Please, do yourself a favor and listen to the below audio. (My sweet, beautiful cousin, Barbara Bratton, shared it with me, and I’d never heard it). It was recorded at a concert, and Priscilla and Lisa are there, along with Elvis’ girlfriend at the time, Playboy cover girl, Sheila Ryan. It gives us a rare glimpse of Elvis sharing his true feelings about his ex-wife and the divorce. I’ve always thought Priscilla was INSANE for letting him go, and at one time I disliked her immensely (admittedly, part of it was jealousy :)), but the truth is, Elvis cared about her deeply, always, and she was the mother of his only child, the only woman he married. And, she’s done an incredible job with Graceland.
Elvis starts out by saying: “Let me make something clear, I’ve been singing that song for a long time, and a lot of people have kind of got it associated with me because they think it’s personal to me, but it’s not, it’s a beautiful song written by Marty Robbins…”
He is referring to “You Gave Me a Mountain.” He says he thinks he heard Frankie Laine doing it. I listened to Frankie’s version, and I am afraid I was unimpressed. Marty does a beautiful job, and of course, Elvis knocks it out of the park. Which reminds me, recently, I was talking with a few of my author friends about the Aloha From Hawaii special, which recently aired and one of them (who shall not remain nameless: Kathy L Wheeler, and the other friend was Krysta Scott, FYI) had watched the special. Kathy said he didn’t sound quite up to par (or something along those lines), and they both agreed that, with age, singers often begin to lose it a little. However, Elvis still had his beautiful, powerful voice right up to the very end. Granted, there might be performances where he wasn’t feeling well, and his voice might have shown that, but overall, his voice was always spectacular. Here is Elvis performing “You Gave Me a Mountain” in the Aloha special, and I cannot find a single thing wrong with it…
Among other remarks in the below recording, Elvis says, when he introduces Priscilla: “Boy, she’s a beautiful chick. I’ll tell you for sure, boy. I know it when I pick ’em.”
About the divorce, Elvis says, “We’re the very best of friends and we always have been. Our divorce came about not because of another man or another woman, but because of the circumstances involving my career. I was traveling too much; I was gone too much. It was just an agreement.”
This shows how close Elvis and Priscilla were, even after the divorce. Lisa was 6, so it would have been in 1974. It’s adorable when he introduces Lisa, especially when he tells her to pull her dress down. 🙂
There are just snippets, Elvis says more, so listen to the entire recording:
How awesome is that? He was, indeed, an incredible person with a lot of love for family, friends and fans.
~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*
EOLS Charity
Elvis was known for his giving heart and charitable work during his lifetime. Lisa Marie and Elvis Presley Enterprises have continued that tradition with their involvement in various charities. In 1984, The Elvis Charitable Foundation was formed. The EPCF created a scholarship fund for students majoring in the arts. The charity also contributes to one of Elvis’ favorite charities, Goodwill Homes, a Memphis facility that provides counseling and services for abused children and their families. The EPCF also assists numerous other charities, especially focusing on arts, education and children’s programs.
Learn more here, including how to donate:
http://www.graceland.com/epcf/
END OF LONELY STREET – Now Only 99 Cents!
On Elvis’ birthday this year, I released a Vintage Romance short story set in 1957, and of course, my heroine is an Elvis fan. 🙂 As a tribute to Elvis’ generosity, and in order to assist with this worthy cause, 10% of my proceeds for End of Lonely Street will go to the EPCF.
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?
Author Alicia Dean 