Elvis Collector's Gold

VIDEO FROM THE SAM PHILIPS TRIBUTE-SHOW MEMPHIS 2000.

NOW YOU AREABLE TO VIEW THE TRIBUTE SHOW FRON SAM PHILIPS IN MEMPHIS 2000.
WITH MANY FAMOUS CELEBRITIES.

CLICK HERE:

VIDEO

2003/07/31 www.radiotcb.de.vu / Elvis From Berlin.

SAM PHILIPS, ROCK PIONEER, DIES AT 80.

Sam Phillips Launched Sun, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis.
By Michael Lollar, The Commercial Appeal.

Sam Phillips, the man who turned Memphis into the birthplace of rock and roll as architect of Elvis Presley's earliest recordings, died Wednesday evening after an illness of several months.
A cause of death was not immediately available and funeral arrangements were pending early today for the founder of Sun Records.
"We're just trying to celebrate his life at this point. When he did it, it was considered a national disgrace,'' said son Knox Phillips of his father's legendary recordings of black and rock and roll musicians. "Now it's considered a national treasure. I don't think any other Memphian had any more effect on the world than Sam.''

Knox Phillips said his father fell ill Wednesday while watching a Chicago Cubs baseball game and was taken to St. Francis Hospital.

Phillips was 80, but even in his later years he remained a youthful presence whose company was sought by major musical acts visiting the city.

His later years also saw critical plaudits and honors for an unorthodox and controversial style that defined not only the rock and roll sound but rock and roll as a business.

His former wife, Becky Phillips, described him as inquisitive by nature.

"Sam wanted to learn anything about everything and to use his knowledge to make a difference," she said in a written statement. "As he grew older, he had a sincere desire to help resolve the prejudice the world reflected."

Phillips was what one of Elvis's Memphis Mafia members called "the Thomas Edison of rock and roll." Even before Elvis, he recorded Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston with the driving beat that came to be the hallmark of rock. It is now considered the first rock song, but it was eclipsed by Elvis and the pantheon of rockers, including Jerry Lee Lewis, that Phillips later introduced to the world.

Ironically, the rhythm and blues record ings that were the bedrock of Phillips's recording business influenced Presley and the entertainers that followed him to the corner of Union and Marshall.

When he recorded Elvis's version of That's All Right in 1954, Phillips started a chain reaction that turned Elvis into the world's most enduring superstar. An outrage to the '50s fans of Frank Sinatra and Doris Day, the raunchy music helped create the generation gap and went platinum all over again with the release of Elv1s's 30 No. 1 Hits last year.

Author Peter Guralnick, whose books include a definitive two-part biography of Presley, said Wednesday night Phillips was one of the world's great communicators with a "democratic vision."

"Against all the odds and societal strictures, he set up a studio that initially recorded nothing but blues and rhythm and blues," Guralnick said. "People who had no voice, he gave them a chance to be heard. The music he gave changed the world."

Becky Phillips said her husband ran the studio by a simple but revolutionary rule at a time when racial segregation was not just custom, but the law.

The doors were "open unconditionally - period. A person could be black, white, down on his luck, big or little," she said. "A person's color was determined by what was in his heart and soul . . . He wasn't afraid of telling the truth about talent. If you didn't have it, he never hesitated to tell you."

Before Elvis ever walked into Sun Studio, Phillips had recorded Howlin' Wolf, Rufus Thomas and Little Junior Parker among others. After selling Elvis's contract to RCA for about $40,000 in 1954, Phillips went on to make stars of Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich.

Originally of Florence, Ala., Phillips moved to Memphis in 1945 after working as a recording engineer in Nashville. He worked for WREC Radio, helping engineer broadcasts of big bands live from The Peabody .

On the side, he opened Memphis Recording Service, recording black artists and selling the cuts to record companies for distribution. Phillips started Sun in 1952.

Sun's role in blues music and introducing black bluesmen to the world would have put Sun on the map even without Elvis, says Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises. But with Elvis and the rest of Sun's rockabilly cast, Phillips "is a massive part of the history of music. He got it before anybody," says Soden.

2003/07/31 Michael Lollar - The Commercial Appeal / EPGold.Com.

Rock 'n' roll pioneer Sam Phillips, discoverer of Elvis, dead at 80
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) -- Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis Presley and helped usher in the rock 'n' roll revolution, died Wednesday. He was 80. Phillips died at St. Francis Hospital, spokeswoman Gwendolyn McClain said. No details were available about the cause of death or how long he had been hospitalized. Phillips founded Sun Records in Memphis in 1952 and helped launch the career of Presley, then a young singer who had moved from Tupelo, Mississippi. He produced Presley's first record, the 1954 single that featured "That's All Right, Mama" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky." "God only knows that we didn't know it would have the response that it would have," Phillips said in an interview in 1997.	Phillips at the control booth during an early Elvis recording session.
"But I always knew that the rebellion of young people, which is as natural as breathing, would be a part of that breakthrough," he said. In 2000, the A&E cable network ran a two-hour biography called "Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock and Roll." Phillips was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. "When I first heard Elvis, the essence of what I heard in his voice was such that I knew there might be a number of areas that we could go into," Phillips said. Presley was good with ballads, Phillips recalled, but there was no need to challenge established balladeers such as Perry Como, Frankie Laine and Bing Crosby. "What there was a need for was a rhythm that had a very pronounced beat, a joyous sound and a quality that young people in particular could identify with," he said. By 1956, when Phillips sold Presley's contract to RCA for $35,000, the rock 'n' roll craze had become a cultural phenomenon and a multimillion-dollar industry. "It all came out of that infectious beat and those young people wanting to feel good by listening to some records," Phillips said. Phillips in 1992, at an event commemorating the release of the Elvis Presley postage stamp. Presley died in 1977 at age 42. Phillips began in music as a radio station engineer and later as a disc jockey. He started Sun Records so he could record both rhythm & blues singers and country performers, then called country and western or hillbilly singers. His plan was to let artists who had no formal training play their music as they felt it, raw and full of life. The Sun motto was "We Record Anything, Anywhere, Anytime." In the early days, before Presley, Phillips worked mostly with black musicians, including B.B. King and Rufus Thomas. After the success of Presley on Sun, others who recorded for the label under Phillips included Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Conway Twitty and Charlie Rich. "We were starting from scratch together," he said in 2000. He got out of the recording business in 1962 and sold Sun Records in 1969 to producer Shelby Singleton of Nashville. The Sun studio on Union Avenue in Memphis still exists as a tourist attraction. In his later years, Phillips spent much of his time overseeing radio station WLVS in Memphis and others in Alabama. He stayed out of the limelight except for some appearances at Presley-related events after Presley's death. "I'll never retire. I'm just using up somebody else's oxygen if I retire," he said in an Associated Press interview in 2000. Born Samuel Cornelius Phillips in Florence, Alabama, Phillips worked as an announcer at radio stations in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and Decatur, Alabama, and Nashville before settling in Memphis in 1945. Before founding Sun Records, he was a talent scout who recommended artists and recordings to record labels such as Chess and Modern. He also worked as an announcer in Memphis. His sons Knox and Jerry also were record producers.	Phillips in 1992, at an event commemorating the release of the Elvis Presley postage stamp.

Music legend sam philips dead at 80.
July 30, 2003

Memphis, TN - The man credited with launching the career of Elvis Presley is dead tonight at the age of 80. Sam Phillips - the founder of Sun Records died at St. Francis hospital shortly after seven.

Phillips dramatically shaped the history of rock and roll and country music. He launched the careers of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry lee Lewis, Charlie Rich and others who drew from roots based African American sounds that Phillips loved. He also promoted a couple of African American entertainers who went on to international fame...B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf.

Phillips loved radio early on and actually worked for our predecessor... Wrec radio in 1945. In 1952 he founded Sun Records on Union avenue and the rest is history. Again Sam Phillips... A legend in the music business dead tonight at the age of 80.

2003/07/31 Bud Glass / EPGold.Com.

We Record Anything-Anywhere-Anytime:
Sam Phillips & the Early Years of the Memphis Recording Service
Produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva
Mixed by Jim McKee at Earwax Productions, San Francisco

Listen with RealAudio in 14.4, 28.8, or G2 SureStream.
Read a listing of music credits that contributed to this very special segment.

Before Elvis walked through the door, before Sun Studios put Memphis on the map -- Sam Phillips, a young man with a tape recorder, lived by the motto, "We Record Anything, Anywhere, Anytime."

Weddings, funerals, marching bands, the Miss Memphis Pageant--Sam recorded them all--anything to keep his fledgling Memphis Recording Service open to record Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Little Junior, Ike Turner, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley.the raw and rocking, unrecorded music of the 1950s South.

Sam Phillips at the reel to reel console at Sun Studios

With this very special segment, we feature Ike Turner, Peter Guralnick and others along with Sam's never-before-broadcast remote recordings.

2003/07/31 Kevan Budd / EPGold.Com.

POSTAL MUSEUM OPENING ART OF STAMPS EXHIBIT.

WASHINGTON, Jul 30, 2003 /PRNewswire/ -- One hundred pieces of original stamp art from the past 40 years, including five works honoring Elvis Presley, are on display today through February 24, 2004, at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave., Washington, D.C...Full story

Smithsonian National Postal Museum The Exhibit

2003/07/31 Elvis From Poland.

RUBBERNECKIN' SINGLE TO BE RELEASED IN AUSTRALIA BEFORE THE REST OF THE WORLD.

Australian fans will be the first to buy copies of the new Elvis "re-mix" single, Rubberneckin'. BMG Australia has told EIN that the Paul Oakenfold re-mix will be released in Australia on Monday September 1, one week before it goes on sale elsewhere around the world.

2003/07/30 Nigel Patterson / BMG Australia / EIN

2ND TO NONE WEBSITE

Now listen to The Paul Oakenfold Rubberneckin' remix on the 2nd To None Website. Real Audio High | Low.
This is the Ruberneckin' proposed CD single cover art.

2003/07/30 2nd To None Website. / EPGold.Com.

TCB BAND IN AUSTRALIA IN DECEMBER 2003.

Well known Australian tribute artist, Mick Gerace, has informed EIN that the TCB Band (James Burton, Jerry Scheff, Glen D. Hardin & Ronnie Tutt) will be backing him in December. On Tuesday 9 December they will be appearing at the Lyrics Theatre, Star City Casino in Sydney and on Friday 12 December at the Palais in Melbourne. Contracts for the shows were signed yesterday. For more details keep watching www.elvis.com.au

2003/07/30 Nigel Patterson / Source: Mick Gerace / EIN

MCDONALD'S TAKES YOU BACK TO WHEN ROCK 'N' ROLL WAS NEW.
By Michael Schuman, The Journal Times - July 29, 2003

With four classic 1950s cars in the parking lot and golden arches piercing its slanted roof, the McDonald's restaurant at 400 North Lee St. in the Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, Ill., stands out like a giant redwood on the Illinois prairie.

At this address is the McDonald's #1 Store Museum, the first McDonald's opened by Ray Kroc, restored to look just as it did when the first hamburger was served on April 15, 1955.

Enter and you are frozen in a time when the American body politic liked Ike, when a new music called rock 'n' roll was just starting to catch on and when the term "fast food" meant a quick waiter in a downtown diner.

Don't expect to purchase a meal here; this McDonald's is for your eyes and ears only. Root beer barrels sit like bookends on the counter, glossy red and white tiles deck the walls and a taped commentary by Dick Biondi, a popular 1950s disc jockey, introduces songs that graced Billboard Magazine's hit list in 1955: "Pledging My Love," "Sincerely," "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" and "Maybelline," to name a few. Biondi also introduces a "new rising star, Elvis Presley."

2003/07/30 Michael Schuman - The Journal Times / Elvis From Poland.

THIS IS THE PROPOSED COVER FOR THE NEW SINGLE RELEASE RUBBERNECKIN' .

UK single CD RubberNeckin' release date September 22nd, 2003
UK Album CD 2nd To None release date October 6th, 2003.

2003/0730 BMG UK / EPGold.Com.

UK ADVANCE PROMO FOR THE RUBBERNECKIN' SINGLE CD.
( Trackingnumber : Rubber 01 )

2003/07/30 Joseph / EPGold.Com

A LITTLE LESS COVERSATION REMIX CD SINGLE NOW GOLD IN JAPAN.

Gold Record for "A Little Less Conversation" in Japan from RIAJ (Recording Industry Association of Japan).

2003/07/30 Elvis World Japan - Matsuba .

NEW EPGOLD WALLPAPER: MADISON SQUARE GARDEN.

Our Columnist Erik van den Berg provided us with a new Wallpaper.
This time one of his favorite period : The Madison Square Garden.

Click Here

2003/07/30 Erik van den Berg / EPGold.Com.

Rubberneckin' ( Paul Oakenfold Remix)
US RELEASE DATE, SEPT 9,2003.

#82876-54218-2 #82876-54341-2
#82876-54342-2 Digipack Limited Edition

ELVIS: FOREVER IN THE GROOVE.

Dear Ep.Gold Readers,

I am involved with a new project on a new book entitled " Elvis : Forever In The Groove ".
A 216 page hardcover book celebrating 50 year anniversary of Elvis' recording career.
I will exclusive update any futher information for the Ep.Gold readers when I have more details.

TCB,
Bob Klein - www.tcbphotos.com/

2003/07/30 Bob Klein / EPGold.Com.

3 NEW DVD'S ( END OCTOBER BEGINNING NOVEMBER ) ALOHA FROM HAWAII - '68 SPECIAL - ELVIS LIVES.

BMG Europe confirmed that at the end of october, beginning of november :

The Complete Aloha from Hawaii 1973 refurbished show.
The '68 Special - 35th Anniversary Issue with extra segments.
Elvis Lives Documentary as featured 2 months ago on TV WorldWide.

2003/07/30 BMG Europe / EPGold.Com

COMING SOON TO EPGOLD READERS.

The Jordanaires, Millie Kirkham and Elvis
RCA Studio B, Nashville,Tennessee
May 28,1966

Our Australian Correspondent Bob Hayden has just completed a very nice interview with MILLIE KIRKHAM.
It has taken some time to complete this interview for EPGold.Com and readers will not be disappointed.
Keep your eyes opened to the news for the confirmation date.

2003/07/29 EPGold.Com.

DEAR EPGOLD READERS.

I have recently added a TCB Photos store front to my website where Lisa Marie Photos are currently available and other photos will be added shortly.

I would like to invite the EPGold readers for the ones who are interested in pictures of Elvis and Lisa Marie : Go to www.tcbphotos.com

Thanks,
TCB.
Bob Klein.

2003/07/29 Bob Klein / EPGold.Com.

Die Musik, Der Mensch, Der Mythos

The deluxe edition. Normal Edition.

The German edition of Marc Hendrickx' "Elvis A. Presley - Die Musik, Der Mensch, Der Mythos" The Deluxe is in white leather with red metallic print on it. Only 1000 copies were made, all signed by the author.

For more details / order www.hannibal-verlag.de/

2003/07/29 EPGold.Com.

CASINO KNOKKE OCTOBER 18, 2003.
ATTENTION.
NEW LINE-UP IN THE KNOKKE FESTIVAL ( OCTOBER 18 - CASINO BELGIUM )

René Shuman and Band
Terry Mike Jeffrey and Band
Duke Bardwell (bassguitarist with Elvis on 200 concerts)
Charlie Hodge (Elvis best friend)

Tickets: 36 – 42 Euro
Phone: 32 3 2529222
Payment: 068-2040050-70

Hubert Vindevogel TCB / UEPS Belgium tcb.elvis@skynet.be http://users.skynet.be/ueps/

American Dream (the one and only Elvisshop in Belgium) will be open from january 2003 as follows:
thursday, friday and saturday from 10H till 18H Address: Dorp West 13 - 2070 Zwijndrecht tel: 0032 (0)3 2529089

Come and see us!

Tickets for "Elvis, King Of The World" available now! (october 18th, Casino Knokke) at 36 and 42 Euro.
In concert: René Shuman, Terry Mike Jeffrey, Duke Bardwell, Charlie Hodge.
An all-round musical event honouring Elvis Presley!!

2003/07/29 UEPS BELGIUM - Hubert Vindevogel / EPGold.Com.

THE CENTER FOR STUDIES IN POPULAR CULTURE - PRESS RELEASE.

The Center for Studies in Popular Culture is pleased to announce the second set of papers that will be published as part of the "2003-04 Online Symposium on Elvis Aron Presley".

As you will glean from the following paper titles, the Symposium will be a broad ranging and challenging forum with stimulating contributions by academics, authors and fans from countries on four continents:

A number of other papers have yet to have their titles finalised and will be announced when the Symposium web site is launced.

The addition of these papers brings the number of papers to be published in the Elvis Symposium to more than 20.
The first set of papers for the Symposium was announced a fortnight ago:

The range of diverse issues raised, and author perspectives expressed in the papers, is set to make for stimulating reading and widespread debate among critics, the media and fans. An impressive list of contributors includes many well known and respected names throughout the Elvis community.

A strength of the Symposium is that it will present a varied cross-section of research, views and criticism by a range of dissimilar contributors: fans, authors and academics.

The Symposium is hosted by The Center for Studies in Popular Culture and the official Symposium web site will be launced in early August.

John Walker
Director

Enquiries: j_gwalker@yahoo.com

2003/07/29 John Walker / EPGold.Com

A PLATTER OF ELVIS, HOLD THE CHEESE.
By Sean Piccoli.Sun Sentinel (July 25, 2003)

"With all due respect to Elvis Presley," British DJ Paul Oakenfold says, "I don't think Rubberneckin' was a classic."

So he felt all right cutting up that song with beats and loops for a Presley compilation, Second to None, due in stores Aug. 12. Oakenfold, who spins tonight and Saturday at Club NV in downtown Miami, is the second DJ to land a remix job on a lesser-known number by the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Netherlands trackmaster Tom "Junkie XL" Holkenborg gave Presley's A Little Less Conversation a full techno shakedown on last year's hot-selling Elvis 30 #1 Hits.

read more...

2003/07/29 Sean Piccoli - Sun Sentinel / EPGold.Com

ELVIS PRESLEY REMIXED (promo CD)

This could be the RAREST Elvis BMG promo ever as it was issued is such small quantities in a very unusual country! In 2002, BMG indonesia issued this super rare promo CD that was availablle for IN STORE USE only! It was made for the promotional campaign for the ALLC Elvis VS JXL. It's very posible that the songs on this CD are the ones that BMG considered for remixing.
Little Less Conversation (remixed); Little Sister (overdubbed); I Was The One; Wear My Ring Around Your Neck; Let Yourself Go; Rubberneckin; Edge Of Reality; There's A Honky Tonk Angel; Faded Love (Remixed); Guitar Man (remixed); Always On My Mind; You Asked Me To (remixed); My Boy.

2003/07/28 WordWide Elvis - Paul Dowling / EPGold.Com.

NEW MEMPHIS MAFIA MOVIE RAISED ON ROCK.

Elvis step brother David Stanley is into production since Jan 4th, .2003.
This is the first movie about Elvis, with the screenplay written and produced by David Stanley.

This is a detailed script according to David Stanley on what is was like : ''under Elvis Rules in the Memphis Mafia" .

The details including pills and guns and tempers. David said he wanted to tell his story of life in this production and Movie "Raised on Rock" .

Details will be mostly from '72 - '77 when David entered the Memphis Mafia as a bodyguard.

Also the film shows David the first time that Elvis took him for the shoot of a movie entitled " Speedway"

"He Protected The King From Everyone But Himself".

2003/07/28 Impello Films / EPGold.Com.

RUBBERNECKIN' ( 3 - MAYBE - 4 VERSIONS )
SEPT 9, 2003.

This new remix will be on a regular CD single, a 5" CD (no idea why this is being released??),and a 12" vinyl single. It is also possible that there will be a 7" vinyl 45 RPM.
1) (Paul Oakenfold Remix/Radio Edit) 3:28
2) Elvis Presley: Rubberneckin' (Paul Oakenfold Remix/12" Extended) 5:19
3) Elvis Presley: Rubberneckin' (Original Version) 2:09

2003/07/28 Worlwide Elvis - Paul Dowling / EPGold.Com.

CHARLIE HODGE & DUKE BARDWELL AT DORDRECHT CONVENTION ON OCTOBER 19TH

An update about our big October 19th convention in Dordrecht, Holland.
One of our headliners is Duke Bardwell, who has never played at an Elvis convention before, and is really looking forward to meeting all of you. Duke played bass for Elvis in 1974 and '75 - almost 200 concerts! He will be playing together with Terry Mike Jeffrey and his American band, and they will do an exciting set of great seventies songs that are rarely performed live these days, like for instance "T.R.O.U.B.L.E."

Another very special guest is Charlie Hodge, a close friend of Elvis' from 1958 right to the end, and someone who also played an important role in Elvis' career. You can hear Charlie singing harmony with Elvis on many tracks, like for instance "I Will Be Home Again". In Dordrecht, he will be singing and performing together with Duke and Terry Mike Jeffrey & band.

This will also be something of a reunion for Charlie and Duke, who have not seen eachother since Duke's last gig for Elvis in april 1975 (28 years ago!). So this really promises to be a very memorable convention!

Order your tickets now from: itselvistime@planet.nl

2003/07/28 It's Elvis Time / Arjan Deelen.

Red Cross Blood Drive and Mobile Museum Exhibit Come to Graceland for Elvis Week 2003.
Following is an Elvis Week 2003 news release from The American Red Cross:
COME OUT AND SAVE A LIFE!
THE AMERICAN RED CROSS SAVE A LIFE TOUR 2003 HOLDS BLOOD DRIVES AND MOBILE MUSEUM EXHIBIT AT GRACELAND DURING ELVIS WEEK

Elvis Week Attendees Encouraged to Roll Up Their Sleeves To Help Reach
Blood Donation Goals
WHAT:
As part of the Save A Life Tour 2003, the largest blood donor initiative in the history of the American Red Cross, Elvis Week is pleased to host the American Red Cross and the Save A Life Tour Mobile Museum. Attendees will have the opportunity to help save a life through blood donation and visit the Mobile Museum.
From May through November, the Red Cross Save A Life Tour 2003 will travel across the country to 345 communities like yours to raise awareness and educate people about the ongoing need for blood in our country. The overall goal of the Tour is to collect 3,000,000 blood donations.
WHO:
Open to the public. To donate blood, one must be healthy, at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more.
WHERE:
Graceland
WHEN:
Blood Drives will be held at Graceland on the following dates:
August 13, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
August 14, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
August 16, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
August 17, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The Save A Life Tour 2003 Mobile Museum Exhibit will be available for viewing 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM, August 15 & 16.
WHY:
The statistics are clear. Every two seconds, someone in America needs blood. Every day, 34,000 donations are needed in the United States to help save the lives of cancer patients, accident victims, children with blood disorders among others. This affects every single American, where they work, live and play whether it’s a friend, family member, neighbor or someone you may never meet who needs blood. Just one pint of blood can help save as many as three lives.

Useful Links:
For more information about the Save A Life Tour 2003, call 1-800-GIVE LIFE or visit www.givelife.org.
For all the details about Elvis Week 2003 events, click here.

2003/07/28 EPE / EPGold.com

DON'T MISS GOSPEL BRUNCH WITH THE BLACKWOODS.
Following is a recent news advisory that went out in promotion of August 10th's Gospel Brunch with The Blackwoods at Elvis Presley's Memphis:

The Blackwoods, Eight-Time Grammy Award Winners, To Perform Gospel Brunch at Elvis Presley’s Memphis

WHAT :
The Blackwoods to perform Gospel Brunch at Elvis Presley’s Memphis during Elvis Week 2003.
WHEN:
Sunday, August 10, 2003
Seatings at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM
WHERE:
Elvis Presley’s Memphis, 126 Beale Street

MORE INFORMATION:
An all-inclusive admission price of $21.95 covers the show, meal, tax and gratuity. Tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets, call Jennifer Dorman at (901) 527- 6900 ext. 107 or email jdorman@elvis.com.

BACKGROUND ON THE BLACKWOODS:
The Blackwood family is the most decorated family in their field of music. Bill Gaither has said that the Blackwood family is “a living legend.” Their famous sound has thrilled millions of people around the world! In 1934, Roy Blackwood, his brothers James and Doyle, and his son RW Blackwood, Sr. founded the quartet that would shape the sound of American gospel music forever. Today, the Blackwood brothers Ron and RW, Jr. work together with an outstanding team of singers and musicians to bring both the Blackwood Quartet and Blackwood Singers together in unforgettable concert events.

Useful Links:
For more information on The Blackwoods, visit www.blackwoodquartet.com
For more information on Elvis Presley’s Memphis, visit www.epmemphis.com
For all the details about Elvis Week 2003, click here.

2003/07/28 EPE / EPGold.com

2nd TO NONE AT AMAZON FOR PRE-ORDER.

Amazon ready for pre-order for the new upcoming CD 2nd To None.

2003/07/28 Amazon.com

RUBBERNECKIN' SINGLE AND VIDEO COMING SOON.

BMG/RCA plans to release Rubberneckin' (Paul Oakenfold Remix) to radio in late July with a CD release planned for early September. A music video is being created and shot in Los Angeles and will begin to be seen in mid-August.
More details to come.

2003/07/28 EPE / EPGold.Com

ELVIS PRESLEY: THE LEGACY NOW RELEASED ON DVD .

This is the cover from the old Video-Version.

The documentary was released many years ago on Video. Now released on DVD. The documentary "Elvis The Legacy" is available in Europe. ( Region 2 Pal system )

2003/07/25 EPGold.Com

ELVIS: THE DEFINITIVE DVD COLLECTION NOW RELEASED AS A GERMAN EDITION.

"The Definitive Collection" Documentary DVD will be released in Germany on October 13,2003.

2003/07/25 Elvis Presley Super Star.

ELVIS BIRTHDAY UNDERGOES $750,000 RENOVATION.

Construction is expected to be completed in early August on a 750-thousand-dollar renovation of the home where "The King" Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo.

The construction is the second phase of a series of improvements expected to cost anywhere from one-point-five-million to two-point-five-million-dollars.

Money has come from the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau, private donations by Elvis fans, corporate donations, profits from the Birthplace gift shop and more.

Henry Dodge, chairman of the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation, said Elvis was born in Tupelo and lived at the home 13 years before his family left for Memphis in 1948.

Last year, the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation placed a bronze statue of Elvis at age 13 on the home's grounds and completed an extensive renovation of the gift shop.

Current construction includes a new "Story Wall" that will feature quotes and anecdotes from area residents who knew Elvis as a child.

The "Fountain of Life," a water feature currently under construction, will focus on the Tupelo years. The "Circle of Life" is a ring of stones, one for each day of Elvis' life, that will circle the two-room shotgun house where Elvis was reportedly born. The Elvis Presley Chapel also is undergoing renovations.

Officials say the site gets between three-thousand-500 to four-thousand visitors per month.

2003/07/25 Elvis From Poland.

ELVIS PRESLEY - RUBBERNECKIN'

"Rubberneckin' the next Remix-Single. ( 5" with the track number :
82876543412 - 5" with the track number 82876543422 and one 12" with the tracking number 82876542181 ) These will be manufactured in Germany on september 8, 2003.

1 Elvis Presley Rubberneckin' ( Paul Oakenfold Remix / 12" Extended ) 05:19
2 Elvis Presley Rubberneckin' ( Paul Oakenfold Remix/Radio Edit ) 03:28
3 Elvis Presley Rubberneckin' ( Original Version ) 02:09

Tracking number - 82876543412

1 Elvis Presley Rubberneckin' ( Paul Oakenfold Remix / Radio Edit ) 03:28
2 Elvis Presley Rubberneckin' ( Paul Oakenfold Remix / 12" Extended ) 05:19
3 Elvis Presley Rubberneckin' ( Original Version ) 02:09

Tracking number - 82876543422

1 Elvis Presley Rubberneckin' ( Paul Oakenfold Remix/ Radio-Edit ) 03:28
2 Elvis Presley Rubberneckin' ( Paul Oakenfold Remix / 12" Extended ) 05:19
3 Elvis Presley Rubberneckin' ( Original Version) 02:09

Tracking number 82876542181

2003/07/25 BMG-Promotionservice - Germany / Elvis Club Berlin / EPGold.Com.

ELVIS 2CD. RELEASE NOVEMBER 3rd , 2003 : CHRISTMAS PEACE

CD 1
1. Blue Christmas 2. Here Comes Santa Claus 3. White Christmas 4. Santa Bring My Baby Back 5. I'll Be Home For Christmas 6. Santa Claus Is Back In town 7. O Little Town Of Bethlehem 8. Silent Night 9. If Everyday Was Like Christmas 10. It Won't Seem Like Christmas Without You 11. If I Get Home On Christmas Day 12. Holy Leaves And Christmas Trees 13. Winter Wonderland 14. Merry Christmas Baby 15. The First Noel 16. The Wonderful World Of Christmas 17. Silver Bells 18. I'll Be Home On Christmas Day 19. It Won't Seem Like Christmas 20. The First Noel

CD 2
1. Peace In The Valley 2. I Believe 3. It Is No Secret 4. His Hand In Mine 5. In My Fathers House 6. Known Only To Him 7. Mansion Over The Hilltop 8. Crying In The Chapel 9. How Great Thou Art 10. In The Garden 11. Where No-One Stands Alone 12. Somebody Bigger Than You And I 13. Without Him 14. We Call On Him 15. Only Believe 16. Amazing Grace 17. An Evening Prayer 18. He Touched Me 19. He Is My Everything 20. If That Isn't Love

25/07/25 BMG / EPGold.Com.

THAT'S NOT ALL RIGHT MAMMA.
By DAVID SPRAGUE
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS

Lisa Marie Presley in N.Y. concert debut at Beacon Theater.

Lisa Marie Presley is in possession of rock 'n' roll's greatest inheritance. Unfortunately, that birthright gave her the keys to Cadillacs, jets and Graceland - not the talent that amassed those riches in the first place.
At her first full-blown New York performance Monday, the King's daughter tried awfully hard to play the bad girl, draping herself in black leather and her drummer's kit in a sign that read "LMFP." The F-word was revealed in mid-set for the obscenitychallenged.

The trappings couldn't divert attention from the singer's palpable unease onstage. Standing stock-still with a deer-in-the-headlights stare, Lisa Marie looked for all the world like a kid at a junior-high recital.

Presley hid a decidedly limited voice behind an oversize band featuring two well-miked backing singers. Most of her 40-minute set was drawn from her album, "To Whom It May Concern" - a mishmash of mid-'80s new wave and lite metal.

Tunes like "S.O.B" and "Lights Out" were interchangeable, save for an excruciating rendition of the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that exchanged the meditative beauty of the original for a scenery-chewing ferocity that wouldn't pass muster on "American Idol."

Headliner Chris Isaak captured a good bit more of the spirit of Elvis, circa his fabled comeback special.

For the better part of two hours, the spangle-suited singer and his crack band waded into ballads, including "Wicked Game" and Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely," with swoon-worthy aplomb. Isaak, long established as something of a thinking-person's heartthrob, leavened the mood with self-directed barbs.

Isaak's humor consisted of many things borrowed and some things blue. But along with his forays into roadhouse rockabilly and his unaccompanied ventures into the far reaches of the balconies, it left the feeling that the all-around entertainer isn't extinct after all.

2003/07/25 Am.Tel.Com - David Sprague

KID GALAHAD ON DVD. RELEASE DATE IN EUROPE ( Region 2 . Pal ) SEPTEMBER 15,2003.

2003/07/25 EPGold.Com.

GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS. BROADCASTED ON DUTCH TELEVISION SBS6.

SBS6 will broadcast on July 30th 2003. 13.20 - 15.10 pm. dutch time the film "Girls, girls, girls" with dutch subtitles on SBS6.

This is a satellite broadcast, so you might be able to receive this movie in other European countries also.

2003/07/25 Today,Tomorrow and Forever / EPGold.Com.

ALL'S WELL AT GRACELAND FOLLOWING SUMMER STORM STORM.
Our thanks to all the Elvis fans who have called, E-mailed and gotten on various messageboards expressing concern about the Graceland properties and staff in the wake of Tuesday's destructive high winds in Memphis. All's well at Graceland other than a bit of damage to some trees (no damage to the mansion). All's well at Heartbreak Hotel. All's well at Elvis Presley's Memphis, although the power is still out. Power is on at Graceland after some interruption and it's pretty much TCB as usual. Power is still out in large sections all over the area, but it is in the process of being restored.

Some have asked shy the live GracelandCam web camera shots are dated earlier this week rather than being live as usual. It's a system outage due to Tuesday's storm. We'll have them running again soon.

For fans outside of Memphis who would like to know more about what happened and keep up with how the city is recovering, we suggest checking the Memphis Commercial Appeal newspaper site. Articles about Summer Storm 2003 are in the headlines daily. You can see articles that ran earlier and are now in their archive by putting the word "storm" into the site's search function. Full restoration of power throughout the city is expected sometime next week, with large sections getting restored each day.

It will be "all systems go" for Elvis Week 2003.

2003/07/25 EPE

VIDEO-CLIP RUBBBERNECKIN' NOW BEING SHOT FOR WORLDWIDE PROMOTION.

A Video -clip is now being shot for the promotion of the Remix Release CD single : 'Rubberneckin' by Dj .Paul Oakenfold.
The video will also contain images from Elvis's Movie : "Change Of Habit" .

2003/07/24 BMG US - BMG UK / Andylon Lensen / EPGold.Com

BETWEEN TAKES.

The old LP-set "Between Takes" has just been released on CD. It's a double CD set.

Tracklist:
CD1:
April 1972: Elvis is about to go on stage, but Joe Esposito warns him of a potential hazard. as "Also Sprach Zarathustra" begins, Elvis awaits his cue - In Macon, Georgia, Elvis and friends talk and joke about concert appearances - Elvis between takes during "You Gave Me A Mountain", and "Hawaiian Wedding Song" - Elvis speaks about hot weather and recalls ripping many of his jumpsuits on stage - The complete water pistol fight (Attack on Lamar) - Elvis talks about afternoon, as opposed to, evening performances - April 17, 1972, prior to Elvis' appearance, a Little Rock promoter speaks fondly of Elvis - March, 1972: Elvis between takes of "Burning Love"; "For The Good Times"; "Always On My Mind"; "Separate Ways"; "You Gave Me A Mountain", "Love Me" - includes discussion of songs as well as segments of "El Paso" and "How The Web Was Woven" - Elvis between takes of "Teddy Bear"; "A Big Hunk O' Love", "See, See Rider", "For The Good Times" - Includes discussion of song selection, plus Elvis Joking and singing while waiting to go onstage in Little Rock - the Arkansas promoter interviewed earlier, visits with Elvis backstage

CD 2:
Elvis Between Takes of "Burning Love", "For The Good Times", "You Gave Me A Mountain", "Until It's Time For You To Go", "Polk Salad Annie", "I Can't Stop Loving You", "An American Trilogy", "Funny How Time Slips Away" - Includes Segments of "Cattle Call", "Over The Rainbow", "I'll Remember You", and "Nearer My God To Thee" - Elvis with Friends and Fans - Includes segments of: "The Lighthouse", "I John", "I Need Your Lovin Everyday", and "For The Good Times" - Elvis Between Takes of: "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Burning Love", "Help Me Make It Through The Night". Elvis and Group Discuss Songs, and music clearances - Elvis is joined in his suite by JD Sumner and The Stamps Quartet - Includes segments of: "Run On", "I John", "Lead Me Guide Me", And "Nearer My God To Thee" - Elvis talks about: his music background; JD Sumner; Gospel Music; all night singing for relaxation; keeping the shows interesting night after night; the chemistry between Elvis and his group on stage; the upcoming 15 City Tour in 15 nights (April 5-19, 1972) - Discussion of concert songs: what to leave in, what to leave out - George Klein talks about Elvis - Vernon Presley, relates The Elvis Story, tracing highlights from his first recordings and the early years to present day (1972)

2003/07/24 EPGold.Com.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME: THE 200 GREATEST POP CULTURE ICONS AND MORE....
By our columnist Mike Seyfert.

I'm suppose to be a writer for Elvis' Movies, but you know what; when I saw this it lit a spark and I can't hold my opinion in any longer.
Another show that just doesn't seem to get it right.

I'm going to attempt to step out of the role of an Elvis fan for just a second and see if I can understand this any better .......... nope, still can't.
read more...

2003//07/24 Mike Seyfert - www.elvispresleytribune.com / EPGold.Com.

COLONEL PARKER : MURDERER OR JUST AN ILLEGAL ALIEN?
By Peter Cooper - Staff Writer Nashville Tennessean

Mystery solved . . . maybe.

For decades, Elvis Presley fans and music enthusiasts have wondered how
manager Col. Tom Parker could have the acumen to help build Presley into
a seminal figure in rock 'n' roll, then turn around and grind Presley's
career and respectability into the dirt through a series of pitiable
business choices.

''There were so many questions about why he made the decisions he made,''
said Alanna Nash, who will be at Davis-Kidd Booksellers at 7 tonight to sign
copies of her new book, The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom
Parker and Elvis Presley ($25, Simon & Schuster).
read more...

2003/07/24 Peter Cooper - Staff Writer Nashville Tennessean / EPGold.Com

NOW YOU ARE ABLE TO VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE 2ND TO NONE

ELVIS - 2nd to none - website

2003/07/24 2nd To None / EPGold Com

PIC OF THE WEEK.

Hi Ep.Gold.Readers,
Here is a photo from 69 Las Vegas from my private archives.
click here

Bob Klein.

2003/07/24 Bob Klein / EPGold.Com.

MOJO MAGAZINE A TOP 100 GUITAR ALBUMS POLL UK.

Jimi Hendrix's release, "Are You Experienced", has been named the "Greatest Guitar" , album of all time.

The album "Elvis Presley" made it to # 16.

The Top 10 :

1. Are You Experienced - Jimi Hendrix Experience.
2. My Generation - The Who.
3. Howlin' Wolf - Howlin' Wolf.
4. Maggot Brain - Funkadelic.
5. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine.
6. The Bends - Radiohead.
7. Ramones - Ramones.
8. Genius Of The Electric Guitar - Charlie Christian.
9. New Orleans Street Singer - Snooks Eaglin.
10. The Rock 'N' Roll Trio - Johnny Burnette And The Rock 'N' Roll Trio.

2003/07/24 Mojo Magazine / EPGold.Com.

WHAT NEXT?
From the Las Vegas Review-Journal 7/22
ELVIS LIVES ON IN CULT STAR'S BODY.

The king returns.

That's what Hollywood insiders are saying after seeing previews of a bizarre new movie, "Bubba Ho-tep" , starring cult film star Bruce Campbell as an aging Elvis who fights off a mummy terrorizing his Texas retirement home.
Campbell, best known as the sarcastic hero of the "Evil Dead" horror movies, is getting some of the best critical notices of his career for his depiction of the geriatric, kung-fu fighting Presley.
Set for September release.

2003/07/23 AEK / EPGold.Com.

NOW THE EP.GOLD READERS ARE ABLE TO LISTEN TO THE COMPLETE REMIX RUBBERNECKIN' .

A couple of days ago you were able to listen to the radio- edit version of "Rubberneckin" in a less quality of sound.
Now listen to the complete remix by Dj Paul Oakenfold : "Rubberneckin".

Rubberneckin' (Oakenfold Remix) From AOL First Play

2003/07/23 AOL / EPGold.Com.

HOW GREAT THOU ART SESSIONS VOLUME 1 ON THE IMPORT LABEL 2002.

Finally after more then three weeks I have been able to purchase the original cd from the new release of the import label 2001 "How Great Thou Art Sess Vo1 " .

First of all my compliments goes to the ones who are behind the 2001 label with their incredible, asthonishing, beautiful design and lay-out on this release.This is for me one of the best I have ever seen in my whole life on any Elvis CD release, a rate between 1-10 I would give this design - layout a 11. I would advise every import collector to add this to their collection, since there are takes and working parts we never knew they excisted or up untill today we have never heard before. This is a must to listen to and it will amaze you how Elvis was proffesional as a singer doing his favorite standard music "Gospel".

And don't think : " I wait for the 4 c.d. -set from LMP "How Great Thou Art Session"" . because this is a different content, source of tape ( LMP has the lost Tapes from Joan Dearry, with many tracks in Stereo) and has a different quality of sound.
So the two releases do not bite eachother to add them both to your private collection and to make your HGTA.sess. complete. You Need Them Both!!!

Tracks:
Run On (Take 1 - 6) - How Great Thou Art (Takes 1 - 3 ) - Stand By Me (Take 1 - 10 ) - Where No One Stands Alone (Take 1 - 4 ) - Where No One Stands Alone ( workpart / Take 1 - 3) - Farther Along (Take 1, 2 ) - In The Garden (Take 1, 2) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Takes 1 - 16 ) - Somebody Bigger Than You And I ( workpart, ending / Takes 1 - 6)

There seems to be a minor aspect on the quality on sound with a high magnetical tone lingering way through this release, some can not hear this, others think it is there but not disturbing and other are not able to listen to this CD and feels it's too much irritating for them to listen to

It depends also I gues on what kind of adio- equipment you have at home. You can buy one starting a nice one for $ 1000 US.dollar but you also have Elvis Fans that installed there audio- equipment at home maybe $ 25.000 US. dollar ( and of higher value )

There is a explanation written by Micke Mc Coy on the Fecc-forum , a respectable person in the Elvis-World who knows a lot about sound, errors made by recording and their technique used in proffesional studio's.

Read what his opinion is about this release :
Mine is based on listening to an actual pressed CD, not an internet download and not even a CD-R. On my stereo and boombox speakers, it's definitely noticible to me... as I listen with headphones, it's hard to take, it seriously sounds like a poor MP3 in some spots, and since this is unquestionably a real CD, this should not be the case

Just to set the record straight, maybe someone who thinks their copy sounds great of a certain track (like Where No One Stands Alone take 2) where it is very glaringly bad to me,perhaps there are two versions of the CD... one with good sound and one with bad? Maybe they caught something and weren't able to stop all the copies from going out in time? It's not probable, but it is possible. The errors I speak of would not be present even on a 160kbps MP3 unless it's on the original. 192kbps is preferred, though.
That will probably be the only way to tell if it's just some people hearing these artifacts and some not... or if both sides are right, just the discs are different.
Mike.

Note : The specualation that mike writes..... We do not know if this is the issue? And until today, never explained by the producers.

Anyway Listen and enjoy to a sampler from this great release from the 2001 -label :" How Great Thou Art Volume 1", and I can't wait to IMO to add the Volume 2 in my private Collection.

Andylon Lensen.

Somebody Bigger Than You And I (Take 1 & 2)

3 comments

Hi Ep.Gold,

Funny,
Just when I read your story yesterday on the final chapter Elvisnews and Fecc where you mention that the editiors from Elvisnews.com posts sometimes under another name next to lizzy and lex and you were talking about the good old guy sven is lex raaphorst i went today zapping further too other sites and what did i find on the fecc forum off topics on the thread nationalenquires/ elvis collectors 11 messages and out of these 11 were more than half of lizzy and then sven and then lizzy and then sven and then lex and lizzy again and sven. lol

it's amazing how these anti social editors from elvis news profile themselfs .
I bet the quote we have in Germany Lies have short legs... lizzy and lex do not have them anymore and i am afraid the rest of their body will soon follow.

We in Germany know that there only 2 elvis sites in the Elvis scene are really against the ep.gold,
Fecc and their stepmother site elvis.news.com. who are both playing this game against yours long time.

But maybe it makes you feel better since they call your site disneyland or national enquier that we call the Fecc site for ages the freak site-show and now we call elvis news shortlegs with no brains.

Here is a post made on the fecc off topics on lizzys and sven messages. This guy lucky was clever enough to know what is going on ,he sure has brains, can't say it from the editors elvis news.com how they make themselfs look like real fools.

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2003 9:15 pm Post subject:

This is a hilarious post to read, especially Lizzie and Sven answerring each other on a messageboard, when they could just talk to each other on the couch. They are husband and wife, living in the same house for Gods sake !!! Absoloutely hilarious Lex!!! Lucky

Gerhard

The statements made by members of fecc forum is not correct.
fecc forum 1st page topic : Disneyland.com.

One guy explained how this all started with elvis news. and ep.gold. His
statement was that Elvis News reviewed both the new audience releases from
Triangle Perfect Gift. And the lonestar label Man in White Volume 4 was a
CD and from Triangle was a Cdr.
And that was the reason for the dispute. This is not true , false again

Elvis News.Com made a ( fake ) review on Perfect Gift that it was a home-
cooking cover design and that the quality of the sound from Perfect Gift was
like listening through a phone.
ep.Gold made a topic : Elvis News has done it again ( meaning again a false
review- statement made by them. )

And they gave the readers the opportunity to listen to a sampler of the
Triangle releases Perfect Gift "Help Me Make It through The Night" and they
said,now you listen and judge for yourself if it is true that the review
made by ElvisNews is correct or false. That was it.
For the ones that did not follow this issue go to ep.golds E news archives
( On Top Left ) and there the topic is on top July 11.
And judge for yourself if elvisnews is right or wrong

And by the way, another guy said on fecc that ep.gold was sick to write a
statement about Czech cd releases and that epgold attacked elvis news with
this.

Can't these guys read at fecc, (what epgold published was a excerpt from the
statement made by the czech website themselfs) the memory records attacked
elvisnews themselfs on their own website for being biased and wroted
several times false reviews on their releases, not ep.gold.

Beertje

Once again I'd like to repeat my statement:

"I noticed the editor(s) of the fecc "forum" do not comply rule no.3 of their own guidelines if it suits their own needs...
And I do not understand real elvisfans writing on this board if the owners do not play this "game" by their own rules...

I stopped visiting the sites mentioned earlier for a long time now, must have been since i realized they are into the elvis-scene for their own personal gain and not for "Keeping the King alive"...."

Please ignore this stupid people on that childish board. We all know these reactions are written by the same people using more than one handle...

I realy do hope the kids from fecc and elvisnews wise up, but i think it's a lost cause...(

Michiel R.

Stop, look and listen...the next remix is in the queue.
Future remixes and their risks…
By our columnist Hartmut Illner (Harty)

“Mix it Baby”

Hi Elvis fans,

‘Mix it baby’ …said Arnold Schwarzenegger in a german T.V. commercial some years ago.
Last year DJ JXL did it for a T.V. commercial worldwide. The result is known. He used an unknown Elvis song as background music for Nike’s commercial.

C’mon, C’mon…
read more...

2003/07/23 Harty / EPGold.Com

It's official: Sun Studio a landmark
By James W. Brosnan
brosnanj@shns.com
July 22, 2003

WASHINGTON - Sun Studio, where Sam Phillips first recorded Elvis Presley and other rock and roll pioneers, will become the first recording studio in America to be designated a historic landmark.

Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton is scheduled to sign the designation Wednesday in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

The Beale Street Historic District and the Chucalissa Indian mound complex at T. O. Fuller State Park are the only other historic landmarks in Memphis.

The recognition is reserved for businesses or structures with a significant place in American history. There are 25 in Tennessee and 2,347 in the nation, compared to more than 47,000 on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sun Studio at 706 Union was the recording site for some of the greatest rock and roll, rockabilly, blues and rhythm and blues artists of the 1950s.

It was where Presley recorded That's All Right and Carl Perkins recorded Blue Suede Shoes. B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis also recorded at Sun.

But the landmark designation is "more for Phillips than some of the stars who recorded there," said Park Service historian Patty Henry.

"Even if Elvis had never recorded there, (Phillips) was very influential in pioneering the rock and roll sound."

For instance, it was Phillips who placed the acoustic tiles that musicians said helped create the unique sound of the early recordings, said Henry. She said no other recording studio has been designated a national landmark.

Sun, which exists pretty much as Phillips created it, is still a working studio where artists record at night.

During the day it's a place for visitors interested in music history. Forty-minute tours bring more than 100,000 visitors a year through a small museum and into the actual studio. There, guests can sing into the microphone used by many of the studio's legends and see the exact spot where famous musicians stood.

The new designation will make Sun eligible for some federal grants and tax incentives.

John Schorr, acting general manager and one of the family members who owns the studio, said he hopes state officials will post directional signs to the studio on highways, even though it doesn't meet their threshold for having 300,000 visitors annually.

But principally, the owners are glad to have the landmark status "as a recognition from the federal government of just how special this business is. It's really a pat on the back," said Schorr.

Former college roommates, Melissa Morgen of Randolph, N.J., and Courtney Phillips of Gilbert, Ariz., visited the Sun studio Monday. The pair had not originally planned to visit the studio but decided to after driving by and hearing other people talk about it.

"It's the best tour we've been on in Memphis," Courtney Phillips said. "Rock and roll is such a huge part of American culture, so I think the place where Elvis began is important enough to make it (to historic landmark status)."

About 52 percent of historic landmarks are, like Sun, privately owned, said Henry. Another 19 percent are multi-use districts like Beale Street. The rest are owned by federal, state or local government.

Schorr, who will be in Washington for Wednesday's declaration, said the studio will receive a plaque to place on the building.

Contact Washington correspondent James W. Brosnan at (202) 408-2701.

2003/07/23 James W. Brosnan