Being in the hospital is something that I have had to deal with. But, being in the hospital for extended periods of time is upsetting to say the least. Being in an “isolation room”, due to fear of further infection, is something else all together.

My heart and prayers go out to medical care providers and their family/loved ones. And I mean everyone from the trash collector, to the volunteers, to the doctors and everything else. I feel the same way about the patients themselves and their family/loved ones.

The design of the local hospital is similar with Baptist Hospital where Elvis (sadly) was taken when he died on August 16, 1977 and where he was admitted numerous times for various medical issues. But, the technology and the medical advances between the 1970’s and now is almost incalculable. It amazes me.

I have had the occasion to listen to many of my eclectic playlist, record collection, digital music downloads, etc. and YES I have every Elvis Presley song ever recorded my taste in music, and my favorites depending on the mood, I listen to a vast array of artists many (sadly) have died but they left behind, as Elvis did, great quality of musical works. I will say that Elvis sounded as good if not better onstage, and he moved around quite a lot, as he did on his recordings which were NEVER digitally enhanced and/or auto tuned or anything else as Elvis had great instinctual vocal inflections and a beautiful four and a half octave vocal range. The man flat out could sing.

I find myself, more often that I would like, getting emails or phone calls about those who were close to Elvis undergoing medical hardships and/or passing away. My heart goes out to them as do my prayers. We are literally losing, each month and each year, people who were or quality and witnessed Elvis’ personal and professional triumphs, setbacks, frustrations, etc. And each generation that comes along rarely knows the names of these exceptional people.

I am very weak but I had this on my mind as my granddaughters, who are personally and musically wholly unique, have been listening to Elvis songs. They are still in elementary school and for them to like, appreciate, learn the words, and even sing the songs that Elvis recorded decades before they took their first breath is…remarkable. Does Elvis dominate their musical tastes? No, but I have always believed in quality over quantity.

Elvis’ music has been a part of the soundtrack of my life for better or worse. It is ingrained in my mind and associated with a lifetime of memories (which becomes harder and harder as getting older is not “fun” and it takes adverse tolls on your mind and your body jack). But, unlike so many I put Elvis’ life into context with equal footing for each of his great works and his failures/shortcomings personally and in his career. I don’t gloss over facts.

For those of my generation no one else knows of how life used to be and how it was cool when Elvis was around and killing it onstage/tv and producing songs that warranted being played over and over until the record itself could not be played again. Many of them were that good.

Throughout Elvis’ career he had fans across every generation and, though not as often, continues to do so to this day. I hope future generations will be exposed, and like, to Elvis’ life and his decades of great professional works in every media genre. Though so much as changed I have faith in the generations to acknowledge quality and if they do then Elvis Presley will always be relevant and that, my friends, is a good thing indeed.

Take care and may God bless you.

  Jeff Schrembs

http://www.ElvisCollector.info

http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org