Thursday, August 17, 2017

Everyone still loves Elvis

Related imageSome people never die. It has been 40 years since the death of Elvis and still there are millions of people who can’t get enough of the singer. He did not last to be old, he died at the age of 42 years old. Four decades have passed and products and his albums are still selling. He surely is not a forgotten man. This year his granddaughter Riley Keough was nominated for a Golden Globe award. They still call Elvis the King of Rock and Roll. How did he survive fame when there were clearly other great folks who contributed to the rise of rock and roll music?
Elvis was young and ruggedly handsome at 19 years old who got a big break in Memphis in 1954 while working as a truck driver who as of yet never even sang with a band but there he was recording his first song called That’s All Right. Two years later he was on TV performing the song called Heartbreak Hotel. There people saw his hip thrusting brand of sexuality never ever seen before by any performer when he performed the song called Hound Dog. Even the back -up singers noticed that Elvis was different in even the way he took the mike and stand in his hands and walked around with it. Before that, guys would just stand straight behind the microphone stand. Even just his little movements or his string of hair hanging down his forehead got noticed by all.
Related imageRead the book “A Little Thing Called Life’ by Linda Thompson who was a college student that had a relationship with then 37 year old Elvis. She saw his decline with drug use, weight gain and ultimate death a few years later. Linda was also married to Olympic decathlon winner Bruce Jenner. Her book reveals the soft relationship she had with Elvis. In those days there wasn’t dancers, smoke machines   and fire torches going off on performer’s stages. There were just guys like Elvis and he was the best to capture the attention of men and women alike. Elvis will always be remembered as that rugged sexy guy with the smooth voice. We saw him decline but we never saw him age. Although he abused himself with drug use it is nice in a warped way to never see icons get old. He is on that pedestal with James Dean, Anna Nicole Smith and Marilyn Monroe never tarnished by aging.

Graceland is a 13 acre property with a mansion on it where Elvis lived. The place draws millions of tourists every year. The museum there has all sorts of items he touched on display. His family has a candelight vigil on the property in remembrance of the remarkable entertainer. 

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