Highlights are Ronnie Tutt's fabulous 7-page interview covering all his years drumming for Elvis. Another fascinating new feature is Elvis expert Keith Flynn's close look at the listed inaccuracies of Elvis' recording sessions, wittily titled 'It Takes One To Know (Take) One'. Do you know where to find the stereo single Master of 'I'm Yours'?
And also not forgetting Ernst Jorgensen's fascinating article on 'Texarkana Times' - Why was this small Texas city so crucial in Elvis' SUN years? |
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Issue #75 -
Contents:
- BOOK REVIEW 'Writing For The King'.
- SHOUT IT OUT Your letters.
- THE BEAT GOES ON An interview with Ronnie Tutt conducted by Harry
Carrigan and Paul Downie of The Elvis Touch fan club of Glasgow
- DVD WATCH `Elvis - The Ed Sullivan Shows'.
- CELEBRITY INTRODUCTIONS On stage quotes compiled by Fred Thornton.
- RETURN TO SUN Trevor Cajiao examines 'The Rise Of Elvis Presley Volume 2 1955'.
- IT TAKES ONE TO KNOW (TAKE) ONE - Part 1 Keith Flynn rights some wrong information.
- BOOK REVIEW 'Elvis Starring In Oklahoma'.
- THE SUN PROJECT Part 5 Ernst Jorgensen offers further behind the scenes background from the on-going research for his Sun book / CD package.
- CD ROUND-UP Trevor Cajiao reviews the latest releases.
- BOOK REVIEW 'Elvis At 21'
- DVD WATCH `Elvis Lives'.
Here are 2 small excerpts from the Ronnie Tutt interview -
TM&HM - What did you think of the re-edited TTWII Special Edition?
Ronnie Tutt- The Turner Classic Movies people were allowed to put that together. It's really well done. The editing made it a totally different movie. The original is a joke. I think we're all pleased the way it showed the band - it really captured the way we were. I think that's what's rewarding after all these years. Because Colonel Parker had a tendency to... I'd like to say this right off, that's the reason I wasn't in the second gig in 1970 - because he didn't let anybody know until the last
minute when he was going to do anything. Because he was always hoping to get another musician, and maybe get them a little cheaper. That's the reason Glen D. Hardin left; he was working with another band. Colonel Parker just would not let us know the schedule. I was doing a network television show on ABC, `The Andy Williams Show'. I had a verbal contract and I would have been able to get away with it if I had known. That was always the case with him, a problem with scheduling. Yeah, I think we're all pleased the way the re-edited movie ended up, and that the fans enjoy it so much - the people who are really into music.
TM&HM - I've always felt that removing all of the fans from it, the hysterical girls etc., improved it a lot.
R Tutt- That was just Colonel Parker, that was his idea, his wanting to promote Elvis. You know, you didn't have to promote Elvis. Elvis could promote himself. Just turn a camera on him, that's all you had to do.
(Photo right; Felton Jarvis, Ronnie Tutt & Elvis backstage, Nov 1970) |
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"Vegas got to be a drag for him, it sucked him physically and mentally."
TH&HM - What about the final gigs in June 1977? Obviously you didn't know at the time that it was the last shows he'd be doing, but how do you look back on them? Elvis was not in the best of health.
R.Tutt- All I know, someone sent me a video of that last piece of footage and I'd forgotten, quite frankly, I'd forgotten how badly out of shape he was. I saw that concert and I said to myself that I didn't want to ever see it again. That's one of those things that you put on the shelf. I just hadn't seen it since we did it, you know, and I don't want to ever see it again. The memories I have are not that. We did so many years of great shows... He knew he had to try - Elvis had that wonderful thing about him, and he had that thing of not allowing himself to... I don't know how to actually say it. He would try even harder in a difficult situation, he would try even harder to make it right. I think that's a good example of him pushing his voice, because physically he was not doing well and his weight and all of that. He was not blind. Here was one of the most fantastic looking guys in the world for so many years. You get to that point in life but you can't help feel a little down. He wasn't going to let it get him down. The singing is fine regardless, but I don't like to look at it myself.
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