Elvis Presley | Interviews and Articles. All about The King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Read all the latest Interviews and Articles about Elvis Presley. The King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Arrested at the Gates of Graceland | Interview with Jerry Lee Lewis
In the early hours of November 22, 1976, Harold Loyd, Elvis', and the presiding guard on duty at Graceland, was greeted by an unexpected visitor, Jerry Lee Lewis. Jerry Lee, accompanied by his wife, pulled up to the mansion's front gate in his new Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. He asked Loyd if he could see Elvis, but was told that the King was asleep. Lewis politely thanked Loyd and drove away without incident. Later that morning, at 9:30 a.m., Lewis flipped his Rolls while rounding the corner at Peterson Lake and Powell Road in Collierville.
Elvis Presley | Pennsylvania Sports Arena, April 5, 1957
Jimmy Velvet: Elvis' show was unbelievable, I had never seen anything like it, I mean Jacksonville wasn't anything like this. There were so many kids there climbing over each other it was amazing. The screaming you never heard anything, the screaming never stopped, but he didn't have to hear very much, he felt it.
Listening, seeing and touching Elvis when the King played Spokane's Memorial Stadium in August 1957
Fans who experienced Elvis Presley perform at Memorial Stadium in August 1957 recall how the King looked and sounded as he gyrated across the stage at the peak of his career.
Ready for an AI-Boosted 'Sun Sessions'?
As the latest Presley archival release, Memphis, suggests, there are still discoveries to be made in Presley's archives - and a more radical future may be ahead. Presley's Sun Studios sessions, with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, were recorded live to single-track mono tape by label owner Sam Phillips, which means any real remixes of the songs have always been impossible. But AI demixing technology - which allows instruments to be separated from a single track - keeps advancing. Jorgensen recently asked Emile de la Rey, who worked on the sound for Peter Jackson's Get Back documentary, to do a test remix of 'Good Rockin' Tonight' using Jackson's proprietary AI technology. The results, 'a perfect separation of instruments' along with the removal of tape hiss, were far superior to any more widely available machine-learning methods, so Jorgensen is waiting for access to that level of technology. Once he's got it, he says, 'I'd like to do everything from the Fifties. Because even the Sun recordings, they are very simple. There's an acoustic and electric and a slap bass. But when you open that up, it's still like a new revelation. It's not like it becomes thin and you think, 'Oh, is that all there is?'
Jessie D. McDowell (J.D.) Presley | Elvis Presleys Grandfather
Elvis Presley's Grandfather, Jessie D. McDowell (J.D.) Presley was born on April 9, 1896. We tell his story in great detail and with compassion, and include audio of his two songs he recorded in 1958. For the first time we name Elvis' great-grandfather on his father side and publish a photo of Elvis' great grand-mother, Rosella. Includes video, of Elvis' Grandfather Jesse D. Presley with his wife, Vera, on CBS TV in 1958 discussing his new record, his singing debut and hopes of becoming a success. Plus audio of the two songs he recorded, and released on record!!
Review | Elvis Presley at The New Frontier Hotel April 1956
Elvis Presley, unanimously acclaimed by critics as the most important singing find since Johnnie Ray, will open in the New Frontier Hotels' Venus Room Monday, April 23, as a special added attraction to the Freddy Martin show. The handsome 21-year-old rock 'n' roller's appearance in the latest Sammy Lewis production is considered to be the Las Vegas entertainment scoop of the year. (Las Vegas Sun : April 21, 1956).
Elvis Presley Arrest Warrant
This is a genuine document. A 1974 arrest warrant issued to Elvis Presley by the city of Los Angeles. The warrant stemmed from a failure by Elvis to appear in court regarding his vehicle being parked in a red no parking zone at the Los Angeles International Airport. The original citation was issued December 18, 1974. Elvis' bail was set at $20.
Elvis Presley's first cousin, Harold Loyd, reveals secrets of the King of Rock n' Roll
'Elvis is good to his family and he is good to his fans', Harold Loyd told this writer in 1992, some fifteen years after his first cousin died on August 16, 1977. 'He would love knowing that fans still come to Graceland. He loves his fans'. In May 1976, this reporter first met Loyd at the famous musical gates at the entrance of Presley's home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee. Besides being a loyal cousin to the King of Rock and Roll, Loyd was obviously a dedicated ambassador to the fans who came daily to visit the home. Loyd was generous with information and praise for Presley as he agreed to sit down at the Graceland gate guard shack for conversation and interviews each evening for a few days.
Interview with Susan Henning
Susan Henning was born in North Hollywood, raised in the San Fernando Valley, the blonde, tan, blue-eyed California girl epitomized the Healthy All American girl. She won 'Miss Teen USA' in 1965. Susan appeared in Elvis' movie, 'Live A Little, Love A Little' and says her all-time favorite was the 1968 'Elvis Special' where 'Elvis and I came together again igniting our chemistry to thrill the fans'.
Elvis Presley and Karate
Elvis was first exposed to Karate in 1958 after he was drafted into the Army and stationed in Germany. His first instructor was a German shotokan stylist named Juergen Seydel who taught Elvis at his off-base housing in Nauheim until 1958. One nice thing about the military was that you got thirty days of paid vacation (leave) each year. During his vacation in Paris he would take private lessons with Tetsugio Murakami, one of Japan's top shotokan stylists, who would help pioneer shotokan in Europe. On one occasion he spent nine straight days studying for several hours each day with Murakami.
Interview with Red West
Red West was born Robert Gene West in Memphis, Tennessee in 1936, the son of Lois and Newton Thomas West. He was a high school friend of Elvis Presley. An excellent athlete and former U.S. Marine, West played football for his high school and junior college teams and was a boxer in the Golden Gloves championships. It's said, as legend has it, that you rescued Elvis from being beaten up at Humes High when a group of boys wanted to cut his hair. What's the real story, and was that what happened? Red West: That is the real story.
Interview with Anita Mann
Anita Mann (born 1946 in Detroit, Michigan) is an Emmy-award winning choreographer, as well as a dancer and actress. Mann has been honored by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences as one of America's top five contemporary choreographers. She is also the recipient of five Emmy Awards and accolades from every corner of the industry. Mann began her career as one of the David Winters' dancers on TV shows such as Shindig!, The T.A.M.I. Show and Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose, a Grace Kelly documentary special. I think being a real person, I kind of go back to being out of place, out of step sometimes with the time. Like, being something so unique at a time in life. Makes you stand out more. Although probably he would stand out at any time.
Freddy Bienstock | Music Publishing and Elvis Presley
Although Freddy Bienstock is not a household name, he is famous to many as the music publisher and plugger for Elvis Presley. But still, even to Elvis fans, he is something of a mystery figure. We know about James Burton, Scotty Moore, Red West and Colonel Parker, but who can tell you much about Freddy Bienstock? And yet look in the index of any Elvis Presley biography and you will find references to him. He runs through Peter Guralnick's definitive biographies, and, quite clearly, he is an essential component in the Elvis story.
Interview with Sheila Ryan
Interview with Sheila Ryan who was was Elvis' girlfriend after Linda Thompson. Sheila was the Oct.'73 Playboy cover girl and married James Caan in '76 (divorced in '77). Elvis had qualities that no other human being has, had, will have. Some of them are so hard to describe because the charisma, the qualities that he had were almost not of this world, you know. They were, a lot of times, angelic. He knew things before I knew things. He knew things that I was feeling before I was feeling them.
James Burton Looks Back on Elvis Presley's Vegas Years
Elvis Presley's longtime guitarist looks back on his career rebirth in 1969. 'I hadn't actually met Elvis before I went to work with him', says the legendary guitarist James Burton, who'd already worked with a veritable who's who of rock stars when he picked up the phone one night in 1969 and found himself speaking to the King himself, Elvis Presley. 'I'd played the Louisiana Hayride around the time he came through when he was just starting out, but I didn't actually meet Elvis until 1969. He called me on the phone at my home in L.A., and I talked to him for two or three hours on the phone. He asked me if I'd be interested in going to Vegas and putting a band together for him. So I did'.
Singer & Musician Nick Bruno Shares Stories From His Years Working With Elvis
Nick Bruno is a multi-talented singer, musician, and record producer who has worked with many different artists throughout his impressive and lengthy career. In the early 70s, he joined J.D. Sumner & The Stamps which, at the time, was singing backup for Elvis Presley.
The Death Of Elvis Presley | August 16, 1977
Elvis Presley died at Graceland on August 16, 1977. He was 42 years old. Through the early morning of the 16th, Elvis took care of last-minute tour details and relaxed with family and staff. He was to fly to Portland, Maine that night and do a show there on the 17th, then continue the scheduled tour. Elvis retired to his master suite at Graceland around 7:00 AM to rest for his evening flight. By late morning, Elvis Presley had died of heart failure. In a matter of hours the shock registered around the world.
Elvis Presley And The Events Of 1977
Elvis Presley & the event of 1977. A detailed look at the years events.
Chet Atkins talks about Elvis Presley
Could Elvis actually play guitar? He played pretty good, yeah. And he played piano and drums. The first sessions he'd come in and work. After that, when he got more confident, he'd come in and play drums a while, then guitar, then piano. Then he'd practice his karate and then send out for 85 White Cottage burgers and then he'd go to work around 11 o'clock at night. But he loved gospel music. Jake Hess had influenced him and Bill Monroe and Big Boy Crudup. The first time I ever heard him I thought, 'What in the hell is this?' I couldn't tell if he was black or bluegrass or gospel or what. Of course that was what made him what he was. He was so damn versatile he could sing anything.
Interview with Elvis Presley: October 28, 1957, Los Angeles
Interview with Elvis Presley just after the general press conference, but prior to his debut at the Pan-Pacific in Los Angeles. How do you write music if you don't read it? It's all a big hoax, honey. I never wrote a song in my life. I get one-third of the credit for recording it. It makes me look smarter than I am. I've never even had an idea for a song. Just once, maybe. When? I went to bed one night, had quite a dream, and woke up all shook up. I phoned a pal and told him about it. By morning, he had a new song, 'All Shook Up'.
Fans share their memories from the day Elvis played Tacoma in 1957
Fans remember the historic day of Sept. 1, 1957, when Elvis Presley played Tacoma. Some 6,000 people caught the King at the Lincoln Bowl, prior to an evening engagement at the old Sicks Stadium in Seattle. Here's some of what they remember:
Dixie Locke Remembers Elvis Presley
Dixie Locke was 15 years old when she spotted Elvis Presley at the First Assembly of God in Memphis. At 19, the future King of Rock had a start in his career thanks to a recent recording with Sun Records, but that didn't stop him from pursuing love. I had some very good, close friends at the high school. Friday or Saturday night, we'd go to the skating rink. We did that pretty regularly. I had seen Elvis at church. He had started coming to the church where I had been all my life, but we had not actually spoken to each other.
Color Photographs of a Bearded Elvis Presley During Shooting for ‘Charro!’, 1969
Charro! is a 1969 American western film starring Elvis Presley shot on location at Apacheland Movie Ranch and Old Tucson Studios in Arizona. Uniquely, Presley did not sing on-screen, and the film featured no songs at all except for the main title theme, which was played over the opening credits. It was also the only movie in which Presley wore a beard.
Interview with Hal Kanter Director of Loving You
Interview with Hal Kanter, screenwriter and director for the Elvis Presley movie Loving You. Previously Hal had written for variety shows, graduating to screenplays and specializing in comedies. He wrote for Bob Hope as well as the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Over the years, Hal Kanter received six Emmy Award nominations, winning the last two for his writing on the annual Academy Awards telecast. He also wrote the script for Elvis Presley's 1961 hit film Blue Hawaii, which garnered him a 'Best Written American Musical' nomination from the Writers Guild of America.
Elvis Presley and Bill 'superfoot' Wallace
American martial arts man Bill 'Superfoot' Wallace who was Elvis Presley's bodyguard and personal trainer from 1974 until his death in 1977 recently talked about his times with the King and gave a rare glimpse of the man behind the legend. 'He was a wonderful person, a nice guy. It was fun working out with him too but you couldn't hit him too hard. You couldn't punch Elvis in the face but it was fun beating up his 'Memphis Mafia'.
Interview With Jan Shepard (Elvis' co-star in King Creole)
Can you tell me how you met Elvis? When you're assigned a film role, you have to go to the doctor, because of the insurance company. They have to make sure you don't have a bad heart, any of that nonsense. They made my appointment for me at the studio, so I was there and I had on a white shirt and these slacks my mother had made for me that were like wine coloured. I went in the office and I was waiting to be called in. In walks Elvis with two of his buddies. I looked at him and he looked at me and we started to laugh. His jacket was the identical material and colour of my slacks. He looked at me and he said, 'Honey, I'm either going to have to give you my jacket or you're going to have to give me your pants' ...
My dad interviewed Elvis Presley: Remembering the magical moment the king of rock 'n' roll touched down on UK soil
Ian Nelson was the only journalist to interview Elvis on UK soil when he landed at Prestwick Airport in 1960.When Elvis touched down on British soil in 1960, it was a momentous occasion. The rumour that Elvis was due to stop over at Prestwick Airport as he flew home from national service in Germany spread like wildfire and fans raced to see the world's biggest star in the flesh. Stepping off the plane in his military uniform and descending the stairs, Elvis hollered to the crowd below: 'Where am I?'
Elvis' Love For My Dying Child | 8-year-old Denise Sanchez 'On Tour' 1972
Many Elvis fans will know the story of Denise Sanchez, the 8-year-old fan from Santa Fe who we saw in an outtake from 'Elvis On Tour'. Denise had been battling cancer (Leukaemia) since the age of 6 and, like her mom was a huge Elvis fan. With the help of the local paper, her mom Trudi was able to get tickets for a concert in Albuquerque on April 19, 1972, and an opportunity to meet Elvis backstage before the show.
Inside the bizarre plot to steal Elvis' Graceland home by paperwork
The writer said he was an identity thief – a ringleader on the dark web, with a network of 'worms' placed throughout the United States. In an email to The New York Times, he said his ring preyed on the dead, the unsuspecting and the elderly, especially those from Florida and California, using birth certificates and other documents to discover personal information that aided in their schemes.
Elvis (Rock 'n' Roll) Presley Signed To Long Film Pact
HOLLYWOOD, April 10 (AP) -- Elvis Presley a rock 'n' roller who looks a little like Marlon Brando and sings like Johnny Ray with the St. Vitus Dance was signed Tuesday to a long-term movie contract. Presley a 21-year-old Memphis blues singer with long sideburns and black denim trousers is the current swooner among bobby soxers.
Interview with D.J. Fontana (April 2006) : 'I Tell You What, He Loved Gospel Music'
Eleven years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Elvis' first drummer D.J Fontana. I was working as a reporter at a radio station, when, one day in April, 2006, a press release caught my eye. It announced that Fontana was touring Sweden as part of a Swedish group called The Cadillac Band that would be playing my home town that very night. As my news editor didn't seem to understand the significance of this, I practically had to beg him to let me interview the drummer instead of doing the news piece he had in mind for me to do.
Elvis Presley and Alis Lesley
When you first see Alis Lesley, in scarlet slack-suit and long ponytail, she looks exactly like your kid sister about to leave for the beach with her schoolgirl cobbers. Elvis Presley met rockabilly singer Alis Lesley on Tuesday, November 13, 1956 backstage at the Silver Slipper Casino.
Interview with Rita Rogers
Elvis was gonna perform at the Armory and my friend and I, we were so excited to go and we went and everybody was screaming and all the girls and everything and then my friend wanted me to go back stage to get his autograph and I wouldn't go and she goes, 'Are you crazy?' and I go, 'I don't want to'. She goes, 'Why not?' I said, 'Because I'm gonna go to Hollywood and he is gonna be my friend' ... And she goes, 'You're crazy ...', because my name Aidieme, 'You're crazy Aidieme, you're never gonna be a movie star and you should go back. At least you get to see him in person'. And I wouldn't do it.
A Teenagers Interview With Elvis Presley 1957
Imagine being a teenager and getting the chance to interview rock n' roll legend Elvis Presley at the beginning of his career in 1957. The following article by teen Ruby Woods, was found in a newspaper archive from the Detroit Tribune. 'Next week the Olympia will be jam packed to greet that famous rock n' roll singer, none other than Elvis Presley.Elvis who is a clean-cut, sincere honest youngster who knows he is in the limelight but as yet is unspoiled.
Interview with Lance LeGault
Interview with Lance LeGault. I had tried to get Harley bikes for Elvis. I called Harley Davidson up in Milwaukee and they did not even return my calls. So he ended up riding the little Honda 350, which was not Elvis. Elvis rode Harley Davidson motorcycles. And I rode motorcycles with Elvis a great deal.
Elvis kept following me! Mimi Roman and Elvis Presley
'Oh good, they didn't send me the photograph of me and Elvis to sign'. Mimi Roman is opening mail in the kitchen of her Connecticut home on an autumn afternoon. 'I get three or four fan letters a week and they all send me that picture of me and Elvis to autograph. I just hate that picture. I hate that dress I'm wearing and the bag I'm carrying. I just wish there were one other picture out there'.
The day no one wanted Elvis - but my grandfather
In January 1956, just before Elvis Presley became a national sensation, Papa Fred had an exclusive chat with him. By PJ Grisar. I knew that my grandfather interviewed Elvis. But until recently, that's about all I knew.
Elvis Presley with Yvonne Lime | Easter 1957
In 1957, Yvonne Lime was chosen to co-star with Elvis Presley in Loving You in which she played the role of Sally. Elvis and Yvonne developed more than a professional interest in one another - and they dated some during the filming. Yvonne spent Easter weekend 1957 with Elvis and his parents at Audubon Drive in Memphis and Elvis took her to see Graceland that was in the midst of renovation and the two posed for a series of photographs in front of the house.
An Interview with Mother Dolores Hart
Once an in-demand Hollywood actress, Dolores Hart shocked the entertainment industry when she gave up everything to become a cloistered Benedictine Roman Catholic nun. She left her career, broke off her engagement to Los Angeles businessman Don Robinson, and pursued her vocation as a nun.
Elvis' 1974 Easter Television Special
The following article was first published in the U.K. based ‘Elvis Monthly' magazine in 1974, written by Wayne Stierle. The annoyance is the single sleeve which proclaims an 'Easter Television Special From Elvis'. The fact is most fans are eagerly awaiting it, and why not? (Unless Elvis decided to convert his millions of non-religious fans and fans of other beliefs to his way of worshiping it'll be great. If he pulls off a religious trip, well, it'll be interesting to see how the country responds to it). But, no such thing, folks, and here we go on a binge of phone calls to find out what's happening, or not happening. Come on along!
Interview with Charlie Hodge
Charlie Hodge began his musical career at age 20 in a gospel quartet with Bill Gaither. He went on to be the lead singer for the Foggy River Boys. At 5'3", the guitarist had to stand on an empty Coke crate to reach the microphone. Elvis Presley first met Hodge backstage after the group performed in Memphis, Tennessee.
Murfreesboro remembers Elvis Presley March 14, 1974
The King of Rock 'n' Roll is gone but not forgotten. It was 50 years ago this March 14 that Elvis Presley performed the first of five sold-out concerts at Middle Tennessee State University's Murphy Center. Tickets went on sale two months in advance and sold out in a day. The price of admission? Ten dollars on the floor and five bucks for a bleacher seat. The other four shows took place March 19, 1974, and in 1975 on April 29, May 6 and May 7.
Where Elvis Became Elvis: The Story of 1034 Audubon Drive
1034 Audubon Drive was Elvis Presley's first purchased house in Memphis, Tennessee, bought in 1956 for his parents with the royalties of 'Heartbreak Hotel'. The King only lived there for thirteen months, but from May, 1956 to May, 1957 he became Elvis, at least the early Elvis as the world knows him. While living here, he recorded 'Hound Dog', appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, bought his mother a pink Cadillac, and played touch football with the neighborhood kids.
The Lost 1962 NME Article | Is Presley Making Too Many Films?
Original NME article from April 6, 1962 that mentions a projected Elvis Presley charity concert in Britain. Includes many rare images, including the ad that announces the concert that proves it just wasn't talk.
Interview with Scotty Moore August 1974
The pioneering guitar player reveals the seminal moments of his groundbreaking career in this incredible interview from the GP archives. Long before there was rock 'n' roll, Scotty Moore (1931-2016) was a rock 'n' roll guitar player. As Elvis Presley's first guitarist, every note the young man played - including such groundbreaking classics as 'Hound Dog,' 'Don't Be Cruel' and 'Heartbreak Hotel' - was memorized by countless budding guitar players (many of whom have gone on to become legends themselves.) Moore was among the handful of musicians in the early '50s of whom it can be said, 'They invented rock 'n' roll'. The following interview extract originally appeared in the August 1974 issue of Guitar Player…
How Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker Made Music History Together
In late February 1972, President Richard Nixon made a historic trip to China in an effort to ease long-term tensions and hostilities after years of diplomatic isolation. Not only did this visit strengthen Chinese-American relations, but it also served to encourage progress with the USSR. I was driving Colonel Parker from Los Angeles to Palm Springs as we listened to a radio broadcast of this event, live via satellite from China. The Colonel's mind went into overdrive as he learned about this new technology, which would allow people to hear and see someone around the world on radio and television. He blurted the first thing that came to his mind. Inc.
Elvis Presley 1973 Lake Tahoe 3 A.M. Mother's Day Special Charity Concert Poster
A highly unusual concert-advertising poster for Elvis Presley appearing at 3:00 AM in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada on Sunday morning, May 13, 1973. This middle-of-the-night event was a special show in memory of the singer's late mother, Mrs. Gladys Presley, and all proceeds were donated to the local hospital. The show took place in the High Sierra Theatre at the Sahara Tahoe Casino, and fell in the middle of a typical two-week stand there by Elvis. This poster originated with a fan who was in Tahoe that weekend and tried to attend the show, but it quickly sold out. So instead he took this poster down from inside the casino the next day. This is thought to be the only Elvis Presley concert poster in history to mention his mother, whom he was extremely close to. It was made on a heavy art board, as opposed to standard cardboard. Measures 22" x 28".
Unseen Video | Elvis passes through Fort Worth January 11, 1958
View a previously unseen video of Elvis Presley as he passes through Fort Worth TX on January 11, 1958. From KXAS-NBC 5 News Collection and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Special Collections.
Chips Moman - the missing man of Memphis music
Born in 1936 in LaGrange, Georgia, Chips Moman made his name as one of the architects of the Memphis Sound, an edgier style of soul music descended from Memphis' blues and rhythm and blues. Settling in Memphis in the late 1950s, he helped establish soulful Stax Records in 1958. Six years later, Moman and fellow producer Bob Crewe founded American Sound Studios. Both; the champions of the Memphis Sound.
Interview with Elvis Presley | The 1969 Press Conference | August 1, 1969
Interview with Elvis Presley - The 1969 Press Conference - August 1, 1969. 'Why have you waited so long to perform Live again?' 'Did you return to Live Performing because of the Phenomenal successes of Wales Singer Tom Jones and British Crooner Engelbert Humperdinck?'
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Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.
