Software developers across the globe now have a chance to integrate their developments into MySpace with the launch of a new developer platform.
MySpace has premiered the Developer Platform Site, created as a "sandbox", in which software wizards worldwide can craft mini-applications, called widgets, for MySpace member profile pages. The site (http://developer.myspace.com) has open standards for building, testing, and deploying mini-applications called widgets for MySpace.
According to Chris DeWolfe, chief executive officer and co-founder of MySpace, "The future of the global social Web will leverage the creativity of the masses to produce meaningful and diverse social experiences, pushing the industry to be more innovative and progressive."
The new Developer Platform Site includes three sets of APIs: OpenSocial with MySpace extensions to enable javascript and html; action scripts to allow Flash to speak directly to the APIs; and REST to enable server-to-server communication (speeding-up applications).
The developer site will also host a developer team Blog where developers can discuss product updates, platform news, insights and commentary, and interact with the MySpace Developer Team. The Blog url is: http://developer.myspace.com/Community/blogs/devteam/default.aspx.
For a one-month application development period, applications developed will not be visible to the MySpace community so as to enable developers to install, iterate, and test the security of their applications in a live environment.
The developer's platform will be rolled out to users in March. The new applications will be available in an application gallery, and MySpace members will be able to add these applications to both their personal user home and profile pages.
On the security front, Aber Whitcomb, chief technology officer of MySpace, claimed, "Applications will be governed by the same privacy controls that are in place for members. An application will never have access to information that cannot be found on any member's profile page."
Interestingly, MySpace has followed in the footsteps of Facebook in offering a developer platform site. Early last year, Facebook opened its platform for developers to make mini-applications for its members. Incidentally, those applications have proved a boon for Facebook, in turn making it more popular than ever before. But it still ranks second after MySpace. topic from " http://www.techtree.com/India/News/MySpace_Intros_Developer_Platform/551-86605-643.html "
Two major Hollywood studios are working together on one of the hottest properties in the biz. Who slipped hallucinogens in my coffee again?
Just as the audition shows wind down on News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) Fox network, "American Idol" pops up in a new venue. This time, Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) is turning television's biggest show into a Walt Disney World attraction, complete with tie-ins to the Fox property itself. After auditioning in a video booth, selected park visitors will get to perform in front of a roomful of mouse-eared tourists plus three judges, and daily winners get ushered to the front of a real audition line when that time comes.
The premise of the deal is understandable: tap into the "Idol" cachet to draw more visitors to the recently renamed and always underrated Hollywood Studios park. Financial terms have not been disclosed, but the numbers hardly matter anyway. It's the execution that comes as a surprise. Of course, it turns out that Fox never had a say in the matter. My coffee is clean this time.
Disney negotiated the property directly with 19 Entertainment and Fremantle Media, from which Fox simply holds a license to run the show. It's a side deal worthy of comparisons to David Letterman's interim writers contract, and a potentially shrewd marketing move. Now, when Fox promotes its golden goose, a squeaky rival also stands to profit from those marketing dollars.
Fremantle doesn't seem to worry about how bewitched, bothered, and bewildered its broadcasting partner might be over this state of affairs.
"It is owned by us, so we can extend the brand in the off-air space in the ways that we want to," a Fremantle spokesman told the AP. "We don't see this in any way as a News Corp. vs. Disney debate. That's never been part of the discussion, and it's not something that's relevant to us. It's just part of 'American Idol.'"
It remains to be seen whether Disney will divert traffic from rival theme park operators like Cedar Fair (NYSE: FUN) and Six Flags (NYSE: SIX) with visions of a Simon Cowell tongue-lashing. Either way, the deal is signed, sealed, delivered, and auditions will start later this year.
topic from " http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2008/02/08/the-mouse-will-host-disney-world-idol.aspx "
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Monday it may borrow money for the first time in its history to fund a portion of its $44.6 billion unsolicited offer for Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research).
Microsoft also said it expects Yahoo's board to agree to the deal quickly, but Yahoo said over the weekend that it expects to take "quite a bit of time" to weigh all of its strategic options including remaining independent.
A source familiar with Yahoo's strategy said it is considering a business alliance with Google Inc (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) to fend off Microsoft's offer.
Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell said the software company may take on some debt to finance the cash portion of its 50-50 stock and cash offer for Yahoo, instead of drawing down its entire $21 billion cash pile.
"It's likely we're actually going to borrow for the first time," said Liddell in an annual strategy meeting with analysts. "It's going to be a mixture of the cash we have on hand plus debt."
Liddell declined to say whether Microsoft was already buying Yahoo stock on the open market. He also did not give any information on what form of debt Microsoft will seek in the capital markets.
Microsoft made public on Friday its offer to pay Yahoo shareholders either $31 in cash or 0.9509 of a share of Microsoft common stock. The deal aims to create a formidable number two to challenge Google Inc's (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) dominance in Web search and digital advertising.
Analysts applauded Microsoft's decision to take on debt.
topic from : " http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSWNAS894220080204 "
Hollywood's honorary mayor Johnny Grant, who was best-known for unveiling stars on Tinseltown's ``Walk of Fame," has died aged 84. / AFP
By Jeffrey Miller
Hollywood and the USO (United Service Organizations) lost a very dear and special friend with the passing of 84-year-old Johnny Grant on Jan. 9.
The avuncular Grant, who was the honorary mayor of Tinseltown, was Hollywood's most recognized spokesman for his work as chairman of the Walk of Fame Selection Committee, not to mention Hollywood's Ambassador of Goodwill.
Whether it was serving as a sort of `master of ceremonies when someone was to receive a ``star" on Hollywood's famous ``walk of fame'' or working with various charity organizations,Grant contributed much to promoting goodwill within the community.
Although Grant had a distinguished career in radio and television that spanned over six decades, from his earliest work as a newscaster in Goldsboro, North Carolina, to his star-studded productions of the Hollywood Christmas Parade and hundreds of charity telecasts, the heart and soul ofGrant's life was his dedicated USO service.
He was the master of over 4,500 ceremonies, completed more than 14 trips to Korea, 14 tours in Vietnam and an amazing 50 USO overseas shows. Additionally, he personally organized visits to lift the morale, hopes and dreams of U.S. service members serving overseas.
I first had the chance to see Grant in 2000 when he came to Korea to take part in a USO banquet for U.S. Korean War veterans who had returned to Korea for commemoration events in June of that year on the 50th anniversary of the Korean War.
A year later, in June 2001, I had the chance to personally meet Grant for an article for The Korea Times when he was on one of those USO trips to Korea to entertain the troops.
Back then at 78 years of age, there seemed to be no stopping a man who got his start with the USO with the help of another legendary USO personality, Bob Hope.
He had many fond memories of visiting Korea, especially when it came to entertaining the troops, which had been his lifeline as a USO entertainer.
What struck me most about the interview I had with him was how he had never forgotten his first USO tour in Korea when he came here during Christmas in 1951.
``The first time I remember landing at Gimpo and finally coming into downtown Seoul, about the only building that was still standing was the old Chosun Hotel,'' recalledGrant during the interview.
``We stayed there. I just couldn't believe the devastation that had already taken place here in Seoul.''
Listening to Grant recall in that interview what it must have been like in Korea during the Korean Conflict, which lasted from 1950-53, reminded me of all the sacrifices men and women made on the behalf of Korea.
I was covering many of the Korean War commemoration events taking place around the peninsula. Listening to Grant talk about how he and others had entertained troops during the war made me feel a part of history.
Grant, like many of the returning veterans I would meet from 2000-2003, helped me to understand the Korean War better and those sacrifices that so many young men and women made.
In the years following the Korean War, coming back to Korea, whether to perform or to visit, was always quite rewarding for Grant.
What had impressed him the most about Korea in the years following the conflict was how much Korea had changed and evolved in such a short period of time, not to mention how the country was able to rebuild.
``I've loved the spirit of the Korean people. In many ways they are entrepreneurs, they love adventure,'' recalled Grant during the interview. ``They love to take chances.''
I felt fortunate that I could have met someone like Grant when he returned to Korea in 2001 and sit down with him and talk about his experiences as an entertainer coming to Korea during the Korean War.
What I have always admired most about the entertainers who have come to Korea to visit the troops has been how much they appreciate not only the chance to come here, but also the important role they play being a part of the USO and its mission around the world.
To be sure, the USO has played a very important role here in Korea over the years since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War ― not only for service members serving here on the peninsula ― but also as a bridge between the military and the Korean community.
People vaguely aware of the USO think that it is only for service members stationed in Korea, but the USO also has programs and services for civilians ― Korean and non-Korean ― ranging from tours here and abroad, tickets to concerts and other events, as well as a canteen with some honest-to-goodness home-style cooking.
Grant was a very kind and gracious man and I was fortunate to have had the chance to sit down and talk with someone who had such a rewarding life.
A few weeks after the interview, Grant sent me an email thanking me for the interview and inviting me to visit him if I was ever in Hollywood. Sadly, I never had the chance to take him up on his offer.
Yes, Hollywood and the USO lost a very dear and special friend. Johnny Grant will be missed, but his legacy and the life he dedicated to the USO will remain an integral part of the USO's mission both here and around the world.
The writer, who is currently teaching at Woosong University in Daejeon, has been a feature writer and regular contributor to The Korea Times since 1998. He can be reached at sparksjam@gmail.com.
topic from " http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/02/137_18425.html "
The five films currently released became the highest grossing film series of all time, with USD$4.48 billion in worldwide receipts.[1] The series consists of five motion pictures with the latest instalment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, released in cinemas in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 12 July 2007[2], and in Canada, Asia, Australia and the United States on 11 July 2007[3]. In the United States, the revenue from the midnight opening was $12 million and first day revenues overtook Spider-Man 2's record ($40.4 million) for the highest Wednesday opening at $44.2 million.
In 1999, Rowling sold the film rights for the first four Harry Potter books to Warner Bros. for a reported £1 million (US$2,000,000).[6] A demand Rowling made was that the principal cast be kept strictly British, allowing nevertheless for the inclusion of many Irish actors such as the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and for casting of French and Eastern European actors in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where characters from the book are specified as such.[7] Rowling was hesitant to sell the rights because she "didn't want to give them control over the rest of the story" by selling the rights to the characters, which would have enabled WB to make non-author-written sequels.[8]
Although Steven Spielberg initially negotiated to direct the film, he declined the offer.[9] Spielberg wanted the adaptation to be an animated film, with American actor Haley Joel Osment to provide Harry Potter's voice.[10] Spielberg contended that, in his opinion, there was every expectation of profit in making the film, and that making money would have been like "shooting ducks in a barrel. It's just a slam dunk. It's just like withdrawing a billion dollars and putting it into your personal bank accounts. There's no challenge."[11] In the Rubbish Bin section of her website, Rowling maintains that she has no role in choosing directors for the films, writing "Anyone who thinks I could (or would) have 'veto-ed' him [Spielberg] needs their Quick-Quotes Quill serviced."[12] After Spielberg left, talks began with other directors, including: Chris Columbus, Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Demme, Mike Newell, Alan Parker, Wolfgang Petersen, Rob Reiner, Tim Robbins, Brad Silberling, and Peter Weir.[13] Petersen and Reiner then both pulled out of the running in March 2000.[14] It was then narrowed down to Silberling, Columbus, Parker and Gilliam.[15] Rowling's first choice was Terry Gilliam.[16] However on March 28, 2000 Columbus was appointed as director of the film, with Warner Bros. citing his work on other family films such as Home Alone and Mrs Doubtfire as influences for their decision.[17]
"Harry Potter is the kind of timeless literary achievement that comes around once in a lifetime. Since the books have generated such a passionate following across the world, it was important to us to find a director that has an affinity for both children and magic. I can't think of anyone more ideally suited for this job than Chris."
Steve Kloves was selected to write the screenplay for the film. He described adapting the book as "tough", as it did not "lend itself to adaptation as well as the next two books." Kloves was sent a "raft" of synopses of books proposed as film adaptations, with Harry Potter being the only one that jumped out at him. He went out and bought the book, and became an instant fan. When speaking to Warner Bros. he stated that the film had to be British, and had to be true to the characters.[18]David Heyman was selected to produce the film.[17] Rowling received a large amount of creative control for the film, being made an executive producer, an arrangement that Columbus did not mind.[19]
Warner Bros. had initially planned to release the film over the July 4, 2001 weekend, making for such a short production window that several proposed directors pulled themselves out of the running. However due to time constraints the date was put back to November 16, 2001.[20]
Rowling's first choice for director was originally Terry Gilliam, but Columbus' involvement as screenwriter on the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes encouraged Warner Bros. to select him in preference. It is similar to the Harry Potter series in that it includes three leads that bear a strong resemblance to the Harry, Ron and Hermione of Rowling's description (as does a character named Dudley to Draco Malfoy). They investigate a supernatural mystery in a Gothic boarding school, where staff include the Professor Flitwick-like Waxflatter, and sinister Rathe. Scenes from the film were used to cast the first Harry Potter film.[22]
The first four films were scripted by Steve Kloves with the direct assistance of Rowling, though she allowed Kloves what he described as "tremendous elbow room". Thus, the plot and tone of each film and its corresponding book are virtually the same with some changes and omissions for purposes of cinematic style and time constraints. Rowling has asked Kloves to keep being faithful to the books.[24]
The fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released by Warner Bros. on July 11, 2007, in English-speaking countries, except for the UK and Ireland which released the movie on July 12.[25] Ironically, Order of the Phoenix is the shortest film in the series so far (at 138 mins.), whereas its book counterpart is the longest book in the series (at 257,045 word count[26]).
The sixth, Half-Blood Prince is scheduled for a worldwide release on the 21st of November, 2008.[27] Production of Deathly Hallows is confirmed, but no date has been set. If the year-and-half gap between each of the movies is maintained, the movie will probably be released around mid-to-late 2010.
However, opinions of the films generally divide book fans right down the middle, with one group preferring the more faithful approach of the first two films, and another group preferring the more stylised character-driven approach of the later films.
Some feel the series has a "disjointed" feel due to the changes in directors, as well as Michael Gambon's interpretation of Dumbledore differing from that of Richard Harris's[citation needed].
Chris Columbus's approach was extremely faithful to the source material, recreating the book as much as possible. A criticism is that his two films contain much action but little emotion, undeveloped characters, and an abundance of expository dialogue. Such a strict recreation of the book also results in a slow pace, and consequently, the films are accused of being too long.
Alfonso Cuarón's approach was more stylised and lively, using many handheld long takes and dark uses of colour. Unlike Columbus, his dislike of expository dialogue or explanation of backstory (most notably the Marauder's story) led to criticisms of his approach being "style over substance". His re-imagining of Hogwarts and student attire caused some to feel the continuity of the series had been hurt, though some find it to be closer to the descriptions in the novels. Furthermore, his quickfire pacing led to a shorter film, leading some to call Cuarón "lazy".[citation needed] However, the film is often perceived by critics to be the finest in the series.[28]
Mike Newell's approach focused more on humour and character development. Newell delved more into interactions between the students and their relationships, creating the feeling of a British boarding school. A criticism is that Newell left in moments of slapstick, childish humour (such as Madame Maxime eating something out of Hagrid's beard) in favour of the book's subplots, resulting in a rushed, disjointed film.
David Yates took his movie in an entirely different direction. He focused more on the tone of the book, ensuring that the film was as dark as its counterpart. This has led to criticisms that the movie is missing the delight and "magic" that instalments three and four had. However, it is unclear whether these "problems" should be attributed to Michael Goldenberg (the screenwriter, taking over for Steve Kloves) or rather to Yates himself. On the other hand, some have seen his direction thus far as an improvement; comparable to Cuarón's dark style.[citation needed]
It is worth mentioning that perceptions of the films have changed over time. For instance, at the time of its release, Chamber of Secrets was almost universally praised as superior to the first film, due to the darker tone and improved acting of the leads. However, as later entries became even darker and the performances continued to improve, it became less praised and thought of simply as "more of Columbus doing the same thing as the first". Furthermore, both films were criticised for lacking character moments, but the repeated airings of "Extended TV Versions" on the ABC and ABC Family networks, which incorporate deleted scenes into the films, have been able to add a few character moments back in. Columbus's films have benefited the most from these "Extended" versions.[citation needed]
Rowling has been constantly supportive of the films,[29][30][31] and evaluated Order of the Phoenix as "the best one yet" in the series.[32] She wrote on her web site of the changes in the book-to-film transition, "It is simply impossible to incorporate every one of my storylines into a film that has to be kept under four hours long. Obviously films have restrictions novels do not have, constraints of time and budget; I can create dazzling effects relying on nothing but the interaction of my own and my readers’ imaginations".[33]
As of November 2007, the Harry Potter film franchise is the highest grossing film franchise of all time, with the five films released so far grossing $4.48 billion worldwide. Higher than all 21 James Bond films and the six films in the Star Wars franchise, with the figures not adjusted for inflation.[34]
Presley began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him popular—and controversial—as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only performer to have been inducted into four music halls of fame.
Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (Music Video)
In the 1960s, Presley made the majority of his thirty-three movies—mainly poorly reviewed musicals. In 1968, he returned to live music in a television special and thereafter performed across the U.S., notably in Las Vegas. Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music. Health problems plagued Presley in later life which, coupled with a punishing tour schedule and addiction to prescription medication, led to his premature death at age 42.
Presley was born in a two room house, built by his father, in East Tupelo. He was the second of identical twins—his brother was stillborn and given the name Jesse Garon. He grew up as an only child and "was, everyone agreed, unusually close to his mother."[10] The family lived just above the poverty line and attended the Assembly of God church.[11]b Vernon has been described as "a malingerer, always averse to work and responsibility."[12] In 1938, he was jailed for an eight dollar check forgery. During his absence, his wife, described as "voluble, lively, full of spunk",[13] lost the family home.[14]Priscilla Presley recalls her as "a surreptitious drinker and alcoholic."[15]
Presley was bullied at school; classmates threw "things at him—rotten fruit and stuff—because he was different... quiet and he stuttered and he was a mama's boy."[16]
At age ten, he made his first public performance in a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. Dressed as a cowboy, the young Presley had to stand on a chair to reach the microphone and sang Red Foley's "Old Shep." He won second prize.[17]
In 1946, Presley got his first guitar.[18] In November 1948, the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, allegedly because Vernon—in addition to needing work—had to escape the law for transporting bootleg liquor.[14][19] In 1949, they lived at Lauderdale Courts, a public housing development in one of Memphis' poorer sections. Presley practiced playing guitar in the laundry room and also played in a five-piece band with other tenants.[20] Another resident, Johnny Burnette, recalled, "Wherever Elvis went he'd have his guitar slung across his back... [H]e'd go in to one of the cafes or bars... Then some folks would say: 'Let's hear you sing, boy.'"[21] Presley attended L. C. Humes High School, but fellow students apparently viewed the young singer's performing unfavorably: One recalled that he was "a sad, shy, not especially attractive boy" whose guitar playing was not likely to win any prizes. Many of the other children made fun of him as a 'trashy' kind of boy playing 'trashy' hillbilly music."[22]
Presley occasionally worked evenings to boost the family income.[23] He began to grow his sideburns and dress in the wild, flashy clothes of Lansky Brothers on Beale Street.[24] He stood out, especially in the conservative Deep South of the 1950s, and was mocked and bullied for it.[20] Despite his unpopularity, he was a contestant in his school's 1952 "Annual Minstrel Show"[20] and won by receiving the most applause and thus an encore (he sang "Cold Cold Icy Fingers" and "Till I Waltz Again With You").[21]
After graduation, Presley was still rather shy, a "kid who had spent scarcely a night away from home".[25] His third job was driving a truck for the Crown Electric Company. He began wearing his hair longer with a "ducktail"—the style of truck drivers at that time.[26]
Musical influences
Initial influences came through his family's attendance at the Assembly of God, a Pentecostal Holiness church.[10]Rolling Stone wrote: "Gospel pervaded Elvis' character and was a defining and enduring influence all of his days."[27] During breaks at recording sessions or after concerts, Presley often joined in private with others for informal gospel music sessions.[28]
The young Presley frequently listened to local radio; his first musical hero was family friend Mississippi Slim, a hillbilly singer with a radio show on Tupelo’s WELO. Presley performed occasionally on Slim’s Saturday morning show, Singin’ and Pickin’ Hillbilly. "He was crazy about music... That’s all he talked about," recalls his sixth grade friend, James Ausborn, Slim’s younger brother.[29] Before he was a teenager, music was already Presley’s "consuming passion".[29] J. R. Snow, son of 1940s country superstar Hank Snow, recalls that even as a young man Presley knew all of Hank Snow’s songs, "even the most obscure".[30]
In Memphis, Presley went to record stores that had jukeboxes and listening booths, playing old records and new releases for hours. He was an audience member at the all-night black and white "gospel sings" downtown.[31] Memphis Symphony Orchestra concerts at Overton Park were another Presley favorite, along with the Metropolitan Opera. His small record collection included Mario Lanza and Dean Martin. Presley later said, "I just loved music. Music period."[29]
Memphis had a strong tradition of blues music and Presley went to blues as well as hillbilly venues. Many of his future recordings were inspired by local African American composers and recording artists, including Arthur Crudup, Rufus Thomas and B.B. King.[32] King says that he "knew Elvis before he was popular. He used to come around and be around us a lot ... on Beale Street."[33]
Presley "was an untrained musician who played entirely by ear. 'I don't read music,' he confessed, 'but I know what I like.' ... Because he was not a songwriter, Presley rarely had material prepared for recording sessions..." When he, as a young singer, "ventured into the recording studio he was heavily influenced by the songs he had heard on the jukebox and radio."[34]
On July 18, 1953, Presley went to Sun Records' Memphis Recording Service to record "My Happiness" with "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", supposedly a present for his mother.[35] On January 4, 1954, he cut a second acetate. Sun Records boss Sam Phillips was on the lookout for someone who could deliver a blend of black blues and boogie-woogie music; he thought it would be very popular among white people.[36] Assistant Marion Keisker called Presley on June 26, 1954. After an inauspicious session, Phillips invited local musicians Winfield "Scotty" Moore and Bill Black to audition Presley. Though not overly impressed, a studio session was planned.[37]
During a recording break, Presley began "acting the fool" first with Arthur Crudup's "That's All Right (Mama)".[38] Phillips got them all to restart and began taping. This was the sound he had been looking for.[39] The group recorded other songs, including Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky". "That's All Right" was aired on July 8, 1954, by DJDewey Phillips.[40]d After its release, both sides of "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky" began to chart across the South.[41]
First public performances
Moore and Black began playing regularly with Presley. They gave a few performances in July 1954 to promote the Sun single at the Bon Air, a rowdy music club where the band was not well-received.[42] On July 30 the trio, billed as The Blue Moon Boys, made their first appearance at the Overton Park Shell, with Slim Whitman headlining.[43] A nervous Presley's legs were said to have shaken uncontrollably during this show: his wide-legged pants emphasized his leg movements, apparently causing females in the audience to go "crazy".[44][45]e Presley consciously incorporated similar movements into future shows.[46]
DJ and promoter Bob Neal became the trio's manager (replacing Scotty Moore). Moore and Black left their band, the Starlite Wranglers and, from August through October 1954, appeared with Presley at The Eagle's Nest.[42] Presley debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on October 2; Hank Snow introduced Presley on stage. He performed "Blue Moon of Kentucky" but received only a polite response. Afterwards, the singer was allegedly told: "Boy, you’d better keep driving that truck."[47]f[48]g[49]h
Country music promoter and manager Tillman Franks booked Presley for the Louisiana Hayride on October 16. Before Franks saw Presley, he referred to him as "that new black singer with the funny name".[50] During Presley's first set, the reaction was muted; for the second, Franks advised Presley to "Let it all go!" As house drummer D.J. Fontana (who had worked in strip clubs) complemented Presley's movements with accented beats and Bill Black engaged in his usual stage antics, the crowd was more responsive.[51][52]i According to one source, "Audiences had never before heard [such] music... [or] seen anyone who performed like Presley either. The shy, polite, mumbling boy gained self-confidence with every appearance... People watching the show were astounded and shocked, both by the ferocity of his performance, and the crowd’s reaction to it... Roy Orbison saw Presley for the first time in Odessa, Texas: 'His energy was incredible, his instinct was just amazing... I just didn’t know what to make of it. There was just no reference point in the culture to compare it.'"[53] Sam Phillips said Presley "put every ounce of emotion ... into every song, almost as if he was incapable of holding back."[54]
Breakthrough year: 1956
The iconic cover of Elvis Presley's debut RCA album. Photo taken on January 31, 1955
Presley's sound proved hard to categorize; he was billed or labeled in the media as "The King of Western Bop", "The Hillbilly Cat" and "The Memphis Flash".
On August 15, 1955, "Colonel" Tom Parker became Presley's manager. By August 1955, Sun Studios had released ten sides credited to "Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill", all typical of the developing Presley style. Several major record labels had shown interest in signing Presley. On November 21, 1955, Parker and Phillips negotiated a deal with RCA Victor Records to acquire Presley's Sun contract for an unprecedented $35,000.[55][56]
To increase the singer's exposure, Parker finally brought Presley to television (In March 1955, Presley had failed an audition for Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts). He booked six Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show appearances (CBS), beginning January 28, 1956, when Presley was introduced by Cleveland DJ Bill Randle. Parker also obtained a lucrative two-show deal with Milton Berle (NBC).
On January 27, Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel," was released. By April it hit number one in the U.S., and sold one million copies. On March 23, RCA released Elvis Presley, his first album. Like the Sun recordings, the majority of the tracks were country songs.
A few days after an April 3 appearance for The Milton Berle Show in San Diego, a near-fatal flight taking Presley's band to Nashville for a recording session left all three badly shaken.[59] After more hectic touring, Presley returned to The Milton Berle Show on June 5 and performed "Hound Dog" (without his guitar). Singing it uptempo, he then began a slower version. His exaggerated, straight-legged shuffle around the microphone stand stirred the audience—as did his vigorous leg shaking and hip thrusts in time to the beat. Presley's "gyrations" created a storm of controversy—even eclipsing the 'communist threat' headlines prevalent at the time.[60] The press described his performance as "vulgar" and "obscene".[60][61] Presley was obliged to explain himself on the local New York City TV show Hy Gardner Calling: "Rock and roll music, if you like it, and you feel it, you can't help but move to it. That's what happens to me. I have to move around. I can't stand still. I've tried it, and I can't do it."[62]
The Berle shows drew such huge ratings that Steve Allen (NBC), not a fan of rock and roll, booked him for one appearance in New York. Allen wanted "to do a show the whole family can watch" and introduced a "new Elvis" in white bow tie and black tails. Presley sang "Hound Dog" for less than a minute to a Basset Hound in a top hat. According to one author, "Allen thought Presley was talentless and absurd... [he] set things up so that Presley would show his contrition..."[63][64] The day after (July 2), the single "Hound Dog" was recorded and Scotty Moore said they were "all angry about their treatment the previous night".[64] (Presley often referred to the Allen show as the most ridiculous performance of his career.[62]) A few days later, Presley made a "triumphant" outdoor appearance in Memphis at which he announced: "You know, those people in New York are not gonna change me none. I'm gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight."[65]
Country vocalists The Jordanaires accompanied Presley on The Steve Allen Show and their first recording session together produced "Any Way You Want Me", "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog". The Jordanaires would work with the singer through the 1960s.
Though Presley had been unhappy, Allen's show had, for the first time, beaten The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings, causing a critical Sullivan (CBS) to book Presley for three appearances for an unprecedented $50,000.[66]
Presley's first Ed Sullivan appearance (September 9, 1956) was seen by some 55–60 million viewers. "Compared to moments on the Dorsey shows and on the Berle show, it was ice cream." On the third Sullivan show, Presley sang only slow paced ballads and a gospel song. The fact that Presley was only shown from the waist up and "stepped out in the outlandish costume of a pasha, if not a harem girl" during this last broadcast has led to claims that Sullivan had "censored" or even "buried" the singer, or that Colonel Parker had orchestrated the episode to generate publicity. In spite of any misgivings about the controversial nature of his performing style, Sullivan declared at the end of the third appearance that Presley was "a real decent, fine boy" and that they had never had "a pleasanter experience" on the show.
Controversial king
When "That's All Right" was played, many listeners were sure Presley must be black, and most white disc-jockeys wouldn't play his Sun singles. However, black disc-jockeys didn't want anything to do with a record made by a white man. To some, Presley had undoubtedly "stolen" or at least "derived his style from the Negro rhythm-and-blues performers of the late 1940s."Some black entertainers, notably Jackie Wilson, countered, "A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact, almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis."
Crowd frenzy at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, 1956.
By the spring of 1956, Presley was becoming popular nationwide and teenagers flocked to his concerts. Scotty Moore recalled: "He’d start out, 'You ain’t nothin’ but a Hound Dog,' and they’d just go to pieces. They’d always react the same way. There’d be a riot every time." Bob Neal wrote: "It was almost frightening, the reaction... from teenage boys. So many of them, through some sort of jealousy, would practically hate him." In Lubbock, Texas, a teenage gang fire-bombed Presley's car. Some performers became resentful (or resigned to the fact) that Presley going on stage before them would "kill" their own act; he thus rose quickly to top billing. At the two concerts he performed at the 1956 Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, one hundred National Guardsmen were on hand to prevent crowd trouble.[78]
To many adults, the singer was "the first rock symbol of teenage rebellion. ... they did not like him, and condemned him as depraved. Anti-Negro prejudice doubtless figured in adult antagonism. Regardless of whether parents were aware of the Negro sexual origins of the phrase 'rock 'n' roll', Presley impressed them as the visual and aural embodiment of sex."[79] In 1956, a critic for the New York Daily News wrote that popular music "has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley" and the Jesuits denounced him in its weekly magazine, America. Even Frank Sinatra opined: "His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people."
Presley was even seen as a "definite danger to the security of the United States." His actions and motions were called "a strip-tease with clothes on" or "sexual self-gratification on stage." They were compared with "masturbation or riding a microphone." Some saw the singer as a sexual pervert, and psychologists feared that teenaged girls and boys could easily be "aroused to sexual indulgence and perversion by certain types of motions and hysteria—the type that was exhibited at the Presley show." In August 1956, a Florida judge called Presley a "savage" and threatened to arrest him if he shook his body while performing in Jacksonville. The judge declared that Presley's music was undermining the youth of America. Throughout the performance (which was filmed by police), he kept still as ordered, except for wiggling a finger in mockery at the ruling. (Presley recalls this incident during the '68 Comeback Special.)
In 1957, Presley was alleged to have said: "The only thing Negro people can do for me is to buy my records and shine my shoes." The singer always denied saying, or ever wanting to say, such a racist remark. Jet magazine, run by and for African Americans, subsequently investigated the story and found no basis to the claim. However, the Jet journalist did find plenty of testimony that Presley judged people "regardless of race, color or creed".[84]
His parents moved home in Memphis, but the singer lived there briefly. With increased concerns over privacy and security, Graceland was bought in 1957, a mansion with several acres of land. This was Presley's primary residence until his death.
On December 20, 1957, Presley received his draft notice. Hal Wallis and Paramount Pictures had already spent $350,000 on the film King Creole, and did not want to suspend or cancel the project. The Memphis Draft Board granted Presley a deferment to finish it. On March 24, 1958, he was inducted as US Army private #53310761 and completed basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, before being posted to Friedberg, Germany with the 3rd Armored Division.[85]
Presley had chosen not to join 'Special Services', which would have allowed him to avoid certain duties and maintain his public profile. He continued to receive massive media coverage, with much speculation echoing Presley's own concerns about his enforced absence damaging his career. However, early in 1958, RCA producer Steve Sholes and Hill and Range "song searcher" Freddy Bienstock had both pushed for recording sessions and strong song material, the aim being to release regular hit singles during Presley's two-year hiatus.[87] The hit singles—and six albums—duly followed during that period.
In Germany, "[a] sergeant had introduced [Presley] to amphetamines when they were on maneuvers at Grafenwöhr... it seemed like half the guys in the company were taking them." Friends around Presley also began taking them, "if only to keep up with Elvis, who was practically evangelical about their benefits."[88]
The army also introduced Presley to karate—something which he studied seriously, even including it in his later live performances.[89]l
As Presley's fame grew, his mother continued to drink excessively and began to gain weight. She had wanted her son to succeed, "but... [the] hysteria of the crowd frightened her."[90] In early August 1958, doctors had diagnosed hepatitis and her condition worsened. Presley was granted emergency leave to visit her, arriving in Memphis on August 12. Two days later, Gladys Presley died of heart failure, aged forty-six. Presley was distraught, "grieving almost constantly" for days.[91]
Presley returned to the U.S. on March 2, 1960, and was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant on March 5.[92] Recording sessions in March and April yielded some of his best-selling songs—including "It's Now or Never". Although some tracks were uptempo, none could be described as "rock and roll". Most found their way on to an album—Elvis is Back!—described by one critic as "a triumph on every level... It was as if Elvis had... broken down the barriers of genre and prejudice to express everything he heard in all the kinds of music he loved".[93] The album was also notable because of Homer Boots Randolph's acclaimed saxophone solo during the blues standard "Reconsider Baby".
Hollywood years
In 1956, Presley launched his career as a film actor, beginning with the musical western, Love Me Tender. It was panned by the critics but did well at the box office.[94] The original title—The Reno Brothers—was changed because of the advanced sales of the song "Love Me Tender". The majority of Presley's films were musical comedies made to "sell records and produce high revenues."[95] He also appeared in more dramatic films, like Jailhouse Rock and King Creole. To maintain box office success, he even "shifted into beefcake formula comedy mode for a few years."[96] He also made one non-musical western, Charro!.
In the Army, Presley said on many occasions that "more than anything, he wanted to be taken seriously as a dramatic actor."[97] His manager, with an eye on long-term earnings, negotiated a multi-picture seven-year contract with Hal Wallis.[98]
The singer withdrew from performing, except for The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis (1960) and three charity concerts (two in Memphis and one in Pearl Harbor, 1961). Although Presley was praised by directors, like Michael Curtiz, as polite and hardworking (and as having an exceptional memory), "he was definitely not the most talented actor around."The Presley vehicles and the AIP beach movies (mainly made for an early sixties teenage audience) were generally criticized as a "pantheon of bad taste."The scripts of his movies "were all the same, the songs progressively worse."Sight and Sound wrote that in his movies "Elvis Presley, aggressively bisexual in appeal, knowingly erotic, [was] acting like a crucified houri and singing with a kind of machine-made surrealism." Others noted that the songs seemed to be "written on order by men who never really understood Elvis or rock and roll."[104] For Blue Hawaii, "fourteen songs were cut in just three days."[105] Julie Parrish, who appeared in Paradise, Hawaiian Style, says that Presley hated such songs and that he "couldn't stop laughing while he was recording" one of them. Critics would later claim that "No major star suffered through more bad movies than Elvis Presley."
Elvis in the film "Viva Las Vegas" (1964).
VIVA LAS VEGAS
Presley movies were nevertheless popular, and he "became a film genre of his own."[108] Elvis on celluloid was the only chance to see him in the absence of live appearances, especially outside of the U.S. (the only time he toured outside of the U.S. was in Canada in 1957). His Blue Hawaii even "boosted the new state's tourism. Some of his most enduring and popular songs came from those [kind of] movies," like "Can't Help Falling in Love," "Return to Sender" and "Viva Las Vegas."His 1960s films and soundtracks grossed some $280 million.[110]
In 1964, Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole had starred in Hal Wallis' Becket. Wallis admitted to the press that the financing of such quality productions was only possible by making a series of profitable B-movies starring Presley. He branded Wallis "a double-dealing sonofabitch" (and he thought little better of Tom Parker), realizing there had never been any intention to let him develop into a serious actor.[111]
Presley was one of the highest paid actors during the 1960s, but times were changing. "[The] Elvis Presley film was becoming passé. Young people were tuning in, dropping out and doing acid. Musical acts like Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Janis Joplin and many others were dominating the airwaves. Elvis Presley was not considered cool as he once was."[112] Priscilla Presley recalls: "He blamed his fading popularity on his humdrum movies" and "... loathed their stock plots and short shooting schedules." She also notes: "He could have demanded better, more substantial scripts, but he didn't."[113]
Presley's final movie role was in Change of Habit (1969). His last two films were concert documentaries in the early 1970s, though Presley was keen to consider dramatic movie roles.[114]m
As well as the formulaic movie songs of the 1960s, Presley did make noteworthy studio recordings, including "Suspicion," "(You're The) Devil in Disguise" and "It Hurts Me." In 1966 he recorded a cover of Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow is a Long Time" (which RCA relegated to a bonus track on the soundtrack album for Spinout). He also produced two gospel albums: His Hand in Mine (1960) and How Great Thou Art (1966). In 1967, he recorded some well-received singles in collaboration with songwriter/guitar player Jerry Reed, including Reed's "Guitar Man." However, "during the Beatles era (1963-70), only six Elvis singles reached number ten or better. 'Suspicious Minds' was the lone number one."[115]
Presley's sexual attraction and photogenic looks have been acknowledged: Steve Binder recalled from the '68 Comeback Special: "I'm straight as an arrow and I got to tell you, you stop, whether you're male or female, to look at him. He was that good looking. And if you never knew he was a superstar, it wouldn't make any difference; if he'd walked in the room, you'd know somebody special was in your presence."
Accounts of Presley's numerous sexual conquests may be exaggerated[117][118]Cybill Shepherd reveals that Presley kissed her all over her naked body - but refused to have oral sex with her.[119]. Byron Raphael and Alanna Nash have stated that the star "would never put himself inside one of these girls..."[120]p Girlfriends Judy Spreckels and June Juanico had no sexual relationships with Presley. Cassandra Peterson ("Elvira") says she knew Presley for only one night, but all they did was talk.[121]Peggy Lipton claims that he was "virtually impotent" with her (She attributed this to his boyishness and drug misuse).[122]q Guralnick concurs with others, "he wasn't really interested", preferring to lie in bed, watch television and talk.[123]
Ann-Margret (Presley's co-star in Viva Las Vegas) refers to Presley as her "soulmate" but has revealed little else.[124] A publicity campaign about Presley and Margret's romance was launched during the filming of Viva Las Vegas,[125] which helped to increase Margret's popularity.[126]s[127] Indeed, Presley dated many female co-stars for publicity purposes.[128]Lori Williams dated him for a while in 1964. She says their "courtship was not some bizarre story. It was very sweet and Elvis was the perfect gentleman."[129]
Priscilla Beaulieu Presley had stayed with Presley during the 1960s (they had first met in Germany, when she was only fourteen). They married on May 1, 1967, in Las Vegas. A daughter, Lisa Marie, was born nine months later. Even Priscilla has claimed that the singer was not overly active sexually during their five-year marriage.[130]
Influence of Colonel Parker and others
By 1967, Colonel Tom Parker had negotiated a contract that gave him 50% of Presley's earnings. Much has been written about the suspect nature of Parker's business practices. His dubious origins and gambling addictions in particular—and the subsequent need to keep Presley 'commercial'—may well have adversely affected the course of Presley's career.t It has been claimed that Presley's original band was fired because Parker wanted to isolate the singer from anyone who might offer him a better management deal.[131]
Marty Lacker, one of a coterie of Presley's trusted friends known as the "Memphis Mafia", regarded Colonel Parker as a "hustler and scam artist" who abused Presley's trust, but Lacker acknowledged that Parker was a master promoter.[132] Priscilla Presley noted that "Elvis detested the business side of his career. He would sign a contract without even reading it."[133]
Presley's father distrusted the members of the "Memphis Mafia"; he thought they collectively exercised an unhealthy influence over his son.[134] "[I]t was no wonder" that as the singer "slid into addiction and torpor, no one raised the alarm: to them, Elvis was the bank, and it had to remain open."[135] Musician Tony Brown noted the urgent need to reverse Presley's declining health as the singer toured in the mid-1970s. "But we all knew it was hopeless because Elvis was surrounded by that little circle of people... all those so-called friends and... bodyguards."[136]
Larry Geller became Presley's hairdresser in 1964. Unlike Presley's generally down-to-earth buddies, Geller was interested in 'spiritual studies'.[137] From their first conversation, Geller recalls how Presley revealed his secret thoughts and anxieties, how "there's got to be a reason... why I was chosen to be Elvis Presley.'"[137] He then poured out his heart in "an almost painful rush of words and emotions," telling Geller about his mother and the hollowness of his Hollywood life, things he could not share with anyone around him. Thereafter, Presley voraciously read books Geller supplied, on religion and mysticism. Perhaps most tellingly, he revealed to Geller: "I swear to God, no one knows how lonely I get and how empty I really feel."[138] Presley would be preoccupied by such matters for much of his life, taking trunkloads of books with him on tour.[139]
In 1969, record producer Chips Moman of American Studios, Memphis, was particularly critical of the song choices and staff of Hill and Range, Presley's main music publisher. Moman could only get the best out of Presley when he got the "aggravating" publishing personnel out of the studio.[140] RCA executive Joan Deary was later full of praise for the superior results of Moman's work but despite this, no producer was to override Hill and Range's control again.[141]
By mid-1968, Presley's recording career was floundering; he had become deeply unhappy with his career.[142] In the summer, he made a Christmas telecast on NBC. Later dubbed the '68 Comeback Special, and airing on December 3, 1968, the show featured lavishly staged productions, but also saw Elvis clad in black leather, performing live in an uninhibited style reminiscent of his rock and roll days. Rolling Stone called it "a performance of emotional grandeur and historical resonance."[27] Its success was helped by director and co-producer, Steve Binder, who worked hard to reassure the nervous singer[116]n and to produce a show that was not just an hour of Christmas songs, as Col. Parker had originally planned.[143][144]w
Buoyed by the experience, Presley engaged in the prolific series of recording sessions at American Studios, which lead to the acclaimed From Elvis in Memphis (Chips Moman was its uncredited producer).[145] It was followed by From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis, a double-album.
In 1969, Presley made record-breaking appearances in Las Vegas.[146]x He then toured across the U.S. up to his death, with many of the 1,145 concerts setting venue attendance records. He also had hit singles in many countries. Presley's song repertoire was criticized, indicating he was still distant from trends within contemporary music.[147]
On December 21, 1970, Presley met with President Richard Nixon at the White House (Presley arrived with a gift—a handgun. It was accepted but not presented for security reasons). Presley was somewhat bizarrely wanting to express his patriotism, his contempt for the hippiedrug culture and his wish to be appointed a "Federal Agent at Large". He also wished to obtain a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge to add to similar items he had begun collecting. He offered to "infiltrate hippie groups" and claimed that The Beatles had "made their money, then gone back to England where they fomented anti-American feeling."[148] Nixon was uncertain and bemused by their encounter, and twice expressed concern that Presley needed to "retain his credibility."[148][149]
MGM filmed him in Las Vegas for a 1970 documentary: Elvis: That’s The Way It Is. As he toured, more gold record awards followed. MGM filmed other shows for Elvis On Tour, which won a Golden Globe for Best Documentary, 1972. A fourteen-date tour started with an unprecedented four consecutive sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden, New York. After the tour, Presley released the 1972 single "Burning Love"—his last top ten hit in the U.S. charts.
In 1973, Presley had two January shows in Hawaii. The second was broadcast live, globally. The "Aloha from Hawaii" concert was the first satellite broadcast, reaching at least a billion viewers. The show's album went to number one and spent a year in the charts.
Off stage, Presley had continuing problems. In spite of his own infidelity, Presley was furious that Priscilla was having an affair with a mutual acquaintance—Mike Stone, a karate instructor. He raged obsessively: "There's too much pain in me... Stone [must] die."[150] A bodyguard, Red West, felt compelled to get a price for a contract killing and was relieved when Presley decided: "Aw hell... Maybe it's a bit heavy..."[151] The Presleys separated on February 23, 1972, agreeing to share custody of their daughter.
After his divorce in 1973, Presley became increasingly isolated and overweight, with prescription drugs affecting his health, mood and his stage act.[139]v Despite this, his "thundering" live version of "How Great Thou Art" won him a Grammy award in 1974[152] and he continued to play to sell-out crowds. A 1975 tour ended with a concert in Michigan, attended by over 62,000 fans.
By now Presley had "no motivation to lose his extra poundage... he became self-conscious... his self-confidence before the audience declined. Headlines such as 'Elvis Battles Middle Age' and 'Time Makes Listless Machine of Elvis' were not uncommon."[153] According to Marjorie Garber, when Presley made his later appearances in Las Vegas, he appeared "heavier, in pancake makeup... with an elaborate jeweled belt and cape, crooning pop songs to a microphone ... [He] had become Liberace. Even his fans were now middle-aged matrons and blue-haired grandmothers, who praised him as a good son who loved his mother; Mother's Day became a special holiday for Elvis' fans."[154]
Almost throughout the 1970s, RCA had been increasingly concerned about making money from Presley material: they often had to rely on live recordings because of problems getting him to attend studio sessions. RCA's mobile studio was occasionally sent to Graceland in the hope of capturing an inspired vocal performance. Once in a studio, he could lack interest or be easily distracted; often this was linked to his health and drug problems.[149]
Final year
Presley's decline continued. A journalist recalled: "Elvis Presley had become a grotesque caricature of his sleek, energetic former self... he was barely able to pull himself through his abbreviated concerts."[155] In Alexandria, Louisiana, the singer was on stage for less than an hour and "was impossible to understand."[156] In Baton Rouge, Presley failed to appear. He was unable to get out of his hotel bed, and the rest of the tour was cancelled.[156]
According to Guralnick, fans "were becoming increasingly voluble about their disappointment, but it all seemed to go right past Elvis, whose world was now confined almost entirely to his room and his [spiritualism] books."[157] In Knoxville, Tennessee on May 20, "there was no longer any pretense of keeping up appearances... The idea was simply to get Elvis out on stage and keep him upright for the hour he was scheduled to perform."[158] Thereafter, Presley struggled through every show. Despite his obvious problems, shows in Omaha, Nebraska and Rapid City, South Dakota were recorded for an album and a CBS-TV special: Elvis In Concert.[159]
In Rapid City, "he was so nervous on stage that he could hardly talk... He was undoubtedly painfully aware of how he looked, and he knew that in his condition, he could not perform any significant movement. He looked, moved, and gestured like an overweight old man with crippling arthritis."[160] A cousin, Billy Smith, recalled how Presley would sit in his room and chat, recounting things like his favourite Monty Python sketches and past japes, but "mostly there was a grim obsessiveness... a paranoia about people, germs... future events," that reminded Smith of Howard Hughes.[161]
A book was published—the first exposé to detail Presley's years of drug misuse.[162] Written with input from three of Presley's "Memphis Mafia," the book was the authors' revenge for them being sacked and a plea to get Presley to face up to reality.[163] The singer "was devastated by the book. Here were his close friends who had written serious stuff that would affect his life. He felt betrayed."[164]
Another tour was scheduled to begin August 17, 1977, but at Graceland the day before, Presley was found on the floor of his bathroom by fiancée, Ginger Alden. According to the medical investigator, Presley had "stumbled or crawled several feet before he died."[165]y He was officially pronounced dead at 3:30 pm at the Baptist Memorial Hospital.
At his funeral, hundreds of thousands of fans, the press and celebrities line the streets and many hoped to see the open casket in Graceland. Among the mourners were Ann-Margret (who had remained close to Presley) and his ex-wife.[166]zU.S. PresidentJimmy Carter issued a statement.[167]
Presley was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, Memphis, next to his mother. After an attempt to steal the body, his—and his mother's—remains were reburied at Graceland in the Meditation Gardens.
Post mortem
Presley had developed many health problems, some of them chronic. "Elvis had an enlarged heart for a long time. That, together with his drug habit, caused his death. But he was difficult to diagnose; it was a judgment call."[168]
Presley first took drugs in the army, taking amphetamines to stay awake, though there are claims that pills of some form were first given to him by Memphis DJ Dewey Phillips.[169] In Elvis and Me, Priscilla Presley writes that by 1962, he was taking placidyls to combat severe insomnia in ever-increasing doses and later took Dexedrine to counter the sleeping pills' after-effects. She later saw "problems in Elvis' life, all magnified by taking prescribed drugs." Presley's physician, Dr. George C. Nichopoulos, has said: "[Elvis] felt that by getting [pills] from a doctor, he wasn't the common everyday junkie getting something off the street. He... thought that as far as medications and drugs went, there was something for everything."[139]
According to Guralnick: "[D]rug use was heavily implicated... no one ruled out the possibility of anaphylactic shock brought on by the codeine pills...to which he was known to have had a mild allergy." In two lab reports filed two months later, each indicated "a strong belief that the primary cause of death was polypharmacy," with one report "indicating the detection of fourteen drugs in Elvis' system, ten in significant quantity."[170]
The medical profession has been seriously questioned. Medical Examiner Dr. Jerry Francisco had offered a cause of death while the autopsy was still being performed and before toxicology results were known. Dr. Francisco dubiously stated that cardiac arrhythmia was the cause of death, a condition that can only be determined in a living person—not post mortem.[171] Many doctors had been flattered to be associated with Presley (or had been bribed with gifts) and supplied him with pills which simply fed his addictions.[172] The singer allegedly spent at least $1 million per year on drugs and doctors' fees or inducements.[173] Although Dr. Nichopoulos was exonerated with regard to Presley's death, "In the first eight months of 1977 alone, he had [prescribed] more than 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines, and narcotics: all in Elvis' name. On January 20, 1980, the board found [against] him... but decided that he was not unethical [because he claimed he'd been trying to wean the singer off the drugs]." His license was suspended. In July 1995, it was permanently revoked after it was found he had improperly dispensed drugs to several patients.[139]
In 1994, the autopsy into Presley's death was re-opened. Coroner Dr. Joseph Davis declared: "There is nothing in any of the data that supports a death from drugs [i.e. drug overdose]. In fact, everything points to a sudden, violent heart attack."[139] However, there is little doubt that long-term drug misuse caused his premature death.[171]
Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself. He was unique and irreplaceable. More than 20 years ago, he burst upon the scene with an impact that was unprecedented and will probably never be equaled. His music and his personality, fusing the styles of white country and black rhythm and blues, permanently changed the face of American popular culture. His following was immense, and he was a symbol to people the world over of the vitality, rebelliousness, and good humor of his country.
Author Samuel Roy has written: "Elvis' death did occur at a time when it could only help his reputation. Just before his death, Elvis had been forgotten by society."[175]
Biographer Ernst Jorgensen has observed that when Presley died, it was as if all perspective on his musical career had been lost.[176] His latter-day song choices had been seen as poor; many who disliked Presley had long been dismissive because he did not write his own songs. Others complained—incorrectly—that he could not play musical instruments. Such criticism of Presley continues.[177][178]aa The tabloids had ridiculed his obesity and his kitschy, jump-suited performances. His film career was mocked. (In 1980, John Lennon said: "[Elvis] died when he went into the army. That's when they killed him, that's when they castrated him."[1]) Acknowledgment of his vocal style had been reduced to mocking the hiccuping, vocalese tricks that he had used on some early recordings—and the way he said "Thankyouverymuch" after songs during live shows.[179] This was only countered by the uncritical adulation of die-hard fans, who had even denied that he looked "fat" before he died.[180]ab Any wish to understand Elvis Presley—his genuine abilities and his real influence—"seemed almost totally obscured."[181]
However, in the late 1960s, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein had remarked: "Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it's a whole new social revolution... the 60's comes from it."[182]
It has been claimed that his early music and live performances helped to lay a commercial foundation which allowed other established performers of the 1950s to be recognised. African American acts, like Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, came to national prominence after Presley's acceptance among White American teenagers.[183]ac Little Richard commented: "He was an integrator, Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn't let black music through. He opened the door for black music."[182] It has also been claimed that Presley's sound and persona helped to relax the rigid color line and thereby fed the fires of the civil rights movement.[184]
Presley's recorded voice is seen by many as his enduring legacy. Henry Pleasants writes: "Elvis Presley has been described variously as a baritone and a tenor. An extraordinary compass... and a very wide range of vocal color have something to do with this divergence of opinion. The voice covers two octaves and a third... Moreover, he has not been confined to one type of vocal production. In ballads and country songs he belts out full-voiced high G's and A's that an opera baritone might envy. He is a naturally assimilative stylist with a multiplicity of voices—in fact, Elvis' is an extraordinary voice, or many voices."[185]ad
Gospel tenor Shawn Nielsen, who sang backing vocals for Presley, said: "He could sing anything. I've never seen such versatility... He had such great soul. He had the ability to make everyone in the audience think that he was singing directly to them. He just had a way with communication that was totally unique."[185]ae[182]
Other celebrated pop and rock musicians have acknowledged that the young Presley inspired them. The Beatles were all big Presley fans.[186]John Lennon said: "Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been a Beatles."[187]Deep Purple's Ian Gillan said: "For a young singer he was an absolute inspiration. I soaked up what he did like blotting paper... you learn by copying the maestro."[188]Rod Stewart declared: "People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps." Cher recalls from seeing Presley live in 1956 that he made her "realize the tremendous effect a performer could have on an audience."[182]
By 1958, singers obviously adopting Presley's style, like Marty Wilde and Cliff Richard (the so-called "British Elvis"), were rising to prominence in the UK. Elsewhere, France's Johnny Hallyday and the Italians Adriano Celentano and Bobby Solo were also heavily influenced by Presley.[189][190]
The singer continues to be imitated—and parodied—outside the main music industry. Presley songs remain very popular on the karaoke circuit, and many from a diversity of cultures and backgrounds work as Elvis impersonators ("the raw 1950s Elvis and the kitschy 1970s Elvis are the favorites."[191])
Presley's informal jamming in front of a small audience in the '68 Comeback Special is regarded as a forerunner of the so-called 'Unplugged' concept, later popularized by MTV.[192]
In 2002, The New York Times observed: "For those too young to have experienced Elvis Presley in his prime, today’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of his death must seem peculiar. All the talentless impersonators and appalling black velvet paintings on display can make him seem little more than a perverse and distant memory. But before Elvis was camp, he was its opposite: a genuine cultural force... Elvis’s breakthroughs are underappreciated because in this rock-and-roll age, his hard-rocking music and sultry style have triumphed so completely."[193]
In 1971, Presley was named 'One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation' by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (The Jaycees). That summer, the City of Memphis named part of Highway 51 South "Elvis Presley Boulevard", and he won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the organization that presents Grammy awards).
Presley won three competitive Grammy awards for his gospel recordings: How Great Thou Art (album and live recording of the title track) and for the album He Touched Me. He had fourteen nominations during his career. However, "Elvis has never been adequately appreciated by those who give the Grammies."[194]
Presley has featured prominently in a variety of polls and surveys designed to measure popularity and influence.ag However, rock 'n' roll expert Philip Ennis writes: "Perhaps it is an error of enthusiasm to freight Elvis Presley with too heavy a historical load", as, according to a public opinion poll among high school students in 1957, Pat Boone was "the nearly two-to-one favorite over Elvis Presley among boys and preferred almost three-to-one by girls..."[196]
In 1994, the 40th anniversary of Presley's "That's All Right" was recognized with its re-release, which made the charts worldwide, making top three in the UK.
During the 2002 World Cup a Junkie XL remix of his "A Little Less Conversation" (credited as "Elvis Vs JXL") topped the charts in over twenty countries and was included in a compilation of Presley's U.S. and UK number one hits, Elv1s: 30.
In the UK charts (January 2005), three re-issued singles again went to number one ("Jailhouse Rock", "One Night"/"I Got Stung" and "It's Now or Never"). Throughout the year, twenty singles were re-issued—all making top five.
In the same year, Forbes magazine named Presley, for the fifth straight year, the top-earning deceased celebrity, grossing US$45 million for the Presley estate during the preceding year. In mid-2006, top place was taken by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain after the sale of his song catalogue, but Presley reclaimed the top spot in 2007.[197]
By Jeffrey Miller
