ELVIS WEEK 2007

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Quote:

"Elvis Presley is the greatest cultural force in the 20th century."

(Leonard Bernstein)


Quote:

"If you're an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary; If you're not an Elvis fan, no explanation is possible."

(George Klein)


Quote:

"For a dead man, Elvis Presley is awfully noisy."

(Professor Gilbert B. Rodman)


 

Quote:

"Absolute id crashed into absolute superego...as the uptightset man in America shook hands with just about the loosest."

(Mark Feeney on the 'Elvis meets Nixon' meeting)


Quote:

"Elvis is everywhere"

(Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper)


Quote:

"...especially in the South, they talk about Elvis and Jesus in the same breath"

(Michael Ventura, LA Weekly)


Quote:

"The image is one thing and the human being is another...it's very hard to live up to an image"

 

(Elvis Presley, Madison Square Garden press conference, 1972)


Quote:

"Elvis was a major hero of mine. I was actually stupid enough to believe that having the same birthday as him actually meant something"

(David Bowie)


Quote:

"No-one, but no-one, is his equal, or ever will be. He was, and is supreme"

(Mick Jagger)


Quote:

"I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother...there'll never be another like that soul brother"

(Soul legend, James Brown)


Quote:

"Before Elvis there was nothing!"

(John Lennon)


Quote:

"There were rock 'n' roll records before Heartbreak Hotel, but this was the one that didn't just open the door…it literally blasted the door off its rusted, rotten, anachronistic hinges...producing, no propelling, a fundamental, primordial and unstoppable shift in not only musical, but social, political and cultural history"

(JNP, BBC website)


Quote:

"Elvis, the musician, is largely a relic belonging to the baby boomer generation...Elvis, the icon, is arguably one of the most potent symbols of popular culture"

( Dr. John Walker)


Quote:

"It [rock & roll] was always about Elvis; not just because he was Elvis, but because he was the big star"

(Bono from U2)


Quote:

"If they had let me on white radio stations back then, there never would have been an Elvis"

(Little Richard)


Quote:

"Elvis loved opera, and he especially liked Mario Lanza. He would watch The Student Prince which was set in Heidelberg, over and over again. He loved the power of the big voices. And he loved big orchestras. He liked real dramatic things"

(Marty Lacker in 'Elvis and the Memphis Mafia')


Quote:

"If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead"

(Johnny Carson)


Elvis' #1 Pop Singles on Cashbox, USA:

Heartbreak Hotel (1956)

Don't Be Cruel (1956)

Hound Dog (1956)

Love Me Tender (1956)

Too Much (1957)

All Shook Up (1957)

Teddy Bear (1957)

Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Don't (1958)

Stuck On You (1960)

It's Now Or Never (1960)

Are You Lonesome Tonight? (1960)

Surrender (1961)

Good Luck Charm (1962)

Return To Sender (1962)

In The Ghetto (1969)

Suspicious Minds (1969)

Burning Love (1972)

(The Cashbox chart is now defunct)


Elvis Facts:

Elvis was 5' 11" tall

 

Elvis' natural hair color was dark blond

 

Elvis' blood type was O Positive

 

Elvis' shoe size was 11D

 

One of Elvis'( maternal) ancestors, Morning White Dove (born 1800, died 1835), was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian

 

Elvis' uncle, Noah Presley, became Mayor of East Tupelo on January 7, 1936

 

The Presley family moved to Memphis on November 6, 1948

 

Elvis was issued a Social Security card in September 1950 with the # 409-52-2002

 

In 1954 some of the shows played by Elvis & The Blue Moon Boys were at the Overton Park Shell; the Bel-Air Club; Sleepy-Eyed John's Eagle's Nest Club and the Louisiana Hayride

 

Elvis' first manager was Scotty Moore, then Bob Neal, before signing with Colonel Tom Parker

 

The first DJ to play an Elvis record was Fred Cook (WREC), not Dewey Phillips (WHBQ). However, Dewey had the distinction of being the first DJ to play an Elvis record in its entirety

 

Elvis once dated famous stripper, Tempest Storm

 

Elvis was filmed from the waist up only during his 3rd and final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show

 

In the 50s Elvis was friendly with rising stars, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner and Ty (Bronco Lane) Hardin

 

Gladys Presley was 46 years old when she died, not 42, as many books suggest

 

The Roustabout album sold 450,000 copies on its initial release, 150,000 copies more than any of the preceding three soundtrack LPs. It was Elvis' last "soundtrack" album to reach #1 on the major album charts in the US

 

Elvis received $1m for filming Harum Scarum (aka Harum Holiday). The film grossed around $2m in the US

 

Elvis and Priscilla married on May 1, 1967

 

They were officially divorced on October 9, 1973

 

Elvis earns nearly $3.5m in 1968 and pays just over $1.4m in income tax

 

Elvis' return to live performing in Las Vegas on July 31, 1969 was in front of an "by invitation only" audience. Stars in attendance included Wayne Newton, Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey, Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickinson

 

On January 9, 1971, the national Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) announced Elvis as one of "The Top Ten Young Men of the Year". Elvis spoke at the official awards ceremony on January 16

 

"Elvis: Aloha From Hawai" made entertainment history on January 14, 1973, when it was beamed around the world by satellite. In the Philippines it drew 91% of the audience, in Hong Kong 70%. The viewing audience was estimated at more than 1 billion

 

For his 4 week Hilton Vegas season in August 1973 Elvis received $610,000

Sales of Elvis' 1973 album, Raised On Rock, were less than 200,000 units on its initial release

 

Elvis paid $2,959,000 in income tax in 1973

 

In December 1976 Elvis was sworn in as a special deputy sheriff of Shelby County (Memphis) by Sheriff Gene Barksdale

 

Elvis' final live concert was in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977

When Elvis died, he and his father Vernon, were embroiled in an FBI investigation called Operation Fountain Pen

More than 1,500 books have been published about The King in more than 30 languages

 

At Dec 2005 Elvis' biggest selling album in the US is the budget priced, Elvis' Christmas Album, with accredited sales of 9 million units (fingers crossed it reaches 10 million to give Elvis his first "Diamond" award)

 

By early2006, Sony BMG's "collectors label", Follow That Dream, had released more than 50 Elvis CDs

 

During the 1980s, tour guides at Graceland stated that Elvis' biggest selling album (globally) was Moody Blue, with sales exceeding 14 million

 

While Sony BMG estimates Elvis' global sales exceed 1 billion, the company is unable to substantiate this figure. Accredited sales worldwide are estimated to be less than 400 million

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review:

"Lips"

A Novel by Byron Edwards

iUniverse, USA, 2005, Hardcover/Softcover, 188 pages, ISBN: 0595673872

'A fun-filled Thelma and Louise meets Elvis road trip across America and into Mexico, with the authorities in hot pursuit'

Unlike the non-fiction library on Elvis, which is over populated with hastily written, factually challenged and conjecturally saturated releases, the fiction library on Elvis is a particularly rich and rewarding one.

The latest Elvis novel, Lips, by Byron Edwards, continues the impressive fictional take on The King, and in doing so sets iteself apart through an innovative take on its narrative premise which concerns the events of a "lost" week in Elvis' life.

Byron Edwards is a best selling author noted for his unusual treatment of his subject matter. In Lips, Edwards weaves a fun adventure story about The King and a "cousin", time travel, and and making choices.

Edwards has a very strong writing style. Fluid and full of evocative imagery, his prose quickly and easily engages the reader and effortlessly takes them on an adrenalin filled ride across the USA and Mexico:

He looked at me and said, "What!"

"A few years ago, a woman in the office said she thought it was funny that you were such a big sex symbol and you were impotent."

Elvis was horrified. This struck at the core of his image.

As their adventure unfolds, Elvis and his "cousin" experience a series of exciting adventures with America's law enforcement agencies not far behind them at all times. It is a fun ride which leaves the reader smiling and eager to further explore the adventures of the escapee duo.

And by the end of the adventure, in the tradition of a good yarn, some things just don't work out the way at least one of its main characters may have intended.

With plenty of familiar characters and recurrent themes in the Elvis story filling out the narrative, the author offers the reader security in the familiar, and then gives his work drive through a quirky style and the inclusion of large dollops of colorful flavor in exotic settings such as the Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan in Mexico:

The little girl sat in her seat and Catalina pulled the covering back into place. Elvis slid the panel open and crawled inside the float. It was a tight fit but he was able to curl around the child's seat. Catalina made a big scene of getting the drummers, the "shamans" and the revelers in the right places. Detectives Reed and Smith watched the whole proceedings with care. She took her place at the front and began to chant. The drummers responded. The "shamans" began their mumblings and chants. The revelers began singing and dancing and the entire procession started up the pyramid again........At the top, the men tilted the back of the float up so that Elvis could crawl out of it.

Lips is not about Elvis the star, it is about Elvis the man. Byron Edwards (shown opposite) manages to get inside Elvis' head and presents him as a person...a person who, once removed from the cocoon of fame and adulation, is just like you or me.

The author presents Elvis as a man with great humanity and resolve, two important personal traits.

Why is the novel called Lips? Well the answer is central to the story and to find out you'll have to read the novel.

Byron Edwards' earlier works incude "Secrets of Lost Atlantis", "The Mystery of Melissa's First Date" and "Dawn".

Verdict: Lips is one of the best Elvis novels ever written. Intelligently composed and full of verve, it is the perfect accompaniment for a lazy Sunday afternoon or late evening by the fire.

Visit the Byron Edwards website

Buy "Lips"

Click to comment on this review


What others have said about "Lips"

FROM THE PUBLISHER: On a bet, Elvis Presley and a "cousin" of his spend a week on the run. They are trying to evade capture by America's law enforcement agencies. How can the most famous entertainer in the world elude the police?

In a fun tale of adventure, the King of Rock and Roll escapes from Graceland, the Memphis Mafia and the detectives of the Memphis police department. He travels across America to a specific time and place in México.

During the course of this lost week in the life of Elvis, he learns much about himself as a man. In October 1970, Elvis explores the ruins of a pyramid complex in México -- and himself.

Elvis' "cousin" doesn't expect to actually like Elvis Presley as a person. However, as he gets to know him, the individual, he finds that he grows quite fond of Elvis. Travel with Elvis as he attempts to avoid capture and learn what the man himself was really like.


Sandi McDougal: A genius story. When you finish reading Lips, you will put the book down and ponder, 'How did this author think of this?' I guess that's what makes authors authors — they are able to think of things like this. When the story begins, you have no idea that Elvis Presley is going to be involved in it. And yet, the way the author manages to pull it all together makes it seem as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I think Lips is a work of genius. Undoubtedly, it will be made into a movie. I know they will have to be careful in casting someone to play Elvis but they will also have to be careful to get the exact right person to play Arthur MacGregor. I completely recommend this novel. It is an entertaining read.

Martha Browning: Like knowing Elvis. After reading Lips, it actually felt like I had known Elvis Presley. It was like I had experienced the time that Arthur MacGregor got to spend with him. When the story was finished, I hated it because I could no longer be with Elvis. This is a truly nice story that is a lot of fun. But more than that, it gave me the experience of getting to know the real Elvis. I have already advised some of my friends to read this book. I'm sure they will enjoy it also.

Larry Gwen: Impressive. When I finished reading Lips, I set the book down and thought about the entire story from beginning to end. It was impressively engineered. When you begin the book, you have no idea it will end as it does and yet, when you have finished it, you see the entire logical sequence of events that takes the reader from the beginning to the end. A buddy of mine recommended it to me, not because of Elvis but because of archaeology. He knew that I have a great interest in archaeology and would probably appreciate this story. He was right. In fact, I was somewhat turned off by the picture of Elvis on the front of the book. I mean, I had nothing against Elvis but it was the archaeology that drew me to the story. The author did a great job in taking the reader from the beginning to the end. It was well thought out. As some of the other reviews have mentioned, this book will make a great movie. You can see the scenes in your head as you read the story. That 'Festival of the Sun' would make a great scene in a movie. I also recommend this book. I think everyone will enjoy it.

 

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Reference
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Elvis Week 2005
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Online Elvis Symposium
Presleys in the Press
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Spotlight on The King
"Wikipedia" Elvis bio
 
 

Quote:

"Elvis Presley is the supreme socio-cultural icon in the history of pop culture"

(Dr. Gary Enders)


Quote:

"Elvis is the 'glue' which holds our society together....which subconciously gives our world meaning"

(Anonymous)


Quote:

"Eventually everybody has to die, except Elvis"

(humorist Dave Barry)


Quote:

"He is the "Big Bang", and the universe he detonated is still expanding, the pieces are still flying"

(Greil Marcus, "Dead Elvis")


Quote:

"I think Elvis Presley will never be solved"

(Nick Tosches)


Quote:

"He was the most popular man that ever walked on this planet since Christ himself was here"

(Carl Perkins)


Quote:

"When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew I wasn't going to work for anybody...hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail"

(Bob Dylan)


Quote:

"When we were kids growing up in Liverpool, all we ever wanted was to be Elvis Presley"

(Sir Paul McCartney)


Quote:

"You can't say enough good things about Elvis. He was one of a kind"

(Johnny Cash)


Quote:

"And don't think for one moment he's just a passing fancy....he's got enough of it to keep him on top for a long time"

(R. Fred Arnold, Fury magazine, Aug 1957)


Quote:

"It isn't enough to say that Elvis is kind to his parents, sends money home, and is the same unspoiled kid he was before all the commotion began. That still isn't a free ticket to behave like a sex maniac in public"

(Eddie Condon, Cosmopolitan)


Elvis records reaching #2 & #3 on the Cashbox Pop Singles chart:

#2: A Fool Such As I (1959)

#2: A Big Hunk Of Love (1959)

#3: Hard Headed Woman (1958)

#3: One Night (1958)

#3: (You're The Devil) In Disguise (1963)


Elvis Facts:

Tickets for Elvis' show on March 29, 1957 in St. Louis cost $2.00 to $2.50

While in Germany Elvis was hospitalised with tonsillitis in October 1959

Despite being an illegal immigrant, photographic evidence shows Colonel Tom Parker traveled to Canada with Elvis in 1957

Elvis strongly believed there weren't enough good songs in King Creole to justify releasing a soundtrack album. RCA initially agreed, releasing two very successful EPs from the movie. A soundtrack LP eventually followed

During the 1960s Elvis had his own football team, Elvis Presley Enterprises, which played in the Memphis touch football league. In the 1962 final, EPE narrowly lost to Delta Automatic Transmission, 6-13

In Clambake, (Elvis) Scott Hayward's driving licence shows February 23, 1940...taking 5 years off Elvis' real age

In the 1970s Elvis was offered $5m to stage a concert in front of the Pyramids in Egypt. When the Colonel declined the offer, Saudi billionaires raised the offer to $10m