Man, man, man. With Office 365 opting to discontinue to host websites, after over a decade with them, it has caused a plethora of issues. Plainly stated it has driven me, and my third-party hosting developers crazy. What we thought would take a month has taken six months thus far. With so many rare photographs, videos, documents, etc. along with original articles we have put an emphasis on C A U T I O N. Accordingly, it is our plan to have http://www.ElvisCollector.info back up before January 1, 2019. And yes we own the name http://www.ElvisCollector.info.
One of the “positive activities’ I have partaken of, these past 8 years of tears and sorrow, is sharing some of my knowledge online about Elvis Presley onstage and off. No monetization. No popups. No ads. Just Elvis Elvis bo Belvis.
We will ALWAYS have a presence on WordPress.com which we are so appreciative of. What a great site/organization. We HIGHLY recommend everyone utilize WordPress.com if not just to find interesting websites.
Before we go here is a cool Elvis Presley moving. gif.
But after much thought here are my top, and I can only pick one great song and one that you may not have heard before, Elvis Presley songs in alphabetical order and man this was NOT easy.
A = Always on my mind. Any way you want me.
B = Blue Suede Shoes. Bridge over troubled water.
C = Can’t help falling in love. Crying in the chapel.
D = Do you know who I am? Don’t
E = Edge of reality. Early morning rain.
F = Fame and fortune. 500 miles.
If your aren’t familiar with these songs do yourself a favor and take the time.
Thanks for visiting. Take care and may God bless you
I have the utmost respect for Billy and Jo Smith. I always have. I always will. Not because they are related to Elvis but for the quality of their character and convictions. I wish them and their family always the best.
From YouTube comes this channel authored by the Smith family and it contains worthwhile information and I HIGHLY recommend Elvis Presley fans around the world to check it out – leave comments – and spread the word. I will have more to say about this in the future.
The YouTube channel is Memphis Mafia Kid and I applaud their efforts. Here is one of the links:
This is (sadly) the 41st anniversary of the death of Elvis Aron (Aaron) Presley. I am among the ever decreasing persons who were alive during Elvis’ career. I can remember that day like it was yesterday and that is saying something as my medical diagnosis, along with my daily observations/frustrations, impair (to varying degrees) my memory.
August 16, 1977 was a bright sunshine day where I lived/was born/was raised and the same is true in Memphis Tennessee where Elvis had his primary home. The home he purchased with his mother and father being Gladys Love (Smith) Presley and Vernon Elvis Presley. The home that was removed from the city. A home that part of the acres adjoin a church. A home that the previous owners named Graceland. A home that was the confirmation of the promise Elvis made repeatedly during his childhood of “mamma one day I am going to buy you a nice house”. A home where Gladys had her chickens. A home that, with some exceptions, looks similar now as it was when Elvis bought it. A home that Elvis loved. It is also (sadly) the location where Elvis died.
My heart and prayers go out to; Billy Jo Smith, Lisa Marie Presley, the Presley family, Kathy Westmoreland, Sandie Kaye Stevens, Sandi Pichon, Jerry Schilling, and others who I extend this apology to for not naming them in this blog post.
I learned today that Aretha Franklin died today as well. Interestingly she was from Memphis and she died on the day as Elvis i.e. August 16th. People called Elvis “the king” or “the king of rock and roll”. People called Aretha “the queen of soul”. Worth noting is that there is audio of Elvis in concert in the 1970s whereby a woman holds up a sign saying “Elvis is King” and Elvis responded “there is but one king Jesus Christ”.
Future generations may have access to so much about the life, onstage and off, of Elvis Presley. I can attest to the fact that there is far too much incorrect information. Bias. Disrespect. Conjecture concerning Elvis. I have always believed in facts, firsthand sources, and context. I am not one of those that believed Elvis walked on water or that he was perfect or that he made all the right decisions. Elvis was a man blessed by God, as we all are, with talents. Elvis bravely pursued his talents and the rest as they say is…history. It is my hope that long past the day I pass that some of my insights, opinions, knowledge of Elvis is read and put into proper context. That they don’t feed into the lies and half truths. That they enjoy his music. His films. His TV appearances. His concert, and personal, recordings. There are some good life lessons to be garnered about Elvis as a man, a Christian, who had a heart and passion for those who were poor and disadvantaged. Elvis was born and raised in bitter poverty and he embraced people of all types and music of all types. Elvis knew firsthand the challenges of being raised for a period of time by a single parent as his father was completing his time in jail/prison (note: Vernon did everything humanly possible to take responsibility, compensate the injured party in full, To not ever get into legal trouble again. Vernon was ashamed and embarrassed about this and in no way shape or form did this one act dictate who Vernon Presley was as a man, a father, and a husband. And the ONLY reason I bring this subject up is that so many don’t know of Elvis’ life and all of the hardships).
Take care and may God bless you.
PHOTOS are; Elvis while in his US Army stint (1958 – 1960), Elvis with Priscilla at Graceland circa 1967, Elvis with Priscilla on vacation circa 1968, Elvis with the Clara Ward singers circa 1960s, Elvis in front of Graceland with his Rolls Royce circa 1960s, and some of Elvis’ cars at his home in Memphis Tennessee being Audubon Drive circa 1956.
I wanted to take the time to say THANK YOU to Elvis Presley fans worldwide, the friends/loved ones’ of Elvis who are still around, the family/friends of those who have (sadly) passed away but were an integral part of Elvis’ life story, Lisa Marie, Linda Thompson, Priscilla, Jack Soden, all of the hardworking staff at Graceland, and to those I have been blessed to know as a direct result of being an Elvis fan including but not limited to; BIlly Jo Smith and family, Alanna Nash, Sandie Kaye Stevens, Sandi Pichon, Kathy Westmoreland, etc. To anyone I failed to list please accept my apologies.
In less than a week will be the “anniversary” of the (sadly) passing of Elvis who passed away on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42. I still can’t believe that I have lived on this earth not only as long as Elvis did but T H I R T E E N years…older. My heart and prayers go out to so many who on August 16, 1977 lost their father. Their friend. Their relative. Their co-worker. Their son. Their nephew. I know that time does not heal all wounds but please know how thankful I am to you and yours and may God grant you good health and success on this “anniversary” and the other 364 days of each year.
We are the last generation that lived during Elvis’ wondrous career and (sadly) far too many of us pass away each year and I encourage Elvis Presley fans everywhere to seek out these individuals. To say thank you. To support their professional endeavors Elvis related or not.
I have no idea how hair, which is already dead on your head, can have DNA extracted from it. I would think that unless it was stored in some type of vacuum sealed, temperature controlled, etc. environment the hair would deteriorate. But I found this article interesting so here goes courtesy of the mirror.co.uk.
Shocking DNA results reveal Elvis Presley was always destined to die young
New medical findings suggest the iconic singer may NOT have died from overeating or over use of prescribed drugs
Elvis’ DNA suggests he suffered from a generic heart muscle disease (Image: ITV)
It is news that could leave Elvis Presley’s family and fans all shook up.
DNA from Elvis’ hair suggests he suffered from a genetic heart muscle disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
He appeared to suffer symptoms of the condition in his final years, including an irregular heartbeat, fatigue, fainting and high blood pressure.
The new findings suggest that regardless of his diet, the iconic singer was always destined to die young.
Dead Famous DNA gives a new insight into Elvis’ death extracting DNA to analyse his genome – the genetic blueprint of life.
1970: In late February, Presley performed six attendance-record–breaking shows at the Houston Astrodome(Image: Getty)
The results were obtained after buying Elvis’ hair from a friend of his barbers for $2000.
Presenter Mark Evans said: “Some of the results are remarkable – not least those of the DNA we believe came from Elvis.
“Elvis and his doctor have both been blamed over the years for his premature death. It was thought his overeating or overdosing on drugs had killed him.
“Whilst those addictions would have helped, this new evidence suggests Elvis may have had a flaw in his DNA and his early death was his genetic destiny.”
During three months of DNA testing, problems were found on chromosome 11 – a variant known to cause hypertophic cardiomyopathy – a heart muscle disease that usually occurs in men between 20 and 40.
We’re testing a new site:This content is coming soon
Chromosome 19 showed variant for obesity. Chromosome 17 found glaucoma and chromosome 1 found variant for migraine.
Mr Evans said he was “very very confident” the hair was genuine and he was dealing with Elvis’ DNA because of the provinence of the hair.
Asked if the find is significant, Dr Stephen Kingsmore, who did the analysis at the Centre for Paediatric Genomic Medicine in Kansas, said of the heart defect: “Its definitely a smoking gun.
“We could have advised him to modify his diet. He may have had a different life.”
The programme makers contacted daughter Lisa Marie Presley’s office but said it had not had a response.
1977: An overweight and declining Elvis no longer resembled the superstar that had shot to fame off the back of his good looks(Image: Rex)
Elvis died in his bathroom on August 16, 1977 aged 42 but the majority of details of his death were kept from the public.
At this time he was suffering from glaucoma, high blood pressure, liver damage, and an enlarged colon.
I have said it since I was much much younger that I am part (sadly) of the last generation who lived during Elvis’ lifetime. The future was unknown as Elvis was contractually obligated to do (approximately) 3 moves per year and he NEVER saw the scripts. Never had script approval. That’s right Elvis Presley the most successful actor in movie history, for the criteria being that every one of his movies made money for the movie studio NET which is almost impossible as movie studios accounting practices require a PHD, was bound to the script. The character. The locations. The songs. As Priscilla has stated, and so many of those close to Elvis watched, Elvis was absolutely 100% C R U S H E D by the increasing lack of quality movies. Man even me being a fan opted to go to the movies with a large frosty beverage and a heart attack large popcorn just to walk into the theater knowing Elvis had to be, at times, embarrassed. But give the man credit he did his best and if he used drugs then, and many say he did, this isn’t funny but I don’t know how else he got through SOME of these movies.
I miss Elvis.
I miss Elvis as a living breathing example of a man using his god given talents and worked hard to pursue his craft and against all odds being a great, and successful, entertainer for three DECADES. There will never be another Elvis because there will never be circumstances that Elvis leaned on to inflect in his songs. Yeah he had a photographic memory, perfect tune, 4 1/2 octave range, incredible voice, and to everyone who saw him said “he looks even better in person”. WHAT? Did I catch that? Looks better in person? Man I can barely get a respectable FB self photo to look anything like me and this man takes photographs that are almost unworldly.
You know I have spent a great deal of my time this past years further cataloging, indexing, enhancing what is there, etc. photos. It has been a positive distraction while battling the “C” word and all that goes with that and I got news for you jack it ain’t kids games.
*** Note – I type exactly as fast as I think and that is why I have so many typographical errors and I don’t want anyone puzzled to my meaning as I use words in my writing that I use in real life so relax man it ain’t so bad
I miss Elvis knowing he never allowed his music to be altered. Enhanced. Digitally auto tuned. Or any of the state of the art software they have now that can make a cricket sing America the Beautiful on par with, as an example, Whitney Houston. Elvis MOVED on stage. He had real musicians. He had real hand picked singers. He sounded as good, if not better, in person than in recordings. Amazing then. Amazing now.
Well, for now I gotta go. God willing I’ll see you soon
At first glance I dismissed this question which I received along with countless others each day about Elvis but then I thought about it and with my goal to always present facts and context I decided to answer with the understanding that this question was issued to me in good faith being curious about Elvis.
YES Elvis cried.
Elvis was human, He had dreams. He had insecurities. He had a temper. He cared. He was sensitive to the 9th degree. He knew loss. He knew great success. He never took his fans for granted and spent countless hours signing autographs and/or posing for photos. He was wholly unique being the by product of wholly unique parents. Wholly unique time in American history. Wholly unique in circumstances. etc.
The most visible time in Elvis life when he cried endlessly, and there are many photographs taken during this time including Elvis with Vernon on the steps of his home Graceland crying through a broken heart and a world collapsed, was when his beloved mother died Gladys Love (Smith) Presley on August 14, 1958. This unbarring pain he carried throughout his life.
But, Elvis and Gladys cried together when Elvis was served in person at his home in Memphis Tennessee the 3rd week of December 1957 with his United States Army Draft Notice. This shattered Gladys’ world and she could not bear to think about being away from her son. Her health, like was the case with Elvis, took a very visible toll as they wore their emotions on their sleeve. When they were happy it radiated. When he was mad it was palpable. When he cried it was soulful. A primitive place of sorrows.
Elvis put on a brave face for his mother, and the cameras, but he was heard crying in his cot by other US Army draftees on the train. On the plane. etc. It was at this time that he met Charlie Hodge who would become his lifelong friend and part of Elvis’ concerts with his guitar playing and harmony. In several documentary’s Charlie Hodge stated that he never hear the type of hurt that Elvis conveyed being separated from Gladys and facing the…unknown. Since Charlie was naturally funny, in addition to being a musician with some measure of success, he made it his goal to cheer Elvis up. In later years Elvis stated that without Charlies support/humor he would not of known if he could have gotten through it.
Chess is a game that has been around (literally) thousands of years. It is thought to have primarily originated in India but components of China also lay claim. There is no confusion about Chess being played, studied, etc. in terms of military aspects with the “winner” limiting the opponents King so that it is trapped vertically, diagonally, and horizontally (i.e. checkmate) by one piece (the Queen) or combinations of other pieces such as; pawns, rooks, knights, and bishops. Basically, a class system summarized on a board. Though I have played Chess all my life, and I am ok at it, it is a game that (up until the recent advent of high tech computers that can process thousands of calculations) is seldom mastered.
I encourage others to play chess for there are numerous benefits. You don’t need a lot of money and on computers, or with the assist of computers, you can play against a virtual opponent. Playing Chess forces one to look 1, 2, 3, etc. steps ahead which change fluidly in response to the opponents move(s).
Before I get to Elvis I want to make another point and that is since Chess is thousands of years old the game is over as specified herein but the Queen has the greatest power as she holds the greatest power, mobility, etc. I think it’s kinda cool that even back in the ages when women, in general, were second-class citizens that women (deservingly so) were openly given this status.
There are conflicting accounts of Elvis’ interest, or lack of, pertaining to Chess. But all agree that as an adult Elvis owned a Chess set as part of his decor. And everyone who knew Elvis, personally or professionally, remark about his quick wit, intelligence, photographic memory, etc some of which are great assets when it comes to playing Chess.
Pawns – in Chess there are more pawns (8) that any other pieces. The pawns represent the lowest class (not my opinion but in this context) but they can, in combination, be used to win the game known as “checkmate”.
Knights – they come in pairs and have a unique ability, or disability, wherein they move (forward or back) two spaces and then one space to the side. The name “Knights” is self-evident.
Bishops – they come in pairs and their unique ability (other than the Queen) is that they move diagonally, forward or backward, but they cannot deviate from the board color which they are initially placed before the game commences. The name “Bishop” is self-evident pertaining to a respected place in Christianity/Religion.
Rooks – they come in pairs and their unique ability (other than the Queen) whereby they can move forward or sideways in more than one space at a time. The name “Rook” is not known to me off the top of my head but it is sculptured in the form of a standing castle.
Queen – there is only one and as I have stated herein her powers are the greatest insofar as the ability to move (note – they do not have the power to move as the Knights do).
King – there is only one and every effort is made to protect the King. The King is limited to one space at a time.
Elvis Presley.
Pawn – To know Elvis you have to understand that he was born to parents who were not educated. I state this with great respect for Gladys and Vernon but it is a fact. They (Elvis, Gladys, and Vernon) were poor. Dirt poor. Bitterly poor. Without assets. Without means. Gladys could not read or write. She never had a drivers license.
What they lacked in education and means Gladys loved Elvis, as he did her, with her entire essence. Vernon loved Elvis but you just have to look at photographs, or videos, to see that Elvis is almost always touching Gladys when she is near. He holds her hand. He touches her face. He puts his arm around her.
SOLELY related to a class system in relation to Chess, and before Elvis gained monetary independence, the Presleys would be pawns. They have collective power. They cannot move freely as they are dictated to by their lack of means. Lack of education. Lack of political connections.
Knights – historically knights were sworn and dedicated (wholly) to the King. They were protectors. They had unique power and access. I would say that this is similar to the members of the “Memphis Mafia.
Bishops – since the name is historically rooted in Christianity the Bishop was assigned to look over their community. To be a person of honor. Of charity. A teacher of God, and when he walked the earth and afterward Jesus, to the rich and poor alike in their relationship with God. Though Elvis did not have a singular Bishop Elvis, Gladys, and Vernon (again before Elvis’ success) put great emphasis on their preacher/pastor very similar to a Bishop and they benefited from this pertaining to; church services, church gatherings, medical care, food/meals, as a fundamental social outlet
If one can imagine being the greatest entertainer in the world at 21 years old, blessed and keeping his promises made to his mother when he was a child of buying her a big house and never having to worry about money, etc. 1957 was a year of success on every level, having created history in many entertainment fields such as; TV viewing numbers, record sales, and being in successful films everything (besides Elvis being away from Gladys for appearances/concert/movies) was going great in Elvis’ life onstage and off.
But, after Elvis and Gladys and Vernon (and a few other persons) had decorated the home – put up the christmas tree (it was silver and the most expensive one available) – and prepared for Christmas which was upcoming a knock came to the door. Elvis Presley was officially served with US Army draft notifications. As Elvis opened the envelope he turned to Gladys who had been sobbing feeling the weight of the world. How? Why? Why now? The photographs, and I have them all, of Elvis reading the draft notification paperwork shows a stunned Elvis holding a little dog under one arm reading the paperwork again and again. Elvis tries to smile to lighten Grady’s burdens but his head is spinning thinking “my career is over – all of this is over”. Waves of emotions showed on Elvis, Vernon’s, and Gladys faces and body language. Elvis departed to get himself together so he could assure Gladys, his beloved mother, that all would be fine.
Knowing that this would be the last Christmas, and New Years, spent at home for two years the family that was born into bitter poverty had always survived…together. But, that was to change and change soon.
Unlike other entertainers Elvis would NOT go into the military as a goodwill ambassador, or do concerts for US civilians to buy bonds to support the military as so many others had done, but that Elvis would (with few exceptions) go through his tenure in the Army as did his fellow inductees.
Word soon spread among the family members, and close friends, and all failed to alleviate Gladys’ soulful mourning. She was inconsolable. The understanding between Elvis and Gladys and Vernon pertaining to everyone else was that they were not to speak about Elvis’ leaving but try to make the holidays one of precious memories, laughter, and togetherness. As was the case his entire life Elvis did everything 24/7 to let his mother know he loved her above all else (excluding God/Jesus) and it would be all right. She was physically, emotionally, and mentally devastated and the tolls it would take on her would manifest themselves each and every moment of each and every hour of each day without end. No one knew how much their world was to change nor did they even contemplate the fact that this would not only be the last Christmas/New Years at home but the last that Elvis, Gladys, and Vernon would be together at all for Gladys would (sadly) pass away approximately eight months later on August 14, 1958 at the age of 46 (note: Elvis never knew she was 46 years old as throughout his life he was told she was 4 years younger than she really was so when she passed Elvis believed her to be 42 years old. August, the second week of August, 42 years of age would sadly not be the only significant dates in the lives of a Presley dying for Elvis would follow her on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42).
…to be continued
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018 to everyone and may God bless you and yours…always.
The Elvis Expert 