I do not care for Elvis impersonators. I have always found them a bit cartoonish and unsettling. That is not to say I don’t enjoy a respectful tribute, even if the singer is dressed as Elvis. But, I find it very annoying when people think they sound like Elvis. No one sounds like Elvis. He was the one and only, always and forever.
Often imitated, but never duplicated:
I will have to say, though, I do have a few fond ‘impersonator’ memories. Not long after Elvis passed away, an impersonator put on a show in Oklahoma City. I don’t even recall his name, but he was respectful, and he did a good job. My sisters and I soaked up every radio show, every interview, every tv special, etc, after his death. So, of course, we had to attend that. One thing that sticks out clearly in my mind is when the guy sang “It Won’t Seem Like Christmas Without You.” The line in the song is, “If I get the one thing I’m wishing for, then I’ll see you tonight in my dreams.” The impersonator changed it to say, “Yes, Elvis, we’ll see you tonight in our dreams.” Which, of course, made my sisters and I sob uncontrollably. 🙂
For my fortieth birthday (which, it’s kind of odd that I celebrated since I’m only twenty-five, but anyway…), my sister and brother-in-law, Ruth and Tom Zimmerman, took me to Memphis for my birthday. We were on Beale Street and a young guy dressed in a gold lamé suit was performing. He was adorable and respectful, and he sang very well, but he didn’t try to make his voice sound like Elvis. Those are the kind of ‘impersonators’ I can enjoy. Not the fat guys with black wigs and ridiculously bushy sideburns who lower their voice and think they sound like the King.
Below is a photo of my son, Presley. Some of you probably saw it on Facebook, but I still thought I would share it here. He is not an Elvis impersonator, and he normally does not wear Elvis Presley jumpsuits. 🙂 He does, however, love Elvis music. I didn’t force it on him, I swear. He was on a cruise, and he entered a Karaoke contest singing Elvis songs. I didn’t get to see it, but I would imagine, based on his personality, he really gave them a show. He ended up winning the contest, and they gave him an Elvis costume to wear and brought him on stage for the finale.
Although I wasn’t there to see it live, he brought home a DVD, and I watched that. It was so much fun! He did a really good job and put on quite a show. And, you guessed it, he made his mama proud. 🙂
Obviously, I can’t say everything I want to say about Elvis’ music in one post, so there will most definitely be more, so stay tuned. 🙂
In twenty-three years, Elvis recorded almost a thousand songs, although the number that was actually released during his lifetime was just over seven-hundred. Thanks to Elvis radio, I have the opportunity to hear a lot of those rare recordings and outtakes where Elvis was himself, and he was human, and having fun with the guys. I love the ones where he is laughing–his adorable, sexy, infectious laugh. The people who worked with him said he had a talent for arrangements and was a perfectionist, who would keep at it until he had the recording just the way he wanted. They also say he could memorize lyrics more quickly than anyone they’d ever known. It’s funny that, even with Elvis’ unparalleled fame and popularity, the only music he ever won awards for was his gospel. I’ve never been able to figure that out.
One thing I love about Elvis music is that it spanned so many genres. With blues, country, rock, pop, soul, and gospel, there’s something for everyone. I have three children, who all ‘like’ Elvis, but my twenty-one-year-old son, Presley, LOVES Elvis. I didn’t force it on him, even with the name, I promise. 🙂 He actually could have grown up resenting me for the name, but he is proud of it, and truly loves Elvis. He’s on a cruise right now, and he called me last night to ask me about the lyrics to Jailhouse Rock. He wasn’t sure he could remember them all. I remembered them, but not exactly in order. (I know, it’s shameless, but we only had a few minutes to talk, and I was under pressure to hurry, and that song has a lot of short verses. It’s hard to remember the correct order.) Presley was a finalist in a Karaoke contest (in which he’d earlier sung Suspicious Minds) and was going to be singing Jailhouse Rock in the finals. After we hung up, a memory came to me of when he was around fifteen months old, and he was slapping his little hand on the stereo saying ‘Wock, wock,’ wanting me to play Jailhouse Rock. I did, and he started dancing and bobbing his head and snapping his fingers. SO freakin’ cute! (I have it on home video. It’s precious!)
Oddly, some of my favorite Elvis songs are the lesser known ones; many of them only a true Elvis fan would have heard. I re-discovered this one recently, and was struck once again by just how beautiful his voice really was. It gave me chills.
This is one of my favorites of Elvis’ early recordings, Love Me. There’s something about the way he starts the song, that first line, that makes me weak all over. 🙂 Enjoy this adorable video of him singing the song on the Ed Sullivan show.
Over the years, Elvis’ music had brought me a great deal of joy. It sounds odd, but if I’m stressed or upset, I can listen to his music, and it makes me feel better.
I have a confession to make, though. I don’t ‘love’ every song Elvis ever did. Even some of his most popular ones were not my favorites; such as Love Me Tender, Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes. I know, I know, I should be ashamed. 🙂 However, there were plenty of his songs that I DO love, obviously. I could list them, but we don’t have all day, right?
What about you? What are some of your favorite Elvis songs?
While Elvis’s movies are often regarded as silly and pointless, many people, including myself, find them highly enjoyable. Admittedly, they are not classic, Oscar-worthy films, and Elvis himself wasn’t pleased with the roles he played. He wanted to be a serious actor and admired other actors like James Dean and Marlon Brando. The only movie he was really proud of was King Creole, which was a wonderful film where Elvis was allowed to excercise his acting chops, and he did a fantastic job. After he returned from the army, his movies became no more than a vehicle for his singing. However, I thought they were fun and entertaining. I admit, I’m slightly biased, but even many non-Elvis fans enjoyed his movies. Some of my favorites….
Jailhouse Rock – I recently re-watched this and fell in love with it all over again. Another serious role where Elvis put on a great performance. And, there were some awesome songs in this movie, such as Don’t Leave Me Now, Treat Me Nice, Young and Beautiful, and of course, Jailhouse Rock. Sadly, Judy Tyler, who co-starred with Elvis in Jailhouse Rock, was driving home from Los Angeles to Manhattan with her husband, when they were in an auto accident, and she was killed instantly, at twenty-four years old, before the movie was released. Her husband died in the hospital the following day. People close to Elvis said he took her death hard, and was never able to watch the movie.
This is my favorite scene in any Elvis movie, ever. (Ignore the foreign subtitles and enjoy…)
Fast forward to his final movie in 1969, Change of Habit, where he played Dr. John Carpenter and Mary Tyler-Moore co-starred with him. Yep, still sexy…
Another movie I loved was Live a Little, Love a Little, for many reasons, but a big one is that he said my name in the movie…and hearing Elvis say my name was a thrill! 🙂 A few of my other favorites were Tickle Me and Girl Happy. But, I could go on and on, of course. Because, well, I’m a huge Elvis fan, if you haven’t already guessed. Not only was it fun to watch Elvis in the roles, what made his movies even better was that he starred with a lot of well-known actors, such as Charles Bronson, Nancy Sinatra, Ann-Margaret, Richard Egan, Angela Lansbury, and Bill Bixby.
I remember when we were young, my sisters and I going to the movies at the Chieftan in Oklahoma City and watching Elvis on the big screen. Heavenly!
Listening to Elvis radio now, I hear a lot of interviews with his co-stars and all of them have great things to say about him, about what a nice guy he was, how easy he was to work with, how he didn’t act like a star, and the women say he was a great kisser. I can only imagine. 🙂
As I stated previously, I mention Elvis in almost all of the books I write. So, of course I’m going to mention him a lot in a story set in 1957. Below is a snippet from my upcoming short story, End of Lonely Street, releasing with The Wild Rose Press on January 7, 2015.
Blurb:
All Toby Lawson wants is to go to college to become a teacher and to be free of her alcoholic mother and some painful memories. But when her mother nearly burns the house down, Toby must put her dreams on hold and return home to care for her. The only time she isn’t lonely and miserable is when she’s listening to her heartthrob, Elvis Presley. His music takes her away and helps her escape from everything wrong in her life.
Noah Rivers has always loved Toby, but no matter what he says, she can‘t get past the fact that her drunken mother once kissed him. He soon realizes the true problem lies in Toby’s belief she’s not good enough for him and in her fear she will be just like her mother.
What will it take to prove to her that she deserves to be happy, and that he would give anything to be the man to make her dreams come true?
Excerpt:
Noah glanced around the diner. Toby followed his gaze. The counter was lined with customers. A jukebox sat in the corner. Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” now belted from its speakers. “What happened to college? I thought you were getting your teaching degree.”
She shrugged and took the dish cloth from her apron pocket. “That was the plan.” She wouldn’t go into how she’d had to put off her schooling to come home and see after her mother. Surely he’d heard the story about Constance falling asleep with a lit cigarette and almost burning down the house—with her inside it—from the town gossip mill. “I finished my three years at University. Now I have to complete my Post-Graduate Certificate of Education. I had to put that on hold for a while, so in the meantime, I’m doing this.”
“Great. That means I’ll see you often. Maybe we can get together for a movie or something? Jailhouse Rock is showing at the Bijou.”
Elvis and Noah at the same time? Her heart wouldn’t take it.
Before the break-up, she’d gone to the drive-in to see Rebel Without a Cause with him. James Dean had died less than a month earlier, and she cried throughout the entire movie. Noah had held her, comforted her. Let her cry on his shoulder. That was their last movie together. The night remained a sad memory for more than one reason.
Elvis Presley has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I have always loved him—I don’t even recall the first time I discovered him. It just seems as though he was always there. My sister, Ruth, however, does remember when she discovered him, and I’m a little jealous of that memory, since I don’t have my own. (Nor do I remember the incident, so I’m telling her version, which is very short :)). She was five and I was seven (but, it’s really odd how, all these years later, she’s somehow older than me…hmmm…) 😉 Anyway, I digress. She said that I called her into the living room where Elvis’s movie, Harum Scarum, was playing (on our black and white television. This was around 1967, but we didn’t yet have a color tv), and I pointed Elvis out to her and said, “Look, isn’t he cute?” From then on, she and I grew up sharing our devotion to Elvis.
I can’t explain exactly how I feel about Elvis; only another true fan really ‘gets’ it. But, he was more than just an entertainer. He had this special, magical quality that I can’t name, but I know exists. Otherwise, why would millions of people all over the world love him so much? Why would they—nearly 37 years after his death—travel thousands of miles just to see his home? (And, they still do, daily in droves of thousands, from places as far as Australia, Ireland, England, etc.) Because, he touched people in a way no other entertainer has before or ever will again. Even if you are not an Elvis fan, you can’t deny the impact he had on the world. Yes, there are other successful, talented, well-loved performers. But, seriously, another Elvis? I don’t think so.
Although I have never wavered in my love for Elvis, I’ve recently gained a new appreciation of him now that I listen to Elvis radio on Sirius XM. It’s so awesome that they have an entire channel devoted to him. Nothing but Elvis, 24/7. And, that is all I ever listen to. Seriously, all the time, Elvis Radio. Not only do they play a ton of his great music, including rare recordings, but they have guests who knew the real Elvis. They share their memories of him, and hearing the intimate details of his life makes him all the more special.
Because of my adoration of Elvis, I have mentioned him in almost all of my published works. Here’s a little sample from “Poetic Injustice” a Romantic Suspense Novella (one of my older titles published through The Wild Rose Press) CLICK ON THE COVER FOR MORE INFORMATION
Snippet:
Samantha put in an Elvis CD and cracked the window just a bit. She loved the fresh smell of rain, and a little moisture wouldn’t hurt anything.
Love Coming Down, one of Elvis’ more obscure releases from the 70’s, was playing. The damp evening air and Elvis’ powerful voice filled the car, surrounding her, calming her. She released a breath and, along with it, some of the tension of the past few weeks.
Do you have any special moments to share about Elvis, or any other entertainer?
Hello and welcome to my version of the game, ‘F*@#’, Marry, Kill. This week, in honor of Elvis Presley’s birthday, we are WWW’ing three of his co-stars. I chose not to WWW Elvis because, for one, he’s incomparable. For another, no matter who was on the list, I would Wed and Want Elvis. Lastly, I wouldn’t take it very well if anyone wasted him. 🙂
So…myself and some of my friends are sharing our Want, Wed, and Waste choices from this week’s list:
Charles Bronson (Kid Gallahad), Bill Bixby (Speedway and Clambake), Dick Sargent (Live a Little, Love a Little)
Click on book titles below to learn more and to be taken to a buy link
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Me (Alicia Dean). FOUR different Ebooks on sale through January 15 from Amazon: 99¢ each! Lady in the Mist, Death Notice, Liberty Awakened, Liberty Divided. Click here for info and links: Alicia Dean Kindle Book Sale
Want: That would have to be Charles Bronson. He’s rugged and tough and sexy. I think it’s so awesome that he co-starred in an Elvis movie, then went on to be a huge star. Side note: My ex and I watched a lot of Bronson movies when we were married. He didn’t believe me when I told him Bronson played second fiddle to Elvis in a movie. I had to prove it to him. Then I had to divorce him. (That’s not really why, but it makes the story more interesting, right?)
Wed: Bill Bixby. He was a cutie and seemed like he’d make a good husband. Plus, it would be very handy if I was in jeopardy and he hulked out. (I really believe that could have happened)
Waste: Dick Sargent. I didn’t like it when he took over as Darrin for Dick York on Bewitched. He was also a BIG dweeb in Live a Little, Love a Little.
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Juli D. Revezzo, author of Drawing Down the Shades (Antique Magic book 2) Business can be hell…
GIVEAWAY: One commenter will received an e-copy of M.J. Schiller’s ABANDON ALL HOPE – Be sure to leave your email address with your comment.
Want: Bill Bixby- I always thought he was kind of cute, and he’d make an excellent husband I think, but I don’t want Charles Bronson or Dick Sargent, so…
Wed: Charlie Bronson- he’s make a great watch dog!
Waste: Dick Sargent- Not that I have anything against Dick Sargent per se, but of the three, he seems like maybe he has just a little edge of nastiness to him…? Am I wrong? Anyone else get that from him? I’m sure that some people would enjoy that snark, but I am attracted to kind-hearted guys. Not that Dick Sargent wasn’t, he may have been a great guy, but he wasn’t blatant about it, if you know what I mean.
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Diane Burton, author of ONE RED SHOE, a road trip adventure, will be released by The Wild Rose Press worldwide in all ebook formats and in print on Friday, January 10th.
Want: Bill Bixby. Handsome. Okay, hot. I just hope he doesn’t get too excited and become the Incredible Hulk.
Wed: Charles Bronson. What a tough guy. You could depend on him to protect the ranch. Good husband material in his real life. I remember how devoted he was to his wife, Jill Ireland, until she died.
Waste: Dick Sargent. I can’t see him without thinking of Bewitched. All the Darrins were dorks.
Want: Bill Bixby…but only because I liked him as Bruce Banner, but I wouldn’t like to keep him permanently.
Wed: Charles Bronson! This is a no-brainer for me. Charles Bronson was always a strong and determined character, and he always exuded a powerful, in-control nature that truly appeals to me.
Waste: Dick Sargent, much as I enjoyed him as Samantha’s husband on Bewitched, but there’s just something about his passive nature that turns me off.
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Now we’d like to hear from you….which of these Elvis co-stars would you Want, Wed, and Waste?
Author Alicia Dean 