Elvis Presley Interviews and Articles by By David Adams
Interviews and articles about Elvis Presley by By David Adams.
The King and I - Interview with Bernard Lansky
'He always called me Mister Lansky'. The unmistakable Southern accent echoes through the clothing store in the lobby of the regal Peabody Hotel at 149 Union Avenue, Memphis. 'I told him, 'Call me Bernard.' But Elvis always said, 'Thank you, Mister Lansky'. He was brought up right. His mother brought him up a gentleman'.
Interview with Marlyn Mason | Elvis Presley's co-star The Trouble With Girls
Interview with Marlyn Mason who made her film debut, as Charlene in The Trouble With Girls (And How To Get Into It). He surpasses Monroe and Jimmy Dean. I mean, they've -- I mean, they grow in stature in their deaths. But Elvis, there's just no... I mean, he's just the king. There's only one Elvis. There's only one Marilyn, there's only one Jimmy Dean. But Elvis, I think, the music because people hear the music more.
Interview with Ben Weisman
There's a photograph of you and Elvis here that looked like a plaque. Can you tell us a little background about what happened there? Well, Elvis and I took a picture together, because we wrote a song called 'I'll Be Back', which was voted in the top ten in the motion picture category.
Interview with Joe Guercio
Interview with Joe Guercio, the musical director and conductor of Elvis Presley's band from 1970 until 1977.
Tom Jones Remembers Elvis Presley
Back in the days when I was a teenager in South Wales, there was a disc jockey called Jack Jackson on the BBC Light Programme - the forerunner of day's Radio One. He was old enough to be my granddad, but everyone regarded him as really cool because he played all the latest American hit records, weeks before they were released here. That was how I first heard Elvis Presley. There was this new phenomenon, rock 'n' roll, which had given Bill Haley And His Comets a string of hits during 1955, from Shake Rattle And Roll to Rock Around The Clock and See You Later Alligator, and suddenly the world was waking up to a musical revolution.
Interview with Richard Davis
Interview with Richard Davis a longtime member of Elvis' Memphis Mafia. Richard started working for Elvis after Elvis returned from the Army and continued to work for him until 1971 as a body guard, a stand-in in 23 movies and eventually a wardrobe manager. He remained friends with Elvis until the end. Known among the other Memphis Mafia members for his quick wit and for being a bit of a prankster he once dropped a water balloon on Elvis' head as he walked out of his trailer in fresh makeup for a movie shoot. Richard Davis : There's so many things it's hard to pinpoint. Well I got one thing. I don't remember what year it was. And one thing that happened is back in the dressing room before he went on one night, somebody came back and told Elvis, 'Muhammad Ali is in the audience and he would like to meet you'. And Elvis said, 'Oh, yeah, yeah, bring him on back' ...
Interview with William A. Graham Change Of Habit Director
Interview with 'Change Of Habit' director, William A. Graham. Of all the people I've ever worked with in my entire life, and I've been a director for 47 years, Elvis was the nicest man I've ever worked with.
Interview with Bill Belew
Bill Belew has the distinction of having designed Elvis Presley's costumes and personal wardrobe from 1968 until his death in 1977. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York, Belew has also designed costumes for a multitude of entertainers, including Lynne Redgrave, Lena Horne, Josephine Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Gloria Swanson, Sandy Duncan, Victoria Principal, Pia Zadora, Joan Van Ark, Brooke Shields, Jaclyn Smith, Joan Rivers, Gloria Estefan, Gladys Knight, Roberta Flack and Dionne Warwick, as well as Milton Berle among others.
Jimmy Dean Remembers Elvis Presley
Throughout the years I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to witness the beginnings of more than one musical legend. One afternoon, we were paid a visit by a young and inexperienced Elvis Presley, who was appearing on an excursion boat, the S.S. Mt. Vernon. Includes Interview with Jimy Dean.
Interview with Jackie De Shannon
Jackie DeShannon is an American singer/songwriter with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock 'n' roll period. Her biggest break came in February 1964 when she supported The Beatles on their first US tour and formed a touring band with guitarist Ry Cooder. In 1975 with Donna Weiss, she composed 'Queen of the Rodeo' and 'Bette Davis Eyes' for her album New Arrangement. The song 'Bette Davis Eyes' later became a worldwide Number 1 single for singer Kim Carnes in 1981.
Interview with Tony Brown
Tony Brown first met Elvis in 1969 at the International Hotel through J.D Sumner. He later became a member of Voice and in March 1975 played piano on Elvis' recording of 'Bringing it Back' on Elvis' 'Today' album. On 21st April 1976, Tony permanently replaced Glen D. Today Tony holds a key-job in the record industry as now president of MCA-Nashville. When I was with Voice, those were moments when I was actually in there. You sit on the couch around in the house with Elvis. And he'd come and we'd gather around the piano. We'd sing old spirituals and stuff. And he'd play -- he loved to play the piano. And he actually played pretty good.
Interview with Larry Muhoberac
The connections between Elvis Presley and Australia are few. He never visited us. He never expressed any particular interest in the land 'down under' He was essentially a Memphis boy who, apart from his brief stint in the army in Germany, liked to stay in the Deep South and to spend his time in Graceland. It therefore comes as a pleasant surprise to learn that Larry Muhoberac, the man who played keyboards for Elvis for ten years, is an Aussie citizen and currently lives in a delightful home overlooking a valley full of gum trees on Sydney's northern beaches.
Review: Elvis In Person: The 1969 Fantasy Concert DVD
I must admit to finding that the 1969 'Fantasy' concert is a remarkable work that should have broad appeal - a big surprise. My initial skepticism was quickly overcome. This concert DVD should appeal to any Elvis fan that likes Elvis music to start with. With full quality normal audio, from CD, anyone can play this via their DVD player preferably then with the audio output via a stereo system. [And this is no diversion from what the format is] This DVD is well worth consideration for inclusion in your Elvis library for several reasons.
Review | A touch of Gold Lamé Hardcover Book
A Touch of Gold Lamé is a 450+ page Hardcover book by Erik Lorentzen author of the Elvis Files books and is the same size and weight (3.5kg/ 7.7 pounds) as these classic releases (i.e. HUGE) and will cover all you could want to know about Elvis and his 1957 concerts featuring the famous Gold Lame Suit. The wealth of material in this book is stunning with 420 pages of glorious photographs and articles of Elvis on tour!
Review : 'The Sweet Inspirations' CD
On stage during the filming of 'Elvis: That's The Way it Is' Elvis joked and teased the 'Sweet Inspirations' that you would bring in the Supremes, with Mahalia Jackson singing lead. He did not have to go that far, he had an ideal group in front of him (as Elvis fans know), but the person to bring in, or rather bring back was the groups founder, Cissy Houston. Emily 'Cissy' Houston was the real killer feature of the group, certainly when listening to this CD, and she was backed by three very competent singers in Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell and Estelle Brown who managed a great mix of a gospel sound and Atlantic soul music.
Review : 'The Last Farewell' 5 CD box set, 1976 Graceland sessions
'The Last Farewell' 5 CD / Book set is housed in a stunning pewter box 12" x 12" and 2" high. The set is a one-stop collectors delight containing every recording and outtake known to exist from Elvis' last recording sessions at Graceland, February and October 1976. Included is much interesting banter from the 'King', to interest any fan. Then the book, 11" x 11", is a combination of interesting excepts of interviews with musicians, articles (Starting with the vacation in VAIL Colorado) and unseen photo's, never published before of Elvis. Nice additions are the write-ups about each song, some brief, others detailed.
Review : Elvis : February 1977 In Concert CD
I just received the CD, Elvis February 1977, In Concert and not only can I confirm that Elvis is in good form, and the sound quality is top notch, it is indeed a very complete testament to the fact that Elvis still was king in 1977. Even is sporadic. Kicking off with a great version of 'Big Boss Man' [April 29] then in to February 21 starting with 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' while Elvis does forget the words it is another classic with Elvis' banter with Estelle of the Sweets. 'Reconsider Baby' shows he is still the best white blues singer. Moving on we have a ultra rare 'Moody Blue' and it is a good and full version, not a one liner.
Elvis And The Beauty Queen [Elvis and Linda] 1981 Movie on DVD
Elvis and the Beauty Queen is a 1981 made-for-TV film starring Don Johnson and Stephanie Zimbalist about the King's love affair with Linda Thompson a young beauty pageant contestant who was his girlfriend during the last years of his life. The story begins with their first meeting and traces their years together. The movie is controversial among fans who either dislike Don Johnson and/or his portrayal of Elvis and pick out factual flaws. However on the flip side there are many, like myself, who enjoyed this movie when originally aired, finding the soundtrack songs by Ronnie McDowell making the movie all the more then enjoyable.
Review : Elvis Country : Legacy Edition
Before looking at the actual 'Elvis Country'/'Love Letters' albums I would like to address this particular release, the Legacy Edition, as the albums are currently available in more than one format. And also a brief look at the other titles released in the series so far. This is because I had my doubts about this release.
Review : Elvis Is Back! 2 CD Legacy Edition
What do 'Elvis Is Back!' and 'Something For Everybody' have in common? Nothing I thought. But play disc two of this set immediately following the end of Elvis Is Back! on disc one and it is as if the two albums were meant to be a double album release to begin with. Read more | Buy Elvis Is Back! Legacy Edition.
Review : On Stage : Legacy Edition 2 CD Set
The On Stage: Legacy Edition 2 CD Set gives the King's best live albums gets the royal treatment. Superb packaging, original cover art work, a nice booklet with interesting liner notes, pictures and memorabilia, pristine sound quality, ten bonus tracks and, best of all, Elvis Presley at the peak of his powers. Bonus tracks include a rehearsal take of 'The Wonder of You' - listen for Presley's scatological lyric shift early in the song.
Review : Elvis On Tour : The Rehearsals FTD CD
There have been a lot of 'rehearsal' Elvis CDs to come out, but this one, apropriatly titled, Elvis On Tour : The Rehearsals is by far the best. First of all, it almost sounds like a studio album. The songs are mostly complete without a bunch of mistakes and a do-overs and most sound really great. There isn't any joking around, each track pretty much jumps strait to the next song.
Review : Spinout FTD CD
Spinout! This is a great album, a wonderful listening experience. From the classic title track and the lovely ballads such as 'Am I Ready' and 'All That I Am' to the great rock numbers 'Never Say Yes' and 'I'll Be Back' there appears to be something for everybody in this package. 'Never Say Yes' is a wonderful song and is even more enjoyable when heard on its out-take forms and alos do treat yourself to the out-take of the ballad 'Am I Ready', you will find it fuller and, even it is hard to admit, better than the original take on many levels.
Review : Clambake FTD CD
Follow That Dream records, the collectors division of RCA have done it again with another superb re-packaging in their latest series of original LP re-issues. Turning their attention to the 1967 'Clambake' movie soundtrack. Not a classic film by any accounts, it came from a very low period in Elvis' movie career, probably the lowest in fact as Elvis became physically ill during production and sruggled to motivate himself for this one.
Interview with Loanne Parker, Colonel Tom Parkers Widow
The following is an interview with Col. Tom Parker's widow, Loanne Parker. I first met Colonel Parker in 1969. In the spring of 1969, when he came into Las Vegas to sign a contract for the opening of the International Hotel. And the hotel wasn't even opened at that time. It was still under construction. I was working as a secretary to the advertising and publicity director of the to-be-opened International Hotel.
Interview with Connie Stevens
Interview with Connie Stevens. While on the set of 'Hawaiian Eye' Connie was told she a telephone call from Elvis Presley. She didn't believe it, but in fact it was him, inviting her to a party, saying he would come to her house and pick her up personally. They dated for a time and she says they remained lifelong friends.
Interview with Steve Binder, director of Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special
Interview with Steve Binder, director of Elvis' 68 Comeback Special. Well every day was fun. I mean, it truly was. We had a great group of people. There was a great energy about wanting to do the show. Elvis was always in a good mood ... every day was fun. I mean, it truly was. We had a great group of people. There was a great energy about wanting to do the show.
Review : So High FTD CD
'So High' is the twenty fifth release from the Follow That Dream collectors label, and with this release the label continues to treat us fans with what we want to hear, unreleased alternate takes.
Interview with Larry Geller
Elvis always remained Elvis. He always stayed true to his past, his roots, and never attempted to be something he wasn't. He deeply felt he had a lot to offer the world, but was always extremely careful never to preach, or influence the public with his own personal philosophy and religious outlook. He did consider himself blessed, and for a while he wasn't sure just where destiny would lead him. He definitely felt that God had given him the great gift of his voice to use as his instrument for reaching out and inspiring people.
Review : The Nashville Marathon FTD CD
The Nashville Marathon is an outstanding example of Elvis' great work in the studio in June, 1970. This session has come to be known as the 'Nashville Marathon' because Elvis recorded over 30 songs at the session.
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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.
