BackinMemphis

Elvis Presley meets with five winners of an essay contest on May 25, 1956. Judy Fesenmyer (now Hayes), then 16, of Denby High is second from left. Directly to the right of Elvis is Diana DiGregorio, also 16, a student at St. David’s, and Joann Menegaz (now Borri),14, of Regina High. Do you recognize the others? (Photos courtesy of MRPI Collection) We now know the names of more of the lucky Detroiters who met -- and kissed -- Elvis Presley at the Fox Theatre during his first engagement thereon May 25, 1956. Dawn Buchanan recognized her mother, Delores Pipski, as the Kim Novak lookalike blond who Elvis has his arm around in the cocktail party photo. Buchanan alerted her mother, and both called The Detroit News. Pipski was Delores Miklas then, a record librarian at WWJ Radio, which was downtown then. She was often invited to backstage parties by her bosses, and as an Elvis fan was especially happy to go to a party for him at the Fox. She worked a whole day at WWJ, then changed in...

Rescued Chilean miner Edison Pena (L) and cast member Rokardy ride in a prop pink Cadillac during Pena's cameo appearance in the opening number of "Viva ELVIS" by Cirque du Soleil at the Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter January 11, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pena, a big fan of Elvis Presley, was one of 33 miners trapped underground for 69 days in a collapsed Chilean mine. He sang Elvis songs to keep the spirits of his colleagues up until they were rescued in October. Rescued Chilean miner Edison Pena, a big fan of Elvis Presley, sang songs by The King to help keep alive the spirits of his colleagues until they were rescued in October. This week he made a cameo appearance at 'Viva ELVIS' in Las Vegas.

Tracklisting: 1. Save the Last Dance for Me   2. Sweet Little Sixteen   3. I Love You Because  4. What'd I Say  5. Good Rockin' Tonight  6. C.C. Rider    7. Be Bop A Lula   8. Good Golly Miss Molly   9. It Won't Happen With Me   10. Cold Cold Heart  11. Hello Josephine   12. Money This is actually the "Duets" LP, released in December 1978, minus 2 tracks, "Am I To Be The One" & "Sail Away." It didn't chart on Billboard. This LP certainly generated controversy, as it contains Orion, aka Jimmy Ellis, who overdubbed vocals on all these original early '60s cuts Jerry did for Sun sometime in 1978. Sun Records owner Shelby Singleton had him don a mask about a year after Elvis died, causing some people to think he was actually Elvis. His voice also sounded remarkably like Elvis. Two singles from this LP, with Orion's overdubbed 1978 vocals, actually charted on the country c...

A guy named Rod Lambert from Nashville says he bought the tape over ten years ago at a yard sale ... and only recently discovered that he could have a piece of rock and roll history on his hands. Lambert claims the full 30-minute version of the tape contains some pretty explicit dialogue -- and although Elvis doesn't say much ... according to Lambert, Lewis wasn't so cautious, saying things like, “If you don’t like Jerry’s peaches, then get your f**kin’ ass away from my tree." January 2009 I found a box of tapes I'd had for over a decade with a recording marked "Jerry Lee, Elvis, Mack Vickery 1960." It's over 30 minutes of music and conversation at the home of Jerry Lee Lewis. Elvis was just out of the army. Jerry welcomes Elvis, tells him he loves him and humbles himself saying " You beat em' all we can't keep up with you." Elvis picks at Jerry and agrees. They sing a duet together and then go into an impromptu jam session. Havin...

Dealmaker Jamie Salter, who already markets Bob Marley-themed merchandise, has agreed to acquire the rights to another dead celebrity: Marilyn Monroe. Salter’s New York-based firm Authentic Brands Group LLC and media company Neca Inc. are buying Marilyn Monroe LLC from the late star’s estate, Salter said. Anna Strasberg, who is the administrator of the estate, will be a minority partner in the venture, which will control, among other things, the actress’s name and images of her lips and eyes, he said. Authentic brands, which is backed by Leonard Green & Partners LP, is shopping a reality show based on Monroe, who has been dead almost 50 years, and plans to sell makeup, lingerie and other products that carry her name, Salter said. “Every female celebrity has tried to emulate her in some way,” said Salter, who declined to say how much his firm paid for the name. “Marilyn Monroe is the brand.” Dead stars and their associated business generated $2.25 billion in North American...

One of the organisers of an Elvis Presley convention in Birmingham has been charged with attacking the son of the King’s guitarist after the event. A man suffered a broken nose and cheekbone following an alleged assault at the Hilton Metropole hotel, near the NEC, early on Sunday. The victim was understood to be US citizen Jeff Burton, the 48-year-old son of guitarist James Burton, who played with Elvis from 1969 until Presley's death in 1977. The man charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm in connection with the incident has been named as Michael Cawthray. The 43-year-old, from north Wales, is a director of the European Elvis Championships, the event which was taking place at the hotel at the time. He is also has his own Elvis tribute act.He is due to appear at Solihull Magistrates’ Court this month. Both men were staying at the Metropole, where 80 Elvis impersonators had been vying to win the championships. A West Midlands Police spokeswoman said: “Police were c...

Now back in stock! This is the first ever series to contain the actual music contained on Elvis Presley's jukebox at his Graceland home and offers a fascinating insight into his musical tastes and influences. The recently discovered lost jukebox 45s were purchased by collector Henrik Knudsen at auction and the details published in the February 2010 issue of Record Collector magazine article by Megan M Murphy, The Secrets of Elvis's Jukebox.   Vee-Tone Records, working in conjunction with Megan M Murphy and Henrik Knudsen, have produced The Memphis Jukebox Volume Two which contains some of the of the hottest Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Rockabilly, Rock n Roll, Rockin Country and Doo Wop ever recorded.  This collection documents and showcases the music enjoyed by the most successful recording artist of the 20th Century. Track Listing 1) Boyd Bennett & The Rockets - You Upset Me Baby  2) Bill Haley & The Comets - Hot Dog Buddy Buddy  3) The Jodima...

To all the fans of my mother Myrna Smith, I wanted to give you all a great big THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for all that you did for my mother. Not only when she was ill, but all the support you gave her during the years of touring, as well as, listening and purchasing her music. Many of you followed her closely and she loved you for that. My mother was a wonderful lady. My life with her will never be forgotten. I have watched my mom from day one of her time with Elvis and the people from Graceland, showing many people what a great entertainer should project. My mom, although had friends by her side all the way to the end, always understood our special relationship. I will always love and respect my mother for who she is and what she became. Her grandson had the opportunity to sit with his Grandmother long before she became too ill and shared with her his aspirations to follow her entertainment footsteps. Thank you all for the respect while the family was grieving and we appr...