Jailhouse Rock

Last Saturday afternoon we got together to watch, listen and talk Elvis! We had great fun. The film Jailhouse Rock was spotlighted in our film series The Elvis Award Nominated Films. 

Did you know Jailhouse Rock has received an 

1. ASCAP for Most Performed Feature Film Standard for the title song (1991)
2. induction into the NATIONAL FILM ARCHIVES REGISTRY as a film of Cultural/Historical/Aesthetic significance (2004)

The Jordanaires

The book The Jordanaires: The Story of the World's Greatest Backup Vocal Group (as told by Gordon Stoker) is currently available online at Loot.

SYNOPSIS (PART)

The greatest backup group in the history of recorded music undoubtedly was The Jordanaires, a gospel group of mostly Tennessee boys, formed in the 1940s, that set the standard for studio vocal groups in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond. In their 65-year career, from 1948 through 2013, the recordings they sang on have sold an estimated 8 billion copies.

They sang on about 260 Elvis recordings, including most of his biggest hits. They were in 3 of his best-known movies, appeared with him on most of his early nation-wide TV shows, and toured with him. Throughout Elvis' early career, they were his most trusted friends.

HOW DID THE JORDANAIRES COME TO SING BACKUP FOR ELVIS?

Well, one hot August night in 1955 The Jordanaires were in the Ellis Auditorium in Memphis appearing on a bill with Eddy Arnold. That night they were approached backstage by Elvis Presley, then a struggling singer, who had had some success and was hoping to make it big.

GORDON STOKER REMEMBERS:

I guess the first thing I remember about him was his shirt. Men just didn't wear pink shirts in those days. He also was a little dirty around the neck. He was polite and had a warm smile. So, when he approached me, I took the time to hear what he had to say.

What he said was, "I'm a big fan of y'all's. I'm a singer myself. I'm on the Sun label right now. That's a local Memphis label. I'm trying to get a deal with a major label. If I do, I'd like you guys, the Jordanaires, to sing with me on my records." 

The rest is history.

Girls! Girls! Girls!

Last Saturday we got together to watch, listen and talk Elvis! What a great afternoon we had. The film Girls! Girls! Girls! was spotlighted in our series The Award Nominated Films. 

Did you know this film received a total of 4 award nominations? In 1963 the Elvis musical/comedy Girls! Girls! Girls! was nominated for a:

1. Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical

2. Laurel Award for Top Male Star

3. Laurel Award for Top Musical (3rd Place WIN)

4. Laurel Award for Top Male Musical Performance (2nd Place WIN)

The Genesis Of Elvis

From the Netherlands comes a new Elvis book by Bart Eikema van Hommes, The Genesis of Elvis, first written in Dutch in 2016 but recently translated into English.

Synopsis:

This biography aims to uncover Elvis’s cultural roots and identify the sources he drew from on the path to his world-changing sound. The musical history surrounding the pop icon is excessive and this book takes an analytical approach to try and shed some light on Elvis’s world. Where did he live and which churches and schools did he attend with his friends? Which artists and radio stations influenced him at an impressionable age? Where did he perform in the early days and first commit his voice to the eternal grooves of vinyl? All these questions and more must be asked to begin to understand Presley’s sound and it’s invaluable influence on Rock and Roll. As John Lennon once put it: “Before Elvis there was nothing!”

For more info and an inside look at the book, have a look at Amazon here. At the time of writing the book is also available at Loot and Takealot.

Aloha From Hawaii

In 2023 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1st worldwide satellite concert by ONE man. 

Some interesting tidbits surrounding this historical broadcast:

1. There were other satellite concerts before and after Elvis. 
2. The satellite transmitting the concert signal belonged to NBC and was very costly to hire.  
3. The stage was made in L.A. and shipped to Hawaii.  
4. When Nani Lee, the wife of Kui Lee, heard of Elvis' concert for her charity foundation, she went  straight to the doctor for tranquilizers.
5. No money is to be charged for a TV audience, so donations were asked for each ticket.        
6. Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite was the most expensive TV concert of its time at $2,5 million.
7. The rehearsal concert would be recorded at 20h30 on January 12, 1973 but by 19h00 6,000 fans had already stormed the venue and crammed into the available 5,300 seats. 
8. Elvis wanted a suit that said America. Ideas included the outline of a map or the star-spangled banner, but eventually the decision went to the national bird. 
9. The live broadcast had to be shy of 1 hour, after which the satellite feed would be cut off, so Elvis organised for Joe Esposito to be at the side of the stage with a flashlight to indicate when 10 minutes were left.
10. The sound equipment of NBC and RCA combined overloaded the power. Two hours before the rehearsal concert the lights flickered on and off and the sound engineers went to borrow extra equipment from the Navy. A few minutes before the start of the show, there was a hum in the sound system, caused by the stage lights, and lead plates were obtained, again from the Navy, to counteract this.

There are many more fun facts, especially the 1.5 billion people having watched the broadcast, amongst others South Africa. (NOT!) At this point in time? Sure! The Parker marketing machine did the trick, though, and it's all now part of Elvis lore.