Chips Moman on Bill for Elvis Week
By Bill Dries

Legendary music producer Chips Moman will be in Memphis for Elvis Week events at Graceland in August, marking the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death in 1977.

Elvis Presley Enterprises announced this week that Moman, who produced Presley’s Memphis sessions at Moman’s American Sound studios in North Memphis, will be part of the Elvis Insiders panel discussion Aug. 14 at 9 a.m. at Graceland’s main stage in Graceland Plaza.

Bobby Wood, Gene Chrisman and Reggie Young, who were part of the American Sound studio band that played on the Elvis sessions, will also be part of the discussion.

The American Sound recordings included some of Presley’s biggest hits of the late 1960s and early 1970s, including “In the Ghetto,” “Suspicious Minds” and “Kentucky Rain.”

During Moman’s tenure, American Sound turned out more than 120 hit records for various record labels.

Moman returned to Memphis for a brief time in the 1980s at the helm of Three Alarm Studios, a recording studio in an old city firehouse at Third Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, but he has rarely returned to the city or commented on his role in Memphis music history since the studio closed.


source: Memphis Daily News

New Guests Announced for Elvis Week 2014 Events
JUNE 03, 2014

We are excited to announced more guests have now been added to the Elvis Week schedule. Fans can learn more about the recently added guests below or check out the complete schedule of events, featured entertainment, Elvis Week partners and much more by visiting ElvisWeek.com.

For the August 2014 Elvis Presley Fan Club Presidents’ Event, we will have two featured special guest speaker segments, both hosted by Elvis Radio DJ Argo. In addition to our already announced guest Jimmy Snow, we also will welcome Linda Deutsch, who has been with The Associated Press for almost 50 years, but started her writing career off at the age of 12 when she launched an Elvis Presley Fan Club and published a fan newspaper that went to 300 members around the world. 

Also, we are excited to announce some additional guests for the Official Elvis Insiders Event - including The Memphis Boys’ members Bobby Wood, Gene Chrisman and Reggie Young along with special guest American Studio Sound producer Chips Moman, Elvis artist and fellow Insider Joe Petruccio and Elvis’ jeweler Lowell Hays.

Be sure to continue to watch Graceland.com for more updates and announcements as they become available.


RECENTLY ANNOUNCED GUESTS


Chips Moman
Official Elvis Insiders Event
As the legendary American Sound Studio founder and producer, Chips Moman is known for recording legendary artists such as Elvis Presley, Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, James Carr, Waylon Jennings and B. J. Thomas. During the late '60s and early '70s, Moman's studio experienced an unprecedented run of hits in the music industry, producing more than 120 charting singles by pop, soul, country and rock 'n' roll artists. Moman produced Elvis' 1969 album "From Elvis in Memphis" which included hits such as "Suspicious Minds," "In The Ghetto" and "Kentucky Rain.

"The Memphis Boys - Bobby Woods, Gene Chrisman and Reggie Young
Official Elvis Insiders Event, Memphis Boys Salute 
The Memphis Boys are a self-named rhythm section whose professional careers began in and around Memphis in the early sixties. In the earlier stages of their career, they boast about having played on more hit recordings during a six month period than any other studio rhythm section in history (Billboard Magazine). Among these hits are: Elvis' "Suspicious Minds," "In the Ghetto" and "Kentucky Rain." Decades later, The Memphis Boys are still entertaining several generations of fans.

Lowell Hays
Official Elvis Insiders Event
Lowell Hays first met Elvis in 1969 at Graceland. By Christmas of 1970, he had become the jeweler to the king. During their years together, Lowell made over 200 pieces of jewelry for Elvis. A few examples include Elvis’ TCB ring, his lion pendant and chain, the "Aloha from Hawaii" horseshoe ring, his American flag pin, Elvis’ ID bracelet and the big Maltese cross. Hayes continues to make Elvis-inspired pieces including both his fine and fashion lines featuring items made from the original molds of the kings’ jewelry.

Linda Deutsch
Fan Club Presidents’ Event
At the age of 12 years old, Linda Deutsch launched one of the first Elvis Presley fan clubs and published a fan newspaper that was distributed to 300 members around the world. She learned then what it would be like to be a journalist. She is now known as the nation’s leading expert in coverage of high profile trials. Before moving into trial coverage full time, Linda covered Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Ronald Reagan. In 2010 she received the American Judicature Society’s Toni House Journalism Award which cited her 45 years of service. Throughout it all, her dedication to Elvis never waned and has become an integral part of her legacy.

Joe Petruccio
Official Elvis Insiders Event
Bringing the art of portraits to an entirely new level, Joe Petruccio has combined his drawing and painting skills to create a most fascinating and compelling style of his own. Petruccio's ever-growing series of paintings and drawings of Elvis have always been a driving force in his life. Joe is highly respected and collected among many people in the music and entertainment industry. His works hang in the collections of notables such as Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers), Roger Daltrey (The Who), Sylvester Stallone, among many others. 


source: Graceland

Authors of New Follow That Dream Book Release To Appear at Elvis Week
JUNE 09, 2014

Authors of the new Follow That Dream book "Elvis Presley: Memphis To Nashville '61" will appear as special guests during the Official Elvis Insiders Event on August 14. We are excited to announce Pål Granlund (pictured above with Elvis) and David English will join other special guests during the annual Elvis Week event. Fans can purchase tickets to the Insiders event or the All-Access Pass to the Elvis Week Main Stage by clicking here.

The new FTD and Flaming Star book "Elvis Presley: Memphis To Nashville '61" gives a comprehensive account of two Memphis charity shows Elvis performed on a cold day in February of 1961. The book includes memories of musicians, friends of Elvis and fans, together with magazine and newspaper articles, including many rare and newly discovered photographs. This collection of over 100 unpublished photographs are derived from many different sources, some original negatives and some from original prints. Also included is Elvis' visit to Nashville a few weeks later in March of 1961, where he spoke at the state capitol building and was made an honorary Colonel. The final part of the book provides information and details relating to the recording sessions that formed the LP "Something For Everybody." The book will also include a CD containing The Claridge Hotel Press Conference, The Nashville State Capitol speeches and the mono version of the LP "Something For Everybody." This book is expected to be released in late June. Granlund and English will be available to sign autographs following the Elvis Insiders event and copies of the book will be available for sale. 

Other special guest included in the Official Elvis Insiders Event will be the Memphis Boys’ members Bobby Wood, Gene Chrisman and Reggie Young along with special guest American Studio Sound producer Chips Moman, representatives from Sony and Warner Bros. talking about “Elvis: That’s The Way It Is, Elvis artist and fellow Insider Joe Petruccio and Elvis’ jeweler Lowell Hays.

Check out the complete schedule of events, featured entertainment, Elvis Week partners and much more by visitingElvisWeek.com.


source: Graceland