BackinMemphis

Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) announced today that five new international licensing agents have been signed for the King of Rock ‘n' Roll. Celebrities Entertainment has been appointed as the exclusive European licensing agent, Vega Brands for South America and Brazil, HW Brands Ltd. in Israel, Infiniss in Korea and Merchantwise Pty. Ltd. in Australia and New Zealand. The announcement was made by Carol Butler, Vice President International Licensing for EPE. “The demand for Elvis product internationally continues to grow every year,” stated Butler. “With such high interest and activity we've found it necessary to expand our international agents. We look forward to working with them all.” “We are honored to be working with the Elvis Presley brand in Australia. The possibilities with such an iconic image are endless,” said Merchantwise Pty. Ltd. Senior Licensing Manager Con Goutzoulas. “We are very excited to be representing the Elvis Presley brand exclusively in all of

Navarone Garibaldi, Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley at the Cartier VIP reception at MGM CityCenter's Crystals for Nevada Ballet Theatre's 27th Annual Black and White Ball on Jan. 29, 2011. Presley was honored as NBT's Woman of the Year. Photo: Erik Kabik When Priscilla Presley received accolades and applause during last night’s Woman of the Year gala, four generations of the family attended. Obviously Priscilla, the radiant queen herself, but also her mom, Ann Boyer; her children, son Navarone Garibaldi and daughter Lisa Marie, with husband Michael; and Priscilla’s granddaughter Riley Keough. As glittering and glamorous as every Nevada Ballet Theatre Black and White Ball is each year, there were additional magic and miracles at the 27th annual celebration at MGM CityCenter’s Aria. Here are the first red carpet photos of Priscilla and Lisa Marie’s arrival at the reception at Cartier at Crystals. Thanks to contributing photographers Scott Harrison and Erik Kabi

Lisa Marie Presley's publicist has denied a tabloid report claiming the U.S. musician collapsed at her home in England after she lost 55 pounds on a diet. "It is absolutely and completely untrue," Presley's representative told People.com Friday. "The National Enquirer puts Lisa on the cover every few months with manipulated photos and horrendous stories of supposed 'meltdowns,' and has since she can remember." The 42-year-old singer-songwriter, who is the daughter of rock 'n' roll icon Elvis Presley, is working in Los Angeles on her third album, People.com reported. "She is happy and healthy and working hard," the representative added. "The rest is absolute garbage. Not a bit of truth to any of it."

Lamar Fike & Mark Bego Lamar Fike was not a household name per se, but for the last 50 years he has been known as the "bigger than life" founding member of Elvis Presley's famed entourage, The Memphis Mafia. Back in the days of duck tail haircuts, gold lame suits, and the song "Hound Dog" topping the charts, Lamar was the "right hand man" to "The King of Rock & Roll." Lamar lived at Graceland with Elvis, alongside Gladys and Vernon Presley, back in the days when that family was pop culture's original reality show. There were Cadillacs in the driveway, motorcycles to race, and even Natalie Wood paying a famous Memphis visit, and Lamar was there. When Elvis Presley was drafted and went off to serve in the Army in Germany, Lamar went along. When Elvis returned to the States, and performed on TV with Frank Sinatra, Lamar was there. And, when the '70s rolled around, and Elvis was obsessed with becoming a drug enforcement off

GLASVEGAS have made light of singer James Allan's meltdown in 2009... by having T-shirts printed with a special message for the volatile star. James, 31, worried his bandmates, record company and fans when he went AWOL in 2009 before the Mercury Prize ceremony in London. Later that year, he had an emotional collapse during the last days of a tour with Kings Of Leon in Chicago. A bewildered James ended up singing The Carpenters' Close To You to a goldfish 33 floors up in a Chicago hotel before taking it to the bar and watching TV on the bed with it. The band's T-shirts remind the singer of his fragility with the words: "All work and no play makes James a dull boy." The message also refers to Jack Nicholson's paranoid character in The Shining, who types the words "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" thousands of times before losing his grip on reality and attacking his wife with an axe. James, who says he is okay now and has "cut all

EPE announced today that they will host a Super Bowl Party to benefit St. Jude on the front lawn of Graceland. Is this tacky or tasteful? You be the judge. A fun event to support a wonderful cause! Graceland will host a Super Bowl® XLV watch party and auction on the mansion's front lawn to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The event is on Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. The party will mark only the second time an event has been held on the lawn, or anywhere on the property, since Elvis’ passing. Former Shelby County Mayors Bill Morris and Jim Rout will host the event. Co-hosts for the evening include Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell and Memphis City Mayor A.C. Wharton. Festivities will include a touch football game on the front lawn with former Memphis State and NFL quarterback Billy Fletcher leading an all-star lineup to reenact the games Elvis held at Graceland more than 40 years ago. Participants will wear throwback replica jerseys from one of Elvis’ old

NEW CASH CD SET FEATURES EARLIEST CASH RECORDINGS Bill Miller announced that a new volume of rare and unreleased Johnny Cash tracks, "From Memphis to Hollywood: Bootleg Vol 2" will be available 2/22/11. The majority of the two-disc set  spends time on Cash's early career. The first CD will be devoted exclusively to the country legend's time in Memphis. Among the treasures from Cash's vault: a radio show hosted by Cash, 11 demos done prior to Cash signing with Sun and seven outtake s from sessions at Sun Studios. Disc two focuses on the star's tenure Columbia Records from 1958-69. It will include non-album singles, B-sides and outtakes. Miller calls some of the early Sun demos "stunning. This is Cash unplugged at his earliest. I've been a fan for over 40 years, and I've never heard anything that grabbed me like these demos did."

Elvis friend and Memphis Mafia member Sam Thompson ( brother to Linda Thompson, Elvis' girlfriend and uncle to Brody Jenner, best known from MTV's The Hills) is set to retire from his post as CEO of Public Utilities for the state of Nevada. Back In Memphis wishes Sam a very happy retirement which is well deserved!

Happy Birthday Bobby Wood! We appreciate all your contributions to American music! May all your birthday wishes come true! Bobby Wood is a session musician and songwriter most famous for his work as the Memphis Boys keyboardist. Born in a community just south of New Albany, Mississippi, Wood was one of six children in a musical family that delighted crowds as the Wood Family Gospel Group. After studying classical music through mail-order lessons, Bobby decided that genre wasn’t for him. He then mastered and went on to train others in the American folk music tradition of shape notes. For Bobby, the organ was his forte. From years of singing with his family, he developed amazing vocal abilities. Already an accomplished musician by his late teens, he set forth on Bankhead Highway to Memphis where he became Sun Studio producer Stan Kesler’s protege. In 1964, Bobby released a song on Joy Records “If I’m a Fool (For Loving You)” and shortly after Wood joined Reggie Young, Bobby Emm

Above Jerry talks about Elvis & Guitar Man. Part one with Jerry Reed. Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008), known professionally as Jerry Reed, and lovingly as the Snowman, was an American country music singer, country guitarist, session musician, songwriter, and actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. As a singer, he was known for "(Who Was the Man Who Put) The Line in Gasoline"; "Lord, Mr. Ford (What Have You Done)"; "Amos Moses"; "When You're Hot, You're Hot," for which he received the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1972; and "East Bound and Down," the theme song for the film Smokey and the Bandit, in which he also co-starred. In 1967, Reed notched his first official country chart hit with "Guitar Man," which Elvis Presley soon covered. Presley had come to Nashville to record in 1967, and one of the songs he was working on was "Guitar Man" (

Elvis’ Presley’s 50-year record of 20 top 40 hits in the shortest span of time has been broken by the cast of television series Glee. What took Presley 88 weeks only took the Glee cast 57 weeks, with their cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” entering the charts at number 40. The honor is one of many recently for Glee, which won best TV comedy or musical series at the Golden Globes as well as two supporting actor awards. It was only a few short months ago that the group toppled the Beatles’ Billboard Hot 100 record, with a total of 75 appearances to the Fab Four’s 71. The musical show, which releases its singles after each episode airs, has earned three top 10s and six top 20 hits through their releases, selling more than two million singles in the process.

Shares of CKX Inc (NASDAQ: CKXE) hit a new 52-week low on Monday. The stock traded as low as $3.63 during mid-day trading and last traded at $3.64. The stock previously closed at $3.67. CKX, Inc. (CKX) is engaged in the ownership, development and commercial utilization of entertainment content. The Company has four segments: Presley Business-Royalties and Licensing, Presley Business-Graceland Operations, 19 Entertainment and the Ali Business. Its primary assets and operations include 19 Entertainment Limited (19 Entertainment), which owns rights to the IDOLS and So You Think You Can Dance television brands, which air in the United States; an 85% ownership interest in Elvis Presley Enterprises (the Presley Business), which owns the rights to the name, image and likeness of Elvis Presley, and certain music and the operations of Graceland; and has partnered with Cirque du Soleil for the creation of Elvis Presley-themed shows and projects worldwide, and an 80% ownership interest in Muhamm

Priscilla Presley is calling from her home in Beverly Hills, and something loud and unwelcome is happening outside her windows. “I’m sorry if I seem distracted during this, but if I pause, it’s because there is a lot of construction going on around me,” she says. “Construction?” I ask “On your house?” “No,” she says. “There is this unbelievable, monument-to-excess home going up. I’m beside myself.” “Beside yourself, and beside the construction,” I say. “Yes,” she says, with a laugh. “I’ve been here, in Los Angeles, in Beverly Hills, for 30 some-odd years. I like it quiet.” And you imagine that those construction workers operating loud, heavy machinery nearby probably have no idea the nature of the disruption they are causing the only woman who was ever married to Elvis Presley. But she coasts along for 20 or so minutes, talking about Elvis’ life and impenetrable legacy. Priscilla Presley still holds an active role as a consultant with Elvis Presley Enterprises, which has partner

Longtime Las Vegas journalist Frank Lieberman holds a printed copy of his interview with Elvis, which appeared in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner on Feb. 8, 1970. Longtime Las Vegas journalist Frank Lieberman holds a printed copy of his interview with Elvis, which appeared in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner on Feb. 8, 1970. The official reason for his death has not yet been determined, but Frank had suffered from a number of ailments over the past few years. For years, he underwent dialysis treatments for failing kidneys, was diabetic (a condition that caused serious infection to both of his feet) and two years ago fractured a hip in a fall at his home in Summerlin. His physical decline accelerated early in the week, when he fell once more at his house and fractured his right shoulder. He was taken to the emergency room at Mountain View Hospital, fitted with a splint and released. But Thursday morning, his son Adam and wife Karen noticed that he was in an almost comatose state and s

Lamar Fike, former member of Elvis Presley's inner circle (nicknamed The Memphis Mafia by the press) has passed away. The "Memphis Mafia" was the nickname for a group of friends, associates, employees and "yes-men" whose main function was to be around Elvis Presley from 1954 until he died. Several filled practical roles in the singer's life. For instance, they were employed to work for him as bodyguards or on tour logistics and scheduling. In these cases Elvis paid salaries, but most lived off fringe benefits such as gifts, cars, houses and bonuses. Over the years, the number of members grew and changed, but for the most part there was a core group who spent a lot of time with the singer.

Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965), also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting African-American rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll. His career was destroyed by the payola scandal that hit the broadcasting industry in the early 1960s. and if you ever want to see a great movie about Alan Freed and rock and roll...check out American Hot Wax. See below: (side note) "I've got four beautiful women back here from Bayonne, NJ, The Delights" And the Delights come out singing Mr. Lee. Bayonne is my hometown so that's a cool clip for me. Sandra Dee who was married to Bobby Darin and starred in many films like A Summer Place is also from Bayonne! But this is about Alan Freed. And American Hot Wax is a great rock and roll movie with cameos by Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee lewis. Check it out, you won't be disappointed

They say a dog is man's best friend....then why are so many animals abused and homeless? If you can, send a donation now to the Memphis Humane Society, even if it's a dollar or two. That's a few cans of dog or cat food which will help an animal. This time of year, many have purchased a cute little kitten or puppy for their children for Christmas and right about this time, they figure out they don't have the time or money to keep the animal. And many just abandon the animals to the streets. The animals then mate and by the spring, there are many litters of homeless animals running the streets. Let's help the humane society rescue as many of these innocent animals and find them homes. Every dollar counts! One dollar can feed a dog or cat for one day! Please donate today! Donate Now To The Memphis Humane Society

Pat Boone, Cowboy, and Chet Atkins Jack Clement Newsletter December Question: Ron from Nashville, TN asked: Do you have any favorite stories, memories, or interesting notes associated with RCA Studio B from the recordings you produced there? I have a lot of memories of working and playing in RCA Studio B.  The first time I recorded there I was working at Sun Records in Memphis.  That was around 1957.  I had not yet learned to love the Sun Studio and I had written a couple of songs that I felt needed a dose of the Nashville Sound.  I had always wanted to meet Chet Atkins anyway, so I took my piano player and my favorite guitar and drove to Nashville.  We recorded a session in the RCA Studio with one of Chet's bass players.  It wasn't known as Studio B then because Studio A was still about 10 years in the future. I moved to Nashville from Beaumont, Texas in January, 1965 and rented 2 offices in the new RCA Studio building which is about 15 feet from the Studio B build

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy Don Kirshner, the impresario behind Brill Building pop, the Monkees, the Archies and his own music-television show, has died of heart failure. Kirshner was 76 and died in Boca Raton, Fla., according to a statement from his publicist. Called “the man with the golden ear” by Time magazine in 1966, he wrote songs with Bobby Darin as a college student. In the late 1950s he co-founded Aldon Music, a publishing company whose songwriters included the hit-making teams of Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. “Kirshner was like a father figure to us all,” Mann was quoted as saying in “The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll” (1980). “Everyone’s first thought, as we sweated over our battered old pianos, was whether Donny would be pleased.” After selling Aldon to Columbia Pictures, Kirshner moved into TV. He supervised the music for “The M

Carl Perkins & I in Memphis - August 1991 Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998) was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954. His best known song is "Blue Suede Shoes". According to Charlie Daniels, "Carl Perkins' songs personified the rockabilly era, and Carl Perkins' sound personifies the rockabilly sound more so than anybody involved in it, because he never changed." Perkins' songs were recorded by artists (and friends) as influential as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Johnny Cash, which further cemented his place in the history of popular music. Called "the King of Rockabilly", he was inducted into the Rock and Roll, the Rockabilly, and the Nashville Songwriters Halls of Fame; and was a Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipient. We miss you Carl!

Carl Perkins 50th Anniversary Edition Sun Records Limited Edition CD Track Listing: Blue Suede Shoes Boppin The Blues Gone, Gone, Gone You Can't Make Love to Somebody Honey Don't All Mama's Children Dixie Fried Pink Pedal Pushers Matchbox Everybody's Tryin' To Be Be My Baby Roll Over Beethoven Glad All Over

 The We Remember Elvis Fan Club paid for a plaque that went up at the Civic Arena on Elvis Presley' birthday in 1982. But now, with the arena closed, the plaque is among the arena items up for sale to the highest bidder. On more mornings than she cares to remember, Priscilla Parker woke up early for flea markets where she sold donated items to come up with the $1,157 needed to buy a plaque commemorating Elvis Presley's three concerts at the Civic Arena. She and four girlfriends founded the We Remember Elvis Fan Club, and their plaque went up at the arena on Elvis' birthday in 1982. But now, with the arena closed, the plaque is among the arena items up for sale to the highest bidder. "It should be placed someplace where masses of people can see it and remember Elvis," Parker, 71, of Dormont, said. "All they want to do is tear things down and destroy stuff." The city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority gave its blessing to every item included

We got this email from friend Teresa Campbell this morning and wanted to share it with you. Hello!, ELVIS FRIENDS!!! I hope that you are all well... Have talked to two very good friends of John Wilkinson (an original member of the TCB Band, I'm sure we all know) in this past week, and I wanted to pass on to you what was said. We started talking about John and his relationship with 'ELVIS', personally and professionally, and reminded each other that John was the only member to have played in all the concerts from '69 thru '77 without missing one single concert...remarkable!!!...the ONLY ONE to have accomplished such a feat...(along with 'ELVIS' of course...!!!) That's some record!  And my two friends and I got to talking about 'why not have John Wilkinson' on the panel in judging the ETA contestants?!...who else, having never missed a concert in all those years, would be a better judge on the panel than John???!!! I'm just passing on a

Zsa Zsa Gabor and her husband are selling their Los Angeles mansion for an asking price of $28 million, putting on the market a home once lived in by Elvis Presley, her spokesman said on Wednesday. The hillside house in the exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel Air was built for the late aviator and industrialist Howard Hughes, said John Blanchette, a publicist for Gabor. Presley lived in the house -- which has 26 rooms and a pool -- decades ago when he was acting in movies filmed in Los Angeles, Blanchette said. It is built into a hillside and overlooks the city. Gabor, 93, the star of 1950s films "Moulin Rouge" and "Lili," had her leg amputated on Friday because of a gangrene infection after hip replacement surgery in July. She is recovering in a Los Angeles hospital where doctors have said they are "guardedly optimistic" about her prospects. "We only use two rooms, all the other rooms are locked up. It doesn't make sense for two people

Priscilla Presley is bringing daughter Lisa Marie and other family members to Nevada Ballet Theater’s Black and White Ball at Aria on Jan. 29 when she is presented with the Woman of the Year award.

Millions of girls around the world envied Priscilla Beaulieu when she lived out their fantasy and married Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, on May 1, 1967 at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Nine months later, on February 1, 1968, Priscilla gave birth to their only child, Lisa Marie. But alas, fairytales don’t always have happy endings and on October 9, 1973, 14 years after they met, the couple’s divorce made headline news. Priscilla and Elvis remained friends, and suddenly at 28 years old, she was in charge of her own life for the first time. It was on this transformational journey that Priscilla developed her own identity, discovered her talents and distinguished herself as an actress, an author, producer, businesswoman, philanthropist, and environmental and animal rights advocate. Sadly, Elvis died on August 15, 1977, followed by his father’s death in 1979, which left Priscilla to oversee the financial interests of Lisa Marie who was only 11. As executor, Priscilla opened