Elvis Presley | Interviews and Articles. All about The King of Rock 'n' Roll.

Read all the latest Interviews and Articles about Elvis Presley. The King of Rock 'n' Roll.

Murfreesboro remembers Elvis Presley March 14, 1974

The King of Rock 'n' Roll is gone but not forgotten. It was 50 years ago this March 14 that Elvis Presley performed the first of five sold-out concerts at Middle Tennessee State University's Murphy Center. Tickets went on sale two months in advance and sold out in a day. The price of admission? Ten dollars on the floor and five bucks for a bleacher seat. The other four shows took place March 19, 1974, and in 1975 on April 29, May 6 and May 7.

Where Elvis Became Elvis: The Story of 1034 Audubon Drive

1034 Audubon Drive was Elvis Presley's first purchased house in Memphis, Tennessee, bought in 1956 for his parents with the royalties of 'Heartbreak Hotel'. The King only lived there for thirteen months, but from May, 1956 to May, 1957 he became Elvis, at least the early Elvis as the world knows him. While living here, he recorded 'Hound Dog', appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, bought his mother a pink Cadillac, and played touch football with the neighborhood kids.

The Lost 1962 NME Article | Is Presley Making Too Many Films?

Original NME article from April 6, 1962 that mentions a projected Elvis Presley charity concert in Britain. Includes many rare images, including the ad that announces the concert that proves it just wasn't talk.

Interview with Scotty Moore August 1974

The pioneering guitar player reveals the seminal moments of his groundbreaking career in this incredible interview from the GP archives. Long before there was rock 'n' roll, Scotty Moore (1931-2016) was a rock 'n' roll guitar player. As Elvis Presley's first guitarist, every note the young man played - including such groundbreaking classics as 'Hound Dog,' 'Don't Be Cruel' and 'Heartbreak Hotel' - was memorized by countless budding guitar players (many of whom have gone on to become legends themselves.) Moore was among the handful of musicians in the early '50s of whom it can be said, 'They invented rock 'n' roll'. The following interview extract originally appeared in the August 1974 issue of Guitar Player…

How Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker Made Music History Together

In late February 1972, President Richard Nixon made a historic trip to China in an effort to ease long-term tensions and hostilities after years of diplomatic isolation. Not only did this visit strengthen Chinese-American relations, but it also served to encourage progress with the USSR. I was driving Colonel Parker from Los Angeles to Palm Springs as we listened to a radio broadcast of this event, live via satellite from China. The Colonel's mind went into overdrive as he learned about this new technology, which would allow people to hear and see someone around the world on radio and television. He blurted the first thing that came to his mind. Inc.
Elvis Articles > Elvis Biography > Elvis News

Elvis Presley 1973 Lake Tahoe 3 A.M. Mother's Day Special Charity Concert Poster

A highly unusual concert-advertising poster for Elvis Presley appearing at 3:00 AM in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada on Sunday morning, May 13, 1973. This middle-of-the-night event was a special show in memory of the singer's late mother, Mrs. Gladys Presley, and all proceeds were donated to the local hospital. The show took place in the High Sierra Theatre at the Sahara Tahoe Casino, and fell in the middle of a typical two-week stand there by Elvis. This poster originated with a fan who was in Tahoe that weekend and tried to attend the show, but it quickly sold out. So instead he took this poster down from inside the casino the next day. This is thought to be the only Elvis Presley concert poster in history to mention his mother, whom he was extremely close to. It was made on a heavy art board, as opposed to standard cardboard. Measures 22" x 28".
Elvis Articles > Elvis Biography > Elvis News

Unseen Video | Elvis passes through Fort Worth January 11, 1958

View a previously unseen video of Elvis Presley as he passes through Fort Worth TX on January 11, 1958. From KXAS-NBC 5 News Collection and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Special Collections.

Chips Moman - the missing man of Memphis music

Born in 1936 in LaGrange, Georgia, Chips Moman made his name as one of the architects of the Memphis Sound, an edgier style of soul music descended from Memphis' blues and rhythm and blues. Settling in Memphis in the late 1950s, he helped establish soulful Stax Records in 1958. Six years later, Moman and fellow producer Bob Crewe founded American Sound Studios. Both; the champions of the Memphis Sound.

Interview with Elvis Presley | The 1969 Press Conference | August 1, 1969

Interview with Elvis Presley - The 1969 Press Conference - August 1, 1969. 'Why have you waited so long to perform Live again?' 'Did you return to Live Performing because of the Phenomenal successes of Wales Singer Tom Jones and British Crooner Engelbert Humperdinck?'

Elvis in Europe: the NME interview with the King

In 1960, NME writer Derek Johnson jetted over to Germany for a chat with Sergeant Presley. Elvis Presley treated me to one of his smouldering, heavy-lidded glances, and the corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile. 'I don't know if I shall manage to get to the top again', he said. 'I only wish I did know. I hear that trends have changed, so it might be pretty difficult for me. But I'll tell you this - I'm gonna try hard'.

Best Elvis Movies: 12 of His Most Rockin 'n' Rollin' Roles

Elvis Presley knew how to entertain and he certainly applied that in the best Elvis movies. 'You have to put on a show for people in order to draw a crowd', he once shared. 'If I just stood out there and sang and didn't move a muscle, then people would say, ‘My goodness, I can stay home and listen to his records'. You have to give them a show'. And that he did, which is why the King was - and still is - a legendary musical icon who's recognized as the greatest-selling solo artist of all time, having sold over an estimated billion records worldwide.

How Elvis Presley helped launch the career of Dionne Warwick

Singer, actor, television host and countless other job titles could be attributed to Dionne Warwick. The New Jersey-born musician reached a level of fame that can be considered legendary decades ago and has maintained that reputation ever since. It has not always been smooth sailing for Warwick, though, and it is possible she would not have reached her levels of stardom without the enterprising help of one Elvis Presley.

The secret history of King Creole by Paul Simpson

In the first of two articles, Paul Simpson explores how Hal Wallis broke his own rules when he made King Creole - and how that transformed Elvis' movie career. 'There was absolutely no point in pushing him', producer Hal Wallis said once, reflecting on Elvis Presley's movie career.

What was Elvis Presley’s best album and where was it recorded?

Although many consider Elvis' mid-1950s sessions with Sam Phillips at Sun Records his most seminal work and his RCA recordings in Nashville and New York in the late-'50s his most successful, in terms of a single album, the consensus is Presley's best and most creatively satisfying LP was 1969's 'From Elvis in Memphis', recorded - where else? - in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

Behind The Scenes | Elvis: That's The Way It Is by Elaine Christan

Excerpt from the 400-page Hardcover Book 'And Then There Was Elvis | A Superfan's Adventures in the Elvis World'. Sanders did a very poor job of representing the fans. Like Jerry Hopkins, Denis Sanders just did not respect the fans. For example, there was that stupid clip he used of Sue with her cat; and that guy with those glasses - he admitted he wasn't much of an Elvis fan so why was he even in the film? And then there was the poor girl in the church. That was Mom's friend Linda. It was Sanders who wanted to film in her church and the minister agreed to let him. But Linda was horrified by the line of questioning Sanders pursued. He tried to get her to say - and in front of her minister no less - that she loved Elvis more than God. That is why she back peddled herself into a corner by saying she loved Elvis, but she didn't want to marry him. She loved him like a friend or a brother. I later heard that when Elvis saw the film at the studio he said, 'Why - What's wrong with me - Why wouldn't she want to marry me?' He was hurt by that, wondering why she would not ever think of him as someone who could be loved as a husband.

Interview with Anita Wood

Anita Marie Wood Brewer was a TV performer, recording artist and girlfriend to Elvis Presley. She later married NFL football player Johnny Brewer. Elvis Presley and Anita Wood met in 1957 and in the same year Elvis referred to Wood as his 'No. 1 Girl'. The two dated seriously for several years from 1957 to 1962. Anita signed a contract to work as an actress for Paramount Pictures but later gave it up for Elvis. While he was in the army, he sent her letters which he told her never to show anyone. Anita recorded for ABC-Paramount (1958); Sun (1961); and Santo (1963). She also worked on the Andy Williams TV Show (summer 1958) and is the uncredited vocalist with Williams on 'The Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nei Au)', a Top 15 hit in early 1959.

Interview with Anita Wood Part II

Interview with Anita Wood Part II. Anita talks about the death of Elvis' mother, Priscilla, Elvis' return from Germany, letters from Priscilla and breaking up with Elvis, the name similar to Lisa Marie they would have given their child if they had a girl and if a boy he was to be Elvis Presley Jr, the death of Elvis and much more.

Interview with Jerry Scheff

First time I met Elvis was at RCA recording studio in Los Angeles. And that was the first rehearsal that I had with him. James Burton called me and I had done an album with James and he remembered me, fortunately. So he called me and asked me if I wanted to do it. And I wasn't an Elvis fan. And I wasn't big on it. I wasn't gonna do it. But I wanted to go down and see what Elvis was like, you know.

Christmas With Elvis

Christmas was a special time for Elvis and every year he decorated Graceland, inside and out, with an impressive display of lights and decorations to celebrate the festive season. With his love of the season it seemed an obvious move for him to record a selection of Christmas songs for release on an album, or at least The Colonel and RCA thought so.
Elvis Articles > Elvis Biography > Elvis News

Interview with Dr. Lester Hoffman | Elvis' Dentist

Interview with Elvis' dentist, Dr. Lester Hoffman who first met Elvis just after he had come back from Hawaii, from making Blue Hawaii. 'It was my day out of the office, the girl called me and said, There's a phone call, somebody said Elvis Presley needs a dentist'.

Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock & Roll | Elvis Presley Sun Records

Samuel Cornelius Phillips was born Jan. 5, 1923 in Florence, Alabama. He is better known to world as Sam Phillips - The Father of Rock 'n' Roll.

Interview with Glen D. Hardin

Interview with Glen D. Hardin. I Elvis him the first time when I went to an audition to play the Las Vegas show. I didn't go the first time in 1969. But I, after that, Larry Muhoberac, playing the piano before me, for reasons of his own, didn't want to go on the road anymore. Anyway, the boys in the band leaned on me and wanted to come and do it, so I went down for a little audition.

Display of mother's Star of David headstone revives talk of Elvis Presley's Jewish roots

June 2021 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (JTA) – The large crate sat unopened in a 20,000-square-foot warehouse here for more than four decades, concealing a little-known fact about one of America's cultural icons. Inside was the headstone of Elvis Presley's mother, Gladys, which had been stored in the Graceland archives along with 1.5 million other items since 1977. And on the upper left side of the long-unseen marker - designed by Elvis himself - is a Star of David.
Elvis Articles > Elvis Biography > Elvis News

The King is dead, but did Elvis ever rule Orlando?

In summer 1956, Elvis Presley played Orlando for his 3rd time in the 1950s, and the newspaper's 'On the Town' columnist Jean Yothers got a kiss for the cameras.

Interview with Bobby Wood

Interview with Bobby Wood. Working with Elvis was definitely one of the highlights of my career. I'll never forget those days. We just had a good time.

Interview: Elvis Presley co-star, Suzanna Leigh

Suzanna Leigh was the Kate Winslet of her day: a beautiful feted young British actress who made it big in Hollywood. In her heyday she starred opposite Elvis Presley and Tony Curtis and stepped out with Steve McQueen; her other beaux included Patrick Lichfield, Richard Harris and Michael Caine (for one night only - well, it was the Sixties, after all). She lived a champagne lifestyle, mixed with the beautiful people and drove a Rolls Royce. She was presented to the Queen at a Royal Command Performance. (HRH wanted only to hear about Elvis, she remembers.)

Cliff Richard on Elvis Presley: 'He sounded like he had secrets you needed to learn'

In an extract from his new memoir A Head Full of Music, Cliff Richard recalls his first encounter with the King – and how he fell for his music, style and way of being. That Saturday in May 1956, Norman Mitham, Terry Smart and I did the walk. We were planning to do the usual: hang out in the park, look in a couple of shops, have a cup of tea in a cafe, maybe call in at Marsden's to listen to a new single or two. And then, outside the newsagent's, Aspland's, we saw the parked car.

Lowell Hays: Elvis' Jeweller Remembers The King

I grew up in Memphis with Elvis but did not meet Elvis until 1969. I was born into the jewelry business which my father had established in 1937. The night I met Elvis he was shooting at a target on the side of his dad's office. It was raining, and Elvis was wearing a full-length ranch mink coat. Over the period of that year, I got to know Elvis. We went to movies, and football games together. In December 1969, he called me on Christmas Eve and wanted to do his Christmas shopping at around 10:00 or 11:00 at night. I took my briefcase to the Memphian Theatre, a movie house in Memphis where I met Elvis. He sat down, went through my jewelry briefcase and very carefully selected pieces of jewelry for friends, family, his aunt and his dad. From then on I was Elvis' jeweler. He invited me to go on the tours with him, with one requirement that I bring along a case full of jewelry. He loved to give gifts to people he met along the way. Elvis bought a small garnet cross from me. He had it with him when we were in Jackson, Mississippi at a concert, and someone told him about a little boy who was dying. It was a Make-A-Wish Foundation request, and he wanted to see Elvis. So, Elvis agreed, and we took the limo to the hospital where the little boy was staying. Elvis visited with him awhile and then gave him that very cross I had made for Elvis.

Elvis Presley and the Police

If Elvis Presley had not grown up to be the King of Rock 'n' Roll, there's a chance he would have been a police officer, such was his deep respect for law enforcement. As a youngster, Presley wanted to grow up to be a policeman, according to press accounts in the 1970s. He collected badges. If he performed in a city, he’d want a badge from there. What he wanted was not merely an honorary badge, but a real one. And he obtained several, some with his name or initials inscribed on them. But Elvis had some fun too, in the 1970s, he was known to actually pull over speeding drivers and flash one of his various badges and lecture them. Then, give an autograph and speed away, leaving behind a stunned person with an awesome story. To achieve this Elvis actually had a flashing blue light that he would put on the roof when required. Elvis also obtained a police radio and a revolving blue light to put on top of the car roof. 

Jordanaire, Ray Walker evokes sizzling Nashville nights with Elvis and Jerry Reed

The only original Jordanaire still standing, genial bass extraordinaire Ray Walker (born March 19, 1934) has experienced an astronomical 60-year career in show business, adding a nuanced low backing vocal to definitive hit singles by Elvis Presley, Rick Nelson (e.g. 'Poor Little Fool' and 'Travelin' Man'), and Patsy Cline. In fact, Walker's debut recording session with the King of Rock 'n' Roll in June 1958 yielded a million selling record - '(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such As I'. By 1969 the renowned country-gospel quartet was singing harmonies on roughly 80 percent of the songs recorded in Nashville, performing on over 30,000 total studio recordings.

Interview with Loanne Parker (About Elvis Presley and 'The Colonel')

The following is an interview with Col. Tom Parker's widow, Loanne Parker. There were absolutely no restrictions on the questions that we were able to ask of Mrs. Parker, and in this interview Loanne and Joanna spend considerable time discussing the various myths and stories surrounding the Colonel.

Interview with Ronnie Tutt

As if any introduction is required. Ronnie Tutt was a regular member of Elvis' TCB band from July 1969 until June 1977. He started playing drums in his last year of college in 1955, appearing on stage the same night as Elvis that year, in the shows house band.

Egil 'Bud' Krogh - Tell me about Elvis' visit to the White House

It was December 21, 1970. I got a call from Dwight Chapin, who was one of my best friends on the White House staff. And he said, 'The King is here'. And I said, 'King who?' I looked at the President's schedule and said, 'There aren't any kings on the president's schedule'. He said, 'No, not just any two-bit king, the real king. The King of Rock--Elvis.

Interview with Dolores Fuller

Dolores Fuller is best known (downright famous, in fact) for her 40-years-past career as an actress, her mid-'50s relationship with director Edward D. Wood Jr., and the three movies that she made with him. By the end of the 1950s, she'd started her own record company, Dee Records, and one of the talents that she discovered was a New York-born singer/guitarist named John Ramistella, who later became Johnny Rivers. Later on, her ability as a songwriter manifested itself through the intervention of her friend, producer Hal Wallis; Fuller had wanted to get an acting role in the Elvis Presley movie Blue Hawaii, which Wallis was producing, but instead he put her in touch with Hill & Range, the publisher that provided Presley with songs. Fuller went into a collaborative partnership with composer Ben Weisman and got one song, 'Rock-A-Hula Baby', into 'Blue Hawaii'.

Priscilla Movie Premiered in Venice

Sofia Coppola's movie 'Priscilla' debuted at the Venice Film Festival where the film received a seven-minute ovation from the audience. The movie is nominated for a Golden Lion in the 'Best Film' category.

There was a lot of Hawaii in Elvis

'Paradise, Hawaiian Style' was Elvis Presley's third and last movie filmed in the Aloha State, but the King of Rock 'n' Roll's lifelong love affair with the islands began with his arrival Nov. 9, 1957, on the cruise ship S.S. Matsonia for a pair of concerts the following day at the old Honolulu Stadium.

Ronnie Milsap talks about recording with Elvis Presley

Upon setting up shop in Memphis in the late 1960s, Ronnie Milsap joined forces with super-producer Chips Moman, and by decade's end, was tickling the ivories for none other than Elvis Presley. 'Oh, I was given total (artistic) freedom (on Kentucky Rain)', Milsap recalled. 'The only suggestion I got from Elvis was that he wanted to hear thunder roll on the piano. He basically said, 'Play what you feel'.

Interview with Actress Marianna Hill

After accepting the Paramount contract, actress Marianna Hill found herself cast as the second female lead in the Elvis Presley vehicle, 'Paradise, Hawaiian Style' (1966). Often cast as ethnic types, Hill now found herself playing Hawaiian nightclub singer Lani Kaimana, one of several women who Presley's character romances while manipulating them to help his helicopter charter business. Hill relished the opportunity to work more closely with Presley. After briefly working with him on 'Roustabout', it was not until she did 'Paradise, Hawaiian Style' that she really had an opportunity to get to know him.

Interview with Larry Strickland

The following is an interview with Larry Strickland - June 28, 2007 by Joe Krein. It was popular to wear for guys and girls these bib overalls. Well I had bought a pair, I thought they were really cool, I figured I was this really hip guy. So I had no clue about what was about to happen. So he is hugging Ed and all that stuff. Ed turns to me and says Elvis I want you to meet Larry Strickland he is our new bass singer for the group. Elvis puts out his hand and shakes it and then he takes Ed and pulls him about three steps away from me but not far enough that I can't hear them. But I hear everything that he says. He says 'Ed where in the world did you get the f###ing farmer?'

Interview With Photographer Alfred Wertheimer

In 1956, Alfred Wertheimer was a struggling twenty-six year old free-lance photojournalist in New York City, Wertheimer's good fortune gained him access to Elvis Presley during that first, heady flush of fame in 1956. The resulting photos captured the everyday Elvis, relaxed and off-guard during down times. Now, Al Wertheimer's classic photos are the most esteemed collection of pictures of Elvis Presley ever taken.

Interview with Sonny West

The following interview with Sonny West took place in Sydney Australia, on May 4th, 2005. If you think you know Sonny and his motivations over the years, you may want to think again after reading this interview.

Interview with James Burton by Scott Jenkings

When you think of the TCB Band on stage with Elvis, it is probably James Burton's guitar that first springs to mind. It's difficult to imagine what Elvis concerts would have sounded like had Elvis not chosen James to help make his Las Vegas '69 comeback what it was. I felt very privileged that James gave me over two hours of his time on his day off, the day after the recent Elvis Presley In Concert show in Sydney Australia.

Elvis Presley | How he changed his public image by Lloyd Shearer

Last year Elvis Aaron Presley earned the staggering sum of $2,800,000 on which he cheerfully paid, after all deductions, a federal income tax of $1,700,000. Certainly this was one of the largest returns, if not the single largest, filed by any taxpayer in 1961, let alone a young man of 27 who 10 years ago mowed lawns in Memphis, Tenn., at 50 cent per lawn.

Recalling Elvis Presley's Iconic 1969 Las Vegas Run

2019 marks the 50th anniversary of Elvis Presley's triumphant 1969 return to live performance with a sold-out engagement at the newly opened International Hotel in Las Vegas. Energized by the galvanizing global success of 1968's Singer Presents … Elvis NBC TV special, Elvis was primed and ready for a long-awaited return to the concert stage. Yet for Elvis, it was still a mighty gamble, as Vegas was the same town that treated him like an alien from a traveling freak show during his ill-fated 1956 appearances at The New Frontier Hotel. Elvis knew what was on the line and was understandably nervous about how he'd be received.

Meet Annette Day who starred alongside Elvis

In 1967 Annette Day was filming Double Trouble with Elvis Presley. They say everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news that Elvis Presley had died. That is certainly true of Annette Day, who has very vivid recollections. 'I was sitting at home, I lived at Beckenham in London then, and I heard it on the television news', she says.

Anita Wood has died aged 85

Anita Marie Wood Brewer, 85, died early Thursday morning of pneumonia at St. Dominics Hospital in Jackson, MS. Anita Wood was a TV performer, recording artist and former girlfriend of Elvis Presley. Elvis and Anita Wood met in 1957 and in the same year Elvis referred to Wood as his 'No. 1 Girl'. The two dated seriously for several years from 1957 to 1962. Wood signed a contract to work as an actress for Paramount Pictures, but later gave it up for Elvis.

Interview with Sam Bell | From a tree house, to using a 'broom' guitar and racism

Sam Bell grew up with Elvis in Tupelo and in this video interview shares some of his favorite memories of his childhood friend Elvis. Much is covered in this interesting 3 and a half minute video; from a tree house, to church, using a broom as a make believe guitar, Shakrag, Elvis' musical ability and that old chestnut; racism.

Interview with Guitarist-arranger-songwriter Billy Strange

In this video interview with Billy Strange (From 2010, to celebrate his 80th birthday), Billy talks about his friendship with Elvis, writing songs for him with Mac Davis. Writing Memories, discussing the lyrics with Elvis in the process of writing the song, A Little Less Conversation and about that songs mega success in 2002. Working with Elvis on the song Viva Las Vegas, 'I was playing guitar on Viva Las Vegas ... he liked what I did'. On their friendship he talks about Elvis calling him up 'to his house' and them 'playing with the baby, Lisa Marie for hours. Billy also talks about working with Nancy Sinatra and her hit, These Boots Were Made for Walking and much more.

'Priscilla' Trailer: See Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny as Elvis and Priscilla Presley

It's a love story for the ages, and Sofia Coppola is ready to tell it. On Wednesday, A24 shared the first teaser-trailer for the writer-director's upcoming biopic, Priscilla, which depicts Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley and Euphoria's Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley. 'Priscilla, what about boys at school? There must be some handsome ones', Priscilla is asked in the teaser.

Elvis Presley Was No James Dean But 'King Creole' Proves That He Could Have Been

It isn't easy to talk about Elvis Presley the movie star without dealing with counterfactuals. As the story goes, Elvis' greatest ambition was to one day win an Academy Award for acting. He idolized James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Tony Curtis, prodigious performers who successfully mounted challenging material. Was ever there a version of events where Elvis could have joined the ranks of explosive young actors defining the struggles of class and masculinity for their generation?
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Elvis Presley Video Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD

Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.

This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.

The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.

Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.