Stax Museum of American Soul Celebrates 10th Anniversary
April 30, 2013

Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of Stax Museum of American Soul, the site where Elvis recorded three of his own albums. In celebration of the legendary recording studio, we recently sat down with Communications Director Tim Sampson to talk about Elvis' time recording with Stax. Fans can watch a portion of this interview in this new video (above) and tune in for this week's Rubberneckin' podcast on Thursday, May 2, for the extended interview.  

In July and December of 1973, Elvis recorded three albums at Stax Records. The albums include "Raised On Rock," "Good Times" and "Promised Land," which produced four Top 20 hits on the charts. Sampson shares stories about Elvis' time at Stax and how after decades of being abandoned, the city of Memphis united to honor the musical history and legendary Stax artists. 

On May 2, 2003, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music opened its doors at the original site of Stax Records, which had been a vacant, overgrown lot for more than a decade with a single State of Tennessee historic marker. This was once home to the label that launched the careers of such soul music luminaries as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the MGs, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, Sam & Dave, the Staple Singers and dozens of other artists who changed music and popular culture forever. 

On Friday, January 11, 2013, the Stax Museum – one of the Soulsville Foundation’s three programs along with the Stax Music Academy and The Soulsville Charter School – received a joint proclamation from Memphis Mayor A C Wharton and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell proclaiming 2013 as the “Year of the Stax Museum” for the City of Memphis and Shelby County. The museum received a proclamation from Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam proclaiming May 2, 2013, as “Stax Museum Day” throughout the State of Tennessee. Stax also received a congressional proclamation from Congressman Steve Cohen extending his “sincere congratulations to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music as it celebrates its 10th anniversary" and for “providing a phenomenal source of income and pride for our community.”

Learn more about history of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music by visiting StaxMuseum.com. 

Elvis fan and country singer Scotty McCreery recently full-filled his life-long dream of visiting Graceland. Check out this week's photo spotlight featuring Scotty and his band, plus hear how Elvis influenced his love of music from an early age in this new video (above). Also, be sure to check out this week's photo spotlight featuring Scotty and his band! 

McCreery performed this past February at the Grand Ole Opry and delivered an electrifying performance of the 1954 classic "That's All Right." McCreery, who has often named Elvis as one of his biggest inspirations, first performed "That’s All Right" during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-themed episode of American Idol in 2011.

Learn more about Scotty's upcoming appearances by visiting ScottyMcCreery.com.

source: elvis.com

The high-end clothing line "America Express" has unveiled a brand new unique line for Fall 2013. A collection celebrating Elvis Presley for women and men will be released sometime in 2013 of August or September. 

The collection primary features: unisex button down shirts, round neck t-shirts, sweaters, and blue suede shoes for men and women. In addition to Elvis inspired clothing; a series of tops, dresses, and skirts have been created from inspiration through vintage iconic fashion pieces worn by Elvis' ex-wife, Priscilla Presley.  

To commemorate and unveil the new Presley collections a party was held on Friday, April 26th at the Opening Ceremony‘s SoHo. 

You should probably start saving your money now; as we all know American Express is not cheap, but you can bet I will get my hands on the collection! 


source: American Express and thegloss.com

The Facebook page for "Downtown Memphis" has shared a preview of the proposed construction plans for the former Chisca Hotel building located at 272 South Main Street in downtown Memphis. The Chisca can be seen on the left and a newer modern building which is already standing on the right. A ground breaking event for the construction was held on Friday, April 26th. 

The former Chisca Hotel building will soon be renovated into apartment lofts.  In 2012, Main Street Apartment Partners LLC purchased it and a 1961 parking annex building. The local investors are will spend $20 million converting the building into 166 apartment units and commercial space, including a restaurant. 
Main Street Apartment Partners will also add a ground-floor plaza adjacent to Main Street and an outdoor deck will be added to the roof of the structure, connecting the original building and a wing constructed in 1961.

"It is going to look great," said Paul Morris with the Downtown Memphis Commission. "The Chisca used to look great 100 years ago when it was built, and it will look great again… The main thing, it will be populated instead of vacant." Morris says renovations are set to start in a few weeks. It could take up to 18 months to complete.

The Chisca Hotel, stands eight stories high at 272 South Main Street. It opened on Christmas Day 1913 and for many years it was one of the finest hotels in Memphis. It was there at The Chisca Hotel from 1949 to 1956 where Dewey Phillips had his WHBQ Radio program "Red, Hot, and Blue", and on "Red, Hot, and Blue" Elvis' very first song "That's Alright Mama" was broadcasted on the airwaves for the first time on July 7, 1954! Elvis also gave his first radio interview there with Dewey on the same day on July 7, 1954. Elvis also was seen frequently at The Chisca Hotel and was even photographed there with Actress, Natalie Wood. The Chisca is a very important to fan's of Elvis Presley. The former Chisca Hotel building served as the Church of God in Christ’s headquarters from 1973 to the late 1990s before the group abandoned it. Since the abandonment the building has suffered much damage.

sources: Downtown Memphis Facebook page, WREG News, and Examiner.com 

Scotty McCreery, an American Country Music singer who has credited Elvis as one of his musical influences visited Elvis Presley's Graceland on Friday, April 26th with his Mother. McCreery will perform a concert in nearby Biloxi, MS on Saturday, April 27th.

source: Elvis Presley Enterprises and Scotty McCreery

Former March of Dimes poster child comes back to Memphis for organization's 75th anniversary

Diagnosed with polio when she was 4 months old, Mary Kosloski-Garrett became a symbol of success.

A Collierville native, she’s lived a life that some could only dream of.

In 1955, she became the national poster child for the March of Dimes and was around stars who wanted to help find a cure for the crippling, potentially fatal disease.

“I met President Eisenhower, Helen Hayes, Grace Kelly, John Wayne and Walt Disney,” said Kosloski-Garrett, now 64. “I was real fortunate at that time.”

While traveling to the White House was a highlight for Kosloski-Garrett, her voice rose when she began to talk about her trip to Graceland.

“I remember my mother telling me I would get to see all his teddy bears,” she said about Elvis Presley. “I went in the room and sure enough, all the bears were there. I waited for a while then he came in, we took pictures and he gave me a kiss on the cheek. He was so handsome. He made the trip very special for me.”

March of Dimes, which was started by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1938 to fight polio, is celebrating its 75th anniversary Saturday with its annual “March for Babies” walk in Shelby Farms Park at 8 a.m. Kosloski-Garrett traveled from her home in Little River, S.C., to Memphis for the occasion.

Phil Toothman, Tennessee director of marketing for March of Dimes, said after a vaccine was created in 1952 to curb polio, they had to find another focus — preventing premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality.

“Mary is an important part of our history,” Toothman said. “It show us how far we’ve come. It’s because of that vaccine that she’s here with us today.”

Kosloski-Garrett, who gets around in an electric wheelchair, said Roosevelt and the large number of children afflicted by the disease garnered attention, but the work being done now may be more important.

“I think everyone knows someone who’s been affected in some way by premature birth or birth defects,” she said. “With the community pulling together for March of Dimes there may not be a complete cure, but I know it’s going to get better and better because they’ve already shown success in so many areas.”

source: The Commercial Appeal

Master Kang Rhee, who was Elvis' Karate instructor from 1970-1974 has closed his Karate School at the Trinity Commons Shopping Center in Cordova which is a suburb of Memphis. Rhee who is 75 years old, will still maintain a small office in the Southwind area of East Memphis. 

Elvis received his 8th Degree San Black Belt certificate from Master Rhee, at a private ceremony which took place on September 16, 1974. 

This is not the building where Elvis learned and trained in Karate from Master Kang Rhee, as Rhee's original Karate School building which he still owns is located at 1913 Poplar Avenue in Midtown Memphis. Rhee's building on Poplar was formerly home to a rock and roll music venue, The Hi-Tone from 1998 to February 2013. 

In recent years Master Kang Rhee was very popular with Elvis fan's who would often stop by his Karate School to personally meet him. When you met Master Kang Rhee he would show you a few items which pertained to Elvis, and you had the option of purchasing an autographed photo of Mr. Rhee with Elvis.  

Elvis fan's can still purchase autographed photos from Elvis' Karate Instructor, Master Kang Rhee by visiting his website at the provided link: http://www.elviskarate.com/

Elvis loved Karate and after training with Master Kang Rhee Elvis helped establish The Tennesee Karate Institute of Memphis with National Karate Champion, Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace. The building which was demolished in the year 2011 was located at 1317 Overton Park Avenue in Memphis. At The Tennessee Karate Institute Elvis, Red West, Ed Parker, and others filmed a Karate documentary titled "The New Gladiators" which was lost and was not released to the public until August 2010. It has been reported that Elvis was very proud of the film project. 

Information on Master Kang Rhee:

•  Instructor of Elvis Presley and Bill "Superfoot" Wallace.
• Founder of World Black Belt Bureau.
• Graduated (B.A. Business) from Yonsel Univ. Seoul, Korea.
• Established and served as Captain of Yonsel Univ. Martial Arts Team.
• Head instructor Korean Military Intelligence Groups Officers.
• Trained in Kong Soo Do, Chang Mu Kwan, Kwon Bup, Kang Duk Won and Han Kuk Hap Ki Do, 1953-1964.
• Established PaSaRyu Mu Do Assn. in Memphis, TN 1966.
• Seventh Dan Kuk Ki Won (HQ TaeKwonDo in Seoul Korea) 1975.
• Producer of Annual Charity Karate Championship Fund Raiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 1970-1993.
• State of Tennessee - Governor's Award 1998.
• City of Memphis Mayor - Certificates of Appreciation for Various Community Services 1982, 1989, and 1999.
• Member of President's Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification of Republic of Korea since 1991.
• Special Congressional Recognition from US Congressman Ed Bryant 2000.
• Tennessee Ambassador of Goodwill 2001.

source: Master Kang Rhee and elviskarate.com

Hangout with Graceland's Archives Director on Google+ Tuesday, April 30th
April 26, 2013

There are two historic firsts happening right here at Graceland and Elvis fans have a chance to participate! You are invited to come hang out with the official Elvis Google+ page on Tuesday, April 30, at 4:00 p.m. CST. Fans will have a chance to view a LIVE video webcast from Graceland featuring Director of Archives Angie Marchese and a recently discovered, never-before-seen artifact, among many other artifacts from the king's collection.  

With the recent discovery of a new and historically significant Elvis artifact, we decided to give Elvis Google+ followers the first LIVE opportunity to see the new artifact and ask questions. A panel of Elvis fans will ask questions directly through the Hangout and fans watching from the official Elvis Google+ page can also leave questions in the comment section below. We will reserve time at the end to answer a few of these questions. 

Now if you are new to Google+, here's some helpful tips on how to tune in for the Elvis Hangout: 

• Follow Elvis on Google+, Facebook or Twitter to get access to the Hangout link
• Share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter by including #ElvisHangout
• You must +1 Elvis Presley to join the Google Hangout by or before 4:00 p.m. CST on Tuesday, April 30
• If this is your first time to view an On Air Hangout, Google+ Hangout may prompt you to install the Voice and Video plugin to be eligible to access the Elvis Hangout
• Fans can come directly to the official Elvis Presley Google+ page to watch the first-ever Elvis Hangout LIVE
• This Google+ hangout is open to the public for viewing and will be featured on theGoogle+ On Air page
• Troubleshoot any problems with Google+ Hangouts by clicking here.
• Don't have a Google+ account? Sign up today!

Be sure to +1 Elvis Presley on Google+ by or before Tuesday, April 30, at 4:00 p.m. CST to watch the LIVE Elvis Hangout. Also, make sure to leave comments about what you would like us to try for our next hangout and you could possibly be invited to be on our Elvis fan panel.

source: Elvis.com

Rubberneckin' Podcast Talks March of Dimes and Stax Records
April 25, 2013

Download Episode #120 of the Rubberneckin' Podcast where Elvis Presley Enterprises' Kevin Kern and Amanda Pannell talk about all of the exciting events taking place here at Graceland and around the world. We kick off this week's podcast with Graceland dressed in Beale Street Blue and Memphis Grizz Gold, as we celebrate the Grizz play-off run here in Memphis. We also take a look at the exciting contest from ENCORE and the month-long movie marathon featuring your favorite Elvis movies. The Rubberneckin' team also talks about our new partnership for the March of Dimes' 75th Anniversary and an exciting event taking place this Saturday, featuring Mary Kosloski, an original poster child for March of Dimes who was photographed with Elvis on the steps of Graceland. We also look at the "Stax to the Max Festival," also taking place on Saturday, at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Plus, we send a special shout out to Stax who is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year and we look at this week's sightings featuring Barbara Streisand.

Visit the Rubberneckin' Podcast page to listen to the new podcast and subscribe to future podcasts. If downloading new podcasts from iTunes, please allow 48 hours from the day of release for the podcast to show up.


source: Elvis.com

South Dakota museum adds Elvis' last 1977 tour guitar to its vast collection
April 25, 2013

By DIRK LAMMERS
Associated Press

VERMILLION, S.D. — A 16th-century Amati violoncello displayed in the National Music Museum has long been nicknamed "The King," but the ghost of a legendary rock 'n' roller has arrived in South Dakota to reclaim his regal moniker.

A slightly smashed acoustic guitar played by Elvis Presley on his final tour in 1977 now greets visitors in front of the museum's main galleries.

The Martin D-35 was tossed aside by "The King" during a St. Petersburg, Fla., concert after suffering a broken strap and string, said Robert Johnson, a Memphis-based guitarist who donated the item.

"He broke the strap and at the same time he broke a string," said Johnson, noting Presley's frustration. "He tosses it straight up in the air and it just comes down."

Johnson, who played with singer Isaac Hayes and the band John Entwistle's Ox in the 1970s, donated the Elvis guitar and four other celebrity items to the National Music Museum, which is tucked away in an old Carnegie library building on the University of South Dakota campus. The museum's trustees also purchased Johnson's 1967 Gibson Explorer Korina wood guitar, formerly owned by Entwistle, who's best known as a member of The Who, for $250,000.

Johnson, a longtime collector, also donated a Chet Atkins hollow body guitar given to country pianist Floyd Cramer and later played by Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley, a 1966 custom Grammer guitar made for Johnny Cash, a 1961 Kay Value Leader guitar signed by blues legend Muddy Waters and one of Bob Dylan's Hohner Marine Band harmonicas.

"These instruments probably make the biggest splash of any celebrity things that we've had before," said museum director Cleveland Johnson. "We have some nice things, but this is a degree of magnitude higher."

Cleveland Johnson, who is not related to Robert Johnson, took over as director in November after the retirement of Andre Larson, who'd been at the helm since it was established in 1973. The museum's holdings grew out of a private collection owned by Larson's father, Arne B. Larson, who continually added items while serving as a public school music director.

Robert Johnson said he owns some 600 guitars and another 2,000 to 3,000 artifacts, so he began discussions with Andre Larsen in 2010 to get involved with the museum.

"I was trying to find a place to hoard the rest of my stuff so it could be in place," said Johnson, 61. "It gets to be an overwhelming, oppressive burden to keep up with all this stuff."

The museum's 800 or so instruments on public display are the superstars of a broader collection of more than 15,000 pianos, harpsichords, guitars, horns, drums and other musical items. It includes a rare Stradivarius violin with its original neck, saxophones built by inventor Adolphe Sax, and the earliest French grand piano known to survive, an ornate green and gold instrument built by Louis Bas in Villeneuve les Avignon in 1781.

Cleveland Johnson said it has always been easy to drop names like Stradivari and Amati (whose centuries-old violins are considered the finest ever made) when he talks to people in classical music circles, but the new items will help the museum reach a different demographic.

"The motorcycle guys rolling across the state on their way to Sturgis, this would be a nice detour," he said. "Or a bus tour going from Sioux Falls to Memphis or down to Branson, this would be a perfect stop off on the way."

A $15 million expansion plan calls for tripling its 23,000 square feet of gallery space, improving the entrance and revamping the vast archives where music scholars can peruse the thousands of instruments and documents not on public display. The limited space has not only prevented instruments from getting their proper display, but also has hampered curators' efforts to find creative and hands-on ways to program and teach visitors and school groups.

The plan recently earned a federal seal of approval with the awarding of a $500,000 challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, whose chairman Jim Leach called the facility "a national treasure."

Cleveland Johnson said the museum is shifting its focus from acquisitions to developing programs to get the attraction better known around the country.

"I'm tired of being the best-kept secret," he said. "I'm over that. I'm ready to be the best-known musical instrument museum and not the best- kept secret. 

source: Associated Press

Elvis is the TOP #1 of Billboard's Top 40 Singles List

Here's an updated list of entertainers with the most Top 40 Billboard chart titles since the Hot 100's August 4, 1958, launch. 

Elvis is still Number One even though this does not include Elvis' massive 1956 and 1957 chart successes!

1. Elvis Presley - 80
2. Lil Wayne - 61
3. Elton John - 57
4. "Glee" Cast - 51
5. The Beatles - 50
6. Madonna - 49 
7. Stevie Wonder - 46
8. James Brown - 44
9. Aretha Franklin - 43
10. Marvin Gaye - 41 
10. The Rolling Stones - 41
10. Taylor Swift. - 41
source: Brian Quinn and The Elvis Information Network

Elvis Presley Enterprises Partners with March of Dimes for 75th Anniversary
April 24, 2013

As part of the 75th Anniversary, Elvis Presley Enterprises is teaming up with a charity close to Elvis' heart. The Memphis March for Babies will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at Shelby Farms at 8:00 a.m. Among thousands of attendees, will be Mary Kosloski, an original poster child for March of Dimes pictured in the photo above with Elvis on the foyer steps of Graceland. Learn more about walking in your own community by clicking here. 

Kosloski will be attending the 2013 Memphis March for Babies where many of these famous photos of Elvis supporting the March of Dimes will be showcased in the 75th Anniversary Tent.  During her visit to Memphis, Kosloski will be recreating her famous 1957 pose on the interior staircase of Graceland.

There are at least 20 other photos of Elvis Presley in the March of Dimes Archives photography collection. These include photos of Elvis with national poster child Mary Kosloski and other polio sufferers, both children and adults. In 2004, a German author, Andreas Roth, licensed eight of these photos taken on December 9, 1958, for "The Ultimate Elvis in Munich Book," which has been called one of the finest intensive pictorial studies of Elvis. The author used the March of Dimes photographs of Elvis and Robert Marquette, a six-year-old American boy disabled by polio as evidence of his strong commitment to the mission of the March of Dimes. 

Elvis Presley actively supported the March of Dimes in the 1950s to promote polio vaccination among teenagers after the Salk polio vaccine was licensed for use in 1955. A key March of Dimes photo depicts Elvis Presley receiving his own polio vaccination from Dr. Harold Fuerst on October 28, 1956, with New York City Health Commissioner Leona Baumgartner. Elvis agreed to this photo opportunity to support the March of Dimes Teens Against Polio (TAP) publicity efforts. 

The photo of Presley, Fuerst, and Baumgartner is one of the truly iconic publicity shots in the photography collection of the March of Dimes Archives. That it was taken on October 28, 1956, the date of Elvis Presley's second appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, is especially remarkable. The March of Dimes distributed the photo to over 600 Elvis fan clubs across the nation to encourage teen-age polio immunization, calling Elvis Presley “the Pied Piper of modern youth.” Though the photo pre-dates March of Dimes involvement in the problem of prematurity, Leona Baumgartner, as New York City Commissioner of Health, had earlier helped to establish a network of premature infant centers and local transport for premature infants in New York City in the 1940s. The photo thus bridges the evolution of the March of Dimes mission “from polio to prematurity” in an unforeseen but powerful way.

Elvis Presley’s appearances on this show were enormously important in the explosive popularity of rock 'n' roll in the 1950s. The photo was used successfully to encourage teenagers to get their polio vaccinations during the period of intensive public education about the polio vaccine from 1955 to 1962. A related March of Dimes polio vaccine brochure was titled "You Can't Rock 'n Roll with Polio," used in the Teens Against Polio program.

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. Its mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. In 2013, the March of Dimes celebrates its 75th Anniversary. The March of Dimes was founded in 1938 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to end polio in the United States and it succeeded. Babies born today continue to receive the Salk and Sabin polio vaccines and benefit from many March of Dimes supported breakthroughs, such as treatments for premature infants and for children with birth defects.

Learn more about the March of Dimes mission and how you can help donate or walk by visiting MarchofDimes.com. Also, check out some of our new specials and packages to plan your own rock 'n' roll pilgrimage to Graceland and learn more about the King of Rock 'n' Roll's charitable contributions!

source: Elvis.com

Upcoming Contest for Elvis Insiders Basic & Plus Members
April 24, 2013

On Friday, April 26, by 10:00 a.m. CST, we'll be posting instructions on how to enter in the Elvis Insiders CONTEST section, which is only accessible to Insiders Basic and Plus members.

One lucky winner will receive the “Elvis Presley - Limited Edition Art Print Collection.” Elvis' legendary career amassed numerous hits, declaring him the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Pyramid America is proud to offer a limited-edition Elvis Presley art print collection to his fans across the country. This exclusive limited-edition art print box-set contains reproduction prints of the 45 RPM record sleeve covers, including additional historical information on each single. With never before published artwork, these collectible 8 x 10 art prints, which are suitable for framing, represent his #1 singles and will be printed only one time. The sets are individually numbered with only 3,000 printed and feature 17 art prints of Elvis' #1 singles. Not an Insider? Learn more about this limited-edition set and purchase your own with the special discount code THEKING1 by visiting PyramidAmericaStore.com. 

Not an Elvis Insider? Find out how to join! Get exclusive access to rare photos, video, and artifacts at Graceland. Also, you can be featured in our Fan Spotlight on Elvis.com and enter great contests like this one!


source: Elvis.com

ENCORE - Elvis movies throughout the May - the FULL SCHEDULE
April 24, 2013

ENCORE presents “The Elvis Collection: Whole Lotta Elvis” featuring 24 uncut Elvis Presley films, including one documentary, starting Monday, May 1st at 8pm et/pt only on ENCORE, throughout the month of May.

Beginning Wednesday, May 1st at 8pm et/pt, ENCORE Will Feature Classic Films Starring Elvis Presley Including King Creole, Jailhouse Rock, Viva Las Vegas, Live a Little, Love a Little, Girl Happy and More!

ENCORE Will Also air the Documentary, This Is Elvis.

ENCORE kicks off the month-long celebration of The King of Rock and Roll with the fan favorite, Girls! Girls! Girls! 


Schedule: Every night in May at 8pm on ENCORE:

May 1st
Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)

May 2nd
Frankie and Johnny (1966) 

May 3nd
Blue Hawaii (1961)

May 4th
Jailhouse Rock (1957) 

May 5th
King Creole (1958) 

May 6th
Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) 

May 7th
Speedway (1968)

May 8th
Stay Away, Joe (1968)

May 9th
Fun in Acapulco (1963)

May 10th
Live a Little, Love a Little (1968) 

May 11th
Viva Las Vegas (1964)

May 12th
Spinout (1966) 

May 13th
Blue Hawaii (1961)

May 14th
This is Elvis (1981)

May 15th
Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966)

May 16th
Viva Las Vegas (1964)

May 17th
Kissin' Cousins (1964)

May 18th
G.I. Blues (1960) 

May 19th
Clambake (1967) 

May 20th
It Happened at the World's Fair (1963) 

May 21st
Follow That Dream (1962)

May 22nd
This is Elvis (1981) 

May 23rd
Easy Come, Easy Go (1967)

May 24th
Harum Scarum (1965) 

May 25th
King Creole (1958) 

May 26th
Girl Happy (1965) 

May 27th
Change of Habit (1969) 

May 28th
G.I. Blues (1960)

May 29th
Jailhouse Rock (1957)

May 30th
Change of Habit (1969) and Roustabout (1964)

May 31st
Kid Galahad (1962) 


**Elvis Marathon – All Day Saturday, May 25th beginning at 5am et/pt on ENCORE Saturday, May 25th

  5:00am               Blue Hawaii

  6:45am                Clambake

  8:30am                Fun in Acapulco

10:10am                Spinout

11:50am                Paradise, Hawaiian Style

  1:25pm                Change of Habit

  3:00pm                Roustabout

  4:50pm                Girls! Girls! Girls!

  6:30pm                Viva Las Vegas

  8:00pm                King Creole

10:00pm                Jailhouse Rock

11:40pm                G.I. Blues

continues Sunday, May 26th

  1:30am                It Happened at the World's Fair

  3:20am                This Is Elvis

Attend "Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll: A Discussion with Alfred Wertheimer" on May 1st
April 23, 2013

Join the GRAMMY Museum as they welcome famous Elvis photographer Alfred Wertheimer for a discussion about his new book, "Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll." The event is presented by American Express on Wednesday, May 1, at 7:00 p.m. at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. Tickets are only $15. Click here to purchase tickets. 

“Elvis who?” was photographer Alfred Wertheimer’s response when, in early 1956, an RCA Victor publicist asked him to shoot an up-and-coming crooner from Memphis. Little did Wertheimer know that this would be the job of his life: just 21 years old, Elvis Presley was - as we now know - about to become a legend. 

Trailing him like a shadow, Wertheimer was given unlimited access to get up close and personal with Elvis. Even as the singer was seducing young women in dark hallways, he allowed the photographer to record his every move. Wertheimer took nearly 3,000 photographs of Presley that year, creating a penetrating portrait of a man poised on the brink of super-stardom. 

Joining Wertheimer will be GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Bob Santelli, who also wrote the forward for the book, and the editor of the book, Chris Murray. Murray is the Director of Govinda Gallery in Washington, D.C., where he hosted the first exhibition of Alfred Wertheimer's photographs in 1997. He is also the editor of Wertheimer's books "Elvis at 21" and "Elvis 1956," as well as the curator of the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition "Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer." 

Fans can purchase tickets by visiting AXS.com. Be sure to check out his entire collection by visiting AfredWertheimer.com.

source: Elvis.com

The Gotta Have Rock & Roll Auction House located in New York will host "The Rock & Roll Pop Culture" Auction April 2013 with bidding starting on April 24th. There are several Elvis items and some of the items caught my eye as interesting! 

Following on from the Mike Eder's FAQ book about Elvis' music, Paul Simpson (author of the Rough Guide To Elvis) is publishing his 'Elvis Films FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of Rock 'n' Roll in Hollywood' 

The publicity states... If Elvis Presley had not wanted to be a movie star, he would never have single-handedly revolutionized popular culture. Yet this aspect of his phenomenal career has been much maligned and misunderstood partly because the King himself once referred to his 33 movies as a rut he had got stuck in just off Hollywood Boulevard. Elvis Films FAQ explores his best and worst moments as an actor, analyzes the bizarre autobiographical detail that runs through so many of his films, and reflects on what it must be like to be idolized by millions around the world yet have to make a living singing about dogs, chambers of commerce, and fatally naive shrimps. 

Elvis's Hollywood years are full of mystery, and Elvis Films FAQ covers them all! Which of his own movies did he actually like? What films did he wish he could have made? Why didn't he have an acting coach? When will Quentin Tarantino stop alluding to him in his movies? And was Clambake really the catalyst for his marriage to Priscilla? 

Elvis Films FAQ explains everything you want to know about the whys and wherefores of the singer-actor's bizarre celluloid odyssey; or, as Elvis said, "I saw the movie and I was the hero of the movie."

Paperback 400 pages. To be published Sept 2013.

source: Elvis Information Network

"Stax to the Max Festival" Kicks Off This Saturday in Memphis
April 22, 2013

For the third year in row, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music is taking it to the streets with its "Stax to the Max Festival" - an all-day, outdoor, FREE music and arts festival. This year’s event, billed as "ArtsMemphis Presents Stax to the Max," takes place this Saturday, April 27, from 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

In July and December of 1973, Elvis recorded three albums at Stax Records. The albums include "Raised On Rock," "Good Times" and "Promised Land," which produced four Top 20 hits on the charts. This year’s festival, held behind the Stax Museum, features all-day live music, arts performances, vendors, nonprofit booths, food trucks, children’s activities and more, plus visitors from all over the country and even Canada participating. In celebration of the Stax Museum’s 10th anniversary in 2013, the event promises to be bigger and better than ever before. 

Musical acts include:

• The Soulsville Charter School Jazz Ensemble
• The Vic High School R&B Band from Victoria, British Columbia
• The Monophonics (psychedelic soul and funk from San Francisco)
• Swingtime Explosion (17-piece big band from Memphis)
• Stax Music Academy
• Headline Act: For the headline act beginning at 5:30 pm on the main stage, Stax to the Max is having an old-school Stax and soul throw down, with the Garry Goin Band backing Stax legend William Bell, longtime Memphis soul singer Toni Green, and Kirk Whalum, with rare Memphis appearances by Stax legends the Temprees, the Mad Lads, and the Astors, the latter of which hasn’t performed together in 40 years.

Arts groups performing include:

• Prizm
• Southern Word
• Heal the Hood
• Opera Memphis
• Collage Dance
• New Ballet
• Women’s Theatre Festival

“We have a junket of 25 European journalists traveling to Memphis to cover the Stax Museum’s 10th anniversary and we wanted to give them and the crowd a real Stax experience. With the young people of the Stax Music Academy and the performances by the Stax veteran artists, we hope we will convey to everyone that the Stax Museum is more than just a museum, but also a community, a family if you will, that uses the legacy we preserve to bring things into the present and take them into the future,” according to Stax Museum communications director Tim Sampson. 

Learn more about the "Stax to the Max Festival" by visiting StaxMuseum.com.

source: Elvis.com

The second James Burton Foundation cookbooks can be ordered as well as his first cookbook for $25.00 plus shipping & handing. $5 for US shipping and handling and $15 for International orders.

Remember you are not just buying a cookbook, you are helping to buy a guitar for another child. 


Purchase your copy at the link provided:
http://www.jamesburtonfoundation.org/2012/12/james-burton-foundation-cookbooks-available-for-order/

Life long Elvis fan Jo Anne Truiett Phillips, saw Elvis 11 times between August 1955 and March 1977. She has written a 38 page book for her Grandchildren titled "My Memories of Elvis", and because of the many great comments regarding the book and the personal stories received, the book has now been made available to the general public. 

source: Elvis Matters and Amazon.com

Celebrate "Record Store Day" With Follow That Dream Vinyl Collection
April 19, 2013

The annual celebration of "Record Store Day" takes place this Saturday, April 20. Elvis fans can celebrate the complete collection of Elvis' vinyl records by visiting Elvis.com/FTD and help support the grassroots effort supporting limited-edition releases and vinyl. Fans can purchase Elvis' vinyl albums and limited-edition releases by visiting ShopElvis.com.

According to GoMemphis.com, a number of retailers in Memphis and surrounding areas are participating in this year's celebration. These include Goner Records and Shangri-La Records in Midtown, Disc-O-Tech in Southaven, and The End of All Music in Oxford, MS. For the fifth year in a row, vinyl and limited edition releases jumped significantly and has become a magnet for music lovers. Celebrity backer Jack White from the White Stripes is this year's offcial ambassador. 

Elvis fans can search for the latest Follow That Dream releases all in one location with our Follow That Dream Database atElvis.com/FTD. Preview audio clips from albums, plus view exclusive photos and video from Elvis' movies, concerts, and live performances. The database provides the entire FTD series broken down by decade, giving the ultimate collector a user-friendly tool to find their rare Elvis collection.

Read more about how Memphis retailers are celebrating "Record Store Day" by visiting GoMemphis.com. Also, be sure to check out our complete Follow That Dream collection of Elvis' vinyl records by visiting Elvis.com/FTD. Not what your are looking for? VisitShopElvis.com for more Elvis items.

source: Elvis.com

ShopElvis Offers to Plant Trees During Earth Day Green Sale
April 19, 2013

ShopElvis is celebrating Earth Day 2013 with a special deal for Elvis fans! For every order placed through April 22, 2013, ShopElvis.com will plant a tree in your honor via "Trees For The Future." 

"Trees for the Future" has helped to create sustainable and productive communities throughout the world since 1989. The organization teaches and empowers rural groups to grow sustainable, renewable forests for agriculture and food, firewood, construction, water collection and filtration and animal habitat.

This exclusive ShopElvis deal is only available until Monday, April 22, in celebration of Earth Day. Learn more about "Trees for the Future" by visitingTreesForTheFuture.org. 

Not what you are looking for? Visit ShopElvis.com for more Elvis products.

source: Elvis.com