Tribute
‘Elvis is the one man that stands alone in the history of Rock-N-Roll. He was the first and the best, shook the world by its very foundation. Over the years I’ve seen stars come and go, but never have I seen a star match the impact of Elvis Presley. Elvis may be gone, but the echo will never die.’
DJ Kasey Kasem, from American Top 40.
‘I may be the King in Los Angeles but there’s only one King.’
Ross King, in an article entitled |Elvis Presley lives on…and that’s the gospel truth", published in the Sunday Post on August 23, 2018
Behind and beyond the idolatry is the music, which is substantial:
Q Magazine bravely attempted to name the best and worst singers ever. They did a good job, wisely going big with Elvis as the top choice.
Rolling Stone Magazine, focusing on the importance of Elvis' Sun Records label recordings.
‘There was no model for Elvis Presley's success; what Sun Records head Sam Phillips sensed was something in the wind, an inevitable outgrowth of all the country and blues he was recording at his Union Avenue studio; enter Presley in 1954, bringing with him a musical vocabulary rich in country, country blues, gospel, inspirational music, bluegrass, traditional country, and popular music -- as well as a host of emotional needs that found their most eloquent expression in song; his timing was impeccable, not only as a vocalist, but with regard to the cultural zeitgeist: emerging in the first blush of America's postwar ebullience, Presley captured the spirit of a country flexing its industrial muscle, of a generation unburdened by the concerns of war, younger, more mobile, more affluent, and better educated than any that had come before; (as such), the Sun recordings were the first salvos in an undeclared war on segregated radio stations nationwide.’
‘At Sun Studio in Memphis Elvis Presley called to life what would soon be known as rock and roll with a voice that bore strains of the Grand Ole Opry and Beale Street, of country and the blues. At that moment, he ensured - instinctively, unknowingly - that pop music would never again be as simple as black and white.’
Rolling Stone Magazine, focusing on the importance of Elvis' Sun Records label recordings [specific citation needed], published on 5 March, 2007 and as published in 1986.
‘Elvis Presley, the quintessential American singer. One of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Forty-one years after his death, he still commands a large and loyal following. His Memphis home Graceland has recorded over 20 million visitors since it opened to the public in 1982.’
Frank Hawkins, for American Thinker, naming Elvis amongst the top forty Americans in an article entitled "The greatest Americans of my 8 decades" as published on September 14, 2018.
Elvis is the quintessential American singer whose voice resonates all over the world:
‘Presley of course was not only a pioneer in music, but also a cultural icon whose influence has endured over generations. One of the earliest musicians to make rockabilly - an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music, rhythm and blues - popular, Presley was also a consummate showman. And he had a huge influence on Bollywood as well, most obviously on Shammi Kapoor, who was inspired by him all the way from his looks to his moves, and to his movies as well.’
Suktara Ghosh for the BloombergQuint an Indian news organization associated to Bloomberg, in an article published on January 8, 2018.
Elvis is Everyone, his voice resonates all over the world:
‘Whereas, Elvis Aaron Presley was born on this day in 1935 to Gladys Love and Vernon Elvis Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi and whereas Elvis’ unparalleled style and song craft continues to thrill audiences, create fans and inspire new generations of musicians around the world every year we do hereby proclaim Jan. 8, 2018, as the day to celebrate the life, the work and the 83rd birthday of Elvis Aaron Presley. Thus we urge all citizens of the world to recognize the contributions of our own King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley, to music, this community and the world.’
Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell's proclamation, as delivered at the grounds of Graceland on January 8, 2018.
A voice that resonates:
‘Elvis touched the life of every ear that heard him, and you could not help to LISTEN while he sang.’
Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard does a very fine version of ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ He also recorded the feel good country-gospel Elvis tribute ‘My Farewell to Elvis’.
Elvis resonates with country singers and with soul singers:
‘Most singers have their idols. I remember Elvis Presley when I was about sixteen, I always said I wanted to do “Love Me Tender.”’
Percy Sledge
Al Green is a big Elvis fan. His favourite Elvis song is ‘Love Me Tender,’ too:
‘I loved Mahalia Jackson, all the great gospel singers, but the most important music to me was those hip-shakin’ boys, like Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley. I just loved Elvis Presley. Whatever he got, I went out and bought. But I liked “Love Me Tender” the most. In fact, Elvis had an influence on everybody with his musical approach. He broke the ice for all of us.’
Al Green's answer as to what music did he listen to as a 13 year old kid, growing up, as published in Al Green's Wikipedia page
Music critics underline Elvis’ blues, country, and gospel influences. They can tend to gloss over his love of pop, ballads, and opera, thereby missing his strong pop sensibility. That’s unfortunate, because it leads to a lot of misunderstanding. The impression is given that Elvis was an authentic roots artist who got led astray and sold out to commerce. The pop was there all along. But what I found most interesting about the testimony of these two soul singers is that they single out ‘Love Me Tender’ as their favourite song. Chuck D picked it out as his favourite Elvis song too. The Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown, recorded ‘Love Me Tender’ in tribute to Elvis. It opens:
You know... oh hi, this is James Brown
Godfather of Soul
I wanna talk about a good friend, I...
I've had for a long time, and a man I still love:
Brother Elvis Presley
You know, if he was here right now, I'm sure he would say the same thing for me
I love the man, because he was truly the King of Rock n' Roll
And we've always had a king of a talk self, between Elvis and I
The King of Rock n' Roll and the King of Soul
So I wanna say this, to the people, for Elvis and myself:
The thing I find about this love of ‘Love Me Tender’ by soul artists is that the song isn’t blues and R&B nor even gospel, but an old Civil War folk ballad, ‘Aura Lee’ from 1961. There was an attempt to repeat its success in 1964 with ‘Tender Feeling,’ a delicate ballad based on the Irish tune ‘Shenandoah.’ My point is to draw attention to the sheer range and diversity of Elvis’ musical root. And authenticity. Elvis is not a counterfeit of collective identities. He is more than a stylist who can flit from one genre to another and deliver perfect but utterly soulless tracks in each. Elvis embraced multiplicities in music, so much so it is impossible and meaningless to define him as any one thing.
Those soul boys loved Elvis:
‘Elvis was a giant and influenced everyone in the business.’
Isaac Hayes, as published in www.graceland.com
Elvis was rock’n’soul. We know he loved ballads and sang them beautifully. He sang them with soul. Sometimes he turned the power up, and turned country ballads like ‘Release Me’ and ‘Make the World Go Away’ into supercharged soul classics; sometimes he slowed things down and turned up-tempo country songs like ‘Gentle on My Mind’ into soul ballads.
When asked which singers influenced him the most, Al Green singled out Elvis:
‘Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, you know, I liked them all. See, we were used to the Motown era and the Stax era. And I really had an Elvis Presley collection of records, myself. I lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I liked all the Elvis records, had no idea I would move to Memphis, Tennessee, and (in fact) I didn’t know Elvis lived in Memphis.’
Al Green, from interview with Wax Poetics
I like that Al Green makes a point of mentioning his collection of Elvis records. I wonder if this is an Elvis thing. You can go on YouTube and find any number of Elvis fans showing off their Elvis records to other Elvis fans. It’s the thrill of I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours, except in this case we all have the same, and yet still feel a thrill in showing and seeing.
Moving swiftly on.
George Harrison was a fan. Even at the height of Beatlemania, George remained an Elvis fan. And after The Beatles split up, he still approached Elvis as a fan fawning over his idol. It’s quite a touching image. Here is George’s account meeting Elvis backstage at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 1972:
‘I met him later at Madison Square Garden. And at that time, I had my uniform, the worn-out denim jacket and jeans—looked like a rag-man and I had a big beard and moustache and long hair down to my waist. They took me to meet him and I’m sitting there, thinking "Well, where’s Elvis, then?" And finally he came out of the back and he was immaculate. I felt like a real grubby little slug and he looked like Lord Siva or something, seemed to be about eight feet tall and his hair was black and his tan was perfect and he had this big white suit, a gold belt about four feet wide and he was towering above me so I just put a hand out and said "Hello, Elvis, how are you?"—just cowering like this little rag-man. (In fact) we all loved him and he’s still there in his spirit and in his music…’
George Harrison, from a Creem Magazine interview in 1987
‘Jesus Christ said "Put your own house in order” and Elvis said "Clean up your own backyard" so if everybody tries to fix themselves up, rather than trying to fix everybody else up, there won't be a problem.’
George Harrison in Paul Simpson's The Rough Guide To Elvis p. 215
It’s that little politics with a small ‘p’ again, accenting the big changes that follow attending to the little things, beginning with personal moral effort. I’m not saying it is better than big politics, because the two plainly go together and are not mutually exclusive. And I regret that Elvis didn’t put his own house in order. I think he had a life and career of such overscaled proportions that he couldn’t do it alone, and the effort of going it alone killed him. He needed to put a true house together. But I digress. There’s a wisdom in George’s observations. Or was it Jesus’?
Keep it within human dimensions and proportions is the advice. Elvis got lost in something much greater than human scale. That’s what happens when humans aspire to be as gods, or end up having to live as gods to fulfil the desires and expectations of others. Elvis himself seemed pretty sane, sober, and grounded to me:
‘I remember the revelation it was to me when I realized I'd rather be smart in the way Elvis Presley was than in the way, say, Ludwig Wittgenstein was. The thing was, you could imagine you could be smart like Wittgenstein by just thinking hard enough, but Elvis just had it. It was almost spiritual. A kind of grace.’
Richard Hell, singer, songwriter, bass guitarist, and writer, as noted ingoodreads.com
‘I met him at the NBC set of "Laugh in" in June of 1968 because he used to rehearse in the studio for his NBC special that year. Anyways, in walks this guy, and he was soooo beautiful, that it just took my breath away, everybody's breath away. And he walked up to me, and he tussled my hair, and he said 'You look like a chicken that's just been hatched'. 'And I didn't know what to think, I thought it was a compliment. But my god, I've never met a guy with so much charisma in my life.'
Goldie Hawn, in an interview with UK show-host Jonathan Ross
I am now looking to see what Goldie Hawn looks like.
There’s no doubting the charisma:
‘It’s insane the charisma he had. I’ve never seen anything like it to this day. When I saw Elvis on television, I just fell in love with him completely. As a singer, I want to be able to relate to an audience like this man did. Of course, nobody can – he was the best there ever was.’
Country singer Faith Hill
‘I don't think any two men on this planet ever had the charisma of Elvis Presley and Jackie Wilson. The two of them remind me of each other: the charisma.’
Hank Ballard, rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, lead vocalist of the Midnighters, as noted in the book "Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops" by Tony Douglas.
‘I might be the biggest Elvis fan you’ve ever met. I mean, I’ve seen it all. And I just loved him. I don’t know what it was. I mean, probably the same reason everybody loved Elvis. Cause he was electric. He was just electric, the greatest entertainer I’ve ever seen, and I think the reason why was because — and I heard him say it many times in interviews — he always did what he felt. Genuinely did what he felt. It wasn’t choreographed. It wasn’t, OK, well, I’m gonna do this move at this time. It was coming up from inside of him, and it was coming out. That’s what it was, and that’s why people connected with it. Cause it was the real deal.”
Country music songwriter and singer Frankie Ballard who, along with a few others, voted Elvis as the top entertainer in CMT Top 40 artist countdown, as published in CMT´s online edition of November 21, 2014.
‘It was the autumn of 1971, and two tickets to an Elvis show turned up at the offices of Creem magazine, where I was then employed. It was decided that those staff members who had never had the privilege of witnessing Elvis should get the tickets, which was how me and art director Charlie Auringer ended up in nearly the front row of the biggest arena in Detroit. Earlier Charlie had said, “Do you realize how much we could get if we sold these things?” I didn’t, but how precious they were became totally clear the instant Elvis sauntered onto the stage. He was the only male performer I have ever seen to whom I responded sexually; it wasn’t real arousal, rather an erection of the heart, when I looked at him I went mad with desire and envy and worship and self-projection. I mean, Mick Jagger, whom I saw as far back as 1964 and twice in ‘65, never even came close.’
Rock critic Lester Bangs' opening sentence in Elvis' obituary, by special request from and published by the Village Voice on 20 August 1977.
‘The moment he walked in, it was almost like all the guys there were bowing down to him, but he didn’t care whatsoever. It was an amazing time, because the electricity just floated through the air. Everybody there was on cloud nine but he just acted the way a country boy would act. Elvis was truly a gentleman and a sweetheart of a guy.’
Drummer Hal Blaine, telling Rolingstone what it felt like to be with Elvis in the studio during the taping of 1968 NBC special, and in an article published on August 16, 2017.
‘He had an amazing charisma, was so passionate about what he did, and the people could feel it.’
James Blunt in a 1997 filmed interview
‘We were all in a room with my mom and the Sweet Inspirations and this man walks in, with a mink coat, glasses and it wasn't like you say "Nice to meet you, Elvis". In fact, you don't really JUST meet Elvis, you LOOK at Elvis. Amazingly beautiful
Whitney Houston, recalling his meeting Elvis as a 6 year old for Access Hollywood, on November 10,2011.
Anthony Hopkins, Welshman, fellow Aspie, and very probably the greatest actor in the world today is an Elvis fan:
‘I spent my 71 birthday at his Graceland home, my wife decided it would have to be in his car museum and I even played on his last piano. In fact, President Clinton, who is also a great Elvis fan, recommended on the last time I saw him, to read "Last Train to Memphis", and I have. I Love Elvis...’
Anthony Hopkins, in an interview at Jay Leno Tonight Show, broadcast on November 4, 2013.
‘Sinatra and Elvis were geniuses, I am not. In fact, I analysed the singing of Sinatra, Elvis, Nat King Cole, and Marvin Gaye, and they all sang from the gut. They are my favorite singers. In fact, I haven't bought an album in thirty years but you can always catch me listening to Elvis and Marvin Gaye. Of all of them, Elvis is the biggest phenomenon that popular music has experienced in the last 50 years.’
Julio Iglesias Spanish biggest music superstar in an interview with El Periodico, published on August 1, 2016 and in interview for Chilean television in 1981.
Julio Iglesias, fine singer, recorded a great duet with Francoise Hardy on ‘Partir Quand Meme.’ Just saying. In passing. Francoise is a big Elvis fan.
You can’t beat the combination of Elvis and Christmas:
‘I've been asked to write down who I am most grateful for in this holyday season. And the answer is Elvis Presley. We are a very musical family and he sings my favorite Christmas song, which "Why can’t everyday be like Christmas". So now it's turned out that I've sang it to all my daughters when they were babies and they all fell asleep on me.’
Give thanks for Elvis. We have reason to be thankful. I always liked the song ‘If Every Day was Like Christmas.’ It was Elvis’ Christmas single for 1966. It’s a record that tends to be forgotten, and is considered something of a chart flop. I remember it as so much more than that, but then I always liked the song and its sentiment. The song actually reached No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart in December 1966, so that’s a decent sized hit. But only in Canada and Italy. It didn’t even dent the Top 100 in the US. Which is a shame. It’s a nice song. And I never did understand why it couldn’t be Christmas every day. I thought that was what we all think come Christmas time?
Dwayne Johnson answering a question for Humankind Stories on the occasion of his finding out he will be a father again soon
Elvis sang quite a range of music and attracted quite a range of fans. Horror author Stephen King is one:
‘Elvis Presley's talent brightened millions of lives. He widened the horizons of my world certainly. The first record I ever owned was a 78 rpm of "Hound Dog" backed by "Don't Be Cruel" and when I listened to those tunes I felt about ten feet tall and I grinned so hard that I felt like the corners of my mouth would meet in the back and the tip of my head would simply topple off. All I know about R&R is that it makes people feel good. Elvis Presley more than made me feel good, he enriched my life and made it better.
Stephen King, as noted in theelvisexpress
That’s the test of a great person, how good they make you feel, how much of an uplift they give you.
‘Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.’
Elvis was a really great person by that most important of measures.
In the words of Bruce Springsteen, it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive. There’s little better than ‘feelin’ good.’ Feelin’ Good, a great joyous song by Little Junior Parker, singer of ‘Mystery Train,’ later recorded by Elvis. There’s a nice photograph of Elvis with Little Junior Parker and Bobby Blue Bland.
Too many people just want to read the bad stuff. Instead of aspiring to be the best they could be, and putting in a shift to get there, they prefer to cut people down to the most miserable size possible. They are using the wrong measure:
‘I've had offers to write a book about Elvis, but you know, they really didn't want to publish the stories I had to tell. They only wanted the dirt – the scandal. I never saw him use drugs and I never saw him being mean to people. He had problems, everybody does, but he was a sweet guy – real religious, and he was patriotic, he really loved America. The publishers said nobody wants to read about that stuff. I just couldn't be a part of another book trashing him, he was a real good guy and he was always nice to me.’
Drummer Larrie Londin, who played drums for Elvis several times during 1975 and 1976, as well as in his last 2 concerts. After Elvis' death, he also played in the Guitar Man 1981 sessions, from an interview by James Byron Fox, in 1991.
Paul Simon understood the universality of Elvis’ message and its appeal. He understood too the redemptive qualities of Elvis’ music. All shall be received at Graceland:
‘In his Grammy-winning 1986 song "Graceland," Paul Simon reveals his thoughts during a road trip to the home of Elvis Presley in Memphis. In the lyrics, Simon states, “For reasons I cannot explain there’s some part of me wants to see Graceland.” Even though I can’t list myself as a dedicated fan, I have always appreciated his tremendous talent and the major impact he had on the world of entertainment. Not only his musical talent crossed many genres, but there’s no question that he is one of the cultural icons of the 20th century. So once there, we were impressed by the mansion itself, which continues to have the feel of the 1960s-style residence Elvis developed and loved so much. The original 10,266-square-foot Colonial Revival style mansion was built in 1939 for a Memphis socialite and her husband. The expansive surrounding property includes the “Meditation Garden,” containing the graves of the singer, his parents Vernon and Gladys and his grandmother Minnie Presley. So, do we recommend the Graceland experience? The answer is yes, as the house, property and family cemetery are all definitely worth seeing.’
Jeff Maguire, writing for Inside Ottawa Walley, in an article entitled "Graceland pilgrimage fulfilled longtime wish", as published in their March 27, 2019 edition.
It may be nice to see Graceland. Elvis? He’s long gone. It may not be healthy chasing the ghosts of our memories. There’s a future to carve out.
Don't worry, darlin'
No baby, don't you fret
We're livin' in the future
And none of this has happened yet
Bruce Springsteen, ‘Livin’ in the Future.’
From one great songwriter to another, Kris Kristofferson:
‘When I was first becoming a songwriter, I never would have dreamed that Elvis would sing not just one of my songs but three of them and with so much soul. I feel a lot of gratitude for that.’
Kris Kristofferson
‘Just the fact that Elvis Presley recorded any of my songs was incredible, Elvis was my hero.’
Kris Kristofferson
If only Elvis could have sung many more of Kristofferson’s songs. He sang ‘Why Me Lord?’ with power and emotion; he did a soft and gentle version of ‘For the Good Times,’ and a low-key version of ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night.’ Elvis wanted to record ‘Sunday Morning Coming Down’ but the usual disputes over publishing, caused by the exploitative approach of his publishing company, got in the way. He lost Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ for the same reason. It is now obvious that Elvis needed an entirely new approach to recording, enabling him to access the great songs that were available, original material that great songwriters were more than willing to contribute, on condition that they were paid accordingly. Which not only makes artistic sense, but is commercially fair, too.
It’s just a shame to see how many great artists and songwriters who were prepared to write for Elvis. I know that McCartney and Ray Davies submitted songs, Springsteen. Roy Orbison was left waiting outside the gates at Graceland with ‘Only the Lonely.’ Johnny Cash wrote ‘Get Rhythm’ for Elvis. David Bowie wrote ‘Golden Years’ for Elvis. I can hear it:
‘Apparently Elvis heard my demos, because we were both on RCA, and Colonel Parker thought I should be introduced to him and maybe the two of us start working in a production-writer capacity. But it never came to pass. I would have loved to have worked with him. God, I would have adored it. He did send me a note once, which read "All the best, and have a great tour." I still have that note. He was a major hero of mine and I was probably stupid to think that having the same birthday as him meant something.
David Bowie, commenting on what could have taken place had he and Elvis worked together, as published in interview bowiewonderworld and wwwelvisnet
Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry fame wrote ‘Feels Like I’m in Love’ for Elvis. Elvis never saw it, died, and it went to an unknown young singer called Kelly Marie, who had a number one smash with it. It seems incongruous, but I can hear the Elvis of ‘Way Down’ taking the world into the still as yet unexplored territory of ‘country disco’ with it. And why not?
Don McLean is another great songwriter who is an Elvis fan:
Performing a few more classics like "Crossroads" and "Vincent" from his "American Pie" album, he takes a break between songs to talk about setting off from his hometown for the first time to pursue his music in California and witnessing the MGM Studio auctions in the late 60's. Moving on, he took a step back in time to "And I Love You So", from his debut album, Tapestry, released in 1970. The song became an instant classic at its release, and was covered by many of the greats including "my favorite", McLean revealed, "Elvis Presley", who recorded it and used it in 125 of his live performances from 1975 until his death in 1977.
Shawn Costa, reviewing for Mass Live a performance by singer songwriter Don McLean in Hartfort, CT on October 15, 2016
And then there’s Mexican singer songwriter Armando Manzanero, who paid tribute to Elvis’ version of his most famous song:
‘I never met him, although I saw his show in Las Vegas, and the great feeling I had after listening to his version of "Somos Novios" ("It’s impossible") was always so well known in music circles that the other day I received the main master, in acetate form, from a friend who just passed away. It's without a doubt my most valuable treasure.’
Armando Manzanero, Mexican singer songwriter's opinion on Elvis and of his having recorded one of his songs "Its impossible", as related in NP25TV 2015
That sounds like Bob Dylan talking about Elvis’ version of ‘Tomorrow is a Long Time.’
Bob Dylan: ‘The highlight of my career? That’s easy, Elvis recording one of my songs.’
And Charlie Daniels. One of the best things Elvis ever recorded, and most underappreciated, was the powerful emotional ballad ‘It Hurts Me.’ It was written by Charlie Daniels. He recalls its origins:
‘It was just before Christmas 1962 and as I was driving from El Paso to the East Coast, I began forming the idea that would become this song; not very long afterwards my long-time friend Bob Johnston invited me to Nashville, and we finished this one together; Bob did a demo on it and when Elvis came to town, he picked it up and held it for almost a year in what was then called his portfolio; so, anyway, he recorded it and it was by far the biggest thing that had ever happened to me in my life.’
Charlie Daniels, explaining how the power ballad "It Hurts Me" came into being, and what it meant to him, as published in SONGFACTS.com
It seems to be a familiar feeling among songwriters upon learning that Elvis has sung one of their songs:
‘One day, I got a phone call and the guy said "Hey look what Elvis Presley has done, he's covered your masterpiece". I was all shook up, first because I was his fan, and also because I would do covers of his songs, albeit in my terrible English. Years later, I went to Graceland and saw the RIAA Award for "You dont have to say you love me" and naturally, I again felt so honoured.’
Pino Donaggio, Italian singer-songwriter, in an interview with quelliche...ilcinema, dated 26.05.2016
The following is from Johnny Cash’ autobiography:
“There were a lot of white people listening to 'race music' behind closed doors. Of course, some of them (some of us) were quite open about it, most famously Elvis Presley.
Elvis was already making noise in Memphis when I got there in '54. Sam Phillips had released his first single, That's All Right, Mama, with Blue Moon of Kentucky on the 'B' side, and it was tearing up the airwaves.
The first time I saw Elvis, singing from a flatbed truck at a Katz drugstore opening on Lamar Avenue, two or three hundred people, mostly teenage girls, had come out to see him. With just one single to his credit, he sang those two songs over and over. That's the first time I met him. Vivian and I went up to him after the show, and he invited us to his next date at the Eagle's Nest, a club promoted by Sleepy-Eyed John, the disc jockey who'd taken his name from the Merle Travis song and was just as important as Dewey Phillips in getting Sun music out to the world.
I remember Elvis' show at the Eagle's Nest as if were yesterday. The date was a blunder, because the place was an adult club where teenagers weren't welcome, and so Vivian and I were two of only a dozen or so patrons, fifteen at the most. All the same, I thought Elvis was great. He sang That's All Right, Mama and Blue Moon of Kentucky once again (and again) plus some black blues songs and a few numbers like Long Tall Sally, and he didn't say much. He didn't have to, of course; his charisma alone kept everyone's attention. The thing I really noticed that night, though, was his guitar playing. Elvis was a fabulous rhythm player. He'd start into That's All Right, Mama with his own guitar alone, and you didn't want to hear anything else. I didn't anyway. I was disappointed when Scotty Moore and Bill Black jumped in and covered him up. Not that Scotty and Bill weren't perfect for him - the way he sounded with them that night was what I think of as seminal Presley, the sound I missed through all the years after he became so popular and made records full of orchestration and overproduction. I loved that clean, simple combination of Scotty, Bill, and Elvis with his acoustic guitar. You know, I've never heard or read anyone else praising Elvis as a rhythm guitar player, and after the Sun days I never heard his own guitar on his records.
That night at the Eagle's Nest, I remember, he was playing a Martin and he was dressed in the latest teen fashion. I think his shirt came from the National Shirt Shop, where you could get something loud and flashy or something in a good rich black for $3.98 (I did), but perhaps by then he'd started shopping at Lansky Brothers. If he hadn't, it wasn't long before he did. I was in there myself two or three times in '55 and '56.
Elvis certainly took a lot of abuse from that crowd. He had his problems with gossip, too, and rumor and lies. He was very sensitive, easily hurt by the stories people told about him being on dope and so on. I myself couldn't understand why people wanted to say that back in the '50s, because in those days he was the last person on earth who needed dope. He had such a high energy level that it seemed he never stopped - though maybe that's why they said he was on dope. Either way, he wasn't, or at least I never saw any evidence of it. I never saw him use any kind of drug, or even alcohol; he was always clear-headed around me, and very pleasant. Elvis was such a nice guy, and so talented and charismatic - he had it all - that some people just couldn't handle it and reacted with jealousy. It's only human, I suppose, but it's sad.
He and I liked each other, but we weren't that tight - I was older than he was, for one thing, and married, for another - and we weren't close at all in his later years. I took the hint when he closed his world around him; I didn't try to invade his privacy. I'm so glad I didn't, either, because so many of his old friends were embarrassed so badly when they were turned away at Graceland. In the '60s and '70s he and I chatted on the phone a couple of times and swapped notes now and again. If he were closing at the Las Vegas Hilton as I was getting ready to open, he'd wish me luck, that kind of thing - but that was about the extent of it.
I've heard it said that here at the end of the century, we all have our own Elvis, and I can appreciate that idea, even though my Elvis was my friend, flesh and blood in real life. Certainly, though, my Elvis was the Elvis of the '50s. He was a kid when I worked with him. He was nineteen years old, and he loved cheeseburgers, girls, and his mother, not necessarily in that order (it was more like his mother, then girls, then cheeseburgers).
Personally, I liked cheeseburgers and I had nothing against his mother, but the girls were the thing. He had so many girls after him that whenever he was working with us, there were always plenty left over. We had a lot of fun. We had a lot of fun in general, not just with the girls. It was nice that we could make a living at it, but every one of us would have done it for free. And you know, Elvis was so good. Every show I did with him, I never missed the chance to stand in the wings and watch. We all did. He was that charismatic.
A lot has been made over the years of a rivalry between Carl and Elvis, and of course the story of Blue Suede Shoes does lend itself to that interpretation. According to the story, after Carl was put out of action by a terrible car crash while his hit was riding up the charts, Elvis recorded it himself and capitalized on Carl's success. It's one of those 'What If' questions. If Carl had been able to ride the wave of Blue Suede Shoes all the way and follow up on it properly, could he have become as big a star as Elvis, or even bigger? I don't think so. I believe that without the accident Carl could have become a real superstar in the pop/rockabilly world. However, neither he nor anyone else could have become the star Elvis was. Ain't nobody like Elvis. Never was.
While at Sun, Cash also wrote You're My Baby for Roy Orbison and Get Rhythm for Elvis Presley, though Cash described how, when Sam Phillips sold his interest in Presley to RCA, he wouldn't allow Elvis to take Get Rhythm with him, and put it on the B side of Cash's I Walk The Line instead. 'The Elvis I knew was a kid full of fun', said Cash. 'He loved his work, loved his music, loved his guitar, loved gospel music and loved his mother'.
From Johnny Cash: The Autobiography.1997 by John R. Cash
The Elvis record inspired a lot of guitar players. Brian May for one:
‘I found that I could do Elvis's "Jailhouse Rock", and that’s the great thing, you could pick it up and in a few hours, you could get to something that make you feel good. (Years later), Freddie wrote "Crazy little thing called love" as a tribute to Elvis, of whom he was very fond of.’
Brian May, Queen's lead guitarist, detailing some of the riffs that influenced him the most, for the Irish Examiner on November 18, 2016
‘He was drop dead handsome, a major flirt, and a naturally charming man who was a master of the sexual smile.’
UK Critic George Melly in his book Great Lovers (1981)
George Melly has many perceptive things to say about Elvis, which go a long way to explaining his appeal:
‘Perhaps the first thing to decide is if his reputation is in any way justified as an artiste. My view is yes or, at any rate, in relation to his early recordings: 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'That's All Right', 'Hound Dog', 'Don't Be Cruel' etc are as relevant and alive as the day they were first pressed. What is equally astonishing was the effect he had on teenage girls. Much later, an English promoter said of one of our own young rockers: 'There wasn't a dry seat in the house.' The early Elvis appearances induced mass orgasms.
What had he got going for him? Voice apart and that, in itself, was remarkable, was the fact he sounded black. I can remember the first time I heard him on record, at a Hampstead party in the middle Fifties. I took it for granted he was a black blues singer, and was amazed when I discovered he wasn't.
Combined, as we learnt later, with his pelvic thrusts, it was lucky he wasn't run out of the South at that time. I suppose the rednecks thought that if their daughters had to scream at male erotic gyrations, it was better that at least their perpetrator was white. Pure speculation this, but at any rate on early national TV programmes, Elvis was never shown from the waist down, but then, like Satan's rendezvous with Jesus, Colonel Parker led him up to the heights and offered him the whole world. The difference is (and who can blame him?) that Elvis accepted the offer and it was, alas, honoured.
The other odd thing about Elvis, even when young, is how he liked fancy clothes. He was ever the dude, a peacock among drab redneck ducks. Here, too, as in his music, he displayed a rather black flair.
He was simple yet complex.
It is a sad and salutary tale; the beautiful prince, kissed by Fate, who turned into a toad.’
George Melly in You ain't nothin' but an icon in The Guardian 28 July 2002
‘I thought anyone who had been the center of all that insanity for so long would have some of it rub off on him. But, after working in "Change of Habit" with him, I realized I'd never worked with a more gentlemanly, kinder man. He was gorgeous.’
Mary Tyler Moore, as noted by instarsmeetstars
That quality was there at the start of it all:
‘I got to meet Elvis, an adorable, sweet Southern boy as charming as he could be. No wonder all the girls fell all over him. He was as wonderful in person as he was on the screen. He didn't want to make some of those films at all, but you know, you have to do what you have to do and now Elvis is gone, we're lucky we have what he did do.’
Debbie Reynolds, in the 2008 TV documentary "Hollywood: Singing and Dancing".
‘I remembered meeting Elvis and he was the one who told me my dad was the king of cool. I’ll never forget that.’
Singer Deana Martin, reflecting on her father Dean's music legacy, encounters and rumors, as published by Fox News on September 23, 2017.
Muhammed Ali praised Elvis’ character as well as his music:
‘I don't admire nobody, but Elvis Presley was the sweetest, most humble and nicest man you'd want to know. Singing ability, he had everything and he was pretty, I know. And when it comes to boxing nobody has the class, the style, the wit, the speed and beauty of Ali. When it comes to singing nobody had everything like Elvis. And the last thing, he did lot for poor people, he cared for people, he had a good heart, he just wasn't a person who was great with talent but great in spirit and with God in his heart, and this is great too. I realise how good I am in my profession, I don't praise nobody if he don't deserve it, cos I am the greatest of all time in boxing, in boxing. I said boxing! I'm telling you, not just you all, the Elvis fans, so naturally you praise Elvis, he's of European race as you are, but I'm black, I'm a Islamic, I'm 100% different from you. And I tell the world Elvis was the greatest of all time. I'm a Muslim who's black who stands up for what he believes. I don't have to say what I don't feel, I'm not false I don't have to say this. I'm free. He to me is one of the greatest singers, actors and all round men of all time. With all the brothers together, none are better than Elvis Presley.’
Muhammad Ali, as published in numerous magazines and biographies, including Saladin Ahmens's online page, as well as from a speech in Memphis, TN,honouring Elvis life on the 8th anniversary of his passing (August 16th 1985).
Praise indeed. Who am I to argue.
‘That’s my idol, Elvis Presley. If you went to my house, you’d see pictures all over of Elvis. He’s just the greatest entertainer that ever lived. And I think it’s because he had such presence. When Elvis walked into a room, Elvis Presley was in the f***ing room. I don’t give a f*** who was in the room with him, Bogart, Marilyn Monroe.’
Eddie Murphy
Eloquent. I can remember the day when Freddie Mercury died in 1992, a neighbour shouted over in the street, ‘I see Freddie Murphy’s died.’ I digress. Again. But there is a thread that makes sense here.
Comedian, actor and fan Bill Murray tells a story of attending Elvis’ funeral:
‘I was the twenty-seventh person on standby, on the last flight out of New York City to Memphis the night before the funeral. Miraculously, I got to Memphis and took a cab to Graceland. They'd stopped letting people into the house at that point but everybody was trying to get a photograph of Elvis in the casket, and there was a $50,000 bounty on it.. But the actual funeral was a spectacular thing. I still have incredibly powerful impressions of it, to drive the route and see all the hundreds of thousands of people waiting for him to roll by. It was incredible—very powerful and was about 90 degrees. Waiting in the shade, and all the signs said "God bless you, Elvis.” When the hearse rolled out on the street, and it reached the speed it was going to go at, I burst into tears. It was like the long, slow walk. And it was just so poignant, then all the helicopters converged on the cemetery, overhead, and there was a riot at the other gate, you know, at the back gate—people were trying to storm into the cemetery. The hearse was arriving, and I started racing, running from where we were. We started running towards where I thought the riot was coming from. On the way I encountered the hearse being led by 24 motorcycle cops. It was one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen, because these cops they were guarding Elvis. And all of the sudden there was one man standing in the cemetery right where they were passing by, and there was not supposed to be anybody there. There's one guy, and it's me. And this cop gave me a look that said, "If you move, I will shoot you right through the heart." I mean, I just froze—you know, like when your hair stands on end. Anyway, as they tried to carry it up the steps, they almost dropped it—it fell like sideways. But then there was a very strange moment when Priscilla actually left. Because you could feel Elvis. You could absolutely feel his presence everywhere. And when she left, it was almost like you could feel his real love went with her, as she rode out of the cemetery. It's was an amazing feeling. I'll never forget it. Well, you gotta have role models. He was an extraordinary guy.’
Comedian and actor Bill Murray' full interview on his attending Elvis' funeral, published on August 9, 2004 at Permalink
‘At the risk of being sad for two seconds, I drink a toast to a wonderful fellow who left yesterday and did much for American Music. I knew him for maybe 12 or 14 years and we know, what he did in his career, but I knew him as a man, a gentle, good, fine man, gracious and generous in every sense of the word. Things which people never heard about him helping organizations, and children's hospitals but I knew all about that. He was some kind of cat and I hope God's good to him.’
Frank Sinatra i) Words spoken by Mr. Sinatra upon hearing of Presley's death, while on stage, courtesy of Mr. Sinatra's official fan page
‘I am just a singer. Elvis was the embodiment of the whole American culture. Life just wouldn't have been the same without him. There have been many accolades uttered about his talent and performances through the years, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly. I shall miss him dearly as a friend.’
Frank Sinatra
‘In Vegas, we’d meet and we’d talk about everything. Slowly he started coming over to see my show; he’d sit up there and I’d come back after the show and we’d talk music. He would show up, this incredible God-like figure. He had everything, and the voice —what a great voice he had. Then, on August 17, 1977 I happened to be in Las Vegas, so when I turned on the news and learned of his death, I cried all day. He was a cool, nice man.’
Paul Anka, from his autobiography "My way"
Ray Davies of The Kinks explains how his song ‘Rock’n’Roll Fantasy’ was inspired by the death of Elvis:
‘While writing a song in 1977, I learnt that Elvis had died, which influenced its lyric. Staying in New York at the time, I looked out my window late at night, saw a single light on in one of the buildings, then imagined that light being the apartment of an ardent Elvis fan, which became the character Dan the Fan in the song. In fact, the line, "The King is dead, rock is done," is a reference to Elvis.’
Ray Davies, as published in SONGFACTS.com
It is done. I think very many Elvis fans stayed up late into the night listening to Elvis songs.
Bob Dylan did, and more:
‘I went over my whole life. I went over my whole childhood. I didn't talk to anyone for a week after Elvis died. If it wasn't for Elvis and Hank Williams, I couldn't be doing what I do today.’
Bob Dylan
‘In fact, Elvis turned up one night during our 1969 gig at the Whiskey a GoGo. He sat in the corner with his wife. I didn’t know until after. I wouldn’t have been able to cope...’
Ray Davies, in an interview with actor Mark Hamill and published on April 20, 2016
Elvis turns up everywhere.
It’s never too late to see, understand, and appreciate what you have been missing for years:
‘I never understood his records at first, and then many years later, I thought, "God this guy is good". He had that wonderful sexuality about him, and energy, he was a star, you know, he was bigger than life. Anyways, because I'd met him a couple of times, singing with him was kind of easy, it felt like our spirits were kind of touching...’
Barbra Streisand, on singing "Love me tender" with Elvis, thirty seven years after he had passed away, for her album "Partners", as explained on a clip published in her Facebook page, on 6 September, 2014
Personally, I don’t get Streisand and never have. But I’ll keep listening, because you never know. Lots of people like her. She may have something. I never got Bing Crosby. I kept listening. Then one day I got Crosby.
Elvis opened the doors to others:
‘I was really happy about his success, because acceptance wasn't really too great in those days unless you were a schooled singer, so it opened up a whole new thing for young performers who had not studied voice but just had feel. It made me a little sad to think that here was a man who came along and probably made one of the greatest contributions to rock n roll music ever, and people would come in and criticise his shows, (In fact), for someone to have given that much joy to that many people, he shouldn't of had to do anything but walk out on that stage and just stand there. And I sometimes wonder if people in that sense are sadistic and wait to see you fall or hope to see you fall.’
Frankie Valli 'comments to reporter Heather Bernard at News Center 4, and as broadcast on August 17, 1977.
There is no star who made such an immense contribution to music and yet received so little critical recognition than Elvis. You can find praise and tribute, and I am gathering quotes to that effect here. But I am referring specifically to words of musical appreciation. Elvis’ early sides are recognised, but little else. And even his early work is mired in controversy. If you think I am exaggerating, go and count how many Grammy Awards Elvis received, see how few they were, and how they were all for gospel. Petula Clark has more Grammy Awards for pop and contemporary music than Elvis. I’ve nothing against Petula Clark. But when she wins awards for ‘best rock’n’roll recording’ when Elvis had still to win a single solitary award, there’s something amiss.
‘I met him in 1969 with Karen Carpenter, neither of us had ever met him before, so we went so see him perform at a show in Las Vegas. He was on great form and then we were invited back to his dressing room and, well, he was flirting with us. In the end I got us out of there and that really amused Elvis and when I saw him again after that we both had a good laugh about it.’
Petula Clark, her meeting Elvis, as noted in petula-clark-on-meeting-legends-of-stage-and-screen-13004/#ZUtve4JAGDc7XYvu.99
‘I got a letter from Elvis in 1961, I was 16, and the letter said, “I just want you to know I put "Halfway to Paradise" in my jukebox.” When I finally met him in the ‘70s, I was headlining the Hilton in Las Vegas and was actually following him a week later. I sat with him in his dressing room and then I said, “Let me ask you a question. Do you remember writing a letter to me, saying that you liked "Halfway to Paradise?” And he calls Priscilla into the room, and he said, “Tell Tony what my favourite song is.” And sure enough, it was "Halfway to Paradise."’
Tony Orlando,in an interview with Shawn Conner with the Vancouver Sun, published on April 6, 2016
‘Halfway to Paradise’ is a great song, written by Carol King. I know it most and love it best in Billy Fury’s version, a massive UK hit.
‘He was breathtaking, really, it was very difficult to focus..’
Pat Priest, who played Marilyn Munster in ‘The Munsters’s, answers the question of how hard it was to play a movie scene with Elvis, as told in a retrospective of his motion picture career, held at Graceland in August of 2017.
Little Richard has more right than most with Chuck Berry and Fats Domino to resent Elvis being crowned the King of Rock’n’Roll. I had the great honour and even greater thrill, pleasure, and exciting delight to have seen Little Richard live in concert in Liverpool. The man was incendiary, impossibly loud and powerful. The loudness was not external and not technical, it had nothing to do with the technology. It was sheer natural force. As soon as he opened his mouth the first thing I did was to look up, because I instinctively felt he had blown the roof off, or we had all just shot off to the moon on the back of that voice. Little Richard is magnificent. I love Elvis’ covers of the Little Richard songs, ‘Tutti Frutti,’ ‘Long Tall Sally,’ ‘Ready Teddy,’ and ‘Rip it Up.’ I think the fact that Elvis takes on those songs and does very creditable versions is very much testimony to Elvis being the real thing. Because they are tough hurdles to clear. Elvis clears them. Of course, Little Richard is untouchable on his own songs, and very many embarrassed themselves in taking them on. Elvis’ versions are very good. He was the real deal. You can listen to them now and appreciate their qualities, even knowing Little Richard’s originals. That’s the test.
Little Richard is the true king of rock’n’roll. Just ask him and he’ll tell you so. So sang Credence Clearwater Revival. They were all kings to me. And as the dust settles and we look back in reflection, we can see this great cultural movement powered by these incredible larger than life figures. Little Richard pays Elvis full tribute:
‘Elvis? Thank God for the goodness and the glory! I knew Elvis could do today what he's doing cos he's real. He's a champion who's has lived and kept the title, he's for real. Elvis is a southern child that is down to earth, he's beautiful just beautiful. I saw him, not too long ago, when I was singing “I can't stop loving you” on the stage, and I heard someone yelling and clapping, and I looked and I saw Elvis waving to me. He is true, a real pioneer.’
Little Richard recognizes that Elvis opened the door for black artists like himself:
‘Like, see, when Elvis came out a lot of black groups would say, "Elvis cannot do so and so and so, shoo shoo shoo" And I'd say, "Shut up, shut up." Let me tell you this—when I came out they wasn't playing no black artists on no Top 40 stations, I was the first to get played on the Top 40 stations—but it took people like Elvis to open the door for this kind of music, and I thank God for Elvis Presley. I thank the Lord for sending Elvis to open that door so I could walk down the road, you understand?’
‘Elvis was a good friend. One of the sweetest gentleman, and a good singer, especially with gospel.’
Little Richard, a nod from one gospel and soul singer to another, particularly as many rock and roll, R&B and soul singers from that era came from the church, from a 2010 jazz wax interview.
“Elvis was God-given, there’s no other explanation. A Messiah comes around every few thousand years, and Elvis was it this time.”—Little Richard
I’m thinking of the music that Elvis and Louis Armstrong could have made:
‘I'm definitively going to make a record with him. You would be surprised what we could do together. You ask me if I think he is good. How many Cadillacs was it he bought? That boy's no fool...’
Louis Armstrong, interviewed by Memphis Press Scimitar, March 1, 1957 edition.
If you think that is far-fetched, take a listen to Louis Armstrong and Lil Hardin backing Jimmie Rogers in the 1930s. And take a listen to Elvis on the ‘King Creole’ soundtrack.
Elvis was about expressing your own innate genius, finding your interest and talent and honing it. Individuality. Becoming who you are. Authenticity. Those who see only the flash and the showbiz are not seeing at all. They are his appeal to communality, his reaching out to people. It’s part of his genuineness and not the fakeness that superficial critics take it to be.
Back in 1981/2 in my history A level class, Brother Victor started to ask us all who our favourites in the pop charts were at the time. I didn’t have any favourite in the charts at the time, and so mentioned the first popular band I could think of, which was ‘Adam and the Ants.’ This caused much sniggering and earned me the name of ‘Adam’ for a while. Brother Victor said it reminded him of the band from the sixties, ‘Herman’s Hermits.’ He then told a tale of the evening in the 1960s when Peter Noon of Herman heard the school choir and took time to offer praise and tribute, offering help on finding venues in the future.
The Elvis world connects Herman and Adam, ants and hermits too:
‘I think there was that part of the so-called punk idea that everything in the past was rubbish and all that mattered was punk. I was never really interested in the spitting and the safety pins or that nonsense. I liked the Sex Pistols, and that was about it. Adam and the Ants were very much outside of that anyway. So my liking of Elvis and rock and roll music that I’d grown up with was always in there; it was always something that was a big influence. Elvis’s death was tragic, I remember when he died, it was a very sad day in general, so it’s obviously a great loss to everybody. I never thought, Oh, he was something that didn’t matter, because he did. I have visited Graceland and you could see the man was overwhelmingly honest. He never professed any taste other than his own, that is, country boy made good. He never pretended to be anyone else.’
Adam Ant, leader of Adam and the Ants, a punk rock band, in an article published on September 5 2017, at the Tampa Bay Times
‘Another time we played with Herman's Hermits who were very popular. Frankly, we didn't rate them musically, but we were impressed when they told us about they having met with Elvis Presley, "Elvo" to us. And when they told Ian Anderson he sang like 'Elvo' he was very flattered and to this day the rest of the band and I always call Ian 'Elvo'!”
Barriemore Barlow, drummer for Jethro Tull in an interview with Nick Dent-Robinson, recalling their attending Elvis' August 11, 1969 show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas on the special invitation of UK record producer Terry Ellis and as published on 03/04/2014 at the Jethro Tull Forum.
As Nick Coleman stated, ‘In Elvis’s voice the ants will hear manifest destiny.’
Nick Coleman, reviewing Elvis' voice in his book "Voices: How a Great Singer Can Change Your Life," as published by The Guardian on January 14, 2018.
And if that sounds strange ….
‘He started drawing on my front all the way down to my navel, doodling as I spoke to him, in front of hundreds at his dressing room after his August 1970 opening show at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. Incredible sensation, he used a biro!!! That night back at my hotel, alone, I undressed and there they were, the doodlings. I did not wash until they wore off...’
Shirley Bassey, as told to talk host Graham Norton.
Elvis is erratic. I remember my dad trying to explain his tendencies to get things wrong. He wanted to say that he was erratic. What he actually said was that he was erotic. Elvis is the Maradona of the music world. He isn’t always as people of impeccable good taste say he should be or could be, but he reaches heights they can’t dream of and plummets depths they daren’t even fear:
‘They are two equivalent beasts even with their differences. Diego Maradona is Elvis Presley singing 'My Way' at his last concert at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. He embodies the deity, the absolute power, the sunset, the snowy peaks and the abyss. And Lionel Messi is Paul McCartney, the long-play list, the continuity and the health. To ask one of them to have what the other has doesn't look to be a proof of social intelligence but one of galloping dissatisfaction of a country that doesn't conform with having two of the three best footballers in history in less than 40 years.’
Argentinian novelist Juan José Becerra, in an article published in July of 2016 at El Clarin, his country's most prestigious newspaper.
‘Coming upon these tapes, unspooling them and watching them glide across an Ampex 440 reel-to-reel deck for the first time was the closest I’ll ever get to being a real life Indiana Jones. Beyond the staggering realization of what we had found, there was a musical element that also knocked our socks off: On these tapes Glen is singing pure rock and roll and with a sense of joy, passion and wild abandon that can only have come from knowing that his idol, the avatar Elvis Presley, would be an audience of one for these recordings.’
Stephen Auerbach, detailing for RollingStone what he felt after finding and playing tapes which had been lost of Glen Campbell doing demos for Elvis, as published on October 31, 2018.
I think she's going to become as big as Elvis Presley. He was, incidentally, the handsomest guy I ever met in my life, and a very nice person too.’
Tony Bennett, referring to singer, songwriter, and actress Lady Gaga in an article on Billboard published on August 17, 2011 and during an interview with the Guardian, on 17 October, 2013.
‘Winston Churchill would add wisdom, war stories and outrageous comments. As a dyslexic, and I love to learn from people with very different minds to my own, English mathematician and early computer developer, Ada Lovelace would be my second of six guests. Elvis Presley, one of the greatest entertainers of all time and an example of people with great talent, along with Nelson Mandela, would bring magic to the evening. Finally, the only person on my list whom I have already met is Princess Diana, the most delightful company, her presence at my dinner party spreading joy, laughter, and kindness around the room.’
UK Billionaire Richard Branson's ideal dinner party, albeit partial, list, as published in Real Clear Life's edition of September 30, 2016.
I’ll bet the hours will just fly that evening. I very much doubt Elvis would show, even if he found out that Nelson Mandela was a great fan. Glad I’m not there.
‘I'm sitting in the drive-through and I've got my three girls in the back and this station comes on and it's playing "Jailhouse Rock," the original version, and my girls are jumping up and down, going nuts. I'm looking around at them and they've heard Dad's music all the time and I don't see that out of them.’
Garth Brooks
‘He looked like a prince from another planet, narrow-eyed, with high Indian cheek bones and a smooth brown skin untouched by his 37 years. When Elvis started to work with the mike, his right hand flailing air, his left leg moving as though it had a life of its own, time stopped, and everyone in the place was 17 again. It was a lesson in dominance; we had just seen the comic who couldn’t control anybody, not even himself, and that had got us nervous; now Elvis made it all right again.
Elvis used the stage, he worked to the people. The ones in front, in the best seats, the ones in back, and up in the peanut galleries. He turned, he moved, and when a girl threw a handkerchief on the stage, he wiped his forehead with it and threw it back, a gift of sweat from an earthy god. Young girls moaned, and stood in their seats trying to dance, and one kid took a giant leap from a loge seat clear to the stage, only to be caught and taken away. A special champion comes along, a Joe Louis, a Jose Capablanca, a Joe DiMaggio, someone in whose hands the way a thing is done becomes more important than the thing itself. When DiMaggio hit a baseball, his grace made the act look easy and inevitable. Friday Night at Madison Square Garden, Elvis was like that. He stood there at the end, his arms stretched out, the great gold cloak giving him wings, a champion, the only one in his class.’
Chris Chase, critic for The New York Times, reviewing Elvis June 9 concert, the first of four back to back he performed there, and on Sunday, June 11, 1972
Eric Clapton recalls the time he met Elvis:
‘“Who the hell’s limousine is that?” That was Elvis Presley’s reaction to the sight of a long, black limo parked in front of the General Cinema in Memphis–one of Elvis’s favorite spots for personal midnight movie screenings. The limo happened to belong to me. In fact I had made a pilgrimage to meet him, at the special request of Jerry Schilling, one of Elvis’s entourage. “I think it’s probably Eric’s!” Schilling later told me how he answered Elvis question. Now, inside the theatre, the chance for a great summit meeting seemed to diminish when Elvis walked in and saw me and Pattie Harrison (George’s ex), sitting about 12th row center-right in Elvis’s seats. There was some tension, until Schilling made the introductions, and right away I made it really clear how much respect I had for him. Seeing that, he relaxed and turned into a charming host, and we fell into a really nice, friendly conversation.’
Eric Clapton in an article published in EC MUsic News, dated December 27, 2010.
Elvis is frequently dismissed by patronising middle-brow mediocrities and semi—clever fools as low-culture, the king of those without taste and culture. It’s pure snobbery on the part of those who are nowhere near as educated and tasteful as they think they are. They lack what it takes to join the ranks of those they see above them, so they take great delight in sneering at those below them. Elvis, of course, is a principal target, precisely because he occupies an exalted position way above where those who think they know better think he should be. In actual fact, Elvis is the favourite singer of some seriously intelligent folk, as well as opera singers and heads of state. As with everything, it is the middling mediocrities who are neither one thing nor the other who cause the problems. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Ronald C. Davidson, pioneer of fusion power and Professor Emeritus of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University, was a very keen Elvis fan. His son, who went by the same name, explains:
‘He loved all of the well-known performers, but the one that really brought him out of his shell was Elvis Presley.’
And then, of all people, there is neo-Darwinist biologist Richard Dawkins. Declaring Elvis to be his ‘great hero,’ Dawkins explains how his world was changed by Elvis:
‘After I'd seen through Christianity, I was still influenced by the elegance of the living world, what appeared to be intelligent design. And that was reinforced when I discovered that my great hero, Elvis Presley, had done a religious album, called ‘Peace in the Valley.’ Elvis was kind of a minor God to me and my companions, so when I discovered that he was religious, it felt like a call from heaven. This is Elvis, personally calling me.’
Richard Dawkins, as published on MPR news, on October 7, 2013.
Elvis could make even atheists believe in God. Dawkins remains fervently atheist to this day. He needs to play more Elvis. Although, in doing that, there is a danger that he will end up worshipping Elvis:
‘I went down to Vegas, had never met him, I was awed, amazing live performer, electric, and halfway through the show he introduced me and it was like, worshiping a God, and then that God says, hey stand up, take a bow, so I stood up and the audience started to cheer, and some telling me to get on the stage with him. Over the years, I thought of it, but I am glad I didn't, it wouldn't have been a good idea. He was warm, very generous to me and I think it was best left at that.
Neil Diamond in an interview with Andrew Denton on "Enough Rope"
‘Rock has always had religion. After all, it started as gospel music. Elvis Presley knew every gospel song ever made. I’m not an alarmist or nihilist, but the world gets more dangerous every day. I think our natural survival instinct makes us question where we stand with God even if some claim atheism.’
Alice Cooper, as published in the foreword to Mark Joseph’s book on Rock and Religion.
Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn, Stax and Booker T bassman, noted Elvis’ religious qualities:
‘Elvis wore a halo. Otis Redding did, too. You knew you were playing with a star when you played with them.’
Donald "Duck" Dunn, as noted in brainyquote
Bob Dylan experienced Elvis as a liberation and thanked him in tribute. He also noted the religious aspects to the Elvis phenomenon:
‘When I first heard Elvis's voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody and nobody was going to be my boss. He is the deity supreme of rock and roll religion as it exists in today's form. Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail. I think for a long time that freedom to me was Elvis singing 'Blue Moon of Kentucky.' I thank God for Elvis.’
Bob Dylan, US magazine, 24 August 1987
‘I liked Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley recorded a song of mine. That's the one recording I treasure the most ... it was called "Tomorrow Is a Long Time." I wrote it but never recorded it.’
Bob Dylan, Rolling Stone magazine interview November 29, 1969
‘And as a human being? As long as I live, I know I will never see anyone have such a profound effect on people. He could make anyone feel like he was the most important person in the world just by talking with him. He had charisma and charm that is just indescribable and he didn’t even have to sing. When Elvis entered a room, you could feel the energy of his presence tingle at your nerves because the power of his magnetism was that intense and Elvis was just as perplexed by this phenomenon as you or I. He was a humble man but keenly aware of his unique gifts and spent most of his life searching the spirituality, over and over throughout his life asking himself, Why me? Since his death I have asked myself the same question, “why me?” and why, of all the people Elvis met in the service, did he pay special attention to me? In fact, why was I even in the Army? Did destiny lead me into the Army for the sole purpose of meeting Elvis Presley? Why was I selected to become “right hand man to the most celebrated entertainer in history, and to be chosen by Elvis Presley as a best man at his wedding?’
Joe Esposito, right hand man to Elvis from 1960 until Elvis' death in 1977
‘I ask him what it’s like to know that he’s now part of a franchise that will outlive him. It’s an impossible question for him to answer, and when he does it, he endears himself to me forever by quoting Lester Bangs’s 1977 obituary for Elvis Presley, which doubled as a eulogy for the community bred by shared reverence. “At the end of it, Bangs is like, ‘We’re not gonna ever have this again, so instead of saying goodbye to Elvis, I’ll say goodbye to you.’”
About Alden Ehrenreich, lead actor in "Solo: A Star Wars Story", which focuses on the character's early years, in an interview for Esquire's April 24, 2018 edition.