a blog about elvis presley's music, movies, and more
RCA’S FIRST “EP” WASN’T WHAT YOU THINK! Three years before they signed Elvis Presley, RCA Victor introduced record-buyers to the 45 rpm, extended-play EP record. This new format was an extension of their 45 rpm single that had been launched in 1949. That format had been devised to sally forth into the marketplace and do battle with Columbia’s 33⅓ rpm long-playing LP album. READ MORE
AS IF I WASN’T BUSY ENOUGH, I just launched my second publication on Medium. The title of the new publication is Elvis: That’s The Way It Was and, of course, it’s all Elvis all the time! “But,” you may be thinking, “doesn’t membership with Medium cost $5 a month?” Dinna fash yourself (look it up): This new publication will only include articles already published here on this blog. READ MORE
I HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE titled Bleeding Heart Liberal Petitions. Most days, I receive a slew of emails with petitions for various causes such as saving an endangered species, urging my representatives in state and federal government to vote for or against a particular bill, protest an injustice, etc. I read them all, sign most of them, and add a few to the Facebook page. READ MORE
ELVIS PRESLEY’S FUTURE hung on the decision he made in early 1969 on where he should make his next records. He could return to the comfortable confines of RCA’s Studio B in Nashville, home to most of his big hits of the early ’60s. But then he risked falling back into the patterns that led to the disappointing hits of the past few years. READ MORE
ELVIS HELD A RARE PRESS CONFERENCE on August 1, 1969, to celebrate his return to live performing. The get-together was held at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, where Elvis had played the night before to an invitation-only audience that included Ed Ames, Paul Anka, Burt Bacharach, Shirley Bassey, Pat Boone, Dick Clark, Petula Clark, Angie Dickinson, George Hamilton, Wayne Newton, and former flame Ann-Margret. READ MORE
FROM ELVIS PRESLEY’S FIRST RECORD in 1954 through 1968, the major national pop charts were tallied in such a way that both sides of a single could make the chart as individual hits independent of one another. This greatly benefited Elvis, as his singles usually carried two strong sides, each capable of being an A-side. This was definitely not a universal practice in the music business at the time. READ MORE
DUELING POP CHARTS existed during most of the heyday of rock & roll music. Due to the weird ways in which the various magazines compiled their charts, there were often major differences in where a record found itself on any given week. Records reached #1 on one chart but pooped out at #3 on the others. And because of the way these charts were compiled, both sides of the same record could be hits independent of one another! READ MORE
HOW FAMOUS WAS ELVIS? That was the question on Quora. Once upon a time, that it was fairly easy to answer: According to Jerry Hopkins, whose Elvis – A Biography (1971) was the first biography of the man, a global survey showed that more people in the world recognized Elvis by his first (or given) name—and that included you-know-who!—than READ MORE
WITH THE RELEASE of If I Can Dream in October 1968, Elvis began a string of superb singles and albums that lifted him from the doldrums of the lifeless Hollywood movies that had defined his career for years. These new records lifted him back to the toppermost of the poppermost across the planet. His return to live performing in July 1969 cemented his superstar status. READ MORE
IF YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' BUT A HOUND DOG, CRYIN' ALL THE TIME . . .
. . . then read this blog regularly and you'll be a friend of mine!
