array of timeless and eminently tuneful rock 'n' roll classics that endure generation after generation. Graced with Stoller's sublime and inventive melodic contours and Leiber's evocative and sophisticated wordplay, the duo are rightly acknowledged among popular music's most important and groundbreaking songwriters of the past century. 

Goldmine had the immense pleasure of sitting down with Stoller in Beverly Hills to reminisce about his work writing the music behind many of Presley's most quintessential recordings. Most recently, four Leiber/Stoller songs ("Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "Don't" and "She's Not You") have taken their proud place on the new smash Presley compilation, Elvis 30 #1 Hits. 

Goldmine: Initially you didn't even know who Elvis Presley was. 

Mike Stoller: The first time I got a sizable royalty check was in 1956, and it was $5,000. I thought I'd never see that much money at the same time again. And I went to Europe for three months and came back in style 'cause $5,000 took you a long way in those days, especially in Europe. My first wife and I came back on an Italian ocean liner, the Andrea Doria. We almost made it to New York. The Stockholm ran into the Andrea Doria. There were a lot of people killed, nor as many as there could have been, fortunately. But there were over 50 people who were killed. The boat sank. We climbed down a Jacob's ladder swinging wildly over a broken lifeboat, which we got into. We couldn't steer the boat because the rudder was broken. We were ultimately picked up by the Cape Ann, a freighter standing by. From the Cape Ann, I sent a telegram to Atlantic Records. I was supposed to have met Jerry and Lester Sill at Atlantic's offices. Until that time, all of our productions for Atlantic had been done in Los Angeles, so I hadn't really met anybody at the label except for Nesuhi Ertegun. Anyway when the Cape Ann pulled into New York harbor, Jerry was waiting for me [laughs]. He said, "Hey you're alive!" I said, "I guess so." "Great to see ya, man!" He said, "Listen, we have a smash hit!" I said, "You're kidding!" And he said, "No, 'Hound Dog.'" And I said, "Big Mama Thornton's record?" And he said, "No, some white kid named Elvis Presley." I said, "Elvis who?" 

What was your first impression of Presley's version of "Hound Dog"? 

It sounded kind of stiff and a bit too fast - a little nervous. It didn't have that insinuating groove like on Big Mama's record. 

Did you grow to like it? 

After it sold seven million copies it began to sound better, yeah [laughs]. 

Who pitched "Hound Dog" to Presley? 

Elvis knew Big Mama's record, but Big Mama's version of "Hound Dog" was written for a woman. And so Elvis couldn't perform it that way. There was a group, Freddie Bell & The Bell Boys, working in the lounge in Vegas who had recorded it. They had altered the lyrics - the altered lyrics don't really mean terribly much. They made it sound like the song was written about a dog. Big Mama's record had the original lyrics, which were written about a freeloading gigolo. After that, Elvis' music publishers, the Aberbach brothers, Jean and Julian, contacted us. We had known them out in L.A. They used to have a home and office out here on Hollywood Boulevard, just west of La Brea. We had talked to them a number of times about other matters. They called and asked if we had any other songs that we thought might be good for Elvis. Jerry thought of this ballad that we'd recorded called "Love Me." It was a song we had recorded with Willie & Ruth on our own label, Spark Records. They were two members of a gospel vocal quintet. 

How does their version differ from Elvis'? 

The song is the same, but first of all Willie & Ruth were a duet who sang in harmony. Their record featured piano triplets. It was a strong performance, but Elvis' is a really special performance. The odd thing is Elvis' version of "Love Me" became a big hit on the charts and was never released as a single. It was part of an EP. To be honest, when we first wrote "Love Me" we were thinking of it as sort of a takeoff, a Homer & Jethro type of thing. It's got all these masochistic lyrics. [recites lyrics] "Treat me like a fool, treat me mean and cruel but love me." It could have been a joke, but Elvis' performance makes it genuinely touching. 

Next, Elvis recorded your "Hot Dog" and "Loving You." 

"Loving You" was a love ballad. It was our attempt to write a song as simple and direct as an Irving Berlin song. 

Did you read the movie script before coming up with the song? 

I think we took a glance at it. Was that the script that was originally called Lonesome Cowboy? Elvis liked "Loving You" and recorded it. Subsequently the studio changed the name of the film to Loving You. 

What was the idea behind "Hot Dog"? 

It was a song we had which we rewrote for Elvis to do in the film. We had originally recorded a different version of that song with a guy named Young Jessie. His real name was Obie Jessie - very good singer and good all-around musician. He had been with a rhythm-and-blues group called The Flairs. Later he subbed on The Coasters' dates for "Searchin"' and "Young Blood," when one of the fellas was unavailable. We submitted "Hot Dog" and "Loving You" through the proper channels, which meant Freddy Bienstock, who worked for his cousins, the Aberbach brothers. That was the system that had been established. No one was supposed to approach Elvis directly. 

Tell me about how you and Jerry came to write many of the hey songs for the Jailhouse Rock film. 

"Jailhouse Rock" is the title of a song which we wrote for the film. Later, the producers decided it should be the title of the movie as well. Jerry and I came to New York - it must have been around March of '57. We came in for an undetermined amount of time - two, three weeks, maybe a month at most. We had already started producing records for Atlantic. We also wanted to see what else was happening in New York. We were considering the possibility of moving there. We took a suite at the Gorham Hotel. It had a living room and two bedrooms. Because we were going to be there for a while, we moved a rented upright piano into the living room. Jean Aberbach had given us a script, and we kind of threw it in the corner with some magazines. We were having a great time in New York, really having a ball. We were going out to cabarets and jazz clubs and the theater. 

So writing those songs for Elvis was not at the top of your list of priorities? 

No, hardly. And as I recall, I think it was on a Saturday morning, there was a knock at our door and Jean Aberbach walked in. He said, "Well, boys, where are my songs?" We said, "Don't worry. You're gonna get 'em." And he said "I know, because you're not going to leave this room until I get them." And then he pushed a big overstuffed chair in front of the door, the only way out. He said, "I'm going to take a nap. He literally went to sleep, and we couldn't get out. So we thumbed through the script and wrote four songs in about four or five hours. ("Jailhouse Rock," "Treat Me Nice" "I Want To Be Free" and "[You're So Square] Baby I Don't Care.") I can't say that the songs were overworked. We didn't have time to overwork them. We were in too much of a hurry to get out of that hotel room. 

Tell me about writing "Jailhouse Rock." 

The script indicated that Elvis was in prison and there was an amateur show among the prisoners. That's where the idea for the song came from. We wrote it quickly. Jerry's very fast and very funny. That song was a vehicle that Presley could really work. When we recorded it we knew we had it by take nine. But Elvis went on into the 20s saying, "I can do it better!" He loved to sing. He really felt comfortable in a recording studio. We were recording at Radio Recorders Annex in Hollywood. 

"Treat Me Nice" has a great groove. 

I like the track. Actually I'm playing piano on that record. I don't know that I played that well, but it seemed to work. [lough] 

"I Want To Be Free"? 

I remember that Jean Aherbach said, "I love that image of a bird in a tree in the lyrics." Good track. The other song was "(You're So Square) "Baby I Don't Care." It was just a fun song. But it worked. It was a good record for him. 

I enjoy the scene in Jailhouse Rock where Elvis performs the song by a pool and you're part of his band playing piano. 

In our Hawaiian shirts. That was the only costume which the studio supplied. The rest of it was our own clothes. They were really saving money. The studio and Tom Parker figured that they were gonna make a fortune on this film, so like, "Let's not waste money with costumes." [laughs] The movie was shot at MGM Studios in Culver City. 

Recount the first time you and Jerry met Elvis. 

Elvis had requested us to be at the Jailhouse Rock recording sessions. He knew of the records that we produced, so he requested that we be there. That's how we met him. He was very easygoing and very easy to be with. 
I was showing him some figures on the piano, and he joined in the upper registers. And we were doing some freehand boogie-woogie. The studio was like his living room. He also had his pals with him who had become hired companions. These were his high-school buddies and local guys from Memphis and cousins. We'd show Elvis the way we thought the songs should go. I think Elvis had heard demos, but I don't remember making them. There must have been because he had approved the songs. 

Did Elvis know intuitively when a take was a keeper? 

Yeah, I think so. He was very astute in that sense, but as I said before he always tried to make something better. He worked very hard in the studio. It was hard work, but it appeared to be effortless for him because he loved what he was doing. If he liked a song he would just keep going, "Yeah, I can do it better. Wait a minute, let me try this. Give me one more shot!" As I said, we were up to take 27 or something on "Jailhouse Rock" when he finally said, "OK, let me hear that take that you think is the one." And he came back in and listened and said, "Yeah, you're right. That's the one." 

(END OF PART 1)

2003/01/29 Ken Sharp / Goldmine / Ep.Gold.Com.

FIRST RECORDING SELECTED FOR LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

U.S. Librarian of Congress James A. Billington yesterday (Jan. 27) announced the first group of recordings to be entered into the National Recording Registry, which was initiated by Congress in 2000, Billboard Bulletin reports. The 50 selections were chosen from hundreds of entries forwarded by an advisory board comprising leaders in music, recorded sound, and preservation. Fifty more titles will be added each year.

Among the recordings are the Berliner Grammaphone Co.'s first recording of John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" (1897); Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings (1925-28); the Victor Co.'s Bristol, Tenn., sessions of the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers (1927); Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" (1939); and Stravinsky conducting the New York Philharmonic in the first recording of his "The Rite of Spring" (1940).

More contemporary choices include Elvis Presley's Sun sessions (1954-55); Frank Sinatra's "Songs for Young Lovers" LP (1955); Tito Puente's "Dance Mania" LP (1958); the Miles Davis Sextet's "Kind of Blue" (1959); "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" (1963); and Aretha Franklin's single "Respect" (1967). The most recent selection is the 1982 breakthrough rap hit by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, "The Message." 

The Library of Congress will store "best copies" of the recordings in its state-of-the-art conservation vaults; U.S. record companies still hold the original masters. Congress has funded the project for the next seven years.

For more information, visit the National Recording Registry's official Web site. 

2003/01/29 Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y. - Billboard / Ep.Gold.Com.

PIC OF THE WEEK.

This week we have Three Private Shots From Elvis And Priscilla.
Go to the Menu or


2003/01/28 Ep.Gold.Com.

E1 TOP 75 ALBUMS CHART UK.

E1 Album dropped from No # 26 to No # 29 in the Top 75 Albums Chart in the UK. this week.

2003/01/28 Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS - WELCOME TO MY WORLD.

The revised edition of the audio tour of "Graceland" with Lisa Marie telling of a few of her memories at Graceland, the previous version has been doing the rounds for a long time enterprising soul managed to steal one of the audio tapes from the machine given to them while they toured the house, obviously they had some security measures to stop people just taking the tape out of the machine. That soon became a high seller on the fan collector's circuit.
Then "Graceland" went a step better by going digital so fans couldn't just pinch a tape out of the player and walk off with it. But there is no stopping some fans for now the new digital version is now out among fans, and I must say very enjoyable to listen to, my first trip to Memphis in January 2001, I took the usual "Graceland Tour" but only listened to part of the recording as I was more interested in seeing everything in Graceland. 
Now after hearing the recording which by the way incorporates clips from a couple of Bootleg CD's by they way! 
I found the 60-minute tour very informative. The CD version of this tour has a couple bonus tracks tagged on the end, obviously just for the fun of it, see below for full track listings.
Welcome To My Home - A Tour Of Graceland 

1.Welcome to Graceland (1:57)
2.The Living Room/Music Room/Elvis' Parents Room (2:34)
3.Dining Room/Kitchen (1:38)
4.TV Room/Pool Room (2:21)
5.Jungle Room/Display Room (2:56)
6.A little about the family & Graceland (1:05)
7.Brief look at the 70's décor (0:49)
8.Desk & other items from Elvis' Bedroom (0:35)
9.A look at Elvis' sports & hobbies (1:32)
10.Carport/Lisa's swing set/Vernon's Office (1:07) 
11.Pasture/Trophy Building (1:28)
12.Beginning of Elvis' career in the 50's (2:02)
13.Elvis TV Appearances 1956 - 1957 (1:31) 
14.1956 the big break (0:35)
15.Elvis' early Rock'n'Roll (1:20)
16.Elvis' record sales & awards (2:01)
17.Elvis' Army Uniforms & Army Information (1:15)
18.Elvis' Tour of Germany (0:53)
19.Elvis' Movie Career (1:05)
20.Elvis' Top Ranking Movies (1:23)
21.Elvis' Charity Work (1:08)
22.Walk A Mile In My Shoes (1:02)
23.Elvis' 1968 TV Special (0:56)
24.Jam Session from TV Special (0:55)
25.Elvis' return to live performances (1:02)
26.Fun on stage with Elvis (0:47)
27.Elvis' Jaycees Award (0:32)
28.Jaycee Speech from January 1971 (0:39)
29.Racquet Ball Building/The end of an era (3:07)
30.Elvis on stage (1:13)
31.The Awards on the walls (1:08)
32.The Meditation Garden (4:48)
BONUS TRACKS
33.In The Ghetto - out-take (1:33)
34.Suspicious Minds - out-takes (1:15)
35.A Little Less Conversation - remix (3:34)
36.Rubberneckin' 2002 (4:33)

58:41 minutes approx.

Graceland Mansion
Just outside the ticket office is a shuttle to take guests across Elvis Presley Boulevard to enter Elvis' 14-acre estate. With the new digital audio guide featuring the voices of Lisa Marie and Elvis, guests enjoy a specially produced audio tour presentation and even more information on specific exhibits and items of interest. 
The mansion tour consists of the living room, music room, Elvis' parents' bedroom, the dining room, kitchen, TV room, poolroom, and "jungle" den in the main house, and, behind the house, Elvis' racquetball building and his original business office. 
Recently opened was a section of the mansion that was previously closed to the public. The tour now includes never-before-seen items like the desk from Elvis' personal office and an extensive collection of his stage costumes. 
The highlight of the mansion tour is Elvis' trophy building, which houses his enormous collection of gold records and awards, along with an extensive display of career mementos, stage costumes, jewellery, photographs, and much more. The tour ends with a quiet visit to the Meditation Garden, where Elvis and members of his family have been laid to rest. Shuttles return guests to the plaza. The tour lasts approximately 60-90 minutes


2003/01/28 Ep.Gold.Com.

JULIE PARRISH NEEDS HELP.

Please contact gballester@elvis.com with any information... 

"I'm wondering if you would do me a favor. 
On Elvis' birthday I met some friends at Elvis' star on Hollywood Blvd., and then we went to lunch at the Hamburger Hamlet. I took photos to sign for them. The next day I either left it somewhere or someone made off with my big maroon colored canvas bag with a ton of 8 X 10 photos and negatives of Elvis and me. It was quite a loss, as I was getting ready for the Elvis Fest in Orlando, FL the 7, 8 & 9 of Feb, followed by the Toledo Elvis Festival in March 14 & 15. If you could help me by putting the word out for Elvis folks to be on the lookout for someone selling a lot of photos of Elvis and Julie Parrish, I would be so grateful. They are to pin him to the ground and hold him until I get there. 

Love you, 
Julie Parrish." 


2003/01/28 E-mail - Julie Parrish. / Ep.Gold.Com.

LISA MARIE PRESLEY ON PRIMETIME LIVE.

Lisa Marie Presley on Primetime Live 
Lisa Marie Presley will appear as a guest on ABC's Primetime Live. Diane Sawyer will interview Lisa. 

Priscilla Presley on Larry King Live 
Priscilla Presley will appear as a guest on CNN's Larry King Live on Wednesday, February 5. 

2003/01/28 Elvis World Japan.

CHARRO ON DANISH LOW-PRICE DVD

Salut Audio & Video from Denmark has now released CHARRO! on DVD (see illustrations) in its 'Hollywood Classics' series. The packaging is very simple, and consist of a composite of two Elvis pics, one from the movie and one from 'Love Me Tender' (???). The picture quality is slightly better than the one that was released in the States last year, but it's still far from perfect. The colours are quite dull. The audio is also very average, and the dynamics are low (mono). 
The playing time is one hour and 38 mins, and it appears to be more complete than the U.S. version. Screen ratio is 4:3 (TV format), which is a minus, because this movie would have benefitted from widescreen presentation.
On the plus side it has to be said that there is a warning that the quality is below par. Also, the price is very reasonable (I payed about $ 7), which I think is okay for what you get.
Subtitles: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish.
Region: two 

2003/01/27 Arjan Deelen / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS NEW YEARS EVE 76.

We have just been informed by the FTD label that the forthcoming " Elvis - New Year's Eve '76 " double CD set won't contain any bonus cuts. As fas as we know this CD is still scheduled for the end of February.

Tracklisting:
2001 theme; C. C. Rider; I got a woman / Amen; Big boss man; Love me; Fairy tale;You Gave Me A Mountain; Jailhouse rock; It's now or never; My way; Funny how time slips away; Auld lang syne; Introduction of Vernon and Lisa Presley; Blue Suede Shoes; Trying to get to you; Polk salad annie; Early morning rain; Love letters; Hail hail rock and roll; Fever; Hurt; Hound Dog; Are you lonesome tonight; Reconsider baby; Little sister; Unchained melody; Rags to Riches; Can't help falling in love.

2003/01/26 Ernst Jorgensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

EMTV - UK BRINGS FOUR T-SHIRTS ON THE MARKET.


EMTV from UK brings four new t-shirts on the market.
They were also responsible for the famous wackel.

2003/01/26 Elvis Club Berlin.

MEMOMORY RECORDS WITH AN EXCLUSIVE INDEPTH - INFORMATION ON THEIR TWO BRAND NEW CD RELEASES.

Memory Records from the Czech Republic is proud to present two brand new releases. TURNING UP THE HEAT contains the February 10th, 1973 Las Vegas Midnight Show. Very few reasonable quality recordings exist from this engagement, and this recording is superb (mastered from the original 120 mins Memorex cassette!). Elvis performed a number of subpar shows during this engagement, but the show on TURNING UP THE HEAT is an exception: Elvis is in brilliant form!
   
Tracks: 2001 Theme / See See Rider / I Got A Woman - Amen / Love Me Tender / You Don't Have To Say You Love Me / Steamroller Blues / You Gave Me A Mountain / Fever / Love Me / Blue Suede Shoes / Heartbreak Hotel / Johnny B. Goode / Hound Dog / What Now My Love / Suspicious Minds / Intro Of Band / I Can't Stop Loving You / An American Trilogy / Can't Help Falling In Love. 

The second CD is titled KING OF THE NEON JUNGLE, and it contains the September 3rd , 1972 Las Vegas Midnight Show. Another great-sounding recording with Presley in excellent voice and good mood. His engagement was now almost over, and Elvis seems relieved, and treats his fans to an excellent concert. 
     
Tracks: 2001 Theme / See See Rider / Johnny B. Goode / Until It's Time For You To Go / You Don't Have To Say You Love Me / Polk Salad Annie / What Now My Love / Fever / Love Me / Blue Suede Shoes / Heartbreak Hotel / All Shook Up / Love Me Tender / Whalk That Lonesome Road (by J.D. Sumner & The Stamps) / Suspicious Minds / Intro Of Band / My Way / A Big Hunk O' Love / You Gave Me A Mountain / Mystery Train / Tiger Man / Can't Help Falling In Love.

Both CD’s are professionally packaged with relevant photos (mainly unpublished shots) and detailed sleevenotes. Memory Records would once again like to emphasize how much care is given to the sound. Unlike recent import releases, which are remastered very amateurishly on the computer, our CD’s are restored and remastered quite extensively in one of Prague’s most state-of-the-art studios. Many audience recordings run at the wrong speed, but we put a lot of effort into presenting the music as it was originally performed (in the case of the second tape, the speed was over half a tone too high). Our remastering is also done with great care and expertise, which means without damaging the low & high frequencies. 

2003/01/24 Memory Records - Czech Republic / Ep.Gold.Com.

THE PRESS CONFERENCES VOL. 2.

After the success of the double Cd "The Press Conferences" (Released in 2001) Have EU Production now released a second volume to make the collection complete. "The Press Conferences, Vol. 2" contains the complete press conferences from Canada 1957, New York 1958 and Hawaii 1972.
Some parts of those have been released before, but never as complete as here. And never in such a good quality.
You can complete your Elvis talking collection with the following three releases:
The Press Conferences (2 Cd Set), The Press Conferences, Vol. 2 & The Complete Word For Word (5 Cd Set). All of those can be ordered from Elvis Unlimited.

2003/01/24 Elvis Unlimited / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS THE ROOSTER.

Elvis the Rooster Almost Goes to Heaven, an 'I Can Read Book' by Denys Cazet, published by Harpers Collins Juvenile Books, USA/England is a childrens book with an Elvis theme. 

2003/01/24 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS IN JERUSALEM.

'Elvis in Jerusalem: Post Zionism and the Americanisation of Israel' by Watzman and Segev, published by Owl Books, USA is a reissue of this title originally published in 2002. Although it features Elvis on the cover it is mostly about American culture in Israel. 

2003/01/24 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

AUSTRALIAN CHART BOOK.

A new book from Australia is "Elvis Aaron Presley: The Complete Australian Chart Compendium 1956–2003" by Nigel Patterson frim the E.I.N.. This book, published by the Center for Popular Culture Studies, Australia contains the history of Elvis on the Australian charts with detailed chart placings, gold and platinum award details, trivia etc for all of Elvis’ singles, EP’s and albums charting downunder. 

2003/01/24 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS MAKES FINE SHOWING IN ROLLING STONE POLL.

Results are in on the Rolling Stone Music Awards 2002 polls - a Critics' Picks poll of music critics and the magazine's staff and a Readers' Picks public poll. In the Readers Picks our man appears as follows:

Albums
3rd Place for ELV1S 30 #1 HITS

Singles
1st Place for A Little Less Conversation

Artist of the Year
3rd Place

Most Welcome Comeback
3rd Place

2003/01/24 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

HEATH LEDGER, NAOMI WATTS AND TONY CURTIS TOUR GRACELAND.

Today, popular actors Heath Ledger and Naomi Watts toured Graceland.
Cinema great Tony Curtis, one of young Elvis Presley's favorite actors, toured Graceland on January 9. Curtis had been in town for the Memphis stop on the tour of Some Like It Hot, the musical based upon the classic film of the same name. Curtis starred in the film along with Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe.

2003/01/24 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER STUART GOLDMAN.

We have especially for the Ep.Gold. readers an exclusive interview with the
famous Producer, Director, Writer from the US known for his Elvis films
documentaries Elvis & June , Elvis In Hollywood , etcetera : Stuart Goldman,
conducted by Andylon Lensen.

Go to the Menu Interviews or


2003/01/24 Stuart Goldman / Andylon Lensen / Ep.Gold.Com.

INSIDE THE RIAA WITH JOGN HENKEL DIRECTOR GOLD AND PLATINUM AWARD PROGRAM.

Now read this indepth interview with John Henkel from RIAA.
Go to the Menu Interviews or


2003/01/23 John Henkel - RIAA / Ep.Gold.Com.

ELVIS AT ROCK AUCTION.

Cooper Owen will be holding a Rock Legends auction on the 20th February which contains several Elvis-related items. We already mentioned the original unique Sun Records Master 'Mother' stampers for the Elvis Presley hits 'That's All Right Mama' and 'Mystery Train'. Besides these items there are a lot of original Elvis items up for sale: acetates, studio acetates, Elvis Presley "Aloha from Hawaii" unused concert ticket, signature, photo's and more.

2003/01/23 Cooper Owen / ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

LATEST SPANISH NEWS.

In Spain 3 DVD's are to be released on January, 29th: Love Me Tender (Ámame Tiernamente), Flaming Star (La Estrella Llameante) and Wild In The Country (El Indómito). The audio is stereo in Spanish, English and Italian, the subtitles are in the same language and each DVD contains three trailers as an extra.

203/01/23 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

TWO NEW CZECH CD'S.

This would be the two new releases from the Czech Fan Club on the Memory Label. Both contains concert recorded from the audience in Las Vegas.

Turning Up The Heat In Las Vegas ( February 10th 1973 midnight show )

Track listing:
2001 Theme / See See Rider / I Got A Woman - Amen / Love Me Tender / You Don't Have To Say You Love Me / Steamroller Blues / You Gave Me A Mountain / Fever / Love Me / Blue Suede Shoes / Heartbreak Hotel / Johnny B. Goode / Hound Dog / What Now My Love / Suspicious Minds / Intro Of Band / I Can't Stop Loving You / An American Trilogy / Can't Help Falling In Love.

King Of The Neon Jungle ( September 3rd 1972 midnight show )

Track listing:
2001 Theme / See See Rider / Johnny B. Goode / Until It's Time For You To Go / You Don't Have To Say You Love Me / Polk Salad Annie / What Now My Love / Fever / Love Me / Blue Suede Shoes / Heartbreak Hotel / All Shook Up / Love Me Tender / Whalk That Lonesome Road (by J.D. Sumner & The Stamps) / Suspicious Minds / Intro Of Band / My Way / A Big Hunk O' Love / You Gave Me A Mountain / Mystery Train / Tiger Man / Can't Help Falling In Love.


2002/01/23 ElvisNews / Ep.Gold.Com.

SUPER GARAGE PREFER ELVIS TO THE BEATLES.

After realizing that all of their album titles suck (hey, that’s their own accusation, not ours), Toronto’s superGARAGE got the idea a couple months ago to hold a contest for fans to name their new album. Well, after two months of submissions, the band has an album title and are ready to put the disc out. 

The winner of the contest is Danny Ladas of Bronx, New York, who sent in the title Elvis Was Bigger Than The Beatles. The title is actually a lyric from superGARAGE’s self-titled debut, which came out in ’97, so it’s safe to say Danny’s a longtime fan. He’ll be receiving a pretty good prize pack including a signed advance copy of Elvis Was Bigger Than The Beatles, superGARAGE T-shirts, stickers and CDs. On top of that, the band will be visiting Danny at his apartment in the Bronx for a private acoustic show. 

There’s a top-ten list of entries that nearly made the cut on the superGARAGE website. We’re particularly partial to Do These Pants Make My Ass Look Big. 

Elvis Was Bigger Than The Beatles is superGARAGE’s third album and is going to hit store shelves nationwide on February 4. The first single, "Sugar," has already been sent to radio stations and the video will be shot at the end of this month. There will be some guest appearances by different Canadian artists on the album as well. Hugh Dillon, vocalist of The Headstones, is featured on the song "Give It To Me," and Allanah Myles and Natasha Cotroneo both lend their vocals to the song "All We Need." The band also covers Peter Gabriel’s "Here Comes The Flood," which is the closing track on Elvis Was Bigger Than The Beatles. 

Also, Ontario residents watch out for a superGARAGE show near you this February. The band will be touring the province throughout next month and plan on doing a full nationwide tour in the spring. Here is a list of upcoming superGARAGE shows: 

January 28 London, ON @ Fanshawe College (w/ Not By Choice) 
February 7 Hamilton, ON @ The Underground 
February 8 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern 
February 10 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox 
February 13 Kitchener, ON @ The Bomb Shelter (w/ Carbon) 
February 21 Sudbury, ON @ The Townhouse 
February 27 Peterborough, ON @ Trasheteria 
February 28 St. Catherines, ON @ The Hideaway 

2003/01/23 Chartattack / Ep.Gold.Com.

PRISCILLA PRESLEY ON LARRY KING LIVE FEBRUARY 5, 2003.

Priscilla Presley will appear as a guest on CNN's Larry King Live on Wednesday, February 5. 

2003/01/23 Larry King - CNN . / Ep.Gold.Com.

AMERICAN VETERAN AWARDS TV SPECIAL FEATURES NEW ELVIS AWARD.

The 8th Annual American Veteran Awards telecast will be on The History Channel on Sunday, February 9, 2003 at 7:00 PM ET/PT. (Check local listings.) The awards ceremonies were taped in November 2002. It was in this latest presentation that the American Veteran Awards, a project of Veterans Foundation, Inc. introduced a new award - the Elvis Presley Best Patriotic Song Award. The first Elvis award was presented to country duo Brooks & Dunn for their song Only in America. 

The AVA contacted Graceland/EPE seeking permission to name the award in honor of Elvis and asking our cooperation and assistance. Our thanks to the AVA for this wonderful recognition for Elvis and our congratulations to Brooks & Dunn for being the first recipients.

Check out the American Veteran Awards web site for more information. 

2003/01/23 EPE / Ep.Gold.Com