Happy 105th birthday to Gladys Presley

* Original story by Jeff Schrembs 2017 All Rights Reserved & published with the       expressed written permission of Mr. Jeffery Schrembs

WM Gladys BIRTHDAY         April 25, 2017 is the 105th birthday of Gladys Love (Smith) Presley who most know as the beloved mother of Elvis Presley. Hence Gladys was born on April 25, 1912 and (sadly) died on August 14, 1958 at the age (that everyone believed was right/truthful/correct/etc.) of 42 years old. However, she died at the age of 46 years old on August 14, 1958.

Depending on the source(s) the reason Gladys changed her age was; in order to marry Vernon Presley and becoming a closer  age of Vernon, to seemingly appear to be younger to her friends/fellow church members/etc., because she was illiterate (i.e. could not read, could not write, could not drive a car, never had a drivers license, etc.), and/or to maximize benefits to what extent has been lost to history. *** Note – I recommend, and encourage, everyone to seek out – purchase – read – tell others about – etc. the exceptional books about Elvis/Gladys/Vernon/Memphis Mafia/etc. by Alanna Nash which shed some light on these subject matters. Here is the link via Amazon Author Alanna Nash’s books on Amazon

I have, over a time span of approximately six years, viewed/read/listened to/ etc. just about everything related to Gladys, Vernon, and Elvis. Looking at her pictures as a young woman you see a dark haired, dark eyed, vert attractive young woman, favorable complexion, youth radiating from her skin,  with a desirable figure ( no disrespect intended just stating a fact) and a smile that invites you into her…soul. Very beautiful, individually and collectively, photographs which clearly show the similarities to Elvis.

Other photographs, taken after Elvis received his Official United States Military Draft notice which was served on the 3rd week in December of 1957 their first Christmas at Graceland, show every emotion in her face (swollen with reddish imprints that allowed her tears and lack of sleep to be channeled away from her eyes) .

The days leading up to Elvis’ being physically drafted into the US Military, and initially reporting to basic training in Texas for the US Army but ultimately being ordered to be assigned to Germany, tore into Gladys with great pains. Great tournament. Great uncertainty. Great worry. And even triggering  the horrendous events of January 8, 1935 when her firstborn son Jessie Garon Presley was born “stillborn” meaning he was born dead. Also, triggering her inconsolable heartbreak over losing another child a few years after Elvis was born (Note – Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 and was the second child delivered with Jessie Garon Presley being stillborn). Then came the life changing news, from her doctor, that she would never again be able to carry a child to term which meant never being able to have another child. This is but one of the reasons from the special relationship between Gladys and Elvis which included her unrelenting love/devotion to Elvis and vice versa.

There is so much to write about concerning Gladys so THANK YOU for visiting and please let others know about this site, http://www.ElvisCollector.info our primary and award winning Elvis Presley website, http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums,org the premier Elvis Presley forum, and join (for free) the Official Elvis Presley fan club designated by Graceland (a fact we truly appreciate),

To be continued…

Take care and may God bless you

 

Jeff Schrembs

http://www.ElvisCollector.info  (100% free)

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Elvis Collector Worldwide the Official Elvis Presley Fan Club (100% free)

And our various WordPress, Blogger, Google +,  websites/posts. And we say a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone @ http://www.WordPress for having a great website and for allowing people, like me, to have an avenue to share my collection, thoughts, experience, and facts about my own personal life and other blogs about Elvis Presley onstage and off. GREAT JOB everyone @ http://www.WordPress.com.

 

 

1977 Elvis live Unchained Melody

In 1977 I had been an Elvis Presley fan for (approximately) two decades. When I learned, through the “must have” tv viewing essential guide called TV guide which let you know in advance what programs were playing on each tv station time and date, that Elvis’ concert entitled “Elvis in Concert” (i.e. this concert footage was taken on June 19 and June 21 1977) was airing on October 3, 1977 it was a bittersweet reality that this would be the last (known) footage of Elvis onstage…forever.

I, and the nation and much of the world, was still in shock about Elvis dying on August 16, 1977 even though we knew Elvis had been enduring great, and in some cases debilitating, health issues (i.e. mental, physcial, and emotional).

Watching, on a now unthinkably small tv screen that was approximately 24 x 24, Elvis perform on “Elvis in concert” I was shocked to see the adverse effects his medial issues were having. But, I was amazed at his vocal abilities.

If you listened, as I did, to every song on the “Elvis in Concert” album you would be left with the impression that this was a man with incredible vocal range – inflections – feelings – and who was (wholly) unique. Man, he could sing.

Watching “Elvis in concert” it was clear that Elvis gave his heart and soul to his audience as he always had. I believed, and do to this day, that instead of performing (and I knew the incredible financial pressures he was under along with other personal/professional pressures) he should have been under the care of the world’s greatest doctors/hospitals with the never ending mantra from those he loved/trusted being “no amount of money is worth your health Elvis so please please stay committed to these treatments” (note: there is no doubt that many tried, time and again, but Elvis had the desire and ability to obtain medical care and medications…or not. A man cannot be kept from himself and decisions, whether made under duress of not, have consequences). Also, unlike today there were no state of the art treatment facilities where stars and/or those with means could recover without any adverse effect on their careers. The stigma of being labeled “a drug addict” was (in most cases) a kiss of death for one’s career and though I know that Elvis did not consider himself one AND I greatly dislike this connotation associated with Elvis his dependency on medications for very real medical diagnoses were something Elvis dealt with 24/7 and 1977 it had gotten..worse.

Bravely Elvis went before his audience knowing the cameras would be capturing Elvis in ill health but in spite of these hardships he went forth, as he had for decades, and gave the best performance possible.

Via YouTube is the very moving rendition of “Unchained Melody” a song that was previously a national hit for the Everly Brothers among others.

Take care and may God bless you.

 

http://www.ElvisCollector.info

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January 8, 2017 Elvis Presleys’ 82nd birthday

I don’t know why but as the years pass by I find myself often reflecting and, in between having a permanent broken heart and missing/loving/wanting the best for/etc my children, yearning for days gone by when Elvis was filling stadiums and his songs fluttered on the airways.

Now it is January 8, 2017 and the 82nd anniversary of the day he was born. Man, in a few years it will be MORE YEARS PAST THAN ELVIS PRESLEY EVER LIVED. The math on this is that Elvis was 42 years old when he died. As of today it has been 39 years since he (sadly) passed away (August 16, 1977). So, in the next few years it will 43 years since Elvis died versus the 42 years he lived. What a loss. What a…loss.

Graceland, and Priscilla and Lisa Marie, will (in all probability) have a week of acknowledgement filled with events as fans gather from around the world. His beloved home, Graceland, will be open and there will be candle light vigils in remembrance. The tree, whose branch expectantly broke while the members of the “Memphis mafia” were in a car during his funeral/mourning, will still be there as is the wall that fans have been writing on since the 1950’s.

I have Elvis’ music, and other eclectic singers, in every “listening device” including the albums and 45’s (which I have two record players but I don’t want to damage the records which was not the case when I was a child/young man/younger/etc. as I played the grooves off each Elvis record I could get my hands on. Man, what a…loss.

As 2017 rolled around I was heavy hearted thinking about all of the people who (sadly) passed away that were; related to, loved by, trusted by, worked with, etc. Elvis. The same is true with others in the entertainment industry whose passing were worldwide news. But, Elvis had an uncanny ability to surround himself, individually and collectively, with people of quality. Of great intellect and personality. Of being grounded and unique. With sadness, yet respect, I have put their names in memorandum on http://www.ElvisCollector.info. I hope to add much more content to these special people.

While I created http://www.ElvisCollector.info with hesitation and with nothing other than a positive distraction for me far removed from my cancer treatment(s) and my divorce but most of all from the nightmare that is custody/visitation issues. My heart goes out to the children of divorce as well as their parents and loved ones. Back to http://www.ElvisCollector.info.

I have been amazed at how many people visit http://www.ElvisCollector.info each day. Each month. Each year. At one point I put “digital pins” on a “digital map of the world” on my laptop(s). The pins were red and the map was white outlined in black. Before the month was out the red pins were in (literally) every corner of the world. To make things even more joyous the site was ranked, in about 70 different categories, number 1 in many search engines.

I added site content and decided to put “never seen before” photographs along with cool and unique; videos, audio files, photographs, documents, handwriting, personal possessions, etc. pertaining to Elvis. But, I had a few “non-negotiable s” such as; I would not allow anything about Lisa Marie (out of respect as she has her own forums to do so if she wants), I would not allow anything about anyone Elvis dated other than Priscilla (this was a hard decision for me as so many of those Elvis dated are INCREDIBLE people including  Linda Thompson, Sandie Kaye Stevens, Kathy Westmoreland, etc.) for the same reason pertaining to Lisa Marie, I would not allow anything to be sold/offered for sale, I would not allow any ads, I would not allow any pop-ups, I would put things on the site that were interesting to me, I would write original stories/articles about Elvis onstage and off, I would put an emphasis on the visual (photographs, videos, etc.), I would put Elvis’ life onstage and off told by FACTS and in context, and I would keep the format simple yet compelling.

I also wanted fans to know about other sites, and person(s) (including but not limited to Russ Howe, Paul Litcher, Phil Arnold, Sandie Kaye Stevens, Sandi Pichon, Marty Lacker, Alanna Nash, etc.), about Elvis. Now, I have very high standards, as has been the case since the late 60’s, but these sites/people are truly deserving to be recognized. I hope people check out every site/person listed as they are worth the “click” and the “time”.

Well, I’m off to knock out a few chores/errands but here are a few cool things that I hope your enjoy.

Please visit, and share via social media and verbally, http://www.ElvisCollector.info and http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org (please BOOKMARK as the name is sooooo long and typing it over and over will give you carpal tunnel) the Elvis Presley forum that is 100% free to join. Please note that the forum is still in the “beta testing” realm and hopefully 2017 will be the year it is up to par with my expectations.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Take care and may God bless you and yours always.

Jeff Schrembs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joe Esposito, Elvis’ friend, died November 23, 2016

Image result for elvis with joe esposito 1967 It is with a heavy heart that I learned that Joe Esposito died on November 23, 2016 at the age of 78.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, loved ones, friends, etc.. May God grant them time to mourn. Time to heal (as best as is humanly possible). And always recall/remember the acts, passions, simple gestures, etc. of Joe Esposito.

Elvis Presley met Joe while in the US Army in 1958 and their friendship grew with Elvs ultimately offering Joe a job working with Elvis upon their discharge(s) in 1960. And during Elvis wedding in 1967 he was “co best man” with Marty Lacker who is a priceless asset to the Elvis Presley community worldwide along with being an exceptional man with an exceptional family.

Joe Esposito was one of the “Memphis Mafia” the nickname given to Elvis’ entourage during the 1960’s.

We will be adding (sadly) this information to our Elvis Presley website http://www.ElvisCollector.info along with so many other quality individuals who have (sadly) passed away over the years.

There are those living who Elvis loved, cared for, befriended, trusted, etc. They are including but not limited to; Marty Lacker, Billy Smith, Red West, Sonny West, Kathy Westmoreland, etc. I encourage everyone to seek these individuals out. To support them in all of their professional endeavors. To let them know how much you appreciate their firsthand accounts of being with Elvis onstage and off for decades. To promote healing within the Elvis Presley community so that we can cherish/focus on the facts, good and not so good, about Elvis the man and Elvis the performer.

Joe Esposito you will be missed. But, you will never be forgotten.

Take care and may God bless you.

 

Jeff Schrembs

http://www.ElvisCollector.info

http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org

Elvis’ return to live appearances circa 1969 courtesy of YouTube (audio)

1969 was a great year for Elvis Presley personally, physically, mentally, and professionally.

Elvis’ 1968 Singer TV Special entitled “Elvis” had the highest TV ratings of the year. Elvis showcased his magnetism and his four and a half octave vocal range with ease. The show contained Elvis singing; some of his prior hits, gospel, and one of the greatest songs/performances when he ended the show with “If I Can Dream” dressed in a white suit giving his all in a powerful and emotionally moving way.

I am “young” enough to remember watching this special on TV (note: I have been a diehard Elvis Presley fan for six decades now) and Elvis was simply…amazing. I could not wait to be able to purchase the album that contained songs from the TV special.

In 1969 Elvis had been married for (approximately) two years to Priscilla who he met in 1960 while stationed in Germany during his US Army tenure (i.e. 1958 – 1960). He and Priscilla were blessed to have a beautiful baby girl (approximately) the year before. Elvis had years of pent up frustration with the lack of quality songs he was given to record. Elvis was in peak physcial condition and he radiated sex appeal.

Via YouTube here is Elvis’ (audio) of his first live perfomance in (approximately) nine years. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have. Even after all these years Elvis’ singing is unrivaled.

Jeff Schrembs

http://www.ElvisCollector.info

http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org

Elvis Presley – a generational…thing

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.

 

me-october-14-2016  Jeff Schrembs

http://www.ElvisCollector.info

http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org

 

Elvis Presley requirements – September 10, 2015 edition

Welcome to the September 10, 2015 edition of Elvis Presley requirements.

What are, or is, the “Elvis Presley requirements” you say?

Well, it is my (approximately) six decades of personal experiences of  collecting, reading, etc. all things of quality concerning the life, onstage and off, of Elvis Presley.

If you want to learn intricate details about Elvis, and even after these six decades I am still learning and/or rediscovering, I have some recommendations.

First and foremost you can garner a lot of information, music, videos, etc. by visiting the official Elvis Presley website of http://www.Elvis.com. YouTube has a lot of content as well but don’t get distracted, or worse, about others that have adverse agendas and/or use attention getting subject lines that are hollow.

There are some exceptional books about Elvis. Some of the most interesting Elvis books are authored by Peter Guralnick] and some of my favorite books, which I recommend, are authored by Alanna Nash.

You can find exceptional books, articles, writings, posts, video projects, documentaries, etc. with contributions by (including but not limited to); Marty Lacker, Billy Smith, Red West, Sonny West, Jerry Schilling, Sandi Pichon, Joe Esposito, Sandie Kay Stevens, etc.

If you are looking for some great songs Elvis recorded, but are not widely acknowledged but are nonetheless exceptional, here are a few of my favorites; inherit the wind, wearing that loved on look, wonderful world, unchained melody, treat me nice, snowbird, walk a mile in my shoes, you’ll never walk alone, 500 miles, mona lisa (aka portrait of my love), trying to get to you (1968 edition), let yourself go, and edge of reality.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention http://www.ElvisCollector.info and http://www.ElvisCollectorWorldwide.freeforums.org.

Until next time…

WM ARMY Elvis hair short growing out sitting head down reading papers rare scale 10 WM Elvis with Priscillla 1967 Elvis drivng his Rolls Royce rareraereare WM HORSEBACK 1969 side shot with many others getting autograph