Blue Hawaii - elvis – a touch of gold

something private about elvis presley the man

FORTY-TWO IS TODAY’S NUMBER. Forty-two years ago, Elvis Presley died at the age of 42. There will be fitting tributes to his musical and cultural legacy all over the internet, all around the planet, all through the weekend. [Continue reading]

what was elvis like in person? (like the rest of us, only a few know)

TWO QUORA QUESTIONS answered in one day, both about Elvis. (Check out the previous post on this site’s front page for the first question and my answer.) The question this time was,”What was Elvis Presley like in person? [Continue reading]

return of the rockahula baby

SOMEWHERE IN THE PAST, someone gave me the nickname of the “Price Guide Guru,” because my first books for O’Sullivan Woodside were the most accurate price guides the record collecting field had seen. I have long forgotten who assigned it to me, but I have used it on and off ever since, both in pieces that I contributed to Goldmine magazine and in the commentary sections of my books. [Continue reading]

A FEW QUOTES

“[Elvis] came to the session, picked the songs, and if something in the arrangement was changed, he was the one to change it. Everything was worked out spontaneously. Nothing was really rehearsed. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone imitated him.” – Bones Howe

“You have no idea how great he is, really you don’t. You have no comprehension, it’s absolutely impossible. I can’t tell you why he’s so great, but he is. He’s sensational.” – Phil Spector

"I don’t think he ripped them off. I think once something has been exposed, anyone can add or take from it if they like. He was just so great, so popular, and so hot, and so anything that he played became a hit.” – B.B. King

“He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn’t let black music through. He opened the door for black music.” – Little Richard

"Elvis was a great man and did more for civil rights than people know. To say he was a racist is an insult to us all.” – Ernest Withers

"The only white boy that had soul—who could sing as good as any of them—was Elvis When it comes to singing, nobody had everything like Elvis. I’ll tell the world, Elvis was the greatest of all time." – Muhammad Ali

“The first time that I appeared on stage, I really didn’t know what all the yelling was about. I didn’t realize that my body was moving. It’s a natural thing to me. So to the manager backstage I said, ‘What’d I do?’ And he said, 'Whatever it is, go back and do it again.' ” – Elvis Presley

"Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the 20th century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it’s a whole new social revolution [and] the '60s come from it.” – Leonard Bernstein