Elvis Book (and Magazine) Releases in 2009

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There are two great Elvis book sites you should also visit:

Elvis Presley: A Life In Books

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On this page you will find information about Elvis related books and magazines due for release in late 2008 and 2009-10:
   

Elvis Presley 75th Anniversary Collection: The King Of Rock And Roll (2CD + DVD + Book) [Illustrated] (Hardcover)

by Schroer (Author), Knorr (Author), Hentschel (Author)

Product details:

Hardcover: 140 pages

Publisher: Pegasus Entertainment (7 Dec 2009)

Language English

ISBN-10: 0956420206

ISBN-13: 978-0956420206 Pre-order from Amazon.co.uk


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New French text book: La vie d'Elvis (Life of Elvis) (Paperback) by Alain-Ulysse Tremblay (Author)

erbPaperback: 102 pages; Publisher: Les 400 coups (12 Nov 2009); Language French;   ISBN-10: 2923603087/ISBN-13: 978-2923603087 Order from Amazon UK


Book Pick: "Elvis and the Grateful Dead" by Peggy Webb: Every year, a hip-shaking herd of Elvis impersonators descends upon the King's birthplace of Tupelo, Miss., for the annual Elvis festival. Usually the main attractions are lots of sequined jumpsuits and even more off key singing, but this year something much more deadly has the town all shook up.

When the first Elvis impersonator is found slumped over his piano, a heart attack seems the likely suspect. But when a second keels over mid-swagger at Callie Valentine Jones' party, suspicious minds begin to wonder if something foul is afoot. (Source: goupstate.com, 9 Nov 2009)


New 'Vault Book' Offers Unique Look at Elvis' Life: From the he EPE Press Release... (& note that Priscilla has written the forward for the book) >>> Elvis Presley was arguably the single most influential person in the evolution of rock ‘n’ roll, and as a result, there have been hundreds of books tracing his music and his rise to the top. This book, however, differs from the rest. Elvis: A Tribute to the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll from Whitman Publishing is a 144-page “scrapbook” tracing Elvis’ rise from the poverty of East Tupelo, Mississippi, to the elegance of Graceland. What makes this publication unique is the use of replicas throughout the book, items like his birth certificate, concert and movie posters, and event tickets. There is even a menu from one of his gigs in Las Vegas. It is a must-have for any Elvis collector.
“From the outside looking in,” writes Priscilla Presley in the book’s foreword, “Elvis was a man who entertained the world, but to me, he was my rock, my best friend, my mentor, my confidant and loving father to our daughter. He has given me a lifetime of memories that I will cherish forever. I hope this book leaves you with great memories of Elvis, just as it has revived memories of my own, and that you enjoy it as much as I do.” 'Elvis: A Tribute to the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll' is part of the Specialty Vault series from Whitman Publishing, LLC, of Atlanta and is now now available at ShopElvis.com and wherever books are sold. Click here to order

(Right: an inside page layout)

(News, Source EPE)


New novel about Elvis' twin: Jesse Garon Presley was born the same day as Elvis Aaron Presley in 1935. However, Gladys and Vernon Presley's other son was stillborn, and never knew the family's poverty, or the riches they enjoyed when Elvis became the king of rock 'n' roll. But in an alternate literary reality created by Hatfield writer Brett Wallach, Jesse, Elvis' fraternal twin, survives.
"Because they were so poor, they sold the baby on the black market," said Wallach, noting that the country was in the throes of the Great Depression at the time.
In the e-book "Jesse Garon: The Search for Elvis Presley's Twin," the baby is raised by a couple in Philadelphia, unaware that he is Elvis' brother.
A big music fan and a songwriter since his teen years, Wallach adds a delicious twist to the fantasy when the adoptive parents, the Zimmermans, rename the child Robert, as in Bob Dylan's real name — Robert Zimmerman.
"He ends up working at a newspaper as an advertising salesperson. (He grows up to be) a nondescript middle class person. He doesn't want any notoriety. I talk about the duality of fame (in the book)," Wallach said.
That's why the hero of the story, private investigator Phil Allman, is hired by some nefarious characters looking to find Zimmerman and make a buck off exploiting his connection to Elvis.
The story is available as a $5.95 download through Culver City Calif.-based Wild Child Publishing.
Wild Child publisher Marci Baun, who admitted that she's "not a big mystery person," agreed that the storyline involving the dead Presley twin was compelling.
"What we are looking for is a unique story that is well written. It was the mixture of mystery, the humor and the presentation," she said of Wild Child's willingness to take a chance on an unknown author.
Click here for more info about the book.
(News, Source;SanjaM/EIN)

'Elvis: Aloha '73-Ho'i Hou' update: This is the new promo ad from JAT Publishing for their book Elvis: Aloha '73- HO'I HOU that is scheduled for release for August 2010. (News, Source: FECC/Elvis News)

Dutch biography release: Due for release in the Dutch language is the strip biography "Elvis". This biography was originally released in Germany, it was written and illustrated by Reinhard Kleist & Titus Ackermann. (News, Source: Elvis News)


MRS PRESS RELEASE: 'TUPELO WELCOMES HOME ELVIS PRESLEY' FINAL DETAILS: The upcoming MRS release CD/Hardback Book ‘‘TUPELO WELCOMES HOME ELVIS PRESLEY’ is to be released earlier than expected on the 9th November.

YOU CAN ORDER THIS RELEASE NOW DIRECT FROM: MRS

Dealers should have their copies by the end of this week. This release as a Special CD Collectors Edition featuring the two homecoming from Tupelo Mississippi recorded on the 26th September 1956, with rare interviews and a bonus interview with Elvis from Tupelo 1957 never before released on CD .

Also included is a 40 page hardback glossy book packed with rare photographs, informative text from this event and includes recently acquired new information on the recording of these concerts by Ron Brandon. Text is provided by Roy Turner and Ron Brandon.

The Mississippi - Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, Fairgrounds Tupelo, Mississippi

DATE:  26th September 1956

Tracklisting:

Afternoon Show:

01. WTUP Interviews Elvis Presley

02. Heartbreak Hotel

03. Long Tall Sally

04. Presentation Key To The City

05. I Was The One

06. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You

07. Announcement

08. I Got a Woman

09. Don't Be Cruel

10. Ready Teddy

11. Love Me Tender

12. Hound Dog

13. WTUP Interviews Elvis’ parents, Vernon & Gladys

Evening Show:

14. Love Me Tender

15. I Was The One

16. I Got a Woman

17. Dialogue

18. Don't Be Cruel

19. Blue Suede Shoes

20. Dialogue

21. Baby, Let's Play House

22. Hound Dog

23. Dialogue

24. Bonus Track (First Time on CD) - WELO Interviews Elvis Presley (27th September 1957)


New Alanna Nash book update #1: Alanna Nash's new book, Baby, Let's Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him, is due out the US in early January 2010. Alanna has told EIN that she is currently making her final corrections to the manuscript and clarified that the alternate listing on Amazon UK (Elvis and His Women, 320 pages) was based on a preliminary title for the release and before the final number of pages was known. The actual page number is a mammoth 704 pages!

Alanna also had this to say about Baby, Let's Play House:

"Even after writing three previous Elvis-related books, I am still astonished by the depth of his story. And in telling it largely through the eyes of the women who knew and loved him, platonically as well as romantically, it nearly takes on a different shape and tone. I have been amazed by that, and gotten to know him better."

Baby, Let's Play House can be pre-ordered from Amazon:

EIN will publish a review of Alanna's eagerly awaited new book in the coming weeks. (News, Source: Alanna Nash)


New Alanna Nash book update #2: Book Signing: The Elvis Presley Scrapbook is proud to be the first to announce that Alanna Nash will be signing copies of her new book, Elvis- Baby Lets Play House on January 7th 2010 in Memphis Tennessee at the following location.

Davis-Kidd Booksellers

387 Perkins Ext
Memphis, TN 38117

901-683-9801

Please feel free to post this news to your Elvis news sites and pass it onto any Elvis friends or family you think might be interested.

Although the book is yet to be released I can honestly report from my preview copy that this book is ‘truly a new angle on the Elvis biography’. (News, Source: The Elvis Scrapbook)


Upcoming JAT title - Elvis Atlanta in Black & White: (News, Source: Elvis Corner, 2 Oct 2009)

A Little Less Conversation: Elvis and Sex: Amazon UK has this book release by Alanna Nash listed.

Details: Arum Press, 25 March 2010, Hardcover: 320 pages, ISBN-10: 1845135113/ISBN-13: 978-1845135119.

The title suggests it may be a different edition (with less pages) to Ms Nash's upcoming book, Baby, Let's Play House.(cover shown opposite).


Decoding” the truth behind Elvis myths and conspiracy theories: Since Elvis’ death in 1977 the Elvis world has always been a rich one for outlandish, fanciful and amazing stories. 

From Elvis abducted by aliens in 1977 to numerous illegitimate children and Elvis still being alive, the stories have found a wide and receptive audience.

One man has spent more than a decade researching, analysing and exploring these stories….....Patrick Lacy. 

In 2006, Patrick’s book Elvis Decoded: A Fan’s Guide to Deciphering the Myths and Misinformation was published.

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What has been said about Elvis Decoded:

Patrick Lacy (author): Years ago as I was reading scores of Elvis books, I noticed that a lot of the information in inconsistent, uneven, or just flat wrong. Some errors seemed to be innocent mistakes, some errors...maybe not so innocent. So as I noticed these conflicts in the information, I started making a note of them, and over the past 10 years or so I have compiled them into what became my book. I do not believe this type of research and analysis has been offered to Elvis fans before. In "Elvis Decoded," I have offered comparative analyses of the many facts and figures that permeate Elvis World, and I have laid them side-by-side to determine what seems to be correct, and what seems to be incorrect. Contrary to the sentiments posted on your website, I have not endeavored to write, "The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Instead, I have examined the facts that *other people* have offered as "the truth," and I have attempted to determine if the facts stand up under scrutiny. Many times, they do not.

AuthorHouse (Publisher): Elvis Decoded... Author Patrick Lacy has written a book that is long overdue: a detailed, in-depth examination of the facts and figures that permeate the many Elvis books, websites, articles, and public boards. He sorts through all the information and puts things in proper perspective. Elvis Decoded also covers scores of other questions and topics that have been largely ignored or mishandled over the past 29 years. The author offers a unique perspective on the toughest questions and the most complicated issues in the Elvis Universe, and explains how things got so confusing. Elvis Decoded - A Fan's Guide to Deciphering the Myths and Misinformation is presented in a Q&A format, and offers an examination and comparison of the numerous Elvis source materials.

Also included in the book is the author's own research into other topics that have remained largely unaddressed since Elvis's death in 1977. More information can be found at the companion webpage: http://hometown.aol.com/elvisdecoded/newindex.html Rave reviews for Elvis Decoded: A Fan's Guide... "...Lacy has an uncanny ability to take these different versions of the same event and, without any sleight of hand, make the real truth appear, as if by magic, using the simple power of reasoning and elimination... The author's sincere search for the truth and his years of unbiased Elvis research shine through...I highly recommend this book to any Elvis fan." ---Jim Cox, co-author, with Nancy Rooks (Elvis's maid), of "Inside Graceland" "Finally - a book on Elvis Presley that is not only warranted but sorely needed. Author Patrick Lacy sifts through a mountain of information and dissects the singer's life and death with the precision of a surgeon and the analytical mind of a forensic scientist..." ---< AllExperts.com. at expert Elvis an volunteers currently and Presleys?), ?The Breakers? Record Roll Rock>

EIN: Patrick Lacy's Elvis Decoded is a much needed exploration and expose of many myths and misinformation in the Elvis world. It is not perfect, but it is an impressive start in sensibly assessing the mythical Elvis world in a studious, rigorous way, devoid of fanciful rhetoric. It is essential reading for anyone seriously concerned with finding the truth.

Tony Lee Trout (on Amazon): I will say that I fell for the "Is Elvis Alive" craz when it began in the late 1980s but after doing research, there's no way that Elvis is alive and he's not coming back. After reading this book, it did get me curious again to the possiblity of Elvis being alive but I know better. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and reading Patrick's opinions and the book, to me, is very well written and researched.

C. Sands (on Amazon): This is the book I wished I had purchased several books ago! Author Patrick Lacy has done painstaking research surrounding the last days - and death - of Elvis Presley. His sleuthing and subsequent documentation of various events plaguing both fans and interested observers alike are carefully laid down on paper. Without ego or arrogance, Lacy allows the reader to make up his or her mind by presenting as much detailed evidence as possible with as much coherence as possible. Elvis himself would have been proud. Definitely a book not to be without.

 Read EIN’s full review of Elvis Decoded

Visit the Elvis Decoded Blogspot 

Visit EIN's Elvis Conspiracy page


Tunzi's Elvis Sessions IV: Coming in 2010 is Elvis: Sessions IV and to help promote this massive book with over 700 pages in color and black and white, JAT PRODUCTIONS will present exclusive information, documents, and photographs on the FECC website . Look for this special JAT feature to appear up to the release of Sessions IV....starting their 23rd year in 2010 with....TO BE CONTINUED ...Click on the picture above for seeing a Studio Orchestra Manager's Report from MGM for the recordings of one rehearsal and six shows. (News, Source: JAT Productions/ FECC)


She Played Elvis - A Pilgrimage to Graceland - new book release by Shady Cosgrove: Price: AUD $26.99 inc. GST/ ISBN 13: 9781741757248.

A quirky, funny and quietly moving memoir that tells of a road-trip that a young American immigrant undertook with her boyfriend on a pilgrimage to Graceland, travelling across America on Greyhound buses, busking Elvis songs along the way.

Description: She Played Elvis is the story of a trip that Shady, a young American immigrant to Australia, undertakes with her Australian boyfriend to rediscover her homeland - which, after several years in Australia, doesn't necessarily feel like 'home' anymore. As part of the journey, the pair decide to make a pilgrimage across America, travelling on Greyhound buses, to get to Graceland for the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, with Shady busking and singing Elvis songs at cities and towns along the way.

As they travel across America, memories of her past begin to surface and Shady realises that while she is coming to understand the meaning of 'home', she is also untangling the knotted threads of her difficult relationship with her estranged, erratic, unreliable and often violent father.


A moving, witty and original meditation on the idea of pilgrimage, family, home and loss, She Played Elvis is a classic road story and a journey of self-discovery set to an Elvis soundtrack; a story told with a clear-eyed, intelligent, unforgettable grace.

Reader reviews:

"She Played Elvis is an engaging dissection of personal and national identity; and how we extract meaning from experiences... Shady Cosgrove’s writing style is intimate, yet unflinching and clear-headed." - Alisom McCallum

"A story of awareness and self-discovery, written in a very clever and witty way, an enjoyable read." - Cheryl Moulton

About Shady Cosgrove: Shady Cosgrove lives in the Illawarra with her partner, Scott, and teaches creative writing at the University of Wollongong . Her work has appeared in Best Australian Stories 2006, Antipodes, Southerly and Overland.


Why was this Elvis related book never published?: J. Randy Taraborrelli is one of the most well known celebrity biographers with millions of books sold around the world. Taraborrelli’s usually sensational celebrity biographies read like a ‘who’s who” of the entertainment world.  They include books on:

  • Frank Sinatra
  • Madonna
  • Princess Grace
  • Michael Jackson
  • Elizabeth Taylor
  • Cher
  • Diana Ross
  • Motown Records
  • the Kennedy women
  • Marilyn Monroe
  • Whitney Houston
  • Carol Burnett

However, despite his success with these subjects, there is one biography he could not get on the book shelves……….his book about Lisa Marie Presley.

Despite significant pre-publication publicity in tabloid magazines around the world, Taraborrelli’s book: Elvis, Priscilla, Michael & Me, a biography of Lisa Marie Presley, was never published.

Claims in the book, pre-publicised in 1997 in magazines including New Idea in Australia, included that:

  1. Michael Jackson proposed to his first wife, Lisa Marie Presley, by mistake – he was allegedly drugged out at the time and thought he was calling his nurse of 15 years (the future Mrs Michael Jackson #2), Debbie Rowe
  2. Jackson was suicidal
  3. Debbie Rowe became pregnant with Jackson’s child while he was still married to Lisa Marie, however Rowe lost the baby
  4. Debbie Rowe, after marrying Jackson, rang Lisa Marie to find out what it was like being married to him.  In response, Taraborrelli claims a cutting Lisa Marie said: “Nursey, there’s nothing I can tell you about your husband that you won’t learn on your own. I paid my dues with that guy.  Now I’m over him.  I wish you luck.”

So why wasn’t Elvis, Priscilla, Michael & Me published?

From what EIN can ascertain, legal action was initiated against the book by unspecified parties (either Lisa Marie/EPE or Michael Jackson) and the decision was taken not to proceed with publication.


New MP3 book release: Love Me Tender : The Elvis Presley Story written and narrated by Geoffrey Giuliano. Unabridged edition available from Barnes & Noble. Only available from bn.com for delivery to USA addresses. ISBN-13: 9781601361714. (14 Sep 2009)


New book announced: Elvis Presley: I Want to Entertain People by John, Jr. Micklos. Product details:

  • Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Hardcover
  • Publisher: Enslow Publishers (July 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0766033821
  • ISBN-13: 978-0766033825 (News, Source: ElvisBookResearch)

Understanding Elvis - The Dark Side of Fame: One of the best authors on Elvis is Professor Susan Doll who has written more than 10 thoughtful and insightful books about the King. Unlike a number of other academic authors, one of Professor Doll's strengths is her ability to present both factual and analytical perspective which is accessible to all readers. Professor Doll is also noted for her balanced view on the Elvis story.

In Elvis Presley with profiles of Muddy Waters and Mick Jagger, Professor Doll provides another lucid and insightful examination of The book is part of World Book's excellent Biographical Connections series where the life of a central figure is bookended by shorter overviews of a figure before and after them which in some way connects to the central figure. Doll writes on Elvis' decline:

'Presley's self-destructive habits worsened during the 1970's, after he returned to performing in concert and leading a hectic, rootless life on the road. His worst problem was his dependence on certain prescription drugs. Presley had several health problems, including back pain, weight gain, digestive troubles, and several eye afflictions. Treatment for these conditions put him in the hospital several times between 1971 and his death in 1977.

He was also hospitalized for throat ailments, pleurisy (an inflammation of the lining of the lungs), and hypertension (high blood pressure). He abused the prescription drugs used to treat the ailments, particularly pain medication and diet pills. These drugs often left him in a state of mental confusion or led to erratic behavior. Presley's lack of connection with the real world also contributed to his erratic behavior. His behavior was not extreme, but it was unusual by normal standards.'

Note: Elvis Presley with profiles of Muddy Waters and Mick Jagger has been out of print for several years. Released essentially as a 'library acquisition', it can be found in many libraries.


True Ancestors of Elvis Presley Revealed 50 Generations:

Ancestors of Elvis Aaron Presley 50 Generations – Revised and Edited Edition” by Lorina Bolig. Due to the author's research, supported by an impressive level of detail, with over 1700 sources, has traced Elvis family tree 50 generations.

Below is the "official" press release for this book.

Note #1: An earlier press release about 50 Generations published on several other Elvis websites was bogus - it was NOT issued by Ms Bolig or her publisher!


 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release)Sep 05, 2009 – Announcing the release of “Ancestors of Elvis Aaron Presley 50 Generations – Revised and Edited Edition” by Lorina Bolig. Due to the author's exhaustive research, supported by an impressive level of detail, with over 1700 sources, she has traced Elvis family tree 50 generations. Elvis is related to many Royal families including the Queen of the United Kingdom and her heirs. Every U.S. President, many historical figures.

Elvis direct Ancestors on the Presley side are from Palatine Germany. There are historian's that believe that Elvis has German lineage. There have been many articles and a few books stating that Elvis has Scottish lineage. Many ask, what is the truth?

The author has discovered evidence, that Elvis did have Scottish lineage, not through Andrew Presley, who married Elspeth Leg, as some have suggested.

Through her research she has located documented history, ship records, census records, and many other remarkable sources, that show Andrew was in fact a Palatine German. He came to the Americas with his father Valintin Bressler and his mother from Palatine Germany in 1710 on a ship named FAME.

Elvis does have Scottish roots, but they date back further to the Kings and Queens of Scotland.

There is further evidence of Andrew being a Palatine German. There are more Documentary records of Valintin (Andrew’s Father) being listed along with his family at the Authors web site – http://elvisancestors.0catch.com

Lorina has many detailed sources that can show the reader beyond a doubt that Elvis ancestors came from Palatine Germany. Showing that Elvis has German roots, remarkably sourced in "Ancestors of Elvis Aaron Presley 50 Generations Revised and Edited Edition".  

But that is not all she discovered. The author has also discovered many Royal lines, sharecroppers, historical figures, and some really interesting surprises.
He has ancestor Kings and

Queens from around the world in his heritage. Here are some examples.

Elvis has Royal Scottish heritage, Kings of France, Denmark, Scandinavia, Ostrogoths of Italy, North Wales, The Huns, Hungary, Bavaria, Germany/Saxony, England, including William I “The Conqueror Guillaume” I "Le Conquberant" King Of England and so much more.

The author is 8th cousin once removed of Elvis Aaron Presley.

Read Elvis Information Network's review of the original edition here: http://www.elvisinfonet.com/bookreview_bolig.html
Lorina’s interview with ELVIS INFORMATION NETWORK: http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview_lorinabolig.html

NOTE #2: This book is NOT associated with ROOTS OF ELVIS.


Book Review:

The Genuine Elvis: Photos and Untold Stories about the King

By Ronnie McDowell, Edie Hand and Joe Meador

Reviewed by Nigel Patterson.  Copyright EIN

Released in July, this new book release is a surprise which lives up to its title.

The stories and recollections come from a diverse group of family, friends and peers.  Apart from the authors, the reader is treated to many great stories by names we immediately recognise such as Pat Boone, Jerry Schilling, Ray Walker (Jordanaires) and Alfred Wertheimer (photographer), to those we are not familiar with including Howard Hite (Tupelo Hardware Company), Judy Spencer Nelon (the Judy Spencer Nelon Group), Jimmy Angel (friend/performer) and Charles Watt (disc jockey).

All have something interesting and informative to convey.  Jerry Schilling reflects on Christmas with Elvis in 1975; Pat Boone talks about he and Elvis were both essentially “good ole boys”; Judy Spencer Nelon reflects on the importance of gospel music to Elvis and Howard Hite recalls the day Gladys and Elvis came into the store with Elvis wanting a rifle but Gladys wanting him to buy a guitar (and we all know the outcome); while Charles Watts recalls the fans, National Guard, state troopers and local police when Elvis returned to Tupelo for his legendary concert in 1956.  These and many more stories keep the reader enthralled.

The text is nicely balanced by a mix of photos, archival material and artworks.  There are numerous visuals you probably haven’t seen before including Elvis in Sheffield, Alabama during a train stop in the 1950s, Elvis and cousin Gene Smith, Elvis surrounded by black and white fans as he leaves the Hudson Theater in 1956 and a still from the set of Loving You with Elvis, family and cast at lunch.

The real highlight (for me) was Ronnie McDowell’s sublime Elvis artworks.  These need to be seen to be appreciated but it is clear Ronnie would have a very successful other career should he ever decide to give up his day job.  They resonate with rich, vibrant color and each scene depicts an important part of the Elvis story.  You will marvel at (Elvis outside the) Roxy Theater; Lonely Street (Elvis and James Dean); A Tale of Two Kings (Elvis and Clark Gable in Hollywood); Reflection of a King, Elvis and Friends and to name just a few.  My favourite is The World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band: The Rising Sun Edition which is a joy to behold.  McDowell’s prowess with the paint brush is prodigious and will be a revelation to many.

The Genuine Elvis: Photos and Untold Stories about the King is a smallish book with a correspondingly small price.  The book and page design is strong.  Overall, it represents very good value for money!

Verdict: A welcome addition to the bourgeoning Elvis library.  Great stories are complemented by some very rare photos and absolutely stunning artworks by the multi-talented McDowell.

Product Description: Untold stories, candid photographs, and personal memories fill the pages of this ultimate tribute to the king of rock-'n'-roll. From anecdotes about Elvis's high-school years from friend Jimmy Angel to the personal memories of Elvis's best friend, Jerry Schilling, about the Christmas of 1975 and Elvis's cousin Edie Hand's childhood memories of their summertime family reunions, this book is a must-have for fans and collectors of Elvis memorabilia.

This collection features contributions from Elvis's friends and family members, country music star Ronnie McDowell's original paintings, and dozens of remarkable pictures by Al Wertheimer. Highlights include the entries from Pat Boone; Louise Smith, widow of Elvis's cousin Gene; and the never-before-told story of the exclusive 1956 interview disc jockey Charles Watts recorded with Elvis and his mother, Gladys, and father, Vernon.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 112 pages (with dust jacket)
  • Publisher: Pelican Publishing (July 1, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1589806956
  • ISBN-13: 978-1589806955
  • Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches

Other Reviews
"The coupling of Ronnie McDowell's great paintings with an insider's delightful stories about Elvis makes The Genuine Elvis a magic combination." --Dick Clark, American Bandstand

About the authors: Ronnie McDowell is well known to Elvis fans thanks to his tribute song, The King Is gone, and numerous hit songs and successful tours since 1977.  Edie McDowell is a relative of Elvis’ while Joe Meador is a successful songwriter, music manager, producer and performer.

Buy:

Genuine Elvis, The: Photos and Untold Stories about the King

Comment on this review


Whatever happened to….?: In late 2006 one of Elvis’ former girlfriends Sheila Ryan announced her book about life with Elvis.  The news reports at the time said Sonicpastmusic.com had signed Sheila Ryan Caan, former fiancée of Elvis and ex wife of James Caan, to a book and movie deal.

Sheila had written 1000 pages about her life with Elvis and her. According to the press release, the book - titled “Fame on Me” - contains material that has never been shared with anyone about many of Elvis’s heartaches and disappointments and betrayals, the pillow talk this young 20-year-old beauty kept secret for all these years.

In anticipation of the book's release Sheila commenced interviews with TV and print media but her book is yet to materialise despite some smart advance pr:

The book promises a whole new take on the public's general perception of Elvis and his so-called Memphis Mafia and personal details abound. The story begins when the 20 year-old runaway is plucked out of the Las Vegas concert audience by one of Elvis' minions and brought backstage. After a little innocent flirting Ryan went home, only to be summoned back to Elvis' presence as soon as she answered the phone. She never went back to her apartment again.

Similarly, the announced memoir by siblings Linda and Sam Thompson and a rumored book by Elvis’ last girlfriend (fiance?) Ginger Alden, are yet to hit the book shelves.


Surviving Graceland - new book: This is a novel by Vanessa Grace and Amy Bea.

Abstract: Stella and Jessica are about to discover everyone’s an Elvis Fan; some people just don’t know it yet. Tormented by memories of “The Incident,” Stella and Jessica, two down-and-out reporters, will do anything to save their careers, even if it means becoming Elvis fans. Surviving Elvis Week explores how life doesn’t always turn out the way you planned. Heartfelt and hilarious, this modern day parody of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, is a touching portrayal of the comic and tragic moments that occur along the road to redemption. An impressive and triumphant debut—it is at once romantic, surprising and completely unforgettable. A must-read!

ISBN: 0-7414-5501-3 ©2009
Price:
$15.95
Book Size: 5.5'' x 8.5'' , 261 pages
Category/Subject: FICTION / Literary (News, Source: ElvisBookResearch, 30 Aug 2009)

Reader feedback: This is a perfect edge of your seat, laugh out loud, funniest books I have read in years. I have been in a rut with the last few books I have read and this one threw me out of the rut and back in the fast lane! I feel priviledged that I was one of hte first to read it because this is going to be a popular book. Love their work can't wait for another one from these 2 authors. Stuart

"Return of the King" book release: Here is the cover of the upcoming book on Elvis' comeback, The Return Of The King by Gillian G. Gaar.

Product Description: On January 1, 1967, a new contract between 'Colonel' Tom Parker and his sole client, Elvis Presley, gave Parker a 50 per cent cut of royalties and profits that Presely generated. It was an unashamed grab for a bigger piece of a pie that had actually been shrinking for some time. Parker's plan to re-establish Presley as a star after he left the army in 1960 had been successful at first, with the success of films like "G.I. Blues" and "Blue Hawaii" and their soundtracks. But as the decade progressed the films became formulaic, the music bland, and sales declined. By 1967 Presley's singles struggled to break the top 20, and he hadn't had a number one for six years.

Yet by the end of 1968 he was artistically revitalized, re-emerging in a TV comeback special of December that year slimmed down for the now iconic black leather suit, playing country-soul influenced rock like he meant it and loved it. It was the pivotal moment of the second great period of Presley's career, which lasted through to the end of 1970, during which he recorded some of his most enduring records, including "Suspicious Minds" and "In The Ghetto". In "Return Of The King" author Gillian Gaar shows how Presley reclaimed his crown, making an extraordinary transition from fading MoR balladeer to engaged, vital artist.

About the Author: Gillian G. Gaar is the author of several books bout music, including She's A Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll, Green Day: Rebels With A Cause and The Rough Guide To Nirvana. She has also written for Mojo, Rolling Stone, Record Collector, Goldmine, and the Experience Music Project museum, among others. (News, Source: Elvis NewsAmazon.com)

Ernst's 1986 sessions book (revised edition) to be re-issued!

Reconsider Baby: the Definitive ELVIS Sessionography 1954-1977: 1986 Reprint Edition, with Additions by Ernst Jorgensen, Erick Rasmussen & Johnny Mikkelson

Book description: The central focus of this book is the body of recordings made by Elvis Presley. This is the definitive book for those who really want to know the ins and outs of the music as recorded by Elvis. The book discusses all of the known and released Elvis Presley recordings, as well as many rare items. The authors have tracked down as much information as possible on each and every record and recording, and pieced it together in order to present a clear and detailed analysis of Elvis’ music. This U.S. edition excludes a brief addendum on Elvis’ career which appeared in "Elvis Recording Sessions," in order to make room for an appendix containing additions and corrections to the sessionography. Photos. Reconsider Baby was a precursor to Ernst's Elvis Presley: A Life In Music.

Reconsider Baby product details:

ISBN: 1437968562

Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.
*                            ISBN-13: 9781437968569

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*                             Format: Hardcover, 308pp

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*                             Publisher: DIANE Publishing Company

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*               Pub. Date: September 28, 2009................................Pre-order from Barnes & Noble


Elvis - The Final Performance - new book: A brand new hardcover book entitled "Elvis - The Final Performance", which documents Elvis' final sho in Indianapolis on June 26th 1977 has been released.

According to the update this is the ultimate book on the subject and it covers every aspect of the show itself. Also, there are many additional shots of Elvis' last tour with a special 'Sundial' section. There are 140+ photos. This lavish 100-page, full-colour book is designed by the guys that bought out the very popular "Images" book, which sold out very quickly. (News, Source: Elvis News/Essential Elvis)


Ancestors Of Elvis Aaron Presley 50 Generations - Revised Edition released: Professional genealogist, Lorina Bolig, has completed her revised edition of Elvis's family history.

The result of 17 years of painstaking research, Ancestors of Elvis Presley 50 Generations is not only the definitive Elvis family history, but also brings new meaning the concept of six degrees of separation!

EIN is currently exploring the 806 pages of this mammoth book and will publish our review of the revised edition shortly. (25 Aug 2009)

Read EIN's review of the original edition


Catch That Rockabilly Fever by Sheree Homer is a candid account of life on the road and in the studio with '50s legends and today's talent. These are personal stories told by the artists themselves. It's a soft cover biography that will be published in October 2009 by McFarland Publishers and retail for $39.95. It will have never before seen photos (strictly 1950's photos of the legends) and rare stories from the artists themselves. Catch That Rockabilly Fever will be approximately 350 pages in length. It will be unlike any other rockabilly book on the market since it will include some of today's hottest young talent plus insightful stories from 1950's backing musicians and engineers for the first time, such as James Kirkland (Bob Luman, Ricky Nelson), Richie Frost (Ricky Nelson), Steve Handford (Bobby Lee Trammell), Tony Austin (Rock and Roll Trio), Stanley Walker (Ray Smith), Bobby Poe (Wanda Jackson), Vernon Sandusky (Big Al Downing) and Bob Sullivan (KWKH/Louisiana Hayride). Foreword by acclaimed writer Ken Burke.

These forty-six artists will have individual profiles and one glamorous photo per musician: Glen Glenn, Lew Williams, Art Adams, Marti Brom, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Bob Luman, Ed Bruce, Dickey Lee, Jack Earls, Hayden Thompson, Maddox Brothers and Rose, Sonny Burgess, Carl Mann, Ray Smith, Johnny Powers, Larry Donn, Pat Cupp, Ronnie Hawkins, Bobby Lee Trammell, Huelyn Duvall, Gene Summers, Sonny West, Buddy Holly, The Collins Kids, Wanda Jackson, Charlie Gracie, Big Al Downing, Laura Lee Perkins, The Rock and Roll Trio, Narvel Felts, The Dave and Deke Combo, Kim Lenz, Go Cat Go, High Noon, Larry Cole, Cari Lee Merritt, Josie Kreuzer, Eddie Clendening, Suzy and Buddy Dughi, The Casey Sisters, Carl Sonny Leyland, Dawn Shipley, Sue Moreno, Ruby Ann, and Tex Rubinowitz.

Here’s hoping everyone catches that rockabilly fever. Reserve your copy today. This is a must have for any rockabilly/rock and roll fan. Here is the direct link to McFarland’s website: http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-3841-9. (Book News, Source: Sheree Homer, 24 Aug 2009)


Elvis' singing style: Many music writers have commented on Elvis's singing style being more internal than learned.

In his challenging and controversial book, The Inner Elvis: A Psychological Biography of Elvis Aaron Presley (Hyperion, 1996), clinical psychologist, Dr. Peter Whitmer, observed:

Elvis Presley's signature singing style was pure and creative. In a childlike way, he wandered through his own musical house of blues, Gospel, country. Intuitively, he mixed together sounds that he could not specifically remember hearing but that clung to him like cotton from the fields generating something new, a musical spontaneous combustion. The process is as old as Tibetan Lamas retreating into a trance state, or asnew as deciphering the mental mechanisms behind tomorrow's scientific breakthrough.

Elvis's natural ability to "shift" into his right brain allowed him quick access to this land of make-believe. It was his lodestone, whether it was escape from his inherent shyness so that he could perform in front of crowds, or to move and inspire those same croiwds with the frenzy of a man possessed.

Later in life he would light candles, sit on a floor of his hotel room or his bedroom at Graceland, and meditate himself back into that world of the child, and beyond, to the womb, that safe haven where once upon a time so very long ago all had been so right.

 

EIN Note: Dr Whitmer's book polarised fans on its release. Some applauded it as the first serious psychological exploration of the King, while others thought it contemporary bunkum written by a university trained researcher using theory rather than hard fact.

The book is still available from online sellers including Amazon, which also released a Kindle version last year. (24 Aug 2009)


The Life Of Elvis Aaron Presley - Elvis Facts For Elvis Fans: This 85 page book appears to have slipped under the radar last year. Described as a release detailing what happened in Elvis's life and events. Written by Steve Landers it can be bought from www.lulu.com. ISBN: 978-1-4357-3905-5


 

New book release: Elvis: A Tribute to the King of Rock: Platinum Edition Collector's Vault (Hardcover)

by Frank Hyland (Author), Priscilla Presley (Foreword). Due out in October from Whitman Publishing. 144 pages.

Pre order from Amazon


Black Angels in Vegas (Book & CD review): The new book + 2CD release from Venus Productions recently caught our eye and ear.

What we found was a first rate release which will delight all fans.

With rare photos, an excellent narrative account of Elvis in 1974 and great sound resonating from the audio component, there is much to be enjoyed and wondered about with this release. Elvis's use of the "F" word during the show has sparked debate and while some other shows in his 1974 Summer season were ordinary, at midnight on 30 August the King was in particularly fine form.

But what is the story with those "angels"?

Click here to read our detailed review

(Review, Source: EIN)


Book release in Germany: A new 288 pages book will be published on the exhibition "Mehr als Elvis: 60 Jahre Amerikaner in Hessen" (More than Elvis: 60 Years Americans In Hessen") in the Capri-Club (the former Ray Barracks) in Friedberg Germany.

The book has the same title as the exhibition an contains 300 images - partly unpublished - and documents the history of the Americans in Hessen in seven themes (ISBN: 9783937774657). (News, Source: Elvis News /Elvis Club Berlin)


"Elvis On Tour '72" - a new Praytome Publishing project with photos by Ed Bonja:

Because high-quality cameras and films were still very expensive for fans in the early 1970’s, we have few good live shots of Elvis from this period of his career. Because most fans used the then-popular Instamatic Cameras, Elvis can be seen, for the most part, as only a thumbnail or just a small, white mark on the print. Because photographers such as George Hill, Keith Alverson, Shean Shaver or the recently-deceased Harold Newton used 35mm cameras, fans were, for the first time, introduced to very good quality photos.

A rumor has persisted that “Praytome Publishing" has been working on a book with live shots from the year 1972. Today, we gladly put this rumor to rest with the announcement that we have, indeed, begun work on such a book: “Elvis Covering the Nation ’72.”

The work began several weeks ago with the photographs of Ed Bonja, the official Tour Manager and Photographer for the Elvis Presley Show during the 1970’s. Bonja’s photos are well known world-wide, because Colonel Tom Parker chose many of his photos as cover shots for Elvis’ LP Albums and Singles. Bonja met Elvis for the first time during the shooting of "Girl Happy" in 1964 and later worked with the king on tours during the 70's, as well as in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, where he took over 8,000 photos of Elvis and the tour happenings. Many of these photos remain unpublished even today.

As you can see, our team works on several projects at the same time, giving Elvis fans the highest possible quality, including perfectly restored negatives and transparencies and as much information as possible for the never before published pictures.

The team of Praytome Publishing can hardly wait to complete this project and present it to the world.

For more exclusive updates visit Epgold or www.praytome-publishing.com website. (News, Source: EP Gold, 6 Aug 2009)


Elvis is feature article in latest Record Collector magazine: This is what everyone can read, for the complete article you'll need to go to the shop or subscribe to the magazine:

"Later this year, one of the biggest collections of Elvis Presley records in the country – and maybe the world – will be put up for sale. “I’ve reached the end of the road, really. I’ve literally got everything,” says proud owner Steve Lacey. “At this stage, there are only a few things that I’m missing and unlikely to get. I’d like to think that there’s someone out there who would buy a collection that has a copy of every single, LP, CD and box set that Elvis has ever released.”

Steve started collecting at the (love me) tender age of 11 and, 32 years later, has a complete collection of every record released by Elvis Presley worldwide. “My mum had two Elvis records in the house,” he recalls, “which were How Great Thou Art and You’ll Never Walk Alone. I remember the day Elvis died, I was upstairs in my bedroom and she shouted up that he was dead. I played those two records the next day and started collecting on 17 August 1977 – the day after he died.

“The first records I bough were a Sun collection and the Moody Blue LP. Now, 32 years later, I’m still up at quarter-to-four in the morning, bidding on records on the internet!”"

(News, Source: Record Collector /Elvis News, 6 Aug 2009)

Upcoming book release in Germany: The 384 book "Elvis Presley" will be released by the German Paragon-Verlag in December 2009.

This biography should contain over 400 unpublished photo's according to the press-release (ISBN: 1407580973). (News, Source: Elvis News)


'Elvis: Sessions IV' new JAT book: Rumours of a new and highly anticipated update by JAT Productions of 'Elvis: Sessions IV' coming in 2010. More information soon.

Go here to JAT productions for more info


Click here for EIN's review of 'Elvis: Sessions III' (1 Aug 2009)

 

 

(News, Source: JAT Productions)


Inside Jailhouse Rock - The Sequel: Not surprisingly, following JAT's announcement yesterday that its next book release would be Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Unlimited has re-affirmed its shortly to be released box set, Inside Jailhouse Rock - The Sequel:

Elvis Unlimited is proud to announce our next project, Inside Jailhouse Rock - The Sequel

Why the sequel, you ask? Well, Inside Jailhouse has already been done by the legendary Ger Rijff. The "Inside" series was also created by Ger Rijff. His "Inside" titles include Inside King Creole, Inside Loving You and Inside Jailhouse Rock. T
herefore, an "Inside" book is incomplete without it's creator, Ger Rijff. So in cooperation with Ger Rijff, we have decided to do the sequel to Inside Jailhouse Rock.

Inside Jailhouse Rock - The Sequel will follow the typical format of our Inside series which will be a limited edition box set including a book, DVD, vinyl record, and much more. Inside Jailhouse Rock – The Sequel is an Elvis Unlimited Productions written by Megan Murphy, concept by Ger Rijff, designed by Kenneth Dokkeberg, published by Henrik Knudsen.

Highly notable Elvis collectors including; Sherif Hanna, one of the world's top Elvis collectors and historians, Ger Rijff, creator of the "Inside" series, Todd Slaughter, president of The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club Of Great Britain, Chris Giles, publisher of Inside Loving You & owner of The Elvis Shop, Hubert Vindevogel, President of the oldest fan club in Belgium, The United Elvis Presley Society which has been in existence since the early 60's; Carlos Ares, President of the fan club in Argentina and Expert on Elvis vinyl, Andylon Lensen, Bob Klein, Russ Howe and countless more have contributed incredible material for this project. (News, Source: EP Gold/Elvis Unlimited)
JAT announces its latest release: With Elvis in Gold due for release next week, Joseph Tunzi has announced his next release will focus on Jailhouse Rock. (News, Source: FECC, 18 July 2009)

Upcoming book - 'The True Presley History':

(News, Source: Jim Browder - Maurice Colgan/www.epgold.com) 


First ever ETA releases autobiography: Norman Johnson, known as “the first Elvis impersonator,” will sign copies of his book from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at Hasting Bookstore, 1460 MacArthur Drive in Alexandria. Johnson, from Nacogdoches, Texas, knew Elvis Presley and traveled with him and impersonated “The King” when he was 14 and Elvis was 18. His autobiography is called “The Kid and the King.” Johnson will be giving away prizes and CDs, according to a news release. He is a former radio perssonality who did his first live radio broadcast at the age of 8. (News, Source: AP, 11 July 2009)


The King and Dr. Nick: What Really Happened with Elvis and Me: Dr. Nick's highly anticipated memoir now has a publisher, cover and release date.

The publisher is Thomas Nelson and the hardcover book is due for release on 16 February 2010. It contains 256 pages.

Authors: Dr. George Nichopoulos (Author), Rose Clayton Phillips (Contributor)

ISBN-10: 1595551719..........ISBN-13: 978-1595551719

Book synopsis: The truth about Elvis's death from the doctor who spent eleven years as "the King's" personal physician, father-figure, and confidant - "Dr. Nick."

Dr. Nichopoulos spent a decade with Elvis on the road and at Graceland, trying to maintain the precarious health of one of the world's greatest entertainers. But on August 16, 1977, he found himself in the ambulance with Elvis on that fateful last trip to the ER. He signed the death certificate.

From that day forward, Dr. Nick became the focus of a media witch hunt that threatened his life and all but destroyed his professional reputation. Now, for the first time, Dr. Nick reveals the true story behind Elvis's drug use and final days-not the version formed by years of tabloid journalism and gross speculation. Put aside what you've learned about Elvis's final days and get ready to understand for the first time the inner workings of "the king of rock n' roll." (July 6, 2009)

Amazon is now taking pre-orders. Price is US$24.99


'Inside Jailhouse Rock - The Sequel' new book: Elvis Unlimited announce their next project 'Inside Jailhouse Rock - The Sequel'...
>>>> "Why the sequel, you ask? Well, Inside Jailhouse has already been done by the legendary Ger Rijff. The "Inside" series was also created by Ger Rijff. His "Inside" titles include Inside King Creole, Inside Loving You and Inside Jailhouse Rock. Therefore, an "Inside" book is incomplete without it's creator, Ger Rijff. So in cooperation with Ger Rijff, we have decided to do the sequel to Inside Jailhouse Rock.
Inside Jailhouse Rock - The Sequel will follow the typical format of our Inside series which will be a limited edition box set including a book, DVD, vinyl record, and much more. Inside Jailhouse Rock – The Sequel is an Elvis Unlimited Productions written by Megan Murphy, concept by Ger Rijff, designed by Kenneth Dokkeberg, published by Henrik Knudsen.
Highly notable Elvis collectors including Sherif Hanna, one of the world's top Elvis collectors and historians, Ger Rijff, creator of the "Inside" series, Todd Slaughter, president of The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club Of Great Britain, Chris Giles, publisher of Inside Loving You & owner of The Elvis Shop, The United Elvis Presley Society; Carlos Ares, President of the fan club in Argentina and Expert on Elvis vinyl, and countless more have contributed incredible material for this project. "
(News, Source;ElvisUnlimited)

Excerpt from Leiber & Stoller bio: EIN recommends "Hound Dog" the autobiography of the song writing team responsible for many of Elvis' greatest songs and one of the greatest song writing duos in rock/pop music history..... Leiber and Stoller. It is a great read!! Here is an excerpt:

Stoller: I guess it must have been in April of '57 that we met Colonel Parker for the first time. It happened over dinner at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Jean Aberbach was the conduit.

"The Colonel wants to see you in person before you meet Elvis," said Jean.

"Is this an audition?" I asked.

"The Colonel is very careful about who he lets into Elvis's circle."

"I'm very careful about who I have dinner with," said Jerry.

Jean didn't laugh. "Just be on your best behavior," he told us both.

Leiber: Of course, the Colonel wasn't really a colonel. He was Thomas A. Parker, whose former job as a carnival barker defined his personality. He had a definite shtick ("Pick a number from one to ten"). He told dozens of canned jokes. I can't remember any of them except that they weren't funny. But it didn't matter that we didn't laugh, because the Colonel wasn't really conscious of us. Of course, he knew we were the songwriters of "Hound Dog" and the new songs for Jailhouse Rock. He knew more hit songs for Elvis meant more money for him. Beyond that, though, he was more interested in putting on his own show than getting to know us.

He had his long cigar and his confected Southern accent. He was fat and smart and a nonstop talker whose ego was always on parade. He told us in great detail all he had done for Elvis — and all he intended to do.

"Elvis," he said, "is going to be bigger than the president, bigger than the pope."

Naturally we agreed.

Stoller: The Colonel had the kind of energy that sucked all the air out of the room, even the dining room at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I had little interest in the man. Elvis was the guy we were eager to meet. The session was due to start later that week.

Leiber: My heterosexual credits have long been established, so I can comfortably say that the first thing that hit me when I walked into the recording studio and found myself standing next to Elvis Presley was his physical beauty. Far more than his pictures, his actual presence was riveting. He had a shy smile and quiet manner that were disarming.

All this happened at Radio Recorders Annex, the same studio where Big Mama had recorded "Hound Dog" back in August of 1952. Elvis wanted us there to produce the songs for the soundtrack we'd written for him.

Stoller: It's important to remember that on the day we met Elvis, he was twenty-two and we were twenty-four. We were contemporaries. Remember, too, that Jerry and I shared the uppity view that he and I were among the few white guys who knew about the blues. In the first five minutes of conversation with Elvis, we learned we were dead wrong.

Elvis knew the blues. He was a Ray Charles fanatic and even knew that Ray had sung our song "The Snow Is Falling." In fact, he knew virtually all of our songs. There wasn't any R&B he didn't know. He could quote from Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, B.B. King, and Big Bill Broonzy.

Leiber: When it came to the blues, Elvis knew his stuff. He may not have been conversant about politics or world history, but his blues knowledge was almost encyclopedic. Mike and I were blown away. In fact, the conversation got so enthusiastic that Mike and Elvis sat down at the piano and started playing four-handed blues. He definitely felt our passion for the real roots material and shared that passion with all his heart. Just like that, we fell in love with the guy.

"Let's get started," Elvis said. "Let's cut some records."

We jumped right into "Jailhouse Rock." The initial idea was just to show up at the studio to meet Elvis. But, as naturally as the winter turns to spring, we found ourselves in charge of the session. We were producing the guy. Mike worked out the arrangement with Elvis's band — Bill Black on upright bass, Scotty Moore on guitar, D.J. Fontana on drums, and Dudley Brooks on piano. As far as the vocals went, I was amazed to see that Elvis was happy to hear me sing the song with what I considered the right attitude. He was following my vocal cues.

Stoller: Elvis was completely open and never acted like a diva. When it was time to do the actual recording, Jerry was in the control booth and I stayed on the floor. I played piano on one cut, and Jerry, with his unique style of body language, conducted Elvis's vocals.

The other thing that amazed us was that no one was rushing us to get through. During a recording session, Jerry and I were used to watching the clock. The musicians' union allowed four songs in three hours or you got into the dreaded overtime. On Elvis's sessions, though, those restrictions were lifted. The Jordanaires (Elvis's backup vocal quartet), the guys in the band and Elvis's paid companions (the so-called Memphis Mafia) would order lunch — peanut butter sandwiches and orange pop — while the clock kept ticking.

Sometimes we'd do two or three takes on a song; sometimes up to twenty-five. And yet, even in this relaxed atmosphere, by evening time we'd cut three songs.

Buy 'Hound Dog', the biography of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller


Elvis King of the Internet: Due for release June/July 2009 from Sachbuch Berlin is the 140 page German book "Elvis - King of the Internet" by Gerhard Schulz.

It retails for 12.80 Euro, ISBN: 978-3-939948-22-3. (News, Source: Elvis Club Berlin/Elvis News, 11 June 2009)


"Only in America": How many thousands of books are published in America every year? And of those how many does the world actually need?

Here is a book the world has needed for many decades –Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s own story in well-arranged, wildly readable words. Short, punchy, as irresistible as a Leiber/Stoller song.

Some say Leiber and Stoller invented rock ’n’ roll.

I don’t think so. I think that honor should go –if to anyone –to Sam Phillips of Memphis’ Sun Records, who recorded all sorts of great black blues musicians but yearned and searched high and low for a white performer with a black feel to conquer American popular music. What happened when he found Elvis Presley ultimately transformed world culture in a way we’re still beginning to understand.

So Leiber and Stoller may not have actually invented rock ’n’ roll. But they WERE rock ’n’ roll –the very first to be in

America, long before Elvis. They were the mass culture marriage of black America and white America in ways that even jazz and swing never thought of. Born a few months apart in 1933, they met in Los Angeles as mutual admirers of boogie woogie, the blues and so much of what once used to be relegated in America to “race records.”

They were “the original cool cats,” promoter, producer and singer Steve Tyrell told Ken Emerson in Emerson’s amazing book “Always Magic in the Air.” “Mr. Disorderly Conduct and the Man from Another Planet,” they’re called by Atlantic Records’ patriarchal honcho Jerry Wexler in his book “Rhythm and the Blues” (it is Wexler, by the way, who is usually credited with inventing the phrase “rhythm and blues” to describe, among other things, the first music that Leiber and Stoller wrote with such crazy panache).

Wrote Emerson: “Manic, impetuous and aggressive, Leiber was a motormouth with curly red hair. One eye was blue, the other was brown, and there was a crazy glint in both of them. (Asked what he put down for eye color on his passport, Leiber told a friend ‘assorted.’ ”) Stoller, wrote Wexler, “was the taciturn virtuoso, an enigmatic keyboard wizard who looked as if he’d just arrived from Venus or Jupiter. He had formal musical training and a taste for jazz piano.”

What resulted, wrote Wexler, was “a comic spin to their musical vignettes, their reflections on black American life, their witty lyrics, their gritty syncopations…Creators of fantastic characters, they were fantastic characters themselves. Their place is secure in the annals of pop. Their roots a combination of barroom blues and radio programs of their late-’40s childhood.”

When they first met, writes Leiber in one of the alternating Leiber and Stoller sections of “Hound Dog,” “I saw a kid my age with a beret on his head and a Dizzy Gillespie-type goatee on the end of his chin. A bebopper, I thought to myself. Oh s—-, not one of them.”

When they quickly realized how united they were by the blues, writes Stoller, “I started playing some blues” on the piano. “Jerry improvised some lyrics and sung them as if he had been born in Mississippi.”

“We shook hands and said, ‘We’ll be partners.’ ”

America and the world were never quite the same. It’s hard to pick my favorite story from the typhoon of them blowing through “Hound Dog,” one of the indispensable books of 2009 as well as one of the most rollickingly pleasurable.

Is it Jerry Leiber at Elaine’s suddenly attacked from behind and strangled by Norman Mailer, after having decisively whipped a bruising friend of Mailer’s in a wrestling match supervised by Elaine Kaufman herself? Surely there’s inestimable value to American culture in the confirmation of the widespread suspicion that a sneak attack and stranglehold from behind would be a drunken Mailer’s M. O. Or is it Mike Stoller’s story about how he and Leiber and “avant-garde composer” and longtime University at Buffalo Music Department mainstay Morton Feldman almost wrote the background music to the arty and rather dreadful 1961 Carroll Baker movie “Something Wild.”

Writes Stoller: “I’d written a jazz theme and a big band arrangement. Jerry had written a lyric and we’d put together an orchestra of great musicians, half from the Basie band and half from Ellington’s.”

Never one to leave well enough alone, Feldman, typically, had an idea. “Let me take your arrangement and redistribute it into various small groups. Then you and Jerry and I will each conduct the ensembles at different tempos, all at the same time and in the same studio.”

In typical Leiber/Stoller style, Stoller responded “why not?” to his friend Morty’s lunatic proposal of Ivesian film music in 1961. “The result,” writes Stoller, “was annoying, frightening and wonderfully nauseating. It would have worked phenomenally well in the film.” (Note: the revered and far more conventional Aaron Copland ultimately got the “Something Wild” scoring gig, out of which he later fashioned his superb “Music for a Great City.”)

By this time, Leiber and Stoller had already virtually invented the job of record producer and re-created the sound of American pop music with the Drifters’ “There Goes My Baby,” the “everything but the kitchen sink” record that pointed their onetime acolyte and associate Phil Spector into the innovative direction of his “Wall of Sound.”

It’s mind-boggling to think that Feldman was so close to those whose songbook includes so many hits. (See accompanying story.)

“Today,” writes Stoller, “R&B and rock ‘n’ roll are taken seriously as art forms. When we started writing and producing, a two-line review in Cash Box magazine was the best one could expect for a blues or R&B record. As far as Jerry and I were concerned the song we were writing might have a life span of a few months. They were cute, they were appealing, they were seductive. Singers liked to sing them and fans liked to listen to them.”

Which, except for the unfortunately derogatory connotation of the word “cute,” describes their collaborated autobiography in their mutual 76th year. Yet another Leiber and Stoller product that may be destined for an entirely unforeseen and insanely long life.

Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography By Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller with David Ritz; Simon and Schuster; 322 pages, US$25.00 (News, Source: Jeff Simon,buffnews.com)


Launch of Charles Stone memoir: We all know that with the passing of Colonel Parker in 1997, not only the person of Colonel Parker was gone forever, but also gone were all of his memories. During his lifetime, neither 'the Colonel' nor his right-hand man, Tom Diskin wrote a book about the times with Elvis.

Even though Elvis has been dead for more than thirty-one years now, Elvis fans still hunger for more and detailed background information - especially about the concert years.

Charles Stone, who was born November 8, 1943, and grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas, didn't know, when he started to work for Concerts West, that one day he would work with Colonel Parker and the Elvis entourage.

Still 'Taking Care Of Business' in the Elvis world, tour producer, Charles Stone, shares his memories with Elvis fans worldwide. As tour producer for the Elvis Presley Tours in the 1970's, Charles Stone also worked closely with Colonel Tom Parker. His inside view of the business details of the Colonel and how to manage and handle the Elvis deals was something special. Charles was one of the few members who was inducted into the Colonel’s "Snowman's League" - a mysterious accommodation of the Colonel.


Along with Charles' memories, the book will present a number of private shots of Elvis on stage, a look “behind the wall" at the Colonel's private home in Palm Springs, rare shots of the sound systems, speakers and mixing boards taken and contributed by sound engineer, Bruce Jackson, and, of course, paperwork.

For the very first time, Charles Stone opens his original tour books, showing you reprinted documents and paperwork that gives you an inside view as you have never before had into the details of how the tours were produced and how things were arranged.

The rare pictures, along with the paperwork that has never before been seen, will give you a new perspective and a close-up look at how the Elvis Tours were produced.

This is definitively the very first book about "Elvis & The Colonel" that is written by a guy who was there. The storyline is based on Charles' memories, unlike previous Colonel books that were based on false assumptions and fabricated stories told by a third party.

From June 25th - June 28th, there will be a special celebration party for the 100th birthday of Colonel Parker in his hometown,

Breda, The Netherlands, organized by the Belgium Fan club "ElvisMatters". For more information, visit the official website for the event: www.colonelparker.info

The close connection between Charles Stone and Colonel Parker and the 100th birthday anniversary of Elvis' famous manager make the perfect combination for the world premiere of the latest Praytome Publishing book

ElvisMatters will have the honour and exclusive privilege to have the world premiere of Charles Stone's book, "My Years with Elvis and the Colonel".

The Praytome Publishing crew will also be in Breda for the event and to answer any questions you might have about this new release - or any previous releases.


Because the book will premiere at the ElvisMatters event, shipping will begin June 29, 2009. Contact your local dealer to order the book.
(Source: www.Praytome-Publishing.com/www.epgold.com, 6 June 2009)der


New Lichter book on Elvis in Vegas: Henrik Knudsen from Elvis Unlimted posted this message on FECC:

2010 will be the release of Paul's next book. A deluxe book with 450-600 pages about Elvis' time in Vegas from 1956 to 1976. 500 + pictures are 95% in color! Paul even told Elvis Unlimited in this exclusive news report, that he has a picture of Elvis which he had taken in a photo booth in 1956. This book will be jam packed with memorabilia that has never before been in any book yet. Paul told us he had spend close to 10 years researching this project. Overlook Press which also recently released The Elvis Encyclopedia by Adam Victor, will release this Elvis Vegas "Bible" worldwide. Every show from 1969 to 1977 will be described in details. Which ever celebrities Elvis had met and had a picture taken of will be available in the massive hard cover book. For more updates on this book come back from time to time, as our friend Paul Lichter has promised us exclusive updates regularly. (News, Source: www.elvisunlimited.com/FECC)


New Elvis music book releases: In September 2009, the Hal Leonard Corporation is releasing 5 new Elvis music books:

  • Elvis Presley for Alto Sax: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack (paperback)
  • Elvis Presley for Clarinet: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack (paperback)
  • Elvis Presley for Flute: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack (paperback)
  • Elvis Presley for Tenor Sax: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack (paperback)
  • Elvis Presley for Trumpet: Instrumental Play Along Book/CD Pack (paperback)

As indicated, each book comes with a play along CD and features 15 popular Elvis songs.  It appears each book features the same set of songs which include Blue Suede Shoes; All Shook Up; Love Me Tender; Jailhouse Rock; Hound Dog; Teddy Bear and Return to Sender. All 5 books are available for pre-order from Amazon in the US.   (News, Source: ElvisBookResearch, 3 June 2009)


Portuguese Elvis film book: HM Editora will release the first portuguese book on Elvis' movies entitled Elvis Presley e o Cinema Musical de Hollywood later this June. The book is written by Jorge Carrega, who wrote it originally as a thesis for his master degree in film and literature. 

The book has 132 pages, a preface by Professora Mirian Tavares of the University of the Algarve, and 32 b&w and color photos, plus a complethe Elvis DVDguide-filmography. (Book News, Source: Elvis News)

 


'I Called Him Babe' book re-issue: Elvis' former nurse Marian J. Cocke released her book "I Called Him Babe" back in 1979, but it has long been out-of-print. It has now being reissued and should be available in Graceland bookstore and elsewhere. Marian has told friends that she is excited about her book being reprinted.

The deluxe paperback edition is available from fine retail book outlets for $19.95 but you can also order a personal signed copy direct from Marian.

Go here for more info and to order direct.

 

 

(News, Source;EIN)


Cover artwork and details on George Klein memoir: George Klein's long awaited memoir, "Elvis My Best Man", has now been rescheduled for publication in January 2010. (News, Source: Amazon, 28 May 2009)

 

  • Hardcover
  • Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY) (January 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307452743
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307452740

My Treasured Memories of Elvis: Here is the cover art of "My Treasured Memories of Elvis" by July Palmer which is due June 2009.

This photo of Elvis on stage was taken at the Las Vegas Hilton during the Summer Festival engagement (September) of 1972.

Elvis was wearing a blue jumpsuit with silver designs. Judy considers her photos of  this engagement to be her favorite set.  (News, Source: Elvis Unlimited)


New Elvis book release in Australia: The Hinkley Books group has released (with a 2008 publication date) the large hardcover (with dust jacket) title, Elvis, by Susie Behar, in Australia. The 304 page photo journal is a solid release with quality images, none of which appear to be previously unreleased. The chapters cover (in chronological order) all of Elvis' life and career from 1935 to today!

Each of Elvis' films is covered in an individual chapter and the King's live performances While Behar's text isn't the most incisive it is thoughtful and, importantly, doesn't resile from the negative aspects of the Elvis story. The book also includes a list of Elvis' #1 records around the world and his other achievements.

The book is targeted at both long time and casual fans and will be welcomed by many buyers. ISBN-13: 978-1741828801.

The release is discounted in some stores (eg. QBD outlets) from around A$40.00 to $12.95. It represents excellent value at either price.

This title has also been releaed by both Hinkley Books and Igloo Books Ltd overseas, sometimes with the title: Elvis (Picture This). (Book News, Source: EIN, 24 May 2009)


Impressive over artwork for 'Elvis - The King Of Las Vegas': New book "Elvis - The King Of Las Vegas" is a photo -book about Elvis in Las Vegas 1956 - 1976.

Content:

The Concerts
Holidays
The wedding
A list of all the stage suits Elvis used on stage

The list is going on and on.....


200 pages, with 1000 pictures, size 20 x 30 - hard back cover.
(News, Source: EP Gold, 21 May 2009)

Elvis book releaases which slipped under the radar!: While the Elvis book world may not be as robust as it once was, with low sales for most releases, there are still more than 100 Elvis related books released each year, signifying Elvis' ongoing socio-cultural impact. In fact, in most years there are far more Elvis books released than Elvis CDs!

ElvisBookResearch has advised EIN of the following Elvis related book releases, a number of which which seem to have slipped under the radar:

Title Author Publisher/Release Date/Format/Pages ISBN 10/ISBN 13 Available from
Elvis Presley: Archivos Ineditos Marie Clayton Parragon Inc (Spain)/Oct 2007/Hardcover/383pp 1407510088/978-1407510088 Amazon UK
All Shook Up Shelley Pearsall Alfred A. Knopf/May 2008/Hardcover/272 pages 0375836985/978-0375836985 Amazon UK
All Shook Up Shelley Pearsall Yearling Books/2009/Softcover reprint/224 pages 0375838392/978-0375838392 Amazon UK
All Shook Up Shelley Pearsall Random House/2008/Library Binding 0375938397/978-0375938399 Amazon UK
Elvis: Webster's Timeline History 1651-2007 Philip M. Parker ICON Group International Inc/June 2008/Softcover/176 pages ASIN: 8001CV84OA Amazon UK
Suspicious Minds Cristy Barrett Kregel Publications/July 2008/Softcover/240 pp 0825425409/978-0825425400 Amazon UK
Elvis by Candlelight: Memories by Candlelight Mary Lou Anderson Booksurge LLC/July 2008/Softcover/186 pages 1439203733/978-1439203736 Amazon UK
Elvis Presley - Zone/Sep 2008/Softcover/28pp 1906361037/978-1906361037 Amazon UK
Elvis Presley (alt. edition) - Zone/Sep 2008/Softcover/28pp 1906354081/978-19063654084 Amazon UK
I Wanted To Be Elvis, So What Was I Doing in Moose Jaw? Ray St. Germain PPI/2008/Softcover ASIN: 8001BY4IES Amazon UK
The Elvis Treasures Dale Cotton & Marcie DiPetrio Carlton/2008/Hardcover/64pp 1862005214/978-1862005211 Amazon UK
Vom Grapevine Zum Fahrschein. Ubersetzung in der Deutschsprachigen Popularmusik am Beispel der Leider von Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Juanes und Anderen - ibidem-Verlag/Oct 2008/Softcover/126 pages 3898219410/978-3898219419 Amazon UK
Picture This: Elvis - Hinkler Book Distributors/Oct 2008/Softcover /304 pages 1741828805/978-1741828801 Amazon UK
Elvis - Parragon Book Service Ltd/Nov 2008/Hardcover 1407543873/978-1407543871 Amazon UK
Elvis Susan Behar Hinkler Books/Jan 2009/Hardcover ASIN: B001PYR3A0 Amazon UK
Elvis Presley: King of Rock & Roll William Kelly Kendall Hut Pub Co/Aug 2008/Hardcover 0757557554/978-0757557552 Amazon UK

Elvis (Albumes) (Spanish Edition)

 

Tai-marc Le Thanh Luis Vives Editorial/April 2009/Hardcover/40pp/ for younger readers

8426368611/978-8426368614

Amazon USA
Love Me Tender Audrey Couloumbis Random House Books for Young Readers/April 2009/Hardcover/224 pages 0375838392 / 978-0375838392 Amazon USA
Love Me Tender Audrey Couloumbis Random House Books for Young Readers/April 2009/Library Binding/224 pages 0375938397/978-0375938399 Amazon USA
Love Me Tender Audrey Couloumbis Yearling/April 2009/Softcover reprint ed./224 pages (for ages 9-12) 0375838406/978-0375838408 Amazon USA
Love Me Tender Audrey Couloumbis Random House Books for Young Readers/2008/Kindle (Amazon Digital)/324KB - 224 pages ASIN: B0018G4H54 Amazon USA
Images of Elvis - Parragon Books/Sep 2009/Softcover 1407558072/978-1407558073 Amazon USA
The Florida House - Mission One: Vampires, Bigfoot, Elvis and the Bates Motel Kristie Lynn Higgins Amazon/2009/Kindle (Digital) - Amazon USA

'Hound Dog' new Leiber & Stoller autobiography: 'Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography' by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller with David Ritz has been announced for a June 9 release.
The publicity notes, "In 1950 a couple of rhythm and blues-loving teenagers named Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller met for the first time. In 1956 "Hound Dog" would become a #1 record for Elvis Presley, and Jerry and Mike became the King's favorite songwriters. They wrote such early Elvis hits as "Jailhouse Rock," "Treat Me Nice," and "You're So Square (Baby I Don't Care)." Their affection for Elvis was mutual, but Elvis's manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker, didn't appreciate Jerry and Mike's independent ways and ended the relationship."
Hardcover: 336 pages, Publisher: Simon & Schuster (June 9, 2009). ISBN-13: 978-1416559382.
In a recent press interview they talked about their times writing in the fifties and working with Elvis.
Mike Stoller: I always thought of it as R&B, but when people told us it was rock'n'roll I took their word for it. But rock'n'roll  -for a lot of people it was everything they loved and for other people it was everything they hated.
Jerry Leiber: We were really committed to black music, not rock'n'roll. We thought rock'n'roll was really silly, to be frank with you and concocted by Alan Freed and Jerry Wexler and a couple of other ne'er-do-wells in the music business that were trying to rustle up publicity and excitement about a form, and the form was essentially white."
Go here for the interview highlights.
(News, Source;EIN)

Essential Elvis latest issue Out Now! The May/June issue of UK's Essential Elvis magazine features an in-depth interview with Barbara Klein Bauer (George Klein's former wife), and a really interesting chat with songwriter Les Reed (Sylvia and This Is Our Dance). None other than Ken Sharp (author of Writing For The King) has submitted an exclusive article looking at Elvis' 1968 comeback special, which includes several mini interviews. Ken actually spoke to several guys involved in the special for this piece including Steve Binder, Chris Bearde, Bones Howe, Gene McAvoy and Tom Sarnoff.
Subscribers will enjoy a stunning UNRELEASED photograph on the front cover taken at Barbara and George Klein's Vegas wedding at Elvis' International Hotel suite on November 5th 1970. The shot is crystal clear in glorious colour, and has never been seen before. There is also a superb UNRELEASED shot, bought to the Elvis word for the first time only through our magazine, of Elvis playing pool in a bar in Mississippi in 1955.


Click here for more info and to take out a subscription (News, Source;EssentialElvis)


The Music of Elvis Presley A Collector’s Guide – new book release: Released May 13, 2009 is the 422 pages book "The Music of Elvis Presley A Collector's Guide" by Gregory Branson-Trent. The book was released through the self publishing publisher Create Space.

From the press-release: More Than 30 years have passed since the death of Elvis Presley, yet the deceased singer, still widely acclaimed as The King of rock and roll, continues to sell records, inspire legions of worshiping fans, and preside over quickie weddings in Vegas.

Elvis is the one who gave us everything from Blue Suede Shoes and Hound Dog to Heartbreak Hotel and Love Me Tender. Over the course of his career, Elvis appeared in thirty-one movies, each one a smashing financial, if not critical, success. Perhaps most importantly, however, if you want to be the King, you've got to live like the King. No celebrity before or since has done as much to redefine the notion of living large as Presley.

This book will take you back to a complete overview of Elvis' career, included are:
  • A Complete Discography
  • A Total Chart Listing Of All Releases
  • A Complete Image Collection Of All Albums And Singles.
  • A Biography Of Elvis' Career And Personal Life.
  • The Elvis Timeline
  • Elvis' Movies
More than 30 years have passed since the death of Elvis Presley, yet the deceased singer, still widely acclaimed as The King of rock and roll, continues to sell records, inspire legions of worshiping fans, and preside over quickie weddings in Vegas. How does one become the King? Well, for starters, it helps to have a distinctive style. Elvis "The Pelvis" won the madly thumping hearts of teenage girls everywhere by packaging his smoky-voiced singing with some scandalously sensual hip-swinging. It never hurts to crank out some hit singles, as well.

Elvis is the one who gave us everything from Blue Suede Shoes and Hound Dog to Heartbreak Hotel and Love Me Tender. A high-profile career in Hollywood is certainly a plus. Over the course of his career, Elvis appeared in thirty-one movies, each one a smashing financial, if not critical, success. Perhaps most importantly, however, if you want to be the King, you've got to live like the King. No celebrity before or since has done as much to redefine the notion of living large as Presley.

This book will take you back to a complete overview of Elvis’ career. Branson-Trent’s book takes on all aspects of Presley’s Career, from a full discography, to a biography and reveals many aspects of his chart performance and his life in movies. In short it is everything Elvis with pictures.

To order direct from the publisher: https://www.createspace.com/3383236  (ISBN/EAN13: 144217031X / 9781442170315)

EIN Note: For buyers outside the USA, CreateSpace shipping charges are very high! (15 May 2009)


More Elvis books: Further to the foregoing news, ElvisBookResearch advises EIN that 2 new Elvis related books have been released/announced:

Flowers for Elvis: This is a fiction release written by Julia Schuster and published by Bell Bridge Books (USA) in April.  It is described as a quirky Southern tale with a literary edge, surprising humor and uplifting spirit.  With a fanatical Elvis fan as one of the main characters, the author takes the reader on a flower strewn tour of misguided love and maternal betrayal which culminates at Elvis’ funeral.

My Treasured Memories of Elvis: This book by Judy Palmer Bendewald, is produced by Elvis world identity, Mike Freeman, and is illustrated by the legendary Elvis pencil sketch artist, Betty Harper.  Release date 26 May from Memphis Explorations.  No other details are presently known about this release.


'From Elvis To Garth' Bobby Wood & The Memphis Boys; EIN contributor Pamela Mays Decker turns a much-needed spotlight on Bobby Wood, keyboardist and a musical inspiration behind Elvis' important 1969 Memphis sessions. Extraordinarily the 40th anniversary of Elvis' pivotal recordings at American Studios has essentially passed without so much as a whimper and with no respectful fanfare from EPE. As part of The Memphis Boys Bobby Wood recorded some astounding material which totalled over 100 chart hits in four years – a feat yet unmatched. He is writing his memoirs subtitled "From Elvis to Garth" which is slated for later this year. 

Go here for a fascinating look into Bobby Wood and this amazing musical scene. 

 

(Spotlight, Source;Pam Decker/EIN)  


New Book "Elvis - The King Of Las Vegas"; EP Gold has the news that a new Elvis photo book is to be released next month (June).
"Elvis - The King Of Las Vegas" is a photo-book about Elvis in Las Vegas 1956 - 1976.
With the contents:
- The Concerts
- Holidays
- The wedding
- A list of all the stage suits Elvis used on stage
The list is going on and on.....
200 pages, with 1000 pictures, size 20 x 30 - hard back cover.
Planned release date June, 2009


(News, Source;EpGold)


"My Years With Elvis and The Colonel" new book by Charles Stone:'Praytome Publishing' have announced their next book release to be "My Years With Elvis and The Colonel". Their press release says....
>> While everyone is talking about the recently announced FTD release and the upcoming Multi-Media-Box-Set by Bud Glass Productions and Praytome Publishing, we want to present to you the final artwork for the next Praytome Publishing release:
You are not familiar with the name 'Charles Stone'? Well, you have heard of Elvis Presley and Colonel Parker, haven't you?
Charles Stone - Concert West - Management Three - organisation of the tours: these terms all go together, and without them the Elvis Presley Tours in the 70's would not have been the same.
We are happy to announce that Charles Stone has decided to share his memories of his years with Elvis and the Colonel and that he has chosen 'Praytome Publishing' for this project. Click here for more info.
Soon you will learn more about the book's content, as well as the release date.
More details about the FTD & Praytome project "Dixieland Delight" and about what we mean when we talk about a "Multi-Media-Box-Set" will be available next week.

(News, Source;praytomepublishing.com)


New Elvis book releases: According to ElvisBookResearch (7 Apr 2009), several new titles have been announced for 2009-10:

  • Where's Elvis?, Daniel Lavac, Xavier Waterkeyn & Daniel Lalac, USA release date Sep 2009 (similar format to the Where's Wally series of books)
  • Biggest Elvis: A Novel, P.F. Kluge, USA release date Sep 2009 - this is a re-issue
  • Elvis and the Grateful Dead, Peggy Webb, USA release date Sep 2009
  • Black Elvis, Geoffrey Becker, USA release date Oct 2009 (collection of fiction stories)
  • Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me & Mom, Mark Alan Stamaty, USA release date Jan 2010
  • Bad Nature or with Elvis in Mexico, Javier Marias and Esther Allen, USA release date Feb 2010

“The Genuine Elvis – Photos and Untold Stories about the King” - a Preview: EIN contributor Pamela Decker is excited to share with fellow fans around the world that within the coming weeks, she will bring you exclusive interviews with some good friends of hers who have a forthcoming book, “The Genuine Elvis – Photos and Untold Stories about the King” which is set for release this summer at Graceland.  
You’ve likely heard about “The Genuine Elvis,” which was announced in late February. The book, by Ronnie McDowell, Edie Hand and Joe Meador, will feature countless never-before-heard stories, candid color and black & white photos and special memories – compiled as a tribute to Elvis. Among the stories are touching anecdotes from Elvis’s high school pals, fond personal recollections of good friends and relatives, and memories from a lucky few who were fortunate enough to spend Christmases at Graceland. 
Along with Edie and Ronnie is co-author Joe Meador. A 30+ year music industry veteran, Joe is a songwriter, manager, producer and performer who has worked with artists such as Rick Nelson and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. He serves as president and CEO of Nashville’s Grand Entertainment Group www.grandentertainment.com. 
In addition to dozens of beautiful photos by Al Wertheimer, the book features contributions from a host of other Elvis friends and family members. One such contributor is Louise Smith, widow of Elvis’ cousin Gene, who opens up to share rare memories. She also plans to appear at select book signing events with the authors. Fans who pre-order will receive autographed copies (from all three authors) of the book. 
Edie confirmed that the official launch of “The Genuine Elvis – Photos and Untold Stories about the King” will take place at Graceland’s bookstore on August 14, 2009 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Look for the interviews with the authors in June, along with more information about other cities hosting official book signing events.

Graceland Guidebook updated: Since it was first published in the mid '90s, the purpose of the Official Graceland Guidebook has been two-fold: first, to briefly tell the story of Elvis Presley's life & career and second, to take the reader on tour through Graceland and the additional exhibits & attractions that are available to Graceland guests.

As Elvis' posthumous career achievements & milestones have grown and as the Graceland guest experience has evolved, the Guidebook has been periodically updated. This latest edition, available in both hard and softcover versions, has been updated in order to provide a more contemporary & vibrant look featuring wonderful photography of Elvis & his family, his beloved Graceland and the adjacent attractions & exhibits that comprise the Graceland tour experience. Click here to purchase your copy today.
(News, Source: EPE)

Operation Phoenix (the Manifesto) – break the code and reveal the truth behind Elvis’ faked death!: The Elvis conspiracy area is one rich in color, mystery and incredulity!  Over the decades, a few written materials have gained notoriety due to their highly controversial subject matter and utter scarcity.  The Presley Commission Report comes quickly to mind, while another, equally mysterious document, Operation Phoenix (the Manifesto), is not as well known or understood.  Operation Phoenix first became known in the late 1990s when it was discussed on the various ‘Elvis underground’ forums and generated lively debate as to its origins and meaning.

The title of the manifesto is self-explanatory, obviously reflecting the idea of the phoenix (Elvis) rising from the ashes (death).

Supposedly written by Elvis as he prepared to fake his death, this rarely seen document was purported to comprise:

  • details of how he would fake his death (escape plans);
  • details of the Groups (there were 2) involved in the pending cover-up;
  • Elvis’ reflections on his life;
  • a color visual of the “secret” floor plan for upstairs at Graceland;
  • the original Graceland “blueprints”;
  • poems written by Elvis; and
  • a mysterious Codex.

The publication contains a number of names certain to provoke debate: “Lancelot”; “Enos”; Larry Blong”; while an interesting notation ruling out Japan, but leaving open Switzerland, Australia and Bahia Blanca as places to escape to will intrigue many.

Despite there being several clues to deciphering the numerically based Codex, this does not appear to have been achieved.  Many posters on the Underground forums suggested that once the code was broken, the real truth behind why Elvis had to fake his death would be revealed!

Like the Presley Commission Report; Operation Phone Book; and The Tupelo-Memphis Murders: A Psychological Study of Self-Destruction and Murder!; Operation Phoenix is an intriguing part of the rich myth that still resonates from what is today, admittedly only a pale semblance of the once powerful Elvis underground and the notion that Elvis did not die on 16 August 1977.

Copies of Operation Phoenix have recently been listed on eBay.  Happy hunting! (Apr 2009)

Visit EIN's Elvis Conspiracy page


Elvis 2000 (Book Review): Jay Gould is apparently a well known US psychic. 

In his minimalist book, Elvis 2000, Gould provides an at times interesting (if unbelievable) account of his psychic consultations with Elvis…….both spirit communications from beyond the grave and personal consultations during the last year of Elvis’ life!

Read EIN's review (March 2009)


Book Review - Teenagers' Hero: Steve Rino's mammoth book from Italy has met with a mix of praise and criticism.

What is the real story about this release? Is the criticism justified?

Amber Smith (with Nigel Patterson) has explored the more than 400 pages and even more images in Teenagers' Hero, and brings you her detailed review of the release and a few choice words for those who have been critical! (Source: EIN, March 2009)

Read Amber's review


"Elvis In Gold" book release: For August 2009  JAT Productions announces  Elvis In Gold, a photo journal exclusively capturing Elvis in the fifties. This will be a hardback edition with over 125 photos ( many unpublished and rare ), a book that will convey all the excitement of Elvis in the fifties....also COMING SOON....Elvis-Atlanta In Black and White...a book about the seventies.. (News, Source: JAT Productions /Elvis News, 8 March 2009)


Elvis: That's The Way It Is - The Complete Works - book review: With this highly anticipated set now available, Rex Martin has received his copy and presents his initial thoughts on the book component. Does it live up to expectations? Rex provides the early answer! (Book Review, Source: EIN, 2 March 2009)

Visit Rex Martin's Page on EIN

EIN Comment: EIN has now seen The Complete Works set and what a beauty it is! The packaging is superb. All 9 discs are colorful picture discs and the book, while slimline, is full of quality visuals from and information from the film (one of the visual highlights is a series of terrific shots of Elvis in his famous red shirt and belt). The strong box holds both the "Behind the Scenes" book and "The Shows"........a quad-foldout digipack disc compartment with great color visuals and backing imagery.

EIN is yet to listen to the audio discs or view the DVDs, but by all accounts, we will not be disappointed.


Apocalypse Jukebox - the end is near!: It has long been well established that gospel music was one of the main ingredients in the original rock ‘n’ roll stew. Yet it must be emphasized that the particular gospel style that most influenced the founders and forefathers of rock was as much on the fringes of the musical mainstream as the religious views of groups like the Millerites were from the norms of biblical interpretation.

Everyone knows, for instance, that Elvis was in large part formed by gospel and that gospel music is a significant part of the Elvis canon. There is a vast difference, however, between the style of gospel upon which Elvis drew to help create the rock blueprint and the gospel records, based within a more mainstream tradition, he made later in his career.“How Great Thou Art” is not a rock ‘n’ roll urtext; the premillennial musical expressions of sects such as the Holy Rollers is. In his definitive biography of Elvis, Peter Guralnick tells the story of how Elvis and his girlfriend Dixie would sneak out of their all-white “home” church during Sunday service in order to experience the ecstatic service of the black church down the street.

There, Elvis would have heard Reverend Brewster, whose sermons were also broadcast on the radio, deliver the apocalyptic “theme that a better day was coming, one in which all men could walk as brothers.” Yet even if Elvis did not pick up on that message, which is doubtful, it is obvious that he was directly influenced by the “exotic” and ecstatic music of such soul stirrers as Queen C.Anderson and the Brewsteraires, the church soloists. His first audiences did not fail to make this connection.

He certainly did seem to be representative of a “new day”, and one common thread of Elvis’ initial contemporary reception is a loss for words. Of course, awe is an understandable and perhaps typical reaction to the new:“When that boy was onstage, it was like nothing that had ever been before.Whether people liked it or not, they didn’t seem to be able to think of anything else, and it prevented them from focusing on just about anything that followed.” Silence is one effect of being so stunned; frenzy is another. Guralnick quotes Tom Perryman, a Texas deejay who helped Elvis’ first combo procure gigs: “When Elvis was performing, everyone had the same basic reaction. It was almost spontaneous. It reminded me of the early days, of where I was raised in East Texas and going to these ‘Holy Roller’ Brush Arbor meetings: seeing these people get religion. I said, ‘Man, that’s something.’” It’s unclear whether “that” refers to Elvis or the Holy Roller meetings, but it appears to apply to both. Their common denominator is ecstasy.

The ecstatic reaction to early rock ‘n’ roll was not lost on Orlando reporter Jean Yothers. Writing about her “first tangle with a hillbilly jamboree,” featuring Elvis,Yothers focused on the reaction of the audience:

What hillbilly music does to the hillbilly music fan is absolutely phenomenal. It transports him into a wild, emotional and audible state of ecstasy [our emphasis]. He never sits back sedately patting his palms politely … He thunders his appreciation for the country-style music and nasal-twanged singing he loves by whistling shrilly through teeth, pounding the palms together with the whirling momentum of a souped-up paddle wheel, stomping the floor and ejecting yip-yip noises like the barks of a hound dog when it finally runs down a particularly elusive coon … The whole shebang seemed like a cross between the enthusiasm displayed at a wrestling match and an old-fashioned camp meeting.

Like ecstasy, enthusiasm is a key and telling word choice. In its original sense, enthusiasm denotes “possession by a god, supernatural inspiration, prophetic or poetic frenzy.” Yet, the term has a complex and checkered past due to the very reason that Yothers employed it; the same frenzied energy it connotes is exemplified in wrestling match audiences and camp meeting congregations. Historically, the combination of the physical and the spiritual inherent in enthusiastic expression made it suspect.The worry, for many, was that the spiritual channels could so easily get crossed. This anxiety was expressed by one critic of Methodist “meetings”: “If a man of temperate feelings were to enter one of their churches during some of their descriptions of GOD, he might reasonably conceive that they were painting the Devil.” The Satanic reading is made possible, according to this author, through an unseemly passion for Christ, which might seem less than reverent:

 

Every thing is full of love, desire, flames, sweetness, charms, and enjoyments; God is the Husband of our souls, the mystical marriage, the fruition that pains with pleasure: Jesus Christ is the dear Jesus, the sweet Jesus, the sweet and beautiful saviour, the fairest among ten thousand, who makes us sick with desire and longing: the Methodists perpetually talk of lying in his bosom, gazing on his face, and being filled with the fullness of his love. Is this a Christian or Mohamedan Paradise?

The writer is Leigh Hunt, best known as one of the lesser English Romantic poets, a friend of Byron, Shelley, and Keats. His pamphlet, An Attempt to Shew the Folly and Dangers of Methodism, was published in 1811, 144 years before Yothers wrote about the phenomenon of “hillbilly music”. Yet the striking connection between the two is the similarity in tone and diction, though there are no Satanic suggestions in Yothers’s article. In fact, she ends by enthusiastically exclaiming, “Hillbilly music is here to stay, yo’all!” And, while one would be hard-pressed to find any critic of rock music (as opposed to rock critic) who would even entertain the possibility that rock and God could be linked, the claims of rock as the “devil’s music” are many.

Sixteen years after Yothers’s description of “hillbilly music”, Frank Garlock, a professor at Bob Jones University, published The Big Beat: A Rock Blast. He begins by drawing a firm boundary between “authentic” religious enthusiasm and its counterfeit: “Consider … the natural result of being filled with the spirit of God … God says that when His people are filled with His Spirit and with His Word, they will want to sing the words of Scripture,hymns of praise to a loving Father, and songs of testimony of what God has done for them.” Of course, Garlock uses scripture in order to damn rock ‘n’ roll music, but he also relies on “scientific” research in order to commit several post hoc fallacies, including, for instance, that rock music kills plants and that folk rock, specifically, causes neurosis. His thesis, though, is that rock music is “the devil’s masterpiece for trapping teenagers, making them his slaves, and causing them to be the enemies of God.” (News, Source: Pop Matters, 25 Feb 2009)

Buy "Apocalypse Jukebox: The End of the World in American Popular Music"


New book release: Due for release around August in the US is Genuine Elvis, Photos and Untold Stories about the King, by Ronnie McDowell, Edie Hand, Joe Meador Pelican Publishing, USA, 2009, Hardback, 112 pages, Illustrated, ISBN-10: 1589806956/ISBN-13: 978-1589806955.

Synopsis: From Amazon: Elvis fans will love this collection of reflections about the King. Join a few of his family, friends, and fans, including Pat Boone and Ronnie McDowell, as they describe their personal experiences with Elvis Presley through anecdotes, photographs, and paintings. (News, Source: Amazon, 25 Feb 2009)


Elvis Encyclopedia Quiz: Courtesy of Overlook Duckworth Press, EIN presents a quiz based on the recently published book, The Elvis Encyclopedia by Adam Victor.

More than thirty years after his death, Elvis Presley remains indelibly etched in to the American psyche.

As the Elvis of myth – an embodiment of the American Dream in the flesh- has become synonymous with Elvis the man, the subject of countless books, articles and songs, it has become increasingly hard to discern who Elvis really was.

By combining obsessive research with absorbing writing, Adam Victor, author of the bestselling The Marilyn Encyclopedia, sifts through the competing versions of events throughout Elvis's life and traces a young man's path to immortality.

The Elvis Encyclopedia, the product of over six years of research, was created to help bring order to the massive amount of material written about Elvis Presley. In doing so, it stands as the most comprehensive book about his extraordinary life and legacy ever published. Below is a quiz based on information from The Elvis Encyclopedia designed to test your basic knowledge about Elvis and his life. Learn the answers and so much more by picking up your copy of The Elvis Encyclopedia!

Answer the following by choosing either a, b, c, or d:

1. What did Elvis pay for Circle G Ranch?
        a. $36,000
        b. $437,000
        c. $1,000,000
        d. 128,000

2. What was Elvis’s job before cutting his first record in 1955?
        a. delivery truck driver for Crown Electric
        b. worked in a sewing factory with his mother
        c. a line cook at the local diner
        d. he cut lawns for the local neighbors

3. What was Elvis’s first appearance on national television and when?
        a. “Louisiana Hayride” on KWKH March 5, 1955
        b. “The Roy Orbison Show” on KOSA May 31, 1955
        c. “Stage Show” on CBS January 28, 1956
        d. “Milton Berle Show” April 1956

4. Between which two celebrities is Elvis’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
        a. Gary Cooper and Milton Berle
        b. Jack Lemmon and Ronald Regan
        c. Fred Astaire and Ingrid Bergman
        d. Ray Charles and Vivian Leigh

5. How many of the following women did Elvis marry?  Magdalen Moran, Dixie Locke, June Juanico, Anita Wood, Priscilla Beaulieu, Linda Thompson, Ginger Alden
        a. three
        b. two
        c. one
        e. six

6. What did radio personality, Dewey Phillips, call Elvis when spinning his record on the radio for the first time?
        a. Elton Preston
        b. Eli Preistly
        c. Elia Priest
        d. Ellis Perry

7. What was Elvis’s favorite alias to use when traveling?
        a. Tom Wilson
        b. John Carpenter
        c. Jon Burrows
        d. Lucky Jackson

8. Which of Elvis’s movies was the only one to premiere in New York City?
        a. Viva Las Vegas
        b. Love Me Tender
        c. Jailhouse Rock
        d. Blue Hawaii

9. Of what was Elvis made honorary captain in 1956?
        a. Louisiana Hayride
        b. The Tupelo Rotary Club
        c. The Mississippi State Baseball Team
        d. Louisiana State Highway Patrol

10. What was one of Elvis’s earliest gifts to his mother after giving her the famed pink Cadillac?
        a. a vacuum
        b. an electric mixer
        c. a house
        d. a washer/dryer set

11. How many number one singles made it to the Billboard Charts in Elvis’s lifetime?
        a. 10
        b. 38
        c. 57
        d. 17

12. What was the name Elvis gave to the pitched firework battles he regularly held in the Graceland grounds over the Christmas and July 4th holidays?
        a. Spectacular Spectacular
        b. Sparkle Show
        c. War
        d. Lisa Marie’s Fireworks


The above is excerpted from the book The Elvis Encyclopedia by Adam Victor.........Published by Overlook Duckworth Press; October 2008;$65.US/$71.50CAN; 978-1-585-67598-2.........Copyright © 2008 Adam Victor

Author Bio
: Adam Victor is a writer and translator and the author of The Marilyn Encyclopedia. The Elvis Encyclopedia is his biggest project to date, the distillation of more than six years of research in libraries, film and audio archives, and private collections. The result is the most comprehensive book on Elvis ever published. Adam Victor lives in Italy with his wife and son.

Read EIN's review of "The Elvis Encyclopedia"

Quiz Answers: b, a, c, d, c*, a, c, b, d, b, d, c

* EIN Note: A 2nd marriage certificate exists between Elvis and Tupelo girlfriend, Magdalene Morgan. It is not known how it came into being, but it is known the couple never married.


the king is dead.......Memphis Funeral Home Director, Robert Kendall, : The circumstances surrounding Elvis’ death and what transpired in the days after 16 August, 1977, is an issue which has fascinated many people since that fateful day. 

The Death of Elvis: What Really Happened? by Cole & Thompson found a wide audience following its release in 1992 and many fans refer to it in trying to unravel what happened in August 1977.  A perceived weakness of the Cole & Thompson publication is that it involves an amount of supposition and conjecture.

Another book important book which needs to be examined in establishing issues around Elvis’ death is the king is dead by Robert Holton.  Published twice, in 1998 and 2004, by KatcoMedia, this book is an account of the arrangements for Elvis’ funeral as told to the author by Memphis Funeral Home Director, Robert Kendall. Kendall was the last person to see the body of Elvis Aaron Presley!  

As such, with Kendall’s minute by minute account, the king is dead is a fascinating read and sheds light on several issues around Elvis’ death.

After publication in both 1998 and 2004, copies of the book were very hard to buy, even through KatcoMedia’s website.  EIN received numerous complaints of people ordering and paying for the book and either never receiving it or having to wait a very long time for it to arrive. It appears in both 1998 and 2004, despite reasonable demand for the book, relatively few copies actually made it into fan’s Elvis libraries.

Unfortunately KatcoMedia has ceased operation, meaning the only way to locate a copy of the king is dead is on eBay or through an online bookstore like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The importance of the king is dead lies in Robert Kendall’s first hand account of the state of Elvis’ body as he received it in the Memphis Funeral Home, the embalming process and how the casket and funeral was arranged so quickly (a logistical nightmare that took some work but was plausibly done!). 

EIN won’t cover all the issues answered in the king is dead, but Kendall’s account of the following issues is more than interesting:

Was it Elvis? 

Robert Kendall’s account of his first viewing of Elvis’ corpse is telling:

….I closed my eyes in a sudden spasm of fear that the face to come into view might not be that of Elvis Presley.

Finally, I heard someone in the room whisper: “now I believe Elvis really dead.”

Eyes shut, I conceded to myself that my trust in the doctors in the autopsy suite had not been misplaced.  I opened my eyes and stared down into the face of Elvis Presley.

Cranial Autopsy?......Wax Dummy?

One of the issues answered by the king is dead are the questions of whether or not a cranial autopsy had been performed on Elvis and why his face looked “like a wax dummy”. 

Despite the conjecture in other books, Robert Kendall makes it very clear no cranial autopsy had taken place:

 

There had been no cranial autopsy, leaving the head untouched and in need of little more than hairdressing and facial make-up restoration. The discoloration of the skin turned ashen once the blood was replaced by embalming fluid.

Cosmetics, powder, lip tint and rouge would be applied to the face and hands to restore a more life-like tone to the corpse.

the king is dead also evokes a vivid picture of the emotional grief experienced by the Presley family, particularly Vernon, those close to Elvis and the thousands of mourners who came to pay their last respects.

There are so many different genres of Elvis books and the king is dead is mandatory inclusion for those interested in at least some of the ‘facts’ of his death.  The book deserves a much wider audience than it has so far been exposed to and being based on a first hand account has a credibility other books lack. (Source: EIN, 31 Jan 2009)


The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture - Vol. 12: Music by Bill C. Malone:

Southern music has flourished as a meeting ground for the traditions of West African and European peoples in the region, leading to the evolution of various traditional folk genres, bluegrass, country, jazz, gospel, rock, blues, and southern hip-hop.

This much-anticipated volume in The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture celebrates an essential element of southern life and makes available for the first time a stand-alone reference to the music and music makers of the American South.

With nearly double the number of entries devoted to music in the original Encyclopedia, this volume includes 30 thematic essays, covering topics such as ragtime, zydeco, folk music festivals, minstrelsy, rockabilly, white and black gospel traditions, and southern rock. And it features 174 topical and biographical entries, focusing on artists and musical outlets. From Mahalia Jackson to R.E.M., from Doc Watson to OutKast, this volume considers a diverse array of topics, drawing on the best historical and contemporary scholarship on southern music. It is a book for all southerners and for all serious music lovers, wherever they live. (Book News, Source: The University of North Carolina Press, 30 Jan 2009)

Elvis: Before He Was King: On eBay a new book showed up........Elvis: Before He Was King is a brand new book, detailing the teenage years of Elvis Presley. The author is Gene Myracle. The book is based on stories told to him by Paul Dougher. Here are the specifics:

  • paperback book
  • 206 pages
  • book measures 5" x 8"

About the content: Elvis: Before He Was King offers a firsthand account of the life of a young Elvis Presley. The book begins in 1949 when the Presley family moved into the Lauderdale Courts, a Memphis Housing Authority complex in Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis was fourteen years old at the time.

On his second day in the Courts, Elvis met Paul Dougher who lived in the same building. Paul and Elvis formed an immediate friendship that lasted until Elvis’ death. In the book, Paul shares stories that reveal a unique portrait of Elvis during his teenage years. He includes details of many boyhood experiences that formed the basis of their lifelong friendship.

The book also touches on the isolation Elvis felt once he reached a level of success that would be unmatched by any other entertainer. It offers insight into the despair and loneliness surrounding Elvis toward the end of his life.

In the final few chapters, Paul offers his personal thoughts on the events and actions that contributed to the untimely death of his friend--a man with one of the greatest voices the world has ever heard. (Source: Elvis News/eBay, 29 Jan 2009)


Elvis Sessions IV: Our work on Elvis Sessions IV book is already in progress although it will take awhile before its release. There are a lot of discussion about the Standing Room Only project on different sites/forums  and here's a quote from an interview done in 1993 with the late Joan Deary for Sessions II that will be featured in Elvis Sessions IV:

''Standing Room Only was never intended to include the selections recorded in Las Vegas in February or the single material that was cut in March. The final project was scrapped but my intent all along with RCA and The Colonel was to release a live album based on the best of the four shows recorded in April on tour. I even went as far as compiling my own track listing from these shows, our goal was to increase single sales and it worked. This is how it was going to be no matter what anyone else says ''.... (Source: JAT Productions/FECC, 16 Jan 2009)


New book release: Treasured Memories of Elvis by Judy Palmer is the story of her experiences as a Elvis Presley fan club president (The Kissin' Cousins); meeting Elvis, attending many of his shows and participating in some of the key moments of his career, from 1965 to 1976.

This photo, the book cover, was taken in 1972 during the Elvis Summer Festival at the Las Vegas Hilton. She considers her photos of this engagement as her best work. No one has ever seen all her photos in one book, in context with her stories. Judy is an enthusiastic storyteller and remembers her moments with Elvis in great detail. Treasured Memories of Elvis will be a hard cover, 8’’ by 10’’, full color book with approximately 100 pages and over 125 photos, nearly all the photos are of Elvis Presley.

Memphis Explorations will release her book in the spring 2009. (Source: Elvis News, 16 Jan 2009)

New booklet release - ELVIS MEETS THE PRISONER (THE DIALOGUE FOR 2 IN ONE ACT): Due for release in the next two months from Short Stage Play Productions, Australia. Softcover, Not illustrated, Unpaginated. Synopsis: Short stage play based on the opening scene of Patrick McGoohan’s enigmatic television program, The Prisoner. In this two person play, Elvis is #6 and his protagonist is #2. Play script interweaves parts of the early Elvis story. (Source: EIN, 14 Jan 2009)

EIN Note: Sadly, only hours after we published this story, news came through that the creative genius behind The Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan, had passed away on January 13, following a short illness. He was 80 years old.


The Top Ten Elvis Books: Robert Fontenot, About.com has compiled his list of the Top 10 books released about Elvis. While not everyone will agree with Robert's list, it makes for interesting reading:

Since Elvis Presley was not only the "King" but also arguably the most famous entertainer of the 20th century, there are of course books (ghost)written about him by everyone, it seems, who ever met the man. And his significance in music history has led to endless print discussions of him as a musician, celebrity, and icon. But Elvis was also the most aggressively private star of his time, difficult to know even by those who knew him best. These books attempt to understand him from all angles. (Jan 14, 2009)

1. "Elvis," Dave Marsh

There are a number of books that explore Elvis more intently from different viewpoints, but this is the only one to define him in all ways at once -- who he was as a person, why he rose, what he meant to music and culture, why he was so loved and hated, why he fell. As a result, this is the first book to buy if you're wondering what all the fuss was about, but there's plenty of thoughtful eulogy for hardcore fans, too. The stunning Bea Feitler photos are alone worth the price of purchase.

2. "Last Train To Memphis" and "Careless Love," Peter Guralnick

The best of the in-depth attempts to understand Elvis as all things to all people, Guralnick's two-volume, 1600-page monster (the post-Army Careless Love being the second half) offers painstaking (and sometimes painful) detail on what life the King was, in fact, leading while worshipped from afar. Sort of a rise-and-fall tale that substitutes The Pelvis for the Roman Empire, and often cited as the greatest rock and roll biograohy ever written, it's a must for any Elvis fan.

3. "That's Alright, Elvis," James Dickerson and Scotty Moore

Guitarist Scotty Moore, who worked with Elvis at Sun and beyond, was one of the handful of people present when Presley "created" rock and roll, but his memories are even more valuable than that fact would indicate: he was also one of the King's favorite people (if not quite a close friend, but who was?). Add to that the fact that he knew Elvis well for three full years before the Sun sessions, and this becomes the most important (and least sensational) of the "insider" books.

4. "Elvis Day by Day," Peter Guralnick

Ernst Jorgensen's Elvis Presley: A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions is the bible for those who want to know what Elvis did in the studio and when, but for the big day-by-day picture of the King's life, you want this lavishly illustrated coffeetable book, which utilizes Guralnick's wordsmithing and Jorgenson's archivism to paint a very intimate portrait of Presley's life. Want to play detective and figure out who the real Elvis was? Here's 400 pages of (often surprising) evidence.

5. "Elvis: A Radio History From 1945 to 1955," Aaron Webster

A simple and straightforward tome: transcripts of radio interviews and descriptions of performances that Elvis made in the postwar era. But what a revelation! Presley was walled away from the public, both by accident and design, after his initial success, but before then he was an open book, and this book attempts to show us the Elvis we might have met on the street before he became an icon. Essential reading for those who think his professional life started in 1954.

6. "Elvis! Elvis! Elvis! The King at the Movies," Peter Guttmacher

A book that exists to fill a vacuum, but it's a fun and necessary job: a look at the thirty-one (!!!) films the King made in his thirteen-year screen career. Many folks snicker at these films, but in his earliest years of stardom, Presley was thought of as a possible successor to James Dean. Film historian Guttmacher examines the evidence and offers the hard facts on every single film, including full-color reproductions of every poster and loads of rare on-the-set photos! Fun and fascinating.

7. "The Girls' Guide to Elvis," Kim Adelman

Many male music lovers admired the King, but all the girls simply adored him, and so this crushworthy salute to Elvis also addresses a need. It's subtitled "The Clothes, The Hair, The Women & More," and that about sums up the kicky (and yet surprisingly in-depth and archival) approach to all things Elvis. Not born when he made millions swoon? Want to relive old slumber-party memories? This book can help. See Elvis on dates! Go with him on shopping sprees! Gossip about his girlfriends!

8. "The Death of Elvis," James P. Cole, Charles Thompson

Elvis Presley died as he lived -- mired in controversy. And the unfortunate circumstances of his demise have been fodder for tabloids since before his burial. Cole and Thompson, newsmen both, prove that Presley died from drug abuse and not heart failure through a long and sadly detailed look at the last decade of his life. This is the definitive book on the causes of his death, which is why it's here, but it's not for everyone -- no morbid factoid is spared the reader. Approach with caution.

9. "Dead Elvis: A Chronicle of a Cultural Obsession," Greil Marcus

This, on the other hand, is not about Elvis death at all, but his afterlife -- that is, the fixation that the world still has with him, inspired by the many "sightings" of Presley in the years following his death. Irreverant and often hilarious, this series of essays (by one of rock's most venerated critics) works from the premise that he's worth more dead to us than alive, that Elvis represents "the necessity existing in every culture to produce a perfect, all-inclusive metaphor for itself."

10. "The Elvis Treasures," Robert Gordon

Examining Elvis Presley's possessions makes as much sense as examining those of King Tut -- he was our boy-king, after all. A gorgeous "interactive" book assembled by historian Robert Gordon with the help of the Graceland estate, The Elvis Treasures features an hour-long CD of interviews and 22 removable documents. And those are just the bonuses. Personal letters, business contracts, invitations, greeting cards, handwritten plays for "Memphis Mafia" football games...it's all here. And then some!


Elvis Presley: A Life In Books has added a great article in January 2009.

It is a narrative and visual record of all annual Elvis Specials released by Elvis Monthly from 1962 to 1984 (and beyond).


Unique Elvis Book to Be Published on The Internet, One Chapter Weekly: News Release... from Author William D. (Will) Bevis, Gadsden, AL. Jan 5, 2009. For immediate dissemination to Elvis Fan Club Members... and to all who love the King...

Beginning January 8, 2009 - Elvis' Birthday - I will place one new chapter a week of a new, unique book I am working on about Elvis Aaron Presley, on Nowpublic.com. And each and every chapter will all be free... from beginning to end. With no hidden charges. The book will be written in the language and manner of the King James Bible.

On January 8th in the afternoon, go to this link to read the first Chapter: http://my.nowpublic.com/strange/unique-elvis-book-be-published-nowpublic-1-chapter-weekly
( Source: Chris Bamford, 6 Jan 2009)

Elvis in Key magazine: The January 2009, Memphis edition of Key Magazine features an Elvis cover! This special issue remembers the king's 74th birthday.

There are 2 pages covering the local events in Memphis focusing on the Birthday celebration.

There are great tips for those of you coming to Memphis this week. Be sure to pick up a copy of the magazine while in town! Have fun and please be safe traveling!

Permission is granted to reproduce this story and photo as long as elvisunlimited.com is given proper and full credit. (News, Source: Elvis Unlimited)


'Elvis That's The Way It Is The Complete Works' boxset release date now January: Due to Santa's extra busy schedule, unfortunately the producers of TTWII say the new box-set will now have to go to the dealers in January 2009. Given the many elements to the set the assembling is a demanding process for Santa's Elves.  (News, Source: The Phantom)

View full details of this set


"Love Me Tender: The Stories Behind The World's Best Loved Songs": This book by Max Cryer is due for US release in February 2009.

  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Frances Lincoln (February 1, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0711229112
  • ISBN-13: 978-0711229112

Book Description: In 1855, Miss Jane Ross transcribed the melody played by a piper at an Irish village fair. Had she not, the world would never have heard “Danny Boy.” If Robert Burns had missed an old man’s quavering rendition of an ancient Scottish country song, New Year’s revelers would be singing a different tune. A sentimental song from a Civil War-era minstrel show morphed into one of Elvis’ biggest hits. Love Me Tender reveals the surprising origins of these and other favorite songs. Some evolved from folksongs, some from musical theater, while others just came along at the right time. In some cases, a single word made all the difference: Paul McCartney changed “scrambled eggs” to “yesterday” and a classic was born. With stories from all over the world, and from artists as diverse as Bing Crosby, Big Mama Thornton, and T. S. Eliot, Love Me Tender is a delightful read for every music lover. (News, Source: ElvisBookResearch, Dec 2008)


"The Life of Elvis Aaron Presley (Elvis Facts for Elvis fans)" book: Now available from Lulu.com is this 37 page book of Elvis facts by Steven Landers. It is available in both download and softcover formats. (News, Source: ElvisBookResearch, Dec 2008)


"Advanced Elvis Course" book release : Coming in June 2009 is this new Elvis book release. Described as part psychedelic road-trip travelogue, part “Overheard in Graceland,” part mystic-religious devotional, CAConrad's unabated love for the King puts him on a pilgrimage to Memphis; on an Advanced Elvis Course. These bizarre, multifaceted short pieces are an homage bursting with love, oddball white trash, and twisted sincerity.

Using a mélange of breathless energy and flamboyant desire, Conrad ensnares his reader from the first vignette, leaving us no choice but to doggedly follow him around the backwaters of Memphis. Conrad blurs the distinction between real and fictional experience to create a transcendental portrait of the legendary Elvis—the man who changed music and America forever. Through sources as disparate as graffiti, talk-show interviews, phone messages, and poetry, Conrad (whose unfettered energy is about as reality-based as an evening at Graceland) constructs a semimystical collage both celebrating and laughing with the cult of Elvis.

Get ready for a surreal tour of a celebrity-obsessed, picaresque America from one of its most unusual guides. Conrad delights in turning his fantasies into our reality, making this frenetic fictionalized experience “as real as if it were real.”
  • Paperback: 112 pages
  • Publisher: Soft Skull Press (June 1, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1593762437
  • ISBN-13: 978-1593762438 (News, Source: ElvisBookResearch, Dec 2008)

"Elvis Presley - Icons of Our Time" book release: Now out in Australia is this large sized hardback book. It is one of the numerous re-issues (with varying text and photos) of the Marie Cahill "Elvis" book. RRP A$27.95 (News, Source: EIN, Dec 2008)


Teenager's Hero book released: "Teenager's Hero" by Steve Rino has been published. Starting Monday December 22, the the company will be sending out the first of the 1000 individually numbered copies to fans and dealers.

From the original press-release: The Book, Teenager's Hero" is the definitive book-documentary of Elvis’ live performances in early 1956. At More than 400 pages, 30x21 sized and featuring 445 photos mostly unpublished and never put in the right context. The book is a high quality design (soft cover 300g, cloth binding, and 150 glossy papers) The book, the first volume, has as its focus Elvis’ live activity in the first six months of 1956.

The author Steve Rino spent two years of research to give life to a day by day photo journal where together with a scientific approach of the day, has been put together a professional layout with relative photos taken from newspapers, magazines and his personal collection. In trying to bring to the reader a feel for the time through images, newspaper & magazines clip we give life we hope to something unique and new in the landscape of Elvis' books. We are proud of the continued research of every detail of every 180 days listed, trying to put in the right order all information, news, photo and tales coming from this difficult research. Inside the web-site you can have access through the links to a lot a more details about the book contents, quality and price.

(News, Source: Teenager's Hero /Various, Dec 2008)

Susan Henning’s "68" Book Released: Susan Henning’s book on her life and friendship with Elvis has been released. Described as "Susan Henning's loving memoir of Elvis. You will enjoy the love story and the nostalgic photographs of Suasn and Elvis from their movie "LIVE A LITTLE, LOVE A LITTLE" , their reunion on the TV Special "68," and snapshots from Susan's personal photo album. 80 pages of love, laughter and wonderful memories."

The book was released through Rainbow Rhapsody Press (Lincoln, CA). For lots of information, ordering a signed copy, plus a delightful PDF preview of the book, Click Here... Susan Henning Website.

(News, Source;EIN, Dec 2008)


Another sample from the new Susan Henning book "68":

Has Elvis ever sucked your finger?!

- Susan Henning’s book on her life and friendship with Elvis has been released.

For ordering information, go here .. Susan Henning Website.

(News, Source;EIN)


Elvis By Candlelight: The book "Elvis By Candlelight" by Mary Lou Anderson was released quietly a few months ago. The author, who came up with the idea for the candlelight vigil, tells her and other fan's stories in regard to the vigil. According to the review in the latest ElvisMatters magazine the quality of the book is very poor. (News, Source: Elvis News, Dec 2008 )


New Elvis film book: Absent Friends: Elvis Presley (The filmography of Elvis Presley) by Kevin Given looks at the films made by the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. It also looks at over forty films where another actor has played Elvis such as the Kurt Russell bio-pic "Elvis" and films like "Walk the Line" which has Tylor Hilton in a cameo as Elvis Presley. It also looks at Elvis Television appearances and gives an Elvis Trivia quiz. Product details:

  • Paperback: 164 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace (December 22, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1441404252
  • ISBN-13: 978-1441404251

(News, Source: ElvisBookResearch, Dec 2008)

Order from Amazon


Elvis books now available in Australia: Aussie bookseller Collins (www.collinsbooks.com.au) has listed several recent Elvis titles as available in Australia. These include:

  • The Elvis Encyclopedia (Adam Victor) A$129.95
  • Elvis '57 (Alan Hanson) A$59.95A Boy Called Elvis (Peter Robinson) A$16.99
  • Race, Rock & Elvis (Michael T. Bertrand) A$35.95

Images - A Photo Documentary: A new photobook will be out next week with pictures from the collection of Dutch collector Patrick Janssen.

The book will also include a bonus DVD with candid footage from Huntsville 75 + newsreels and a bonus photo. (News, Source: FECC, Dec 2008)


Inside Blue Hawaii: Here is a preview of the upcoming Elvis Unlimited release "Inside Blue Hawaii". The boxset is due for release before Christmas.

According to the authors, this could be the best title of the series, with "Blue Hawaii" being a favorite movie for many fans.

As always, the box is filled with extra collectors items. The package will arrive on time for the holidays. (News, Source: Elvis Unlimited, Dec 2008)


"Elvis for Dummies": Due for release July 24, 2009 from John Wiley & Sons is the 384 pages book "Elvis For Dummies" by renowned Elvis author, (Professor) Susan Doll (ISBN: 0470472022). (News, Source: Elvis News, Dec 2008)

Elvis in next Goldmine magazine: Peter Lindblad of the American "Goldmine" magazine, informed EP Gold's Maurice Colgan that the next issue will be an Elvis Presley Special.

It hits the streets around the 12th December, with a 2nd January 2009 date on the cover.
(News, Source: Maurice Colgan/EP Gold)

 

Shown opposite: Earlier issue of Goldmine


Elvis and the Moustache Epidemic: The Dutch city of Tilburg (The Netherlands) has just released the Dutch book "Elvis Presley en de Snorrenepidemie" (translated: "Elvis Presley and the Moustache Epidemic".

The book deals with all kinds of mysteries from the city, one involves a link to one of Elvis' girlfriends according to the publisher's site. (News, Source: Elvis News/Elvis Matters, Nov 2008)


New Tunzi book announced: Elvis Concerts is just out, but Tunzi already announced his next book project. Atlanta In Black And White is the title, and it will bring photographs taken at the Omni on June 29, 1973 and April 30, 1975. The book is to be issued in the first quarter of 2009. (News, Source: FECC


French book releases: Due for release in France is the book "Elvis, Le King en Devenir" featuring the photographs of Alfred Wertheimer. This 225 - glossy - pages hardcover book will be released by Luc Pire / La Renaissance du livre and is written in English (ISBN : 2874159581).

Released October 20, 2008 in France is the audio book "Elvis Presley Legends of Music".

Released November 16, 2008 by Monin Yves was the 207 pages book "Le message d'Elvis Presley: Un heros civilisateur (Reliure inconnue)" by de Emanuel-Yves Monin (ISBN-10: 291009703X / ISBN-13: 978-2910097035). (News, Source: Elvis News, Nov 2008)


Elvis Concerts book released: Joe Tunzi's latest publication "Elvis Concerts" has been released. These images are two sample pages from this new book, which is done pretty much in the same vein as the "Portraits" book. (News, Source: Elvis News/FECC, Nov 2008)


'Most Collectible' Elvis Book Authors: ElvisBookResearch in the US has released its list of the most collectible Elvis book authors. The list was compiled based on eBay sales from July 2007 to June 2008 (the list was moderated to exclude bias towards authors with only 1 or 2 releases). The top 5 most collectible authors are:

  1. Sean Shaver
  2. Ger Rijff
  3. Joseph Tunzi
  4. Paul Lichter
  5. Kathy Westmoreland

Shaver's book, The Life of Elvis Presley (shown opposite) was rated as the most sought after Elvis book, followed by Kathy Westmoreland's memoir, Elvis & Kathy. (Nov 2008)


New book from Italy: In an exclusive, EP Gold advises that due for release late November 2008 is the Italian book “Elvis Presley Enciclopedia Delle Canzoni” covering all the songs recorded by Elvis from his early SUN tracks to the last Moody Blue album he recorded and songs released after that on 210 pages.

All songs recorded by Elvis Presley were indexed from A to Z with indications on writers, artists who originally recorded the song first, personal comments by the author of the book and an index of all the songs listed in alphabetical order, with an indication of the CDs on which you can find the available versions of the song. The book also contains the opinion of fans on all the Elvis' albums other chapters of the book. The text is in Italian. (News, Source: EP Gold)


New book release series - Teenagers' Hero Vol. 1: A new book entitled "Teenager's Hero" by Steve Rino is due for release is December from Teenagers Hero Publishing.

From the press release: This is the definitive book-documentary of Elvis’ live performances in early 1956. With more than 400 pages, sized 30x21 and featuring 445 photos mostly unpublished and never put in the right context. The book has high quality design (soft cover 300g, cloth binding, and 150 glossy pages), 1000 copies printed, each copy numbered.

In the beginning the book was thought to be one volume only about the 1956, but due to the great quantity of material that we were able to find during in this period and also the different aspects of Elvis activity during the same year, we decided to give life to two different volumes.

The first volume, has as its focus Elvis’ live activity in the first six months of 1956. The author Steve Rino spent two years of research to give life to a day by day photo journal where together with a scientific approach of the day, has been put together a professional layout with relative photos taken from newspapers, magazines and his personal collection. In trying to bring to the reader a feeling of the time through images, newspaper & magazines clips we give life, we hope, to something unique and new in the landscape of books about Elvis. We are proud of the in-depth research of every detail of every one of the 180 days listed, trying to putting in the right order all information, news, photo and tales coming from this difficult research. (News, Source: Elvis News)


"Fashion For A King" book announced: The Norwegian fanclub 'Flaming Star' is working on a spectacular project. The club hopes to collect pictures of all the jumpsuits Elvis ever wore on stage in the 200 page book "Fashion For A King". Authors Tommy Edvardsen and Atle Larsen hope to have the book ready for print early 2009. (News, Source: Elvis News)


New JAT book, 'Elvis: Aloha '73 - Ho'i Hou': Coming in 2009 from JAT Publishing is the book "Elvis : Aloha '73 - Ho'i Hou". The image shown above for the Aloha '73 book isn't the actual cover but just a promotional ad for it.

 

 

(News, Source: FECC, Oct 2008

Happy Halloween from EIN

'Inside Blue Hawaii' Cover preview: Here is the preview of Elvis Unlimited's 'Inside Blue Hawaii' book/box-set. This beautiful production will be a Christmas release. Available for order from Elvis Unlimited, priced at $80. As they say, "Order now to have under your Christmas tree for you or a loved one!" Go here for ordering information.

 

 

(News, Source:elvisunlimited.com)


The True Story of Elvis Presley and Dr. Nick: For ten years Dr. George Nichopoulos, better known as "Dr. Nick", was one of Elvis's most trusted and valued advisors and personal physician. He and his son, Dean, who started first as his racquetball teacher and then as his trusted valet, were there to help maintain balance amid the craziness Presley's lifestyle demanded, and his fans have yet to fully understand.

At the end, they were there to observe a proud, private Elvis trying desperately to cope with his career pressures, personal problems and failing health.

Now Dr. Nick and Dean are collaborating with Elvis historian, Joe Russo on the book that Elvis's legacy deserves.

It's a story filled with honesty and compassion that only they can tell. Put aside what you've heard before about Elvis's final days and get ready to understand for the first time, the inner workings of the man who was, and still is, the king of rock n' roll.

Do you have any unresolved questions about Elvis's health, lifestyle or prescription drug dependency? Or about Dr. Nick's efforts to manage his illness and pain while Elvis strived to stay at the top of his game? Have you wondered what medical technology and experts could reveal today about Elvis's medical condition and the cause of his death?

Please visit our CONTACT page, submit your questions, and participate in this ground-breaking story, destined to become one of the most important books about Elvis Presley. Become a part of unveiling the truth about Elvis Presley, his life, death and the impact he continues to have in the world today.

The Authors......

Dr. George Nichopoulos - Personal physician to Elvis Presley. He was Presley's confessor, confidant and life support system. He was "on call" to sooth Presley's concerns, phobias, and ailments. Presley looked upon Dr. Nick as a pseudo father-figure, and entrusted thoughts and personal details he shared with few others. Dr. Nick was there, on tour, at home and "behind closed doors".

Dean Nichopoulos - Presley's personal valet for the last several years of his life. Presley referred to Dean as "the son I never had". He virtually "lived" at Graceland and was there to serve and assist Presley in his daily routine and on concert tours. Dean looked after all Presley's personal needs and was always present for motorcycle rides, racquetball games or whenever Presley decided to just have some fun.

Joe Russo - Elvis historian and author of four books including ELVIS STRAIGHT UP with Joe Esposito. He also has been a performer himself for over seventeen years. Due to this duel persona, he is often referred to as the "rock n' roll writer" (for more information, please visit www.joerusso.com)


Reissue of German book: Publisher Oldenburger BPlusU-Verlag will release a new version of the book Der King In Deutschland 1958-1960.

The book by Heinrich Burk and Hans-Ulrich Elter will get an extra chapter on Elvis' arrival in
Bremen and counts 170 pages. The book will be issued in both German and English.
(News, Source: EPGold)

Ger Rijff contributing to "Inside Blue Hawaii: Elvis Unlimited announced that Ger Rijff decided to contribute to the next installment in the "Inside" series. Previously Ger Rijff stated that "Inside Love Me Tender" would be the last book he contributed to.

According to the fan club the interest in the "Inside Blue Hawaii" book is the most so far. "And we can promise some very rare pictures, and lots of great memorabilia".

Ger Rijff added to a posting to the announcement from the Elvis Unlimited fan club president Henrik Knudsen on the FECC forum:

"Hey-ho! Knuds, dont overdo your promotion campaign! I've handed over some Blue Hawaii related material for you to use. That's it. Inside Love Me Tender was a different story all together, simply because a lot of the LMT material was meant for my own edition that never was...
Anyway, you have a strong enough team of co-workers to clear the Blue Hawaii job without any serious input from me.
But I dont mind to lend a helping hand, should I find more BH related material." (News, Source: Elvis Unlimited/FECC/Elvis News)

Elvis - Concerts book: This is the full cover of the new JAT book "Elvis - Concerts" due for release at the end of October. It should be impressive if it continues in the same style as the recent top-class '68 at 40' JAT publication.

 

 

(News, Source:JAT)


Making Music, Elvis and more by Lamar Fike: As we wait for Lamar's long anticipated memoir, Fike: An Uncommon Journey, here is a fascinating article which appeared in TheImproper.com:

I have been in the music business for five decades now, and I can assure you that there is nothing more constant than the changes in it. When I first became close friends with Elvis Presley in the 1950s, I used to go into the recording studio with him. At the time he was recording songs for his iconic film “Jailhouse Rock,” and the records he made that day were still cut using a lathe, a needle, and a virgin vinyl master.

When people ask me what changes I have seen in the music business, I tell them that I was in radio when it was all tubes, then I was there when it was all converted to transistors, and I am still here to watch the entertainment world embrace digital music. It is an ever-changing world, and the internet has moved faster that anyone ever thought it could move.

Although the way we receive and listen to music has changed from vinyl, to CDs, to digital downloads, it still comes down to the music that is being made and enjoyed by the consumer. To even break it down further, the “talent” that always rises to the top. Talent never cares where it comes from.

Texas Disc Jockey: Maybe it’s an experience or an emotion that makes a songwriter write a song, but is a product of that talent. And, although it is the singer of a hit song who gets a lot of the glory for creating the hit, the bottom line is that a hit song is a hit song no matter who sings it.

If it hadn’t been for my love of music, and my first job as a disc jockey in Texas, I might never have met Elvis, become friends with him, and suddenly have been thrown into a life in the fast lane. For a while I lived with Elvis and the Presleys at Graceland. That era still vividly lives in my memory. This has become one of the highpoints of my book “Fike: An Uncommon Journey.”

Is my new book “the final word” on the Elvis saga? Readers will have to be the judge of that. You always think, and you always hope that the book you write on any subject is the “be all” and the “end all” book on that topic. Even I have to admit, that with a subject like Elvis, there is always some new aspect to write about. However, I have a unique perspective that no one else has. I was there at the dinner table when it was just Elvis and his parents Gladys and Vernon. When I describe this book to people, I call it a “buddy book.” On one hand, I can’t tell anything new about Elvis per se, but I can certainly tell a story from a totally different vantage point. Every time you read about his life, there is something new to learn.

Touching People’s Lives: One of the most fascinating aspects of Elvis’ life is that he touched so many different aspects of other people’s lives. He was many things to many people, and my book captures many of his sides.

I also had a much more varied career than people realize. I moved to Nashville in 1962 to road manage Brenda Lee, and I was with her for many of the peaks of her great career. While in Nashville I was able to hang out in the recording studio with such superstars as Patsy Cline. I also worked with all of the aspiring talent that was drawn to Nashville: including once-struggling songwriters like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. My original job with Johnny was to place his songs with recording artists; however I often found that my real assignment was to sober him up to perform and write demos. Johnny was one-of-a-kind, and I always respected his talent.

When I see talent, I know it instantly. When I saw first met Eddie Rabbit in Nashville in the early 1970s, I knew that he was an extremely talented songwriter. He walked into my office with a demo for a song called “Kentucky Rain.” The minute I heard it, I told Eddie, “If Elvis cuts this track, your career will be made.” The rest is history. It became one of Elvis’ final No. 1 recordings.

Back to Nashville: After Elvis died, in the 1980s I went back to Nashville and began working as the “right hand man” to Jimmy Bowen at MCA Records. Bowen is not only a great record producer; he was always a great business man as well. Bowen rode into Nashville and he spun it like a top.

When he took over the Nashville office of MCA Records, he revolutionized the way things were done. He was able to take up-and-coming talent and turn them into superstars, including George Strait, Reba McEntire, Hank Williams Jr. and Rabbitt.

A lot of people don’t realize that it was Bowen who was responsible for turning Dean Martin into a recording star. Bowen knew what material to pick for him, and how to record him. Dean was a successful actor and comedian when Jimmy got hold of him, but Bowen knew how to record Martin. I tell all of these stories in my book, which is why it is much more than just “an Elvis book.”

What I love the most about the entertainment business is “the talent.” From talent comes greatness. When you have talent, it is its own commodity which I call: “it.” Once you have “it,” your talent just has to come out in one way or another. The thing about the entertainment business is that it so subjective. You can walk down the street and run into ten different people, and get ten different stories about what “entertainment” is and where we now stand in the “entertainment business?”

Today’s Talent: There is nothing really new about the current wave of talent shows that are now such a big hit on television. In the 1930s and 1940s there was “Major Bowes” and then came “Arthur Godfrey” in the 1950s. When I look at the shows like “America’s Got Talent” and “American Idol,” I see the natural continuation of that tradition. I think Simon Cowell is a brilliant guy. With “American Idol,” he took a tried and true formula and combined it with the immediacy of voting for talent on a cell phone or telephone and he has turned into a vastly successful empire.

I have always admired the talent of songwriters the most. Singer/songwriters are even more talented. When you can be both the songwriter and the singer, you have a real live gold mine. You have all of the bases covered. John Mayer, Carole King, James Taylor, Eddie Rabbitt, Deborah Gibson, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, and Elton John are all living proof of this. In the long run, it’s the songs that outlive the performers. I call it “mailbox money.” If you write a hit song, all you have to do is to go out to your mailbox, and there is a royalty check! It’s mailbox money.

While the music business has changed over the years in many ways, the bottom line remains the “talent.” Talent always goes by the gut. When you see it or hear it, you know it is there. A hit song doesn’t care who sings it. Talent doesn’t care where it lands. True talent always rises to the top.

About Lamar: Lamar Fike has had a wide-ranging career in the music business. Fans of Elvis Presley instantly recognize his name as a key member of The King of Rock & Roll’s entourage, also known as the Memphis Mafia. However, Fike once worked as a disc jockey, worked for Nashville music publisher Hill & Range, wrote a best-selling Presley book and had an important role at MCA Records in Nashville in the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing upon all of these experiences, Fike recently completed work on an autobiography entitled “Fike: An Uncommon Journey” and a screenplay, “’57-’60: One of the Boys.” For both projects he teamed up with New York Times best-selling author Mark Bego, and he and Bego collaborated on the screenplay with filmmaker D. Edward Stanley. Lamar, who now resides in Texas, was Elvis’s friend, confidante and “sounding board.” He calls his own colorful observations “Fikeisms.”

Read EIN's recent interview with Lamar

Fike: An Uncommon Journey is expected for release in early 2009


What can we say?: Now on eBay with clever, if rather exaggerated, claim:

Shaking Hands With Fame-signed hard back,with Elvis............Written by Osie Jackson-Elvis's Assistant Manager


Susan Henning to release book: Next month (November), Susan Henning will release the book "68". She promises to "open the archives and share with her intimate memories and her personal and private collection of never before seen photographs from her engagements with Elvis hidden for forty years ".

Synopsis from Susan Henning's website:

Life flies by all too quickly, and at last I have had time to sit down with these precious memories and photos and put together a unique book that celebrates my work and relationship with "Elvis."

Elvis is legendary............Besides his charismatic voice, what made him so lovable and added to his stardom was his attitude toward living. Elvis was generous, kind, funny, intelligent and of course handsome beyond imagination. He was a natural leading man and singer who remained humble no matter how much success he achieved. It was a joy to know Elvis and now share a bit of our lives together, through my book, for you to enjoy.

The perfect gift for Elvis fans!...............This loving memory of Elvis will give you a rush of memories and great feelings from the happiest days of the King. Susan co-starred with Elvis in the movie "Live A Little, Love A Little" and has published photos and notes from that wonderful experience in 1968, including out takes from the infamous 1968 TV Special. Enjoy the photos of Susan and Elvis in the glamorous glow of a Hollywood movie set, both enjoying the prime of youth. (News, Source: FECC)


Best selling Elvis books last month: The 10 best selling Elvis books in the USA (based on store and online sales) during September 2008 were:

  • Last Train to Memphis, Peter Guralnick
  • Who Was Elvis Presley?, Geoff Edgers
  • Careless Love, Peter Guarlnick
  • Fortunate Son: The Life of Elvis Presley, Charles L. Ponce De Leon
  • Graceland: An Interactive Pop-Up Tour
  • All Shook Up: The Life & Death of Elvis Presley, Barry Denenberg
  • Life: Remembering Elvis: 30 Years Later
  • Elvis & Me, Priscilla Presley
  • Me and A Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley, Jerry Schilling
  • Elvis By the Presleys, Priscilla Presley, Lisa Presley et al
(News, Source: Dr John Walker, ElvisBookResearch)

'Elvis - Concerts' new JAT book; News from JAT Productions that their latest project "Elvis - Concerts" should be ready earlier than originally scheduled. All the books will come with a free pocket calendar (as shown right).

Go here for EIN's review of their most recent book, '68 At 40; Retrospective'

 

 

 

(News, Source: JAT Publishing)


'68 At 40 Retrospective' book review: Joe Tunzi has teamed up with Elvis' 1968 TV Comeback producer Steve Binder to create a quality hard-backed book of 120 colour pages. The book, which features 8 chapters that examine all the different aspects of bringing this life-changing programme to air, is very stylish and beautifully laid-out. There is a real excitement in being able to study every stunning classic Elvis moment in detail and best of all are Steve Binder's recollections giving us yet more insights on this special event and all the tricky production decisions that he had to make a stand for. JAT Productions best book so far.

Click here for our detailed review and images.

(Book reviews, Source;EIN)


Book Review - The Man Who Made Elvis Laugh: Sammy Shore's second memoir is filled with wonderful stories about his time with Elvis and the countless other celebrities who he either opened for, or were his good friends.

From Red Skelton, Bob Hope and Glen Campbell to Barbra Steisand, Sid Caesar and Ann-Margret, Sammy's memoir lives up to its by line of "A Life in American Comedy".

There are many delicious one liners and more involved jokes to keep the reader smiling as you engage in Sammy's trip down memory lane to a sadly by-gone era - the Golden Era of Comedy. (Book Review, Source: EIN)

Read EIN's full review


Influences on the King - Shake Rag!

What factors shaped the young Elvis and his later style as a performer?

There were a number of particularly important elements, which over time, made Elvis who he was as an adult.

Exposure to the "Shake Rag" part of town was one such factor...........it was a powerful influence in his performance style as he drew froim its rich and colorful experience of movement and music.


Best Elvis book release of 2008?:

To date, Joe Tunzi's sublime, Elvis '68 at 40, is the stand-out book release of 2008.

In the next few days the highly anticipated, The Elvis Encyclopedia, by Adam Victor is due to be released.

Some are predicting it will rival, if not surpass the Tunzi release, as this year's best Elvis book. Stay tuned!


Bootleg discography being released: Released in Italy is the book "From The Dark To The Light: The Bootleg Discography" by Mario Coradduzza. On 132 pages the book a lot of vinyl and CD bootlegs come by. (News, Source: Elvis Club Berlin/ Elvis News, Sep 2008)

Elvis The Patriot book: By Darrin Lee, 'Elvis Presley – The Patriot: A Man’s Love Of God And Country/The Summit ‘76: A Triumph Of The Human Spirit'.

 

Press-release: The forthcoming A5 format soft cover book features the stunning artwork of Night Rider Design’s Chris Middleton and photographs from Bob Heis, George Hill (courtesy of Derek Phillips & “Images In Concert”), Keith Alverson and Elvis World’s Phil Gelormine. In addition, the project includes one of the most incredible photographs of Elvis ever captured on film.

World class photographer Manuel M. Chavez was assigned by the Houston Post to shoot The Elvis Presley Show’s sold-out matinee at the Summit on 28th August 1976 and Lord have mercy did he evermore do his job when he caught Elvis in ass kickin’ mode!

If you are interested in more information about this soft cover dedicated to Lisa Marie and written in honor of a lovely grandmother from Houston (whose memories will touch the hearts of the Presley family), please visit the author’s website. (News, Source: Darrin Lee, Sep 2008)


You Tube interview:

Lamar Fike on his upcoming memoir & movie

In Part 3 of Lamar's video interview he talks about his closeness to Elvis' Mother and how his new book will detail more about the crazy world of knowing Elvis in the fifties.

Added to YouTube today!


Jailhouse Rock Assistant Director Robert E. Relyea - new book: Fans will be able to learn more about Elvis in the fifties when LA's 'Book Soup' store hosts Jailhouse Rock Assistant Director Robert E. Relyea on September 10 to talk about his new book.
Producer Robert E. Relyea, a fifty-year veteran of the movie industry and assistant director on Elvis Presley's most iconic film, Jailhouse Rock, will appear at a world famous book store on the Sunset Strip this month to promote his new action-packed autobiography.
The two-hour signing will take place 7 p.m. Wednesday, September 10 at Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. Relyea will be signing copies of 'Not So Quiet On The Set: My Life In Movies During Hollywood’s Macho Era', which promises to become a must read for anyone who yearns to know the "real" stories about the movies.

Co-authored by son Craig Relyea, Not So Quiet On The Set provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes, first person look into Hollywood’s movie-making landscape during the turbulent pre-and post-Kennedy years in America. The book also chronicles Relyea’s relationship with Elvis Presley on the set of Jailhouse Rock and Kid Galahad.
Titbits include:

  • When Relyea rushed Presley from the MGM soundstage to Cedars-Sinai Hospital because the singer had swallowed a tooth cap.
  • A behind-the-scenes look at the famous dance sequence that became Presley's most enduring image on celluloid.
  • How Presley won over the film's veteran cast and crew with his polite manners and sincerity.
  • Relyea's take on Presley's romance with co-star Judy Tyler, who died in a tragic automobile accident shortly after Jailhouse Rock was finished.
  • Having fun with Presley and the Memphis Mafia on the set of Kid Galahad

The 348-page work includes candid photos of Relyea on the sets of epic films and presents rare insights into the mechanics and politics of film making, defining a dynamic period in motion picture history. A unique collaboration between father and son, Not So Quiet On The Set not only illustrates how the movie industry really works, but also provides a revealing portrait of Hollywood’s loss of innocence. For more information, go to www.booksoup.com or click here www.NotSoQuietOnTheSet.com. (News, Source;EIN/Marshall Terrill)


Latest issue of Elvis The Man and His Music: IN THE LATEST ISSUE (No 81) OF
ELVIS THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC MAGAZINE:
  • The 1961 Memphis Charity Concerts
  • Charlie McCoy Interview Part 1
  • Circling The Spectrum '74
  • It's Midnight...or is it the Dinner Show? Part 3 (and updates)
  • CD, DVD & Book Reviews

Subscribe to this legendary Elvis magazine (Sep 2008)


Part 1

Lamar Fike's 'Video Blog' Interview on YouTube...

Fike: An Uncommon Journey (book & film)


Inside Blue Hawaii boxset: Elvis Unlimited has announced their latest "Inside" boxset release. This year’s fall, we can expect a new release in the popular ‘Inside’ box sets series, according to Elvis Unlimited. "Inside Blue Hawaii" will be the fifth movie (after Double Trouble, GI Blues, Love Me Tender and Roustabout) that gets an exclusive and detailed look behind the scenes, combining a book, DVD and vinyl single – all packed in a deluxe collector’s box. (News, Source: Elvis News/Elvis Matters/Elvis Unlimited)

Elvis live at Del Webb's Sahara Tahoe website: It's about time to spread the word about the unique content of the new book by Sue McCasland  "Elvis live at Del Webb's Sahara Tahoe - World's Best Kept Secret". Go to the new page which is now available and see more pictures from the book and read about the content.

Click here to read all about the content

There are several ways of getting your copy of the book. Contact your local Elvis dealer or order it at your favourite book store (ISBN 978-3-00-024816-0).

If you are a Non-U.S. resident please click here to order the book online.


If you are a U.S. citizen or want to order a signed copy from author Sue McCasland write a mail to rosmc@aol.com. (The book will be shipped from the U.S.)
(News, Source: EP Gold)

Influences on the King: Captain Marvel Jr.

What factors shaped the young Elvis and his later style as a performer?

There were a number of particularly important elements, which over time, made Elvis who he was as an adult.

Exposure to the "Captain Marvel Jr." was one such factor...........it was a powerful influence in his on stage and personal style as evidenced by the comic book character's lightning bolt, cape and hair style.


the Memphis Mafia and Marty's campaigning to have Chips Moman and the American Studio Band inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.


Elvis Book Research announces latest nominees for inclusion in "Top 50 Elvis Books of All-Time": Dr John Walker from Elvis Book Research (EBR) advises EIN that the six latest books being considered for inclusion in the EBR Top 50 Elvis Books of All-Time list are:

About EBR: EBR is an independent group whose focus is on Elvis in print.

 

Titles already announced in its Top 50 Elvis Books of All-Time list include:
  • A Date With Elvis - Army Days Revisited (Andreas Schroer, Michael Knorr & Oskar Hentschel)
  • Early Elvis: The Humes Years (Bill E. Burk)
  • Elvis Fashion: From Memphis to Vegas (Julie Mundy)
  • Elvis The Concert Years 1969-1977 (Stein Erik Skar)
  • Fire In The Sun (Ger J. Rijff/Jan van Gestel)
  • Understanding Elvis: Southern Roots vs. Star Image (Susan Doll)

EBR intends releasing its full Top 50 list in early 2009.


Beryl's Cove and the Elvis Man: Book Description - Beryl's Cove is a quaint little fishing village, tourist mecca on the coast of North Carolina. Its inhabitants cater to the tourists that flock to it every year, but, this year is different. Suzanne Coldwell has been a buyer for her parents' antique shop for years, but, they are gone now, and, at age 50, she has to return to her native state to run the business. Hindering her efforts, and, those of her fellow merchants, is a series of vandalisms, and petty thievery. On the heels of a big storm that hits the area, is the appearance of a man who deals in Elvis memorabilia, Steve Thomas, from Norfolk . His past is shadowy, and, while falling hard for Suzanne, he seems to disappear just when she needs him the most.

Beryl's Cove is suddenly ablaze in a huge fire that destroys the town's landmark, right in the center of all the village businesses. Rallying to assist in putting out the flames, Steve endears himself to Suzanne, just when a body is discovered among the ruins of the historical Murdoch mansion. As our couple fall in love, and, unite as amateur sleuths to solve the mystery of the fire and thefts, you will meet the interesting and quirky folks who live in Beryl's Cove; the gorgeous business partner of Steve's, who threatens Suzanne's self esteem, an Elvis dealer who just can't seem to get her name right, and an adorable cat named Elvis. Come along for an enjoyable adventure, and, meet the citizens of Beryl's Cove, North Carolina. (News, Source: Amazon)


Other books announced for publication in 2008-09 include:

  • The Selling of Elvis, Pat Randle (daughter of Bill Randle) - it will cover the legendary Pied Piper of cleveland film
  • The Sun Story (indicative title only), Ernst Jorgensen
  • Elvis: Her Secret Admirer, Nelly Van Gelooven - apparently the European based author had a relationship with Elvis
  • Hunka Hunka Burning Feet: The Footastic Story of Wilsie Butters, the Footbutler of Elvis Presley, Wilsie Butters
  • Paul Terry King, Paul Terry King Jr.
  • Reflected Glory: The Elvis Legacy - critical examination of the post Elvis death experience focusing on the Memphis Mafia, TCB Band and ETAs
  • Elvis, My Best Man, George Klein
  • Elvis Alive: Truth Behind The Myth, Paul Monroe
  • The Sivle Nora Story, Steve Chanzes
  • The True Story of Elvis and Dr. Nick, Dr George Nichopoulos, Dean Nichopoulos and Joe Russo

Bill E. Burk's autobiography was also slated for publication, but was cancelled following Bill's sad death on 25 April 2008. Visit the Bill E. Burk's Elvis World Online pages

 

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'2007 New Releases'
Elvis Presley In Concert "downunder" 2006
Elvis Online Virtual Library
Elvis Research Forum
Elvis Rules on Television
Graceland - The National Historic Landmark
How & where do I sell my Elvis collection?
Is Elvis the best selling artist?
Links to Elvis' family & friends
Links to other Elvis sites
Online Elvis Symposium
Parkes Elvis Festival 2008 (Australia)
Presleys In The Press
Sale of EPE (Archives)
6th Annual Elvis Website Survey
Spotlight on The King
"Wikipedia" Elvis biography
Did You Miss?
How did Elvis get turned into a racist?
Online Elvis Symposium
The most controversial Elvis article ever!