Monday, August 2, 2010

The King of Rock & Roll

Last week Jennifer, Gwen, Evan and I went to see Elvis. Believe me when I say Elvis lives on...the theater was full of happy fans. One little girl chanted "We want Elvis, we want Elvis..." How cute is that? :)



It was very cool! I wasn't a huge Elvis fan when I was young...but now I really appreciate his music so much more. The amazing thing is that even in the era in which he performed, (when singers didn't wear the ear monitors) he was always right on. Right on pitch, right on the beat. And what a powerful, emotional singer he was. See for yourself - check out "Elvis, Aloha from Hawaii" and the "68 Comeback Special" Those are Elvis at his finest.

For Easter vacation one year, Don, Jennifer and I went to Memphis and visited Graceland. It was awesome and we want to go back soon.

"Twenty Interesting Things About Elvis"

1. Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
2. Elvis had an identical twin brother, who was stillborn.
3. When Elvis received a guitar for his eleventh birthday, he was disappointed; he was hoping for a bike.
4. Elvis was reportedly regarded by fellow students as a “trashy kid who sang hillbilly music” when he took his guitar to school and sang during lunch.
5. In the eighth grade, Elvis received a “C” in music.
6. Elvis never learned to read music.
7. Elvis made only one appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, in October of 1954. They never invited him back.
8. The first riot following an Elvis concert occurred in Jacksonville, FL, after Elvis finished a show by saying, “Girls, I’ll see you backstage.”
9. Frank Sinatra, in a magazine interview, decried the new brand of music that Elvis introduced as “brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious.
10. “Heartbreak Hotel” was the first Elvis single to sell over a million copies.
11. After a controversial (and sensuous) performance of “Hound Dog” on The Milton Berle Show, Elvis appeared on The Steve Allen Show, where he sang “Hound Dog” to a Basset Hound.
12. The first Grammy Award Elvis won was for the 1967 Gospel release, “How Great Thou Art.”
13. Elvis reportedly had a problem with teenage boys wanting to beat him up on his tour stops.
14. Elvis was six feet tall.
15. The Cleveland Browns was Elvis’ favorite football team.
16. Elvis’ natural hair color was blond (in his early years) and light/dirty brown; he dyed it black.
17. Elvis wore a cross, a star of David, and other religious symbols around his neck, explaining “I don’t want to miss out on heaven due to a technicality.”
18. Elvis was awarded two medals while serving in the Army, one for expert marksmanship, the other for sharpshooting.
19. Elvis held a black belt in karate.
20. Elvis died of a heart attack on August 16, 1977. Many mistakenly believe he died of a drug overdose.

Bonus fact: Graceland is the 2nd most visited house in the United States (The White House is #1).




He was an American original and he was fantastic! ~

5 comments:

Be A Saint said...

hhhhmmmmm....gotta love Elvis!! I always turn the music on blogs down immediately, but as I reached to turn it down I realized what it was and enjoyed! He was amazing. Even my mother who you know does not approve of me like him gives Elvis a pass!! My favorite thing ever is when Celine Dion sang a duet with an old film of him on American Idol. It is the best.

Jen said...

I love him...

Carolina girl said...

I love Elvis too! Me and a friend went to see an Elvis impersonator years ago in Myrtle Beach, and it was so awesome! We loved it, and had a blast! Even though we were probably the youngest people in the audience! Good times.

Lindsay and Mike said...

I love, love, love Elvis! He is still one of my favorites! Thanks for sharing those facts! How interesting!

DonnaB said...

I have always liked Elvis too. How can you not? He is as American as baseball and apple pie! I regret I never saw him in person. I remember the day he died. I was a junior in high school. Some friends were over shooting basketball. We went in the house to get some water and saw the newsbreak. It was surreal. You know like a part of you disappearing. My mom is a huge Elvis fan..she was a teenager in the 50's. She keeps her Sirius on the Oldies at all times. She says 60's Elvis is the better looking Elvis! My dad has several books about Elvis. The only music I ever owned of Elvis was a gospel 8 track. My favorite song..."How Great Thou Art". You gotta love Elvis!