Elvis Presley | Interviews and Articles. All about The King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Read all the latest Interviews and Articles about Elvis Presley. The King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Jimmy Velvet: Elvis' show was unbelievable, I had never seen anything like it, I mean Jacksonville wasn't anything like this. There were so many kids there climbing over each other it was amazing. The screaming you never heard anything, the screaming never stopped, but he didn't have to hear very much, he felt it.
Fans who experienced Elvis Presley perform at Memorial Stadium in August 1957 recall how the King looked and sounded as he gyrated across the stage at the peak of his career.
Fans remember the historic day of Sept. 1, 1957, when Elvis Presley played Tacoma. Some 6,000 people caught the King at the Lincoln Bowl, prior to an evening engagement at the old Sicks Stadium in Seattle. Here's some of what they remember:
Many Elvis fans will know the story of Denise Sanchez, the 8-year-old fan from Santa Fe who we saw in an outtake from 'Elvis On Tour'. Denise had been battling cancer (Leukaemia) since the age of 6 and, like her mom was a huge Elvis fan. With the help of the local paper, her mom Trudi was able to get tickets for a concert in Albuquerque on April 19, 1972, and an opportunity to meet Elvis backstage before the show.
HOLLYWOOD, April 10 (AP) -- Elvis Presley a rock 'n' roller who looks a little like Marlon Brando and sings like Johnny Ray with the St. Vitus Dance was signed Tuesday to a long-term movie contract. Presley a 21-year-old Memphis blues singer with long sideburns and black denim trousers is the current swooner among bobby soxers.
In 1957, Yvonne Lime was chosen to co-star with Elvis Presley in Loving You in which she played the role of Sally. Elvis and Yvonne developed more than a professional interest in one another - and they dated some during the filming. Yvonne spent Easter weekend 1957 with Elvis and his parents at Audubon Drive in Memphis and Elvis took her to see Graceland that was in the midst of renovation and the two posed for a series of photographs in front of the house.
The following article was first published in the U.K. based ‘Elvis Monthly' magazine in 1974, written by Wayne Stierle. The annoyance is the single sleeve which proclaims an 'Easter Television Special From Elvis'. The fact is most fans are eagerly awaiting it, and why not? (Unless Elvis decided to convert his millions of non-religious fans and fans of other beliefs to his way of worshiping it'll be great. If he pulls off a religious trip, well, it'll be interesting to see how the country responds to it). But, no such thing, folks, and here we go on a binge of phone calls to find out what's happening, or not happening. Come on along!
In summer 1956, Elvis Presley played Orlando for his 3rd time in the 1950s, and the newspaper's 'On the Town' columnist Jean Yothers got a kiss for the cameras.
'Paradise, Hawaiian Style' was Elvis Presley's third and last movie filmed in the Aloha State, but the King of Rock 'n' Roll's lifelong love affair with the islands began with his arrival Nov. 9, 1957, on the cruise ship S.S. Matsonia for a pair of concerts the following day at the old Honolulu Stadium.
Last year Elvis Aaron Presley earned the staggering sum of $2,800,000 on which he cheerfully paid, after all deductions, a federal income tax of $1,700,000. Certainly this was one of the largest returns, if not the single largest, filed by any taxpayer in 1961, let alone a young man of 27 who 10 years ago mowed lawns in Memphis, Tenn., at 50 cent per lawn.
'Elvis Presley Boulevard' was the B-side to the single 'Allentown' released in 1982. It was a rare instance of a Billy Joel single being backed by a non-album track. The song is sort of lament about the hyper-commercialization of Elvis Presley after his death where they sell 'plastic souvenirs of Elvis on the cross'.
By the time he made his first appearance on a Phoenix stage - a sold-out concert at the Arizona state fairgrounds - Elvis Presley was the hottest rockabilly singer on the planet.
On May 17, 1956 Elvis Presley performed a concert at Springfield's Shrine Mosque - but local news media were more interested in appearances by singers Eddy Arnold and Vaughn Monroe and comedian Bob Cummings.
He stands there in a black jump suit with gold spangles and an orange cape. When he stretches out his hands the cape forms a half sun under his outstretched arms and he looks like the true king of rock 'n' roll. He parades in front of 15,000 people and waits for the applause to wash over him and it comes as it always does and as he knows it will. After strutting from one end of the stage to the other after waiting until he feels just right, and until the audience can't wait another second, he turns to a back-up musican who hands him his acoustic guitar. With the rhythm section churning, he stands in front of the mike, holds but does not play the guitar and sings, 'That's alright mama, that's alright for you, just any way you do'.
An editorial in a 1960 LA paper, seen by Colonel Parker, mentioned the stalled efforts to complete the USS Arizona Memorial, and Elvis answered the rescue call. A benefit concert was organized to raise $50,000 towards the completion. Having honorably served his country, the memorial to the lost soldiers in the attack on Pearl Harbor was near and dear to Elvis' heart and he pledged to buy the first ticket at a cost of $100. Tickets ranged in price so everyone that wished could afford to attend, with 100 reserved seats priced at $100 each. One hundred percent of the proceeds were slated to go directly to the fund.
Shortly before he was to go on stage at the Heart O' Texas Coliseum, Elvis Presley, the 21-year-old king of the nation's rock 'n' roll set, sat in a darkened Cadillac limousine for an interview - well hidden from the sight of nearly 4,000 screaming, squealing teen-agers who were on hand to welcome him Tuesday night.
1957 Telegram from Elvis Presley to a young Fan. The young fan was Kristen Peterson, daughter of actor Arthur Peterson, a veteran actor of radio and film, perhaps best known as 'The Major' on the quirky, cult-classic TV series 'Soap'. Kristen had a grand dream - to invite Elvis to her birthday party! Elvis was at the height of his pre-Army career in early 1957 and had to politely decline the invitation. Kristen's disappointment must have been mitigated somewhat by a telegram from the King of Rock and Roll, with the closing, 'All My Love, Elvis Presley'!
Elvis Presley's Draft Card. This is Elvis' Selective Service Registration Certificate -- more commonly referred to as a 'draft card' -- dated January 19, 1953 (11 days after his 18th birthday) and signed along the left edge by Elvis in blue ink and co-signed by a local board clerk along the bottom.
Beatles' Autographs on Elvis' Personal Stationery | August 27, 1965. Iconic is an understatement! It was August 27, 1965. The Beatles were on the eve of playing the Balboa Stadium in San Diego. Elvis was in the midst of shooting Paradise, Hawaiian Style in Hollywood. That night, between 10 and 11 p.m., John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr arrived in limousines at Elvis' domain, 565 Perugia Way in Bel Air, and Elvis personally greeted them at the door for what forever after became known as the 'summit meeting' of Pop music and Rock and Roll. A relic survives from that legendary meeting -- Jerry Schilling, a member of Elvis' 'Memphis Mafia', got the autographs of all four Beatles on a 5" x 8" piece of Elvis Presley's personal stationery ...
Minnie Mae Presley was Elvis Presley's paternal grandmother, whom he affectionately called 'Dodger'. Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, in Lee County. His family tree traces both east and west of the All America City. His parents came from the the two counties that surround Lee County: His mother's family is from Pontotoc County, which is to the west of Lee County, and his father's family is from Itawamba County, which to to the east.
This
last photo of Elvis Presley was taken shortly after midnight at 12:28 AM on August 16, 1977. Elvis was returning to
Graceland in his
Stutz Blackhawk after a late night visit to his Dentist
Dr. Lester Hoffman.
View Elvis Presley's Las Vegas contract agreement, August 4, 1969.
Bitsy recalls the meal fondly. 'Mom had chosen not to put out place cards, so everyone chose their own seat. Usually when we ate dinner my dad would sit at one end of the table and my mom would sit at the other end. Her chair had a butterfly switch on the floor underneath that she could step on to ring and let the kitchen know if she needed something. 'As we were sitting down to dinner, my dad sat at his usual end of the table, but Gladys took her seat at the opposite end in the butterfly chair. Dad's eyes darted over to my mother silently urging her not to say anything to Gladys to avoid embarrassment. All of a sudden we heard a buzzing noise coming from the kitchen. It turns out; Gladys had accidentally stepped on the switch.
Lonnie Wolfe was just a 17-year-old running away from home when he joined the U.S. Army in the late 1950s. Little did he know he would be sharing close quarters with every teen girl's heartthrob - Elvis Presley. Wolfe was assigned to one of 13 jeeps in his armory as a driver. Each jeep carried three soldiers, including the driver, who would go on reconnaissance missions. In Wolfe's jeep was Sgt. Elvis Presley and another soldier.
Sunday night, Nov. 12, 1972. The Santa Ana winds were howling, so typical of San Bernardino in November. And it was cold. But a sold-out crowd stood patiently to have an audience with The King.
Though he never lost the title of 'King', it was an empty crown that Elvis Presley wore during much of the decade of the 1960s. While it is hard to have ever thought of Presley in need of a comeback, it was precisely the situation in which he found himself just a few months ago. Despite his unparalleled success of the late 1950s and early 1960s (more than 250 million records sold and more than 30 movies) ... Unbelievably, Presley, who had been the most important musical influence of his generation, was only a memory to many of his strongest fans during much of the 1960s. For those who were excited by his early recordings (a list that begins with
John Lennon and
Paul McCartney and extends into the millions), Presley would always be a special figure, but it seemed that he would be a figure tucked neatly and permanently into the past.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. Mennie Person never expected to meet
Elvis Presley, much less wind up on his gift list. Mrs. Person was caught by surprise Sunday evening when she was admiring Presley's custom-made Cadillac outside a Cadillac agency. 'I had my head over in it and he came out of the back parking lot and asked if I liked it'. The car Mrs. Person selected was a gold and white model that lists for about $11,500. Mrs. Person said that when Presley learned her birthday was Tuesday, he handed her the keys to the car, wished 'Happy Birthday' and told an aide to write her a check to 'buy some clothes to go with the car'.
Elvis, Scotty and Bill played the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida, for the first time on May 7, 1955 while on a tour with Hank Snow that had started in New Orleans on May 1st, and was for nearly three weeks touring with almost every day a show. According to writer Peter Guralnick, they met Mae Boren Axton, publicist for the Florida leg of the tour, at the first Florida date, in Daytona Beach. Mae would later co-write 'Heartbreak Hotel' with Tommy Durden which would be Elvis' first recording with RCA and ultimately his first Gold record. On the recent MRS boxset '
Elvis: Live In The 50's' is an interview with Mae Axton and Elvis.
Barbara Hearn writes about her August 1958 experience with delicacy and grace. She was very much the right person in Elvis' life to offer a look inside her friend's most difficult moment. Kudos to 16 Magazine for serving up an atypically serious story among all the usual light fare.
What is an Elvis Presley? by Eddie Condon. Cosmopolitan, December 1956.
Elvis: Power At The Box Office, by Bob Rolontz, Music Business, November 21, 1964.
Who The Hell Is Elvis Presley? By Leonard Bennett. Cabaret, August 1956.
An Intimate Conversation With Elvis, by Rosa Luxemburg. TV And Movie Play, December 1969.
The Ants in Elvis Presley's Pants by Jane Newcomb, Exposed, December 1956.
How Elvis Told His Mom Good-bye. by John Dunne. Movie Stars Parade, November 1958.
The Life And Death Of Gladys Presley, Modern Screen, November 1958.
Celeste Yarnell (sic) Tells All... About Her Life With Elvis by Allison Hayes, Screen Stars, December 1968.
A Craze Called Elvis, by Carlton Brown, Coronet, September 1956 ...
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever.
+ Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.