(Aug.8-11,2002) (On Pink BG Color) Written in Japanese (Compiled by Haruo Hirose)

(Aug.11, 2002)

Members of the Memphis Harley Owners Group (HOG) line up at twilight during the Elvis Presley 25th Anniversary Celebration of Life Parade Saturday night on Beale Street.

All the King's Men and Women Elvis Week kick-starts with a rockin' parade By Donnie Snow, The Commercial Appeal For 25 years fans have been making their pilgrimage to Memphis to salute the King of Rock and Roll. But Friday night on Beale Street, many of the King's men and women came out to salute the fans. For anyone living under a rock the past few days, Elvis week, which locals morbidly call "Death Week," officially began with Saturday's fan-appreciation "Elvis Presley 25th Anniversary Celebration of Life Parade." "I wouldn't miss this for the world," said Robert Washington, who came from Auburn, Maine, for the anniversary. "The 25th, man, this is something." Jack Soden, president and CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, officially approved the parade/street party that ran from west of Danny Thomas Boulevard down Beale past Fourth to Second. In an unofficial count, Memphis police estimated 5,000 to 8,000 witnessed the nine Elvis-themed floats, including a Lilo and Stitch number with hula dancers, and an inflated basketball shoe from the Memphis Grizzlies, and others. Also in the parade were more than 20 hound dogs, members of the Memphis Harley Owners Group (HOG), lots of vintage cars and local and state officials, all parading by a bleacher full of Memphis royalty, including Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. The parade, organized by Pat Kerr Tigrettcq, an internationally-known fashion designer and Memphis supporter, started slowly because of a snafu that had many of the parade participants lined up out of order. The crowds walking up and down Beale during the parade moved easily, and for the most part quietly, except for when the HOG members cruised by, cranking their bikes' engines to fans' delight. Also making noise was a small group of people gathered near the west end of the parade route in front of a projection screen that flashed TV outtakes and video footage of Elvis from throughout his career, along with plenty of pop-culture references from the likes of George Herbert Walker Bushcq and Al Gorecq. Elvis sightings might have decreased in the last few years, but Friday night easily made up for any drought as Elvises from all eras mingled among the mass of people lining the parade route. One of the Elvis dignitaries enjoying the festivities was South Bend, Ind.'s Irv Cass, the 1999 winner of the Images of Elvis (now known as Images of the King.), the Super Bowl of Elvis impersonator contests. "You meet so many nice people at these things," Cass said, who performs throughout this year's Images contest. "I think Elvis would have been ecstatic about this (parade). "A lot of people think that Elvis fans are freaks, but for the most part, they're just regular, ordinary, middle-class good people, just like Elvis." Sharon Stemple came all the way from Kent, England, for the celebration. "I love this," Stemple said. "I came for the anniversary. I'm having a great time so far." Fireworks capped the parade, shooting from the rooftops of Beale nightclubs, the colors blending with the clubs' neon signs. The candlelight vigil will be Thursday night into Friday morning, the 25th year since Elvis died.

(Aug.11, 2002)

Birthplace welcomes residents of 'Elvis World' to home of 'The King' The statue of young Elvis Presley is dedicated to admirers from around the globe. BY M. SCOTT MORRIS ( Daily Journal) Elvis Presley's medley of "Dixie" and "Battle Hymn of the Republic" played over loudspeakers as 15 busloads of international fans arrived at his birthplace Friday. "We are proud of Elvis. We are proud of his accomplishments. We are proud of his legacy. We are proud that Tupelo is his home," Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation Chairman Henry Dodge said. "We are proud that you, the fans, are here to celebrate Fan Appreciation Day with us." In honor of Elvis admirers from around the globe, the statue of "Elvis at 13" that was installed at the birthplace in January was formerly dedicated to the King of Rock 'n' Roll's worldwide fans. "It's beautiful. They did a great job on the statue," said Tony Machin of Cornwall, United Kingdom, who had a picture of Elvis' face tattooed on his right leg in "19-it's-been-so-long-ago-I-can't-remember." Machin and his wife, Diane, have been planning this Elvis-inspired trip across the Atlantic for four years. "It's our 40th wedding anniversary trip," Diane said. "Can you believe that?" Full day In addition to the dedication ceremony, fans were treated to rockabilly music by Sonny Burgess and The Tupelo Connection as well as gospel music from The Landmarks. Bill Burk signed copies of his book, "Early Elvis: The Tupelo Years," and childhood friends of Elvis - Becky Martin, Guy Harris and James Ausborn - shared stories of the boy who would be king. Tupelo Mayor Larry Otis even addressed the crowd wearing an Elvis tie, while former Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation executive director Janelle McComb celebrated the universal friendliness of Elvis fans around the world. But perhaps the most important fan perk of the day was free bottled water on a day when temperatures soared into the 90s. Ivan and Jacqueline Horlock of Suffolk, England, had planned for the trip too long to let a little Mississippi heat get them down. "I've been waiting 20 years to come here. When the children were growing up, we couldn't do it," Jacqueline Horlock said. "Now, it's our turn." Continued interest Keith Harris, a resident of Suffolk, England, who's been arranging Arena Travel tours from across the Atlantic Ocean for approximately 30 years, was honored by the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation for providing a steady flow of fans to the birthplace over the years. Of course, Fan Appreciation Day wasn't limited to people with passports. Brian Fontenot, 7, of Mermentau, La., drove up with his grandmother, Sherelyn Solano. "I'm an Elvis fan, but I'm not a big fan," Brian said. His grandmother added, "His mother is going to have a big fit because he came and she didn't." Linda Butler, executive director of the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau, said her office had been inundated with media requests concerning the day's events. "We've had contact from the Washington Post, USA Today, Time magazine and I could go on and on," she said. "People really want to know what's going on in Tupelo.

(Aug.11, 2002)

Elvis Fans Gather in Memphis for 25th Anniversary MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Reuters) - Sporting blue suede shoes and pompadour wigs, thousands of Elvis Presley fans will shake rattle and roll their way to Presley's famed Graceland mansion this week, still captivated by burning love of the rock and roll king on the 25th anniversary of his death. Beginning Thursday and stretching into the early morning hours of Aug. 16, the date in 1977 Presley died of a drug-induced heart attack at age 42, fans bearing candles and tributes will file past his grave in the garden of his white-columned home on the outskirts of Memphis. Organizers of "Elvis Week," which kicked off on Saturday in this river town along the muddy Mississippi, said they expected between 50,000 to 75,000 devotees to show up from around the world. The Mississippi-born Presley's fame only seems to grow with each passing year, illustrated by the June release of a remix of Presley's little-known song "A Little Less Conversation." The song, punched up with a techno beat by a Dutch disc jockey, is a No. 1 single in much of Europe, giving Presley 18 lifetime No. 1 hits in the United Kingdom and edging him ahead of the Beatles on that score. REBEL MUSIC While fans of Elvis span generations, many of those expected to attend the anniversary events grew up in the staid, post-war 1950s, organizers said. The hip-swiveling Elvis, the sole surviving twin of struggling parents, personified the soulful rebel when he burst on the music scene in 1956 with a youthful blend of country and rhythm and blues, which became recognized as rock and roll. "Elvis' music was, in its time, revolutionary and a lot of people got caught up in that controversy and invested a piece of their lives in defense of Elvis. They just feel he's a part of them," said John Bakke, a communications professor at the University of Memphis and organizer of a seminar to weigh Presley's significance. "He was perceived as someone who represented freedom and diversity, versus the conformity and drive for security that was so much a part of the Depression and post-war eras," Bakke said. Elvis' gyrating presence will be seen and felt around Memphis over nine days, beginning with a parade down club-lined Beale Street, videos of his performances, renditions of his music by impersonators, and reminiscences by his friends. Ex-wife Priscilla Presley and daughter Lisa Marie were expected to attend a Friday night concert at the Pyramid venue. Sun Studio, where Presley recorded his first songs as a teen-ager, will hold a "block party" in the street. An Elvis-themed fashion show is planned and area clubs, restaurants and hotels will hold dinners and dances. At Alfred's, a club on Beale Street, sometime disc jockey and Presley friend George Klein are scheduled to hold forth with other members of the "Elvis Mafia" who hung out with the man dubbed "The King" of rock and roll. "I've been working here nine years and we're expecting the largest year ever," said Jay Uiberall, Alfred's general manager. "Elvis had such a big impact on the music industry and people's lives, people just flock here." "His career is at an all-time high," said Todd Morgan of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., which licenses his image to merchandisers of anything from T-shirts to a furniture line. "We always want to present Elvis in a positive light," he said. "We try to keep his work in front of new audiences." Elvis' enduring popularity is revealed in the 600,000 people who trouped through Graceland in 2001, steady sales of repackaged versions of his albums, and a compilation album entitled "ELV1S 30 #1 Hits" that is set to hit stores in September. Of course, Presley also lives on as the butt of jokes, in parodies and in suspicious sightings of him. His image in his last years was as a toiling, overweight performer addicted to drugs.

(Aug.11, 2002)

Long-Canceled Elvis Show to Be Held PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Twenty-five years ago this month, the Cumberland County Civic Center was sold out for back-to-back performances by the king of rock 'n' roll. But Elvis Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977, and more than 17,000 heartbroken fans were left holding tickets to the Aug. 17 and Aug. 18 concerts. In observance of the 25th anniversary of Presley's death, the Civic Center will present a two-hour musical tribute, "The Concert That Never Happened," on Aug. 17, featuring Elvis impersonator Jack Smink. "I couldn't be any happier," said Dot Gonyea, president and a founding member of the True Fans for Elvis Fan Club, who encouraged Smink to put on the show. The 59-year-old South Portland woman had waited in line for two days to get tickets for Presley's 1977 appearance and came away with front-row center seats. She was at home, listening to a Presley album, when a neighbor told her that he had died. "I didn't believe it until I turned on the television," she recalled. "I was just lost in his music. And I still get lost in his music 25 years later." The Florida-based Smink, who refers to himself as a tribute artist, wants his Aug. 17 show to duplicate as closely as possible the one Presley would have presented, from the song list to the elaborately embroidered costume. "I ordered a brand-new dlrs 4,200 jumpsuit from the same company that made it for Elvis. It's called a Sundial," he said. "It's an exact duplicate of the one he would have worn." The master of ceremonies for the show will be Dick Grob, who was Elvis' chief of security.

(Aug.10, 2002)

Opening parade thanks fans very much By Michael Donahue, The Commercial Appeal "Elvis was one of a kind. His fans are one of a kind. And this parade is going to be one of a kind." And so Jack Soden, president and CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, put his seal of approval on the "Elvis Presley 25th Anniversary Celebration of Life Parade" that begins traveling down Beale Street at 7:30 tonight. The blockbuster parade featuring nine floats with Elvis themes along with jeeps, howitzers, machineguns, fireworks, hound dogs, hula dancers, motorcycles and vintage cars aims to get paradegoers all shook up. The parade will form just west of Danny Thomas Boulevard and move west along Beale past Fourth to Second, where it will turn south, then turn into a street party with outdoor entertainment in Handy Park and the clubs. Soden said he approached Pat Kerr Tigrett, an internationally known fashion designer and Memphis supporter, with the parade idea. "I went to her and basically said, 'The fans have been coming here for 25 years spending what ultimately had to have become billions of dollars, and we need to welcome them and thank them. The city of Memphis needs to thank the fans. All over the world they talk about Memphis. They brag about Memphis. They return here like the swallows to Capistrano. And it was high time and a good time, the 25th anniversary, for the community as a whole to say thank you.' " He also told Tigrett, "We want to make it great. Nobody can stir up a party like you can. And will you help?" "Of course, Pat Tigrett is such a booster of this community," Soden said. "She's got to be the head cheerleader. Pat caught the fever and is helping us just out of the goodness of her heart. Once Pat cuts loose, you just try to stay out of her way and keep up." Even though she's getting ready for the Blues Ball, which will be Sept. 28 at the Cannon Performing Arts Center now under construction, Tigrett said she would help with the parade. "Jack's a great friend," said Tigrett, general chairman of the parade. "I've worked with him and his marvelous staff on many things throughout the years. I knew Elvis. I know Priscilla and Lisa Marie. I have great respect for Elvis Presley Enterprises, the way they've handled his bigger-than-life world." But when Soden said "parade," Tigrett thought, "Floats, tiaras and white gloves. Not my idea of a big event." So, she said to Soden, "Why don't we do segments of his life? Elvis was so powerful. And let's do the Army. I'll call the Pentagon." "I want it to be patriotic," Tigrett said. "America needs this. I really want an Army presence. Almost two years of Elvis's life (in the Army) was among his most life changing. He met Priscilla and lost his mother during that period." A different Elvis song will play on each float, which will have its own sound system, Tigrett said. The "That's All Right Mama" float will feature Sun Records founder Sam Phillips. "It's the lead float because it's carrying the one and only Sam Phillips," Tigrett said. "Sam is too cute. He is so eccentric. He represents the music industry at its best." Tigrett had already completed plans for his float when Phillips called and told her his idea for the float. "He said, 'I want to be on a rocket, and I want the signage to say, 'Elvis Universal Launching by Sun Studios.' " Phillips got his wish. The float will commemorate the universal launch of Elvis by Sun Studio, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and its first hit record, Elvis's That's All Right (Mama). "He is responsible for us celebrating Elvis. He is responsible for us celebrating Memphis music." The Sun float will be followed by Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist, the parade grand marshal, his wife, Martha, and Soden in an automobile. Other floats include the "Jailhouse Rock" float featuring "a jail with girls dancing on the float behind bars"; the "I Just Wanna be your Grizzly (the 'Teddy' will be marked out) Bear" float honoring the Memphis Grizzlies and featuring the Grizzlies Dance Team dancing to Teddy Bear, and a 23-foot inflatable Grizzly basketball player; the "Baby Let's Play House" float adorned with a pink Cadillac made of balloons and sponsored by the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau; and Gibson Guitar's "Guitar Man" guitar-shaped float. An air show that begins the parade will include planes flying in the "missing man" formation with red, blue and white flares. The finale will be a massive fireworks display featuring pyrotechnics on the tops of the buildings on Beale Street. This isn't the first parade Tigrett has planned; she organized a "Parade of Beauties" about 20 years ago during Cotton Carnival, the forerunner to Carnival Memphis. Tigrett said at least 100 people are helping her with the Elvis parade. Soden can't say at this point whether the Elvis parade will become an annual tradition. "Some things are one of a kind, and some things are meant to be annual events," he said. "Certainly, the simple concept of beginning the week with a welcoming party is appropriate. What's being born is an annual welcome."

(Aug.10, 2002)

Channel 5 digs into vault for Elvis lore By Tom Walter, The Commercial Appeal In TV, nothing succeeds like excess. What better symbol of excess is there than Elvis? In this, the 25th year of our grief, TV - like the rest of us - is paying special attention to the man, the myth and the legend. Here are a select few Elvis-related TV events coming up in the next week or so: WMC-TV Channel 5 is pre-empting prime time 8-10 Thursday for the locally produced Elvis: The Legend Lives. It will dig into the station's archives as well as look at the continuing interest in Elvis. (The station is pre-empting an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.) E! hostess Brooke Burke takes Rank: Everything Elvis to Las Vegas, as she lists the 25 reasons we love Elvis, including Saturday Night Live's "Tiny Elvis" sketch, his after-death sightings and, of course, peanut butter and banana sandwiches. It premieres at 9 p.m. Monday and repeats at 4:30 p.m. Friday. That repeat is part of a 5-hour Elvis-related afternoon on Friday. Also airing are E! True Hollywood Story episodes "Elvis in Hollywood" at 12:30 p.m. and "The Last Days of Elvis" at 2:30 p.m., followed by Rank and an Elvis edition of E! News Live at 5:30 p.m. Elvis made 33 movies, and a bunch of them air next week, primarily on the Turner networks. Turner Classic Movies will air 10 Elvis movies and an Elvis concert film Friday and Saturday. Among the offerings from his oeuvre are Elvis: That's the Way It Is at 7 p.m. and Jailhouse Rock at 9 p.m. on Friday. Turner South is airing four Elvis movies on Aug. 18, beginning with Viva Las Vegas at 9 a.m. After the movies, at 6 p.m., Southern Living Presents features a wedding at an Elvis-themed chapel and a profile of Graceland. Turner owns most of the Elvis movies, but not all of them. For reasons no one quite remembers, NBC has the rights to Loving You, Elvis's second movie. It will air digitally remastered and in HDTV at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 17. Also, NBC stars will talk about Elvis and just might mention their shows in passing, don't you know. The Travel Channel will film 30-second segments of Memphis early next week that will air Wednesday through Aug. 18. The channel will air Elvis Presley's Memphis at 6 p.m. Friday. On the news (and news-like) front, Good Morning America (WPTY-TV Channel 24) will air beginning Monday a weeklong tribute to Elvis. Peter Guralnick, author of a two-volume biography of Presley, joins GMA for the coverage, which includes live broadcasts from Graceland and Beale Street, and coverage of the Candlelight Vigil on Thursday. (If you want to get your mug on TV, head to Beale between 6 and 8 a.m. Thursday.) Today is covering events all week long. On Wednesday, Katie Couric will anchor from Graceland. Today's Wednesday edition also will feature an interview with Priscilla Presley. CBS This Morning is sending correspondent Tracy Smith to report live from Graceland Thursday and Friday. CBS News Sunday Morning's resident humorist, Bill Geist, has prepared a report, "Who's More Famous Than Elvis?" which is scheduled to air Sunday. The all-news networks will have people in Memphis for coverage of events, if not for the week, then Thursday and Friday. In addition, Robert Gordon, author of The Elvis Treasures, will appear on Connie Chung Tonight on Thursday. Linda Thompson, a Presley girlfriend from the 1970s, will guest Friday on Larry King Live.

(Aug.10, 2002)

British radio to interview local residents who knew Elvis A former backup singer will be among those who will be heard in Scotland, Wales and England. BY JANE CLARK SUMMERS ( Daily Journal) Fans of Elvis Presley in Wales, Scotland and England will learn more about the Mississippi native Sunday and Monday after listening to pre-recorded interviews with area residents who knew the King. Linda Elliff with the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau, said three personalities from Real Radio FM will conduct the interviews Sunday at the chapel at The Birthplace and Monday at Tupelo Hardware. The interviews will be included in live broadcasts from Tupelo scheduled for 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. both days, Elliff said. Backup singer in lineup Mary Elizabeth Lee of Corinth, a former backup singer for Elvis, is one of those who will be interviewed. Lee, whose stage name was Jeanie Greene, sang backup for Presley at Chips Moman's American Studios in Memphis. She is also on some recordings as Jeanie Fortune under vocal credits on recordings at the American Studio, RCA and Stax studios. Although she did not sing backup for Elvis at Sun Records, as reported earlier this week by the Daily Journal, she is listed as a backup vocalist for numerous other major recording artists at that famous Memphis recording studio. During the late 60s and early 70s, American Studios was considered one of the top recording studios in the world. During an 18-month period in 1968-1969, Moman's production company had 118 hit singles in America and at times more than 20 Billboard hit singles during a week's period. It was during this time that Moman produced "The Elvis Sessions" that culminated with the "From Elvis in Memphis" album, including the hits "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto." Jeanie Greene and her group sang backup on both of these hits, which became not only some of Elvis' biggest selling songs, but some of the biggest selling songs of all time. Jeanie Greene did not achieve great fame with Elvis because he used The Sweet Inspirations as backup when he sang live on stage. Jeanie and her group only recorded in studio sessions.

(Aug.9, 2002)

Welcome to Elvis's Memphis; memories replay in old haunts By Michael Donahue, The Commercial Appeal Those who love Elvis tender don't have to spend the silver anniversary of his death crying in a chapel. Memphis is offering a variety of events to honor the King. The parade The "Elvis Presley 25th Anniversary Celebration of Life Parade" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Beale Street is slated to feature an air show, a band, Army howitzers, tanks, characters from Disney's Lilo & Stitch movie (Elvis songs were included in the film), hula dancers, motorcycles, vintage sports cars and fireworks. It's like several Elvis movies all rolled into one big happening. The parade will form just west of Danny Thomas Boulevard and move west along Beale past Fourth to Second, where it will turn south, and then turn into a street party with outdoor entertainment in Handy Park and the clubs. The vigil Probably the major event of the week will be the Candlelight Vigil & Vigilcast Thursday night at Graceland. This is the night to see and be seen during Elvis "death week." Fans and nonfans gather on Elvis Presley Boulevard. The fans come to honor the memory of Elvis and the nonfans come to stare at the fans. Since this is the 25th anniversary of the performer's death, a huge throng is expected. Although people will be gathering throughout the day and evening in the vicinity of Graceland, the Candlelight Vigil & Vigilcast officially will begin at 9 p.m. with a brief opening ceremony at the gates of the Graceland mansion. Fans carrying candles can walk up the driveway to Elvis's gravesite and back down. There will be no admission charge. Gates will remain open until everyone has participated in the procession. A portion of the evening will be carried live beginning at 9 p.m. on AOL Broadband, but can be downloaded after midnight from the Graceland Web site, Elvis.com. The concert Another must during Elvis Week is "The 25th Anniversary Concert" at 8 p.m. Aug. 16 at The Pyramid. Concertgoers can experience an Elvis concert with musicians performing live as Elvis sings on video. The large cast will include singers and musicians who worked with Elvis on stage through the years. Performers slated to appear include the Jordanaires, D. J. Fontana, Sweet Inspirations and former members of J. D. Sumner & The Stamps. Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley will attend the concert and will greet fans from the stage. Some tickets may still be available. Tickets are $75, $50 and $20 plus Ticketmaster and venue service fees; children up to 12 months admitted free. Parking at The Pyramid is $10. Ticket proceeds above event production costs benefit the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation. The tour In addition to the must-see events, fans can take time to visit the must-see Elvis landmarks. Sun Studio at 706 Union offers daily tours every hour at the bottom of the hour beginning at 10:30 a.m. and continuing until the last tour of the day at 5:30 p.m. Sun is where Elvis was discovered after making a recording of My Happiness for his mother. He went on to record many hits, some with the familiar echoey vocal effects, at Sun with producer Sam Phillips. Cost of the tour is free for Memphis residents; $7.85 plus tax for out-of-towners. Call 521-0664 Fans can drive by the home at 1034 Audubon Drive that Elvis bought when he began making the big money. The house now is a private residence owned by Mike Freeman and Cindy Hazen and usually is not open to the public. But for $35 between noon and 3 p.m. Thursday, fans can attend the Audubon Drive Pool Party and actually swim in Elvis's pool. Also included is a tour of the home, Tyke Harrison's Tomcat DJ Show and an exhibit of Elvis artist Betty Harper's artwork. The event is sponsored by D & N's Elvis Presley Fan Club. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Call (713) 782-1122 or E-mail: elvis junky@aol.com. Graceland, the mansion at 3764 Elvis Presley Blvd. that Elvis bought when he began making even bigger bucks, is open for tours. The home with the 1960s and '70s decor includes the famously flamboyant Jungle Room, which Elvis supposedly furnished himself. Reservations are encouraged for preferred day and time of the mansion tour. Tickets to tour the Elvis Presley Automobile Museum, Elvis's airplanes and the Sincerely Elvis Museum, all located in the Graceland vicinity, are not on a timed/reserved basis like the mansion tours, but visitors can save money by purchasing tickets for these attractions in the all-inclusive Platinum Tour package. Elvis's gravesite is free daily 7 to 8:30 a.m., then becomes part of the mansion tour. The ticket office is open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. seven days a week. Attractions are open until visits are completed. Mansion is $16.25, $14.63 for seniors (62 and older); $6.25 to ages 7-12; free to 6 and younger. Platinum Tour tickets are $25.25; $22.73 senior citizens; $12.25 children (age 7-12); free to 6-younger. School/group (15+) discounts are available. Call 332-3322. Playhouse on the Square at 51 S. Cooper is another stop on Elvis Memory Lane. This building used to house the old Memphian movie theater. Elvis would rent the theater to show films to his friends. He also used to rent Libertyland at 940 Early Maxwell Blvd. Fans are invited to ride the rides, including Elvis's favorite, the Zippin Pippin, at Libertyland 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday. Elvis Presley Enterprises rented the park. Cost is $20 per person. Humes High School, where Elvis the rebel graduated in 1953, is now Humes Junior High School. It's at 659 N. Manassas. The Overton Park Shell, an outdoor stage in Overton Park, is where Elvis made his first appearance before a concert audience on July 30, 1954. He also appeared at the Shell on other occasions. The Third Annual Help Save the Shell concert show will be at the Shell 7-10 p.m. Wednesday. The concert, sponsored by Elvis Family of Fans Club, will feature Jamie Aaron Kelley. Admission is $10. Elvis studied karate under Master Kang Rhee between 1970 and 1974 at Kang Rhee Institute of Self Defense at 1911 Poplar. The school since moved and now is at 706 N. Germantown Parkway, Suite 70. The old location is now - appropriately enough - the Hi Tone, a music club at 1913 Poplar. Fans are welcome to visit Rhee at his new location. Elvis bought hip, crazy clothes at Lansky Brothers at 126 Beale, now the site of Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant and club. The shop now is at The Peabody at 149 Union, and owner Bernard Lansky, who personally waited on Elvis - and has photographic proof - is still on the job and glad to meet fans. He's known as the "Clothier to the King."

(Aug.9, 2002)

'Elvis Who?' Duo wrote songs that made his name known By Christopher Blank, The Commercial Appeal In a way, Mike Stoller's biggest splash was in July 1956 after the luxury cruise ship he was aboard - the Andrea Doria - sank in the Atlantic. He had just finished touring Europe. A young songwriter on a winning streak, Stoller had a couple of rhythm and blues hits, made some money and was feeling like the king of the world. And then two luxury cruisers had a chance encounter on a dark night. Pop culture would have suffered a titanic loss had Stoller gone down with the ship. But he made it to New York on a rescue freighter. His lifelong songwriting partner Jerry Leiber was pacing the dock, not so much worried as ecstatic. "'Hey, we got a smash hit!'" Stoller recounts his buddy saying. "I said, 'You're kidding, which one?'" "Hound Dog," Leiber answered. "'Big Mama Thornton?'" Stoller asked. Her version had already topped the R&B charts three years earlier. "No, some white kid named Elvis Presley." Stoller was stumped. "Elvis who?" Ten years ago, Stoller paid his first visit to Memphis. He got the key to the city. He fell in love with barbecue from the Cozy Corner. And he toured Graceland. Neither Leiber nor Stoller, both 69, ever thought Elvis Presley would become one of the most memorable chapters in their shared biography. For all the hits they've written for artists such as The Coasters, Ben E. King, the Shangri-Las, and countless others who've covered their songs, the duo's association with the King of Rock and Roll has stuck like their catchiest of tunes. Some might even raise eyebrows at how little Elvis figures into the hit cabaret musical Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, which became the duo's ultimate compendium in the mid-'90s. Opening tonight, a Playhouse on the Square production comes at the onset of Elvis mania. The interracial cast of nine, with no Elvis impersonators in sight, emphasizes the lesser-known chart-topping artists of the '50s and '60s. It pays homage to the artists the pair had in mind when they wrote the music. "We never planned to write rock and roll," Stoller said from his office in California. "We just wanted to write good rhythm and blues. Because in effect when we started writing songs we were writing almost exclusively for black artists." Stoller grew up in New York City, listening to Jimmy Witherspoon and Willie 'Smokie' Hogg. He was also a die-hard jazz fan. At 14, he'd hang out in bars on 52nd Street and bounce to Charlie Parker's bebop "With my school books under my arm I'd stand at the bar and in my deepest voice say, 'I'll have a beer,' " he said. Stoller moved to the West Coast and met Leiber working in a record store. They both had the same musical tastes. They also had interests different enough to make a perfect match. "Jerry wanted to be a songwriter. I wanted to be a jazz musician," Stoller said. And with the former writing lyrics and the latter crafting tunes on the piano, the two struck out at age 17 into the world of professional songwriting. Thornton's Hound Dog stayed at number one on the R&B charts for an astounding seven weeks. Encouraged by success, they formed the Spark record label, where the group The Robins had hits like Smokey Joe's Cafe and Riot in Cell Block 9. While Elvis's Hound Dog made the songwriters stars (his version still holds the record at 11 weeks on the top of the pop charts), Leiber and Stoller still focused on the R&B sound they loved. "I really didn't like his record when I first heard it," Stoller said. "It didn't really have the groove and the original intent of the piece the way we did with Big Mama. But I thought he had a good voice." Nearly all the hit songs by the doo-wop/R&B straddling Coasters were by the witty songwriters. Yakety Yak and Charlie Brown were among the first songs to make rock and roll funny as well as fun. Later, the Drifters and Ben E. King would benefit from Leiber and Stoller's artistry with Save the Last Dance for Me, On Broadway, Up On the Roof, Stand By Me and Spanish Harlem. "In 1959 we wrote six songs and had seven hits," Stoller said of their output. "Jerry and I would meet and have a writing session for three or four hours. Then he would go home and call me and say 'Hey, I just wrote another song.' They were mostly not very good, but we were really productive. It's not how many you write, it's the ones that stick." Meanwhile, Elvis's music publishers were looking for new songs as well. Having heard about Leiber and Stoller's reputation as producers as well as songwriters, Elvis brought the two in the studio for several recordings. "He was very polite and joking around in the studio," Stoller remembers. "He felt very much at home there." The songwriters also produced the records for the Elvis films Jailhouse Rock, King Creole. Stoller even got a cameo in Jailhouse Rock. "I'm the piano player," he said. "They made sure I didn't have any lines." Association with Elvis never meant as much to the duo as their associations with great R&B performers, however. When the show Smokey Joe's Cafe was in rehearsals in New York, the two went to see how the cast was doing. "One of the fellows who covers the Coasters parts in the show was very surprised to find that we weren't black," Stoller said. "We considered it an honor. That's the kind of music we aspired to write. All we hoped for was authenticity." Smokey Joe's Cafe is at Playhouse on the Square through Sept. 15. Tickets are $12-$28. Call 726-4656.

(Aug.8, 2002)

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(Aug.8, 2002)

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(Aug.8, 2002)

New Generation Keeps Elvis Alive By JIM PATTERSON, Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The reigning king of rock 'n' roll or an easy punchline? Twenty-five years after his death, Elvis Presley continues to be an enormous pop culture presence - both as a beloved musician and an easy laugh. White jumpsuits, big ol' sideburns and "Thankyouverymuch" make easy marks. Presley, once the symbol of beautiful, rebellious youth, didn't help himself much near the end. There's the specter of the pill-popping superstar crooning "My Way," or falling off the commode and dying at 42. But Presley's role in ushering in a cultural revolution also reverberates. Many performers credit him as an inspiration. His worldwide album sales are estimated to top 1 billion, and his music is reaching new generations. As for the old fans, tens of thousands are expected to file into Graceland, Presley's home-turned-tourist-attraction in Memphis, to mark the 25th anniversary of his death on Aug. 16. For them, he's no joke. "Why are media people surprised every time they see this?" says Dave Marsh, a music critic and Presley biographer. "Forty-seven years after 'Heartbreak Hotel,' and they still don't get it, or still think it's going to go away." In some ways, not much has changed since the 1950s, when Elvis ? the first white artist to successfully take the style and sound of black rhythm and blues to the mainstream ? had to fight for respect from critics who derided him as a white-trash aberration. "There are people in places that count in the world, and people in places that don't," says Marsh. "He is the son of the people who don't count, and their shining star. That's what makes him unique and what people still respond to." Country singer Dolly Parton says Presley is comparable to a deity where she grew up, in the hills of East Tennessee. "I don't think he will ever die down," Parton said. "He's considered by many to be like a religious figure, like Jesus. ... I don't know how to explain it, but it's there, and it's real, and people love it." In the broader culture, references to Presley are everywhere, from the Pennsylvania State Lottery, which uses his image to sell a $2 instant game, to the white jumpsuit worn by Britney Spears for her pay-per-view special from Las Vegas. Elvis impersonators appear in Hollywood movies from "Honeymoon in Vegas" to "3000 Miles to Graceland." "Elvis has left the building" remains a catchphrase, and posthumous Elvis sightings an urban legend. Echoes of Elvis' charismatic performance style are alive in old-school rock stars such as Bruce Springsteen and country singers Wynonna Judd and Tanya Tucker. Rapper Eminem, in his new song "Without Me," says his fans are embarrassed that their parents like Presley. Then he gives Presley some backhanded respect with this comparison: "Though I'm not the first king of controversy/I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley/To do Black Music so selfishly/And to use it to get myself wealthy." The accusation of cultural theft has also been raised by some black artists. Marsh defends Presley, however, as unusually honest about his music's origins, compared to other white singers of the time. "(Elvis) told people where it came from, without shame or hesitation. ... He was a race mixer, which is why a lot of people didn't like him." The Presley estate - owned by Elvis' daughter, Lisa Marie Presley - is trying to protect and promote his legacy by focusing on the music. In life, his career was managed by Col. Tom Parker, who wasted Presley in dozens of well-paying bad movies such as "Fun in Acapulco" and "Clambake." For many younger listeners, those movies and their parents' oldies radio stations are perhaps their only exposure to Presley. "I've seen the movies on TV once in a while," said Tiffany Sebring, 14, of Nashville. "They're bad, but he's kind of cute. But that was a long time ago." In the past few months alone, the estate has tried to reach new listeners with repackaged Presley music: _ RCA has issued a four-CD box set of unreleased material, and will release a hits package this fall modeled on last year's successful "The Beatles 1" compilation. _ A remix by Dutch artist DJ Junkie XL of Presley's minor 1968 hit "A Little Less Conversation" is rising on the American singles charts after rocketing to No. 1 in Britain. _ The Disney children's movie "Lilo & Stitch" features Elvis music, and publishers will produce three books about him this year. "In some ways, the kitsch he's been associated with for so long is starting to be canceled out through the remastered CDs, and people are focusing on the music, which is great," said Will Clemens, an English professor at the University of Cincinnati who edited a poetry collection last year that focused on Presley, "All Shook Up!" "He's been someone that people chuckle about for various reasons, but I buy more into the image of him as a master at taking a song to new levels." It is easy to forget how staid and homogeneous mainstream pop culture was when Presley broke on the scene in 1956 with "Heartbreak Hotel." Popular music at that point was mainly the purview of adult crooners such as Frank Sinatra and Patti Page. That year alone, Presley also released versions of such hits as "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog," "Don't Be Cruel" and "Love Me Tender." After one hip-swiveling appearance on "The Milton Berle Show," a critic for the New York Daily News wrote that popular music "has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley." Elvis was rebelling against "a hidebound conformity that defined not just the musical roles but, far more important, racial, social and class limitations," writes Presley biographer Peter Guralnick in "Elvis, Then & Now," a magazine published to commemorate the 25th anniversary. Presley did not really become a caricature of himself until his final couple of years. He scored 18 No. 1 pop hits from 1956 to 1969, and strong records into the '70s included "Suspicious Minds" (1969), "The Wonder of You" (1970) and "Burnin' Love" (1972). In 1973, his "Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite" concert was the first to be broadcast live worldwide. But in that "jumpsuit era," which included some electrifying concerts, Presley was clearly distanced from the main currents of rock 'n' roll, which were seized by groups such as The Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the 1960s. Rocker David Bowie, when asked about Elvis recently, allowed that he was an "incredibly compelling stage performer," but Bowie said he wasn't a fan. "There was so little of it that was actually good," he said. "Those first two or three years, and then he lost me completely." Others give Presley far more credit. Jeff Tweedy, leader of the rock band Wilco, calls him "a shining beacon." "Whatever his intentions were, what the world got out of it was, 'I don't have to put up with this. I can do things differently.'"

(Aug.8, 2002)

Elvis activities in Memphis don't deter Tupelo's plans By The Associated Press, August 8, 2002 TUPELO - With tens of thousands of fans expected in Memphis next week to commemorate Elvis Presley's death, officials in Tupelo, the musician's hometown, will continue to celebrate his birth. That arrangement is fine with Elvis Presley Enterprises, which oversees almost everything concerning the "King of Rock and Roll," including the so-called "Death Week" that will culminate Aug. 16 on the 25th anniversary of Elvis's death. "We'll celebrate the birthday Jan. 8 because that's what happened in Tupelo," said Henry Dodge, chairman of the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation. "The death celebration - if you can celebrate a death - is something they have in Memphis." The local organization has sharpened its focus to tell Elvis's Tupelo story. A $50,000 statue of Elvis at 13 years old was unveiled in January and other major renovations are planned. "We've got an original thing here because we have Elvis's Birthplace. That's our story to tell," Dodge said. "We're planning to spend something like $1.6 million updating the grounds at the birthplace. We've probably spent $400,000 so far." On Friday, busloads of European rock fans are expected in Tupelo for Fan Appreciation Day in Tupelo. Some will be getting their first view of the statue. The visitors will see another addition at the birthplace. Elvis Presley Enterprises has given the Tupelo foundation permission to use Elvis's signature on a brick wall in front of the birthplace. The signature, which has been reproduced in aluminum, has already been delivered. "We'll have it placed on the wall by Friday, if not before," said Dick Guyton, the foundation's executive director. "We've had some fellows looking at it, trying to find the best way to get it on there." There are plans to develop a walking path around the small lake that sits behind the birthplace that would include audio/visual stations every 50 feet featuring local folks sharing first-person reminiscences of Tupelo's favorite son. It has been estimated that anywhere from 50,000 to 80,000 people visit the birthplace each year. Organizers expect those numbers to grow in the coming years.

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