Celebrating Elvis' life - 25th anniversary of the King's death is mostly parties, parades

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Death anniversaries tend to be somber affairs, as we remember those we loved and admired.

There's no parade in Dallas on Nov. 22. Ceremonies in New York on the day John Lennon was killed, or here in Memphis on the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, are tearful and melancholy.

"Sure, it's sad that he's gone," says Fred Chamberlain, a 39-year-old fan. "But we're treating this as a happy occasion. As time goes on, we look at it differently. This is a way of projecting all the happiness he left for us."

Mr. Chamberlain seems to be a good representative of the tens of thousands of people packed into Memphis this week to mark the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977. He's come a long way (from London) at considerable personal sacrifice (he's a school caretaker of modest income) and has gone to lengths that probably seem excessive to nonbelievers (a big Elvis tattoo has adorned his arm since age 16).

Moreover, he and Samantha got married Tuesday at the Chapel in the Woods, a small building adjacent to Elvis' Graceland home that is part of the Presley estate. They already have a 2 ½ -year-old daughter named Presley Shelby (that's the county that includes Memphis).

"Everything has been perfect, a dream come true," says the new Mrs. Chamberlain, who's 27.

Actually, it's more like nine days, from a parade last Saturday down Beale Street featuring floats, politicians and hound dogs to a set of closing concerts on Sunday. The list of festivities especially long this year because of the 25th anniversary includes seminars, autograph sessions, an Elvis fashion show, an Elvis furniture exhibition and lots of parties.

There is all the kitsch that cynics love to mock. Fake Elvii sporting sideburns, big hair and cheesy jumpsuits mix with white-haired grandmas wearing buttons that won't stop flashing. Nobody seems able to resist slurring "Thankyaverymuch."

But the crowds are cheerful, their emotions are genuine and the mix of ages and ethnicities is downright inspiring. "Look at these smiles," says Endre Samu, a 43-year-old Elvis impersonator excuse me, make that Elvis Tribute Artist striding down Beale Street in full Elvis regalia, dispensing handshakes and kisses.

Mr. Samu is an official at the Limon Correctional Facility in Colorado who performs in his spare time. Inmates, he says, help him make his outfits.

"Sure, some people make fun of this," he says. "But Elvis was all about spreading love and affection to all races, creeds and colors. For the love of his memory, I help spread that message. Just because Elvis has died, why should that message ever die?"

The main event is undeniably sad. On Thursday night, thousands of faithful lined up outside Graceland for what's known as "the vigil," a candlelight procession past Elvis' grave that will last well into Friday morning. The route is lined with scores of floral tributes, signs and decorations sent from fan clubs around the world.

Nobody jokes about the vigil. "You'd better not goof around in line," says Ray Macinanti, 47, of Tewksbury, Mass. "But the rest of the week is so much fun. It's a celebration of Elvis' life."

In the land of Elvis, that juxtaposition makes perfect sense. No matter what the tabloids say, nobody seriously disputes that he's been dead for a quarter-century; then again, somehow he's not.

So when Todd Morgan of Elvis Presley Enterprises tells reporters, "His career is at an all-time high," nobody questions the irony.

In the land of Elvis, newspaper articles discuss seriously whether a lock of his hair could someday produce an Elvis clone. And it's a land of determinedly selective memories, where the unhappy circumstances of his passing bloated, drugged and on the toilet at age 42 don't get mentioned.

"When Rosemary Clooney died, she was a great singer, but she had drug problems and she got really heavy," says Marie Vecchio of Huntington, N.Y. "Nobody talked about that, and it didn't matter. So why should Elvis be any different?"

Ms. Vecchio and her husband, Dominick, have come to Graceland every year since the 10th anniversary. She cries at the grave site and smiles the rest of the time.

Elvis Week didn't start out this way. Bobby Jones, media coordinator for Elvis Presley Enterprises, says that after Elvis died in 1977, his father, Vernon, lived quietly at Graceland. On the first anniversary, he says, a fan club from Austin wrote, asking permission to hold a candlelight service at the grave.

"His father said, 'I think Elvis would love this,' " Mr. Jones says. "So he allowed it. It was short and very sweet. Then things kind of developed from there."

Vernon Presley died in 1979. Three years later, Graceland opened for tours, the faithful kept flocking to Memphis, and the guardians of Elvis' legacy decided that the death anniversary shouldn't only be melancholy.

Like a Star Wars convention, where every minor character is a hero and no detail is insignificant, anybody who played any part in Elvis' life is a hot commodity this week. In the packed ballroom of the downtown Peabody Hotel on Wednesday, fans hung on every word from a panel of people who knew the King.

Among the guests was Joan Blackman, who starred with Elvis in the 1961 movie Blue Hawaii. After the audience watched an excerpt that included a kiss, someone asked Ms. Blackman, "Tell us about that kiss."

Downstairs at the Peabody, Bernard Lansky was welcoming a steady stream of visitors to his clothing shop filled with flashy shirts, guitar-shaped ties and memorabilia that included a pink leather coat with a fur collar that he made for Elvis.

Mr. Lansky sold Elvis many of his distinctive outfits, earning him the title "Clothier to the King" and a spot on every fan's Memphis itinerary. These days, he's working on a new Elvis clothing line.

"We're thinking, 'What would Elvis look like in 2003?' " Mr. Lansky says. "It's going to be very sharp."

So if people want to celebrate on the day Elvis died, he says, "Why not? People come here from all over the world. For them, it's like going to shul [a Yiddish word for synagogue] to say kaddish."

He referred to a Hebrew prayer reaffirming faith in God, recited by Jews mourning a loved one.

He may be dead, but Presley still racking up winners

King again takes home the gold - and the platinums

By Bill Ellis
Gomemphis.com
August 9, 1999

Garth Brooks fans, read no further.

Elvis Presley in death has at least one achievement that Brooks in life will be hard-pressed to trump: The King of Rock and Roll continues to be the most-certified artist in the history of recorded music. To celebrate, RCA/BMG - which owns the Presley catalog - will present to the late singer's estate more than 40 plaques bearing new sales certifications and upgrades 11 a.m. today at the club Elvis Presley's Memphis.

The awards resulted from the latest tallies compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the official certification agency of record sales. Presley now has 80 gold albums, 43 platinum albums and 19 multiplatinum albums. Being the artist with the most gold and platinum albums (the Beatles have one more multiplatinum) - as well as the most gold, platinum and multiplatinum singles - Presley remains the top certified artist, according to the RIAA. Second-place contenders the Beatles and Barbra Streisand trail with 33 platinum and 40 gold records respectively.

"Elvis Presley is literally the all-time mover and shaker in rock and roll history," said RIAA chief executive officer Hilary Rosen in a prepared statement. It was issued the same day, July 13, that RCA released a new three-CD Presley collection aptly titled "Artist of the Century."

In 1992, RCA and the RIAA presented 110 gold and platinum records to the Presley estate. Gold status is awarded for album sales of 500,000 copies. Platinum is for a million, multiplatinum 2 million and more. The same record can qualify for more than one award as it continues to sell.

"One of the many remarkable things about this Elvis Presley phenomenon is that Elvis on an annual basis continues to sell what would represent an extremely successful career for a current artist," says Elvis Presley Enterprises CEO Jack Soden.

One such artist is Garth Brooks. He is the RIAA's best-selling male artist, with total album sales of 89 million. Overall, the Beatles rank No. 1, with 106.03 million certified sales. Presley sits at No. 4, with 77.28 million (Led Zeppelin is No. 3).

While Presley has 43 platinum albums, however, Brooks has 11. Brooks's "best-selling male artist" status derives from this distinction: One Garth Brooks album might sell 10 million copies (making a total of three awards, one each for gold, platinum and multiplatinum), while Presley might have 10 albums that sell a million each (a total of 20 awards).

"(Presley) is still a worldwide business," says RCA executive Michael Omansky, who oversees the artist's catalog and spearheads new products. "As a matter of fact, we probably sell more than we did five years ago. . . . It's like running a separate company."

Indeed, Presley is as much a priority as RCA's hot-selling acts 'N Sync, Natalie Imbruglia and the Dave Matthews Band, according to Omansky. He says the Memphis icon has been a billion-dollar industry for the label that he signed with in 1955.

That's largely because Presley sold his catalog's royalty rights to RCA in 1973 for $5 million, a deal "right up there with the Indians selling Manhattan for 24 dollars," says Soden. "Elvis has been like an inheritance for RCA."

RCA knows it. Through aggressive marketing and promotion, the label makes sure Elvis is everywhere, from record stores to mail order to television.

This year alone in the United States, RCA has released more than 10 titles, including "Sunrise," "Home Recordings" and the aforementioned "Artist of the Century" boxed set. In September look for the movie collection "Can't Help Falling in Love: The Hollywood Hits."

The strategy works, Omansky says, especially because the product, once the bedrock of budget-line releases, is packaged better these days. Fans are willing to pay for something that's reverent, informed and complete.

Case in point: The 1997 boxed set "Platinum (A Life in Music)," and a related marketing campaign tied to the 20th anniversary of Elvis's death made more than $100 million for RCA, Omansky says. "And that was only retail."

Presley continues to sell locally, too, especially during Elvis Week, when many tourists are in town, says Baker Yates, district manager of the Cat's chain.

"His catalog is just as strong as Sinatra's or whomever else (deceased) you want to compare him to," Yates says.

The real dividends, though, come from marketing Presley in other countries, which don't automatically receive the same titles and packages that this country does. Australians will get "The Country Side of Elvis" at the end of September; in France, "Love Songs From the '70s" and "Elvis Rock Songs" are forthcoming. Japan will get nine releases this month alone.

In England, to make it easier for stores to display, a Presley boxed set was divided into four separate compilations: country, ballad, movie and rock songs. And the "Love Songs" collection came out in different versions the world over.

Omansky says a typical new Presley title will sell about 100,000 copies its first year in the United States and perhaps a little more overseas. Perennial sellers include the Christmas albums, "The Number One Hits" and "Amazing Grace: His Greatest Sacred Songs." Hopes are high for "Artist of the Century."

"In Australia by the end of August, there will be over 40,000 boxed sets," he says. "And that's a country where the economy is not kind to the record business."

Success also lies in the coordinated efforts of RCA and Elvis Presley Enterprises. The "Artist of the Century" box opens to reveal a leaflet advertising Graceland. Omansky says the companies share consumer information.

The majority of Presley music buyers are older Southern women, "but not as old as you might think. Maybe 30s, 40s, 50s," Omansky says.

Soden concurs: "We have just about hit the point where a third of our visitors were born after Elvis died. Theoretically, there's an endlessly regenerating new audience. It's a great sign of health, and it's exciting to us even if we, for the most part, don't get royalties."

Keep those gold and platinum albums coming, though.

A little more Elvis, please

Remix, new boxed set prove the King still rules

By Bill Ellis
ellis@gomemphis.com
July 26, 2002

Elvis has left the building, you say? No such thing. Not only is the Big E still in the house, he is house (as in dance music).

Though it's been almost 25 years since Elvis Presley died at the "return to sender" age of 42, he is experiencing the most curious of revivals. And for once, it has less to do with the myth than the music.

Thanks to a techno remix of a throwaway movie track, Elvis has topped the singles charts globally. He's even done it by upsetting the summer's ubiquitous hit from Eminem, Without Me, on which the rapper declares, "Little hellions, kids feeling rebellious/Embarrassed, their parents still listen to Elvis."

The kids are listening too on A Little Less Conversation (4 stars), where Elvis is worth raving about again, so to speak.

The song, remixed by Dutch deejay act JXL (Junkie XL) for a Nike ad campaign, was originally recorded in 1968 for the Elvis flick Live a Little, Love a Little. On the new three-track single, released in America through the King's label RCA, you get both versions.

The difference? Not much really. One can see why RCA and Elvis Presley Enterprises finally allowed someone to tinker with their royal gold mine. JXL gets it. Like Fatboy Slim's appropriation of classic soul music for the Ibiza crowd, JXL takes what's inherently cool about Elvis - that voice for starters - and boosts it with a club-intoxicating rhythm, one that finds a colossal groove in the tiny tune.

No one could have predicted the song would become an international phenomenon (it has hit No. 1 in more than a dozen countries). And that's the eternal beauty of Elvis. No one saw him coming the first time around either.

For all its hullabaloo, A Little Less Conversation is mere icing on a multilayered cake of Elvis products to hit stores this summer.

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