(Oct.22-29,2001) (On Pink BG Color) Written in Japanese http://www.biwa.ne.jp/~presley/imode/ (Compiled by Haruo Hirose)

Exclusive Interview With David E. Stanley

Q: Welcome to SHARING IDEAS, David! You have led as fascinating life as the stepbrother of Elvis Presley. We thank you for this exclusive interview! A: Thank you, Dottie, for the opportunity to be included in what I consider to be the industry's top publication. It is a privilege to talk with you about what I do in the forum of your magazine. The circumstances that placed me within the family of Elvis Presley and the events that followed are unusual. But what really excites me is the opportunity to positively impact the lives of others as a motivational and inspirational speaker and personal success conditioning coach. Anytime we can help an individual achieve new levels of excellence in their personal and professional life, we not only help them but also the corporations and organizations they work for as well. Current trends reveal more corporations and organizations than ever realize employees are their most valuable assets. Q: What happened before you became Elvis Presley's Stepbrother? Actually, the adversity you faced began before you ever met him, is that right? A: Yes, that's right. My Mom and Dad went through a divorce because my Dad was fighting a losing battle with alcohol. My Dad, William J. Stanley, was a W.W. II combat veteran, a sergeant in the 29th Infantry Division, and part of the first wave to hit Omaha Beach. The depiction of D-Day in Steven Speilberg's "Saving Private Ryan" is a glimpse of the carnage and horror my father experienced not just on D-Day but throughout Northern France and in the Battle of the Bulge. Alcohol became the anecdote for Dad's emotional baggage and bled into his personal life with Mom. She couldn't live with the situation and thought it would be better if me and my two older brothers, Billy and Ricky, were out of the picture while she went through the divorce. We were placed in a boarding home in Newport News, Virginia, where we lived for almost a year and a half. I'll never forget that experience - my first taste of adversity. The boarding home was old, dark, dirty and dingy. Other kids saw their families every weekend. No one came to see us. I also suffered from having to wear painful braces on both legs. Born with a club foot, I had 21 operations to correct the problem. Confused and hurting, I used to lay in my crib and cry myself to sleep at night. I couldn't understand where my parents were. My brother, Ricky, would hear me crying and come to my crib and say, "David, don't cry. Someday things will get better." But I still felt abandoned and alone. In 1960, Mom came back. Our belongings were packed. My brothers ran to the car while an aide carried me. We looked for Dad, but instead there was someone else. Mom had managed to get a divorce in 1959, and remarried in 1960. She introduced us saying, "Boys, this is your new father, Vernon Presley. He is Elvis Presley's father." Just like that, I became part of Rock & Roll's first family. We took the car from Virginia to Memphis, Tennessee, the home of our new stepbrother, Elvis Presley. As we entered the gates of the Graceland Mansion, I pressed my four-year-old face against the glass looking at the home where I would spend the next 17 years of my life. My brother, Rick, nudged me and said, "David, I told you someday things were going to get better." Q: My heart aches for that little four-year-old boy. Wish I could have taken him home with me. You have one of the most charming, loving personalities I have ever encountered. Was it what happened after you moved to Graceland that made the difference? A: Even at four, I recognized Elvis's kindness and generosity. He understood I was a victim of divorce and confused about how I ended up moving into his home. The day we arrived at Graceland, Elvis walked over to me, bent down, gave me a hug, and welcomed me into his family. After my experiences in the boarding home, Elvis's hug made me feel extraordinary. People always think the 17 years I spent growing up, living with, and later working for my world famous stepbrother as a personal aide and bodyguard were my best years. Instead, they were the boot camp that would make me an expert on adversity and how to overcome any obstacles. My mother always told me I had my own unique gifts. But it wasn't until much later in life I realized I could impact people the way Elvis had impacted me as a child. I learned words can be very powerful, especially when they are motivated by true passion to see people excel and make the most of their own potential. Nothing is more exciting than to see a person break out of their bonds and take flight. To use their God-given gifts to make their lives extraordinary. The seeds of the power of encouragement were planted the day Elvis picked me up and made me feel I was special. As far as my personality, you are too kind Dottie. But I was brought up and taught in the Presley family that a little kindness and courtesy go a long way. Q: When Elvis rented whole theaters and playlands, were you one of those he took along? A: Elvis was a big kid who loved movies but because of who he was he couldn't go out like everyone else. So he'd simply rent a theater. Part of the fun for Elvis was to share it with everyone else. So when we were not on tour, he'd rent the theater every night and we'd all watch movies until dawn. Because I moved into Graceland at such a young age, I thought everyone did this. Throughout the 60's and 70's, Elvis would often rent a theme park where our family and friends would have the run of the place. One of my fondest memories came when I was about 7. Elvis leased a theme park and, along with family and friends, took me and his girlfriend, Anita Wood. We all got into the first car of a roller coaster called The Pippen. It was about 10 p.m. when we took that first ride. We didn't get off until 2:30 in the morning. Talk about a long ride and a night of fun! Elvis always shared his life with my brothers and me. Because of the way Elvis grew up, he wanted to expose us to things most kids could only dream about. To all appearances, I lived a Cinderella story. Q: What did you learn from living with, and being so close to Elvis? A: Elvis was very humble. Hundreds of times he told me, "David, don't ever forget where you came from." In 1973, we were in Hawaii where Elvis was to perform a concert via satellite to an audience in excess of a billion people. I went to work for Elvis in June 1972 at the age of 16 and worked hundreds of concerts. From Madison Square Gardens to the Los Angeles Forum, we played every major concert hall in the country. But this night, by far, was the biggest event of Elvis's professional life. Standing backstage with Elvis just prior to the concert, I asked him how he felt. He said he missed his mother and how much he would have loved for her to be part of this historical event. I sensed his loneliness and said, "Elvis, I wish she was here too." He seemed lost. So I put my arms around him and hugged him and told him I loved him. He hugged me back and told me he loved me. Then he smiled, walked out on stage and made history. What I didn't realize was that Elvis was lost, a victim of his own success. While I learned some positive lessons from Elvis, my most valuable lessons came from his self-destructive demise. Elvis was the classic example of the person who wakes up and suddenly discovers they have everything - and it's not enough. Elvis was so busy making other people happy, he didn't take care of himself. In 1974, his use of prescription drugs began to turn into abuse. By the summer of 1977, he was totally addicted. In three short years, Elvis had gone from the lean 168 pound powerhouse the world saw in his Aloha Hawaii Concert to a figure who weighed 255 pounds. He was living dangerously close to the edge. On August 16, 1977, 17 years after I moved into Graceland, I walked into Elvis's bathroom and found him dead. It would take me more time than you have to fully explain the nuances of this tragedy and why it happened. Elvis's death was the consequence of refusing to make positive decisions, take powerful action and implement a plan to help him take control of the problems in his life. He allowed his problems to control him. With the memory of Elvis cradled in my arms on that fateful day, I realized my life was following a similar path. I was addicted to drugs and living an I, me, mine fast-paced, self-destructive lifestyle, embedded in me during the Elvis years. I realized I had to eliminate it or suffer a similar fate. When Elvis died, I was left with some great memories, substance addictions and a 9th grade education. Elvis left his entire estate to his daughter, Lisa. My stepfather, Vernon, fired me and then accused me of killing the man who had been my brother, friend and father figure. I hit the streets with nothing and certainly no idea of how to go about living a "normal" life. In 1981, I set my life on a new course. I made decisions, took actions and implemented a plan that helped me overcome the adversity of my surrealistic upbringing. I eliminated my addictions, took my GED test, earned a bachelor's degree in Communications and worked to establish myself as a speaker. When I first started with very limited finances, I often spoke to crowds of just 15 people and slept in hotels where the roaches were bigger than me. I spoke 48 weekends out of the year to any audience that would have me. I put a little food on the table and helped pay for my college education. How I overcame the obstacles in my life now forms the base of my programs. The hard lessons I learned from the tragedy of Elvis's death helped me to create the substance of my keynote address "From The Shadows Of The King" and later served as the formula for Solutionary Dynamics, my success conditioning program for personal and professional development. As Elvis's stepbrother and bodyguard, I saw his satisfaction come from the joy he gave to audiences through the gift of his music. Unfortunately, Elvis missed out on life's most important lessons. That cost him more than his dreams - it cost him his life. My satisfaction as a speaker comes from seeing people with talents and dreams and knowing I have the ability to deliver the tools to help them achieve those dreams. Q: As you deliver your heart-tugging keynote "From The Shadows Of The King," and present your new, superb full-day solutionary dynamics seminar, what are the most asked questions from your audience? A: If the audience has only heard my keynote address, "From The Shadows Of The King," they want to know more about my Solutionary Dynamics Program and how to become what I call a Solutionary. A Solutionary is one who aspires to excel - thoroughly and unequivocally. His or her roots of dedication results in the rich fruit of determination, excellence and achievement. Setting their sights high, Solutionaries drive toward the goal, absorbed in the passion of quality. Throughout my Solutionary Dynamics Success Conditioning Keynote and Seminars, I challenge audiences to turn personal adversity into achievement and inspire and empower them to reach new levels of excellence. Attendees learn how to use failure as a lesson plan for success instead of allowing it to stop them from accomplishing their dreams. I tell my audiences, Solutionaries don't quit - they finish the course. Solutionaries don't see problems, they see opportunities. Solutionaries don't embrace fatalism, they exercise faith. Solutionary Dynamics teaches people to think at the level of the solution, not at the level of the problem. I also am often asked if I provide personal coaching. The answer is 'yes.' The ability to communicate with clients on a one-to-one basis is a powerful tool for success maintenance and is highly effective for participants of the Solutionary Dynamics success conditioning program. Q: David, you have been featured in so many TV shows, interviewed on "CBS This Morning," "Live With Regis And Kathy Lee," and in Life Magazine to name just a few. What is the most exciting interview you have been part of? A: I've been fortunate to be interviewed by many dynamic people. But, one of my most exciting interviews is the one I'm doing with you for this article, Dottie, because it gives me the opportunity to talk about Solutionary Dynamics, which I truly believe in. I've learned to use the media to effectively communicate my messages. Interviews usually begin in reference to my relationship with Elvis Presley, but that is just part of living "In The Shadows Of The King." My relationship to Elvis is certainly a door opener, but as Elvis said, "Once you hit the stage you better have substance." As a speaker, I've heardthis statement thousands of times, "Your story about Elvis was intriguing.... but your message changed my life." That's Solutionary Dynamics in a nutshell.

Lisa Marie Presley at the 16th annual American Cinematheque Awards on Oct. 28. For more photos, go to

Interview with Otis Blackwell By Bill King June 23, 1989

When you piece together the history of contemporary North American music, you discover composer/pianist Otis Blackwell is the rightful owner of the title, King of Rock 'n 'Roll. Throughout the past 30 years, Blackwell's hit songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley ( All Shook Up, Don't Be Cruel, Paralyzed, Return To Sender, Please Don't Drag That String (Around), One Broken Heart For Sale), Jerry Lee Lewis ( Great Balls Of Fire, Breathless, let's Talk About Us), Little Willie John and Peggy Lee (Fever), Dee Clark (Just Keep It Up) and Jimmy Jones, Del Shannon and James Taylor (Handyman). Bill King: You've been in the studio working on some new projects. What type of sounds are you recording? Otis Blackwell: Actually, I've been finishing up three albums. I'd been in Nashville recording and a fellow in Baltimore is helping me start a little record label. How is it up there? B.K: Warm and rainy. O.B: It's been raining like crazy here. B.K: It can be a problem year after year in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee. After the drought of '88, this must come as a surprise. O.B: It's definitely a wet one. B.K: I first met you at a club in the early '80s, when I was playing with Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks. I managed to get one of your promotion leaflets and was astonished at the number of hit rock 'n' roll songs you have written. Where did all this music come from? O.B: I really don't know. When I was young, I just sat down and started playing Chopsticks at the piano. I got so far and then lost interest. Eventually, I regained it and started writing songs. B.K: Was there music you heard when you were young that helped you develop a style of writing? O.B: I didn't play much early on. What I really liked was cowboy movies. I was a big cowboy fan and liked western music. You couldn't get that stuff where I lived, so I hung out at a little theater that played Gene Autrey and Tex Ritter movies. Tex Ritter is still my favourite singer. B.K: Did you listen to a lot of radio? O.B: Yeah, but I didn't get to listen to country music. When the radio was turned on in my house, you had either spirituals, the news or Chuck Willis and Larry Darnell. B.K: Was it difficult to get people interested in your songs? O.B: When I started writing it was kind of hard getting people to do my stuff. They' say they couldn't do my style. At one point, I decided to open an office at 1650 The Brill Building, which is supposedly where all the great music writers have theirs. I opened it and down the hall was a business school. Students would pass by my door, and, eventually, some came in. They looked around and asked, " Are you a songwriter?" I said, "Yeah." " You wrote such and such." "Yeah, I did." On my wall I had people like Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee, James Taylor and six or seven other white artists and the kids said, " How come you don't have any black artists on your all?' I told them. "That's my gold wall, and they're the ones who sold millions. I've never had a black artist do that with my songs. B.K: Were black artists recording your songs? O.B: No, I was getting a lot of covers, but either they weren't getting out or just weren't clicking. I think the one that really happened was Fever with Little Willie John. But, it only went so far because Peggy Lee jumped on it. B.K: Was there more interest from black producers and artists after your first successes? O.B: There were two gentlemen. One was Henry Glover, he dug what I did. I got a bunch of records through him. The other fellow, Calvin Carter, was from Vee Jay Records and he recorded a lot of my material. Other than those two, I didn't get much interest. B.K: How were you able to get you songs to Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis and Peggy? O.B: A writer by the name of Leroy Kirkland took me to a publishing house called Shalamar Music. A fellow there by the name of Al Stanton was a friend of another fellow named Paul Cates, who was with the Elvis Presley people. He got my songs through. When Moe Gail, who owned Shalamar Music, passed away, I moved over to another publishing company. B.K: Did they treat you right? O.B: Oh, you better believe it. It was slow at first. You had a lot of late hours, but that's all part of it. Now, you don't have to wait to record. You can spend five to eight dollars on a cassette and they don't even listen to it. I'd hate to be a songwriter starting a career today. So many independent publishers and they're all important. They've done a lot of wrong things, but some good as well. B.K: When the movie Breathless came out, did things begin to turn around again? O.B: Oh yeah, I've noticed it usually turns around every nine or ten years. B.K: Years ago, I met Don Covey, Tommy Tucker and Johnny Nash in a New York studio called A-1 Sounds. They were all selling songs to the owner, Herb Abramson, who held the publishing on High Heel Sneakers. It seemed every few years his fortune would increase when Elvis or Jose Feliciano would record the tune. O.B: I talk to herb every time I go to California. We hung out a lot and had many a good time. He's still driving, but he can't see right; he drives that car like he's crazy. B.K: He's the first producer I met in new York when I was there in 1967. I was down and out, had a couple of songs and he bought them. O.B: he was the original partner and founder of Atlantic along with Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun. They all started it together. B.K: I always wondered why Herb and the others parted ways. O.B: I think he went into the service and, by the time he got out, things had changed. I really like doing that old stuff and he's got a good ear for that. That's the way he wants to record. His thing is rhythm 'n' blues. B.K: His door was always open to black artists. O.B: He understood the music. We're all in it to make money, but hew really loved it. He talks it all the time. B.K: How did Peggy Lee get hold of Fever? O.B: I used to be with a publishing house called Roosevelt Music. A gentleman there told me he had seen Peggy Lee perform Fever in Las Vegas and I found out later she wanted to record it. B.K: Did you ever meet her? O.B: No, I didn't meet her, but came close about three years ago - it was too crowded. I was to meet her after the show, bit I didn't want to hang around and deal with the crowd. B.K: Did you ever attempt to talk to any of the artists that had considerable success with your songs? O.B: I never really wanted to meet them because there's the problem of getting between the artist and the manager. It can get kind of funny at times. I always figured it was best if I write my songs, take them to my publisher and just lay back. There used to be so many things going on - getting to the artist, getting to the publishers - you know, politics. I just didn't want to get mixed up in all of that. B.K: Did you ever do anything with Sun Records? O.B: I met what's his name. B.K: Sam Phillips? O.B: Yeah, I met him a couple of times when I went down to Memphis. That's as far as it goes. I used to go down every year for the remembrance of Elvis' birthday. Memphis State College invited me to sit in the auditorium and speak to the people for one of those Elvis days. B.K: When are they going to have an Otis Blackwell Day? O.B: I don't know - it might be nice. I'm very low-keyed. There have been many times when I've been asked to appear and I'd say to myself, "What am I going to talk about?' Early on, when I did interviews, I'd tell everyone, "Don't ask me about dates. I don't even remember what I did yesterday." B.K: How did you come up with those wonderful bass lines that were at the core of the music? O.B: I started as one of those two-fingered players, then graduated to three and four fingers and, eventually five. I played a little boogie-woogie and the shuffle, so I wrote over that. Then the Beatles came over and knocked that out. B.K: Where did you grow up? O.B: I was born in Brooklyn and still live right around the corner from where I was born. Everybody used to tell me to go to Nashville, and I'd say, "OK, where is it?" I started coming here years ago to hang out, and now I love it. B.K: Any plans for the future? O.B: I've decided to run back in forth between Brooklyn and Nashville. I like this town, it's really great. They've put me in The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. This town is about music. It's about the kind of music I like. I've also started a small record label, so I've done an album. People always talk about what I've done, but this is what I'm doing now. I got behind that pencil and nothing happened for many years, but since they put me in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, I've turned around. I took a good look at myself and said, " I think it's time to get back at work." B.K: How has your writing changed? O.B: You know my thing was always about I Love You. Your Feets Too Big and that kind of stuff, so I figured I'd sit down and write something different. One of the new songs deals with the situation with guns, and another one deals with the homeless. I've got two or three rock 'n' roll tunes. It's the best stuff I've done in a long time. I've taken my time and worked on them for a couple of years.

George Sidney; Recalls his days of putting the roar in the MGM's lion.

B&N.com: Your films are known for having really brash color schemes, can you talk a little bit about your approach to shooting in color? GS: Did you ever see a picture called Showboat? B&N.com: Yes. GS: Well, that was my Monet period. And a couple of people caught it -- when Ava sits on the rail and the water's in back of her, it's shot like a Monet painting. In Annie Get Your Gun, I used circus colors, because the movie had that kind of feeling. An audience doesn't need to analyze or fully understand what you've done, but the things you choose still have an effect on them. I always picked a palette for what I was doing. When I did Viva Las Vegas, I used the gaudy colors of the lights on the strip. But it was never something I was too self-conscious about. B&N.com: You worked with so many incredible live performers in your career -- Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland. Did you seek out those kind of actors? GS: You seek out who you think is correct for the project. You could be wrong. Frank Sinatra was not in Anchors Aweigh originally. It was another comedian. I said, "No, I want this guy." The studio said, "That skinny guy? He's so thin, he won't even fill a shadow." That's when I dropped the big one. I said, "He'll cast the largest shadow show business has ever seen." It's an instinct. But hey, you've got to be lucky too. Because some of the biggest pictures have been made with the wrong people. And they fall apart. B&N.com: You directed Viva Las Vegas near the end of your career. How did you get attached to that project? GS: Presley pictures were just dying. They were doing nothing. So his agent and my agent were really pushing me to do it. I said, "I've never even seen a picture with this guy." Well, I went and looked at one, and I said, "It's pretty simple what's wrong. The camera's only on him. It's never on the girl. It's never equal. You gotta have boy, girl, boy, girl. You've got to match people up." And then the idea of doing it became sort of a challenge to me, you know? I have an ego like everybody else. So I told them I'd do it. B&N.com: How far had it been developed? GS: They had a script, but it was no good, so I just threw it out. They had him in the desert somewhere. I said, "No. We'll put him in a racecar. That's what the youngsters want. We'll shoot it in Vegas, because I can make some good deals up there." They said, "Maybe you should have a girl. That girl, what's her name?" So I got Ann-Margaret, who I'd worked with on Bye Bye Birdie, and we made a deal. I wrote the script in ten days, and we made a picture where the close-ups of the two stars were equally divided. So it played. As weak and as stupid as the story was, the audience went along with it and enjoyed it, and the picture really took off. B&N.com: How was it working with Elvis? GS: It was a challenge. What you knew of Elvis 15 minutes after meeting him was just about all you'd ever know; he was like a piece of glass. No one got near him. Frankly, I think I was a bigger shock to him than he was to me. On the opening day of the picture, I drove up to the soundstage on my big old Harley-Davidson. Well, I don't think he had ever worked before with a director who rode a motorcycle. Then next I came in with a racing Bentley, and he found out that I owned my own airplane. I think I was a freak to him. Don't get me wrong, he was always very polite, "Yes sir. No sir."He came, and he did his work. But people don't seem to realize, he wasn't a traditional show business guy. At the end of a long day, with stars like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, you'd sit around together and have a lot oflaughs. But not with Elvis. He had his own little troupe that constantly surrounded him. You couldn't get close to him. It was sad, really. (Full Story)

"Elvis World - Japan" Special Report

Columbia Records' Legendary Producer, BOB JOHNSTON Wrote For Elvis

Bob Johnston, a legendary music producer for Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel and Johnny Cash, co-wrote more than one song for Elvis. by Haruo Hirose When I visited the official site of Bob Johnston, I found that he listed 9 Elvis movies (Viva Las Vegas, Roustabout, Girl Happy, Harum Scarum, Frankie & Johnnie, Spinout, Double Trouble, Clambake and Speedway) as movie music written by Bob Johnston. And on the same page he wrote Elvis Presley recorded 22 Bob Johnston songs. What? Twenty-two songs? I never heard of this. In an Elvis' recording session book, I found only one song Bob Johnston co-wrote (with Joy Byers), which is There Ain't Nothing Like A Song. Where are other twenty-one songs? And I never found a name of Elvis Presley in his biography. When I checked him out on Internet web-sites, I found Joy Byers was his wife from this article. By the early '60s Johnston was producing for Kapp, freelance arranging for Dot, and co-writing songs with his future wife, Joy Byers. Johnston today admits that for contractual reasons his contributions to Byers' work (including Timi Yuro's Top Ten "What's A Matter Baby" and songs on nine Elvis Presley film soundtracks) were uncredited. After producing Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, a comeback record for Patti Page, Johnston's opportunities mushroomed, gaining him carte blanche for future projects. It was while working in New York that his musical paths crossed with Dylan's. The rest is music history. On this interview he tells; Johnston: The only thing I regret is not getting him(Bob Dylan) to Presley. Q: Was that a possibility? Johnston: That was a possibility. He had a song, and I wanted Elvis to do it, but I couldn't .... Bob Dylan wrote a song for Elvis. (?) Bob Johnston's wife, Joy Byers' works for Elvis are; C'mon Everybody (Viva Las Vegas) Hard Knocks; There's A Brand New Day On The Horizon (Roustabout) The Meanest Girl In Town; I've Got To Find My Baby (Girl Happy) So Close, Yet So Far; Hey Little Girl (Harum Scarum) Please Don't Stop Loving Me (Frankie And Johnny) Stop, Look And Listen (Spinout) Baby, If You'll Give Me All Of Your Love (Double Trouble) She's A Machine (Easy Come, Easy Go) Hey, Hey, Hey (Clambake) Let Yourself Go; There Ain't Nothing Like A Song (Speedway) Goin' Home It Hurts Me (co-written with Charlie Daniels) On this Charlie McCoy Interview, he talks on Jonston; Q: What was it that brought Dylan to Nashville in 1966? He had recorded everything in New York up to that point. McCoy: Bob Dylan started to record with the producer Bob Johnston, who I had a real good relationship with. Bob Johnston came to Nashville as a songwriter from Texas, and he had heard some records that me and some of my buddies had played on, and he decided that we might be just what we needed to do his demos, because he wanted to do some demos a little bit out of the ordinary, straight-ahead country thing. He was writing a little bit of country-rock, plus he had a connection to Elvis to the movies. He hired me to lead his sessions, and we got a group of musicians together. On this Charlie Daniels Interview, he talks about It Hurts Me; Q: In the early '60s, your composition "It Hurts Me" was recorded by Elvis Presley. How did that experience strike you? Daniels: I was deeply honored by it. What can you say? All the incredible adjectives you can think of to attach to that experience were very definitely in play. Q: And you moved to Nashville? Daniels: Yes, I went to Nashville in 1967. I had been on the road for a long time and was not really getting anywhere. Bob Johnston, a friend of mine, had taken over Columbia in Nashville. He asked me if I wanted to come down. I did -- thank God I did. Anyway, it's surprise to me to find out that Bob Johnston wrote many songs for Elvis.

60年代の後半から 70年代にかけて、 Ｓ＆Ｇの 「サウンド・オブ・サイレンス」や ボブ・ディランの 「ナッシュビル・スカイライン」 等で、 フォーク、 カントリー、 ロックの 垣根を取り払い、 数多くの ゴールド・レコードを 輩出した コロンビア・レコードの 大プロデューサー、 ボブ・ジョンストンが エルヴィスの 映画用の曲を 書いていたとは 知りませんでした。 ジョイ・バイアースの 曲のほとんどは、 彼女の夫、 ボブ・ジョンストンとの 共作になるものらしいです。

ROCK NOTES Sun tribute CD makes legendary founder beam By Steve Morse, Globe Staff, Globe Correspondent, 10/26/2001 \2011

Rock 'n' roll doesn't get any more basic than the music made at Sun Records in Memphis 50 years ago. To celebrate that anniversary, many post-Sun artists - from Bob Dylan, Page & Plant, Van Morrison, and Paul McCartney, to Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, and Matchbox Twenty - perform their favorite Sun tunes on the excellent new ''Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records.'' The album comes out Tuesday and is a vital reminder of a decade when Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and others delivered rebellious slaps to the mainstream and put rock 'n' roll on the streets. The 16-track CD is a multigenerational fun fest, starting with McCartney's rockabilly romp through ''That's All Right, Mama'' and a Jeff Beck/Chrissie Hynde collaboration on ''Mystery Train.'' Then you have Elton John on Jerry Lee's ''Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On,'' Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers tackling ''Blue Moon of Kentucky,'' Dylan easing through ''Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache,'' Live doing Cash's ''I Walk the Line,'' Eric Clapton and the Impressions teaming on ''Just Walkin' in the Rain,'' Page & Plant on ''My Bucket's Got a Hole in It,'' and Crow on ''Who Will the Next Fool Be.'' And that's not to mention Bryan Ferry's ''Don't Be Cruel'' and Kid Rock's ''Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee.'' Most carry the zest of the originals, while Matchbox Twenty's version of Charlie Rich's ''Lonely Weekends'' takes that song into a completely new realm. ''I had absolutely nothing to do with this album, but I think it is sensational,'' says Sun founder/producer Sam Phillips, 78. ''It may not sell 10 jillion copies, but it is a masterpiece and shows the lasting influence of whatever it is that I did. I wanted to step back and see the implantation my work had on these musicians.'' The tribute CD was produced by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun (one of the people bidding for Elvis's contract when Phillips sold it to RCA in the '50s), though some of the performances were taped for a PBS documentary about Sun Records that Phillips is very much a part of. (That will air Nov. 28 and is likewise called ''Good Rockin' Tonight.'' It appears on PBS's ''American Masters'' series.) Phillips's elation with the CD prompts him to say, ''I wish I could find a bad track on the record, because I'd like to have something to gripe about, but I can't find it. I tell you what, I didn't know anybody could come close to singing `Walkin' in the Rain' as beautifully as Clapton and the Impressions do it. That's not an easy song to do. And Matchbox Twenty with `Lonely Weekends,' I never would have had the imagination to do what these kids did. Apparently, this was just an arrangement they were doing before this project came up. They're a sweet bunch of kids. ... And I love Sheryl Crow doing `Who Will the Next Fool Be,' which happens to be one of my favorite all-time songs. She just sings the lower anatomy off of that thing.'' ''Everyone did the album just for the love of music,'' adds Phil Carson of Victory Records, who conceived the project. ''This is something that I've dreamed about for years.'' The new CD and documentary will refocus attention on a pivotal era when Phillips took over a radiator shop in Memphis and converted it to the Sun studio. Ignoring the racism of the time, he recorded black artists such as B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Rufus Thomas, and Ike Turner, as well as the white country boys led by Presley. By so doing, he helped fuse blues and country into the hybrid that became known as rock 'n' roll. ''People forget the civil rights issue,'' says Phillips. ''That's a lot more interesting story than just Sam Phillips and what we did with our little studio. My neighbors were white and we were recording a lot of black people. But they couldn't eat everywhere, so we'd have to go get food next door and bring it in. I'm not condemning the South. ... I didn't holler about it. All I did was just work under the constraints of the time.'' Phillips's work ethic carried him through. ''Nobody worked any harder than I did, or longer hours. And even after I got out of the studio and hit the road, there were no damned interstates then. I've slept in many YMCAs and eaten many 75-cent breakfasts. But I got lucky. Maybe other people could have done what I did better, but there would not have been the same satisfaction if I had not done it myself. I was lucky to get a wind at my back as things got going. I've had a blessed life, and I'm still having one.'' Patriotism leads hit parade The 'God Bless America' Collection, Inspirational and Patriotic, Is No. 1

Wednesday October 24 07:17 PM EDT Charts: Stars and Stripes Soar This week's number one debut has the charts turning red, white and blue. The patriotic compilation God Bless America--a 15-cut disc featuring flag-friendly tunes from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Gilman, Frank Sinatra, John Mellencamp Lee Greenwood and our maple leaf friend from the north Celine Dion leading off with the title track--outpacing all comers. For the week ended Sunday, the collection of nationalistic anthems sold nearly 181,000 copies, according to SoundScan numbers. Likewise, on the singles charts, other Uncle Sam-themed songs are making a run. Whitney Houston's "The Star Spangled Banner" sits on top and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless America," Aaron Tippin's "Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagles Fly" and Elvis Presley's "America the Beautiful" all in the top 10. Still enjoying a postattack bounce, Enya's A Day Without Rain sold 169,000 copies to hold its peak position at number two. The Irish New-Ager finally bested former chart-topper Ja Rule, whose Pain Is Love dropped two spots to number three in its third week. Down to Earth, Ozzy Osbourne's first studio solo album in six years, scored the week's only other top 10 bow, selling 152,000 copies at number four. Coincidentally, Ozzfest alum Linkin Park celebrated their one-year anniversary on the charts this week with their breakthrough debut, Hybrid Theory, still sitting snuggly in the top 10 at number seven. Other top 10 holdovers included Nickelback's Silver Side Up at five, Totally Hits 2001 at six, Jay-Z's The Blueprint at eight, Usher's 8701 at nine and Alicia Keys' Songs in A Minor down to the 10 spot. Andrea Bocelli --the blind, Tuscany-born vocalist often referred to as the "Fourth Tenor"--just missed the top 10, coming in at 11 with Cieli di Toscana. Also making strong showings were Americana rocker John Mellencamp at 15 with Cuttin' Heads and rapper Mr. Cheeks at 33 with John P. Kelly. The pop-driven soundtrack to On the Line--with tracks by Britney Spears, 'N Sync , Mandy Moore and True Vibe--opened at 35. The film stars 'N Syncers Lance Bass and Joey Fatone. Close behind were alt-rockers Lit at number 36 with Atomic and New Wave pioneers New Order at 41 with Get Ready. Finally, for those going on a really, really, really long car trip, the new 12-disc box set by the Grateful Dead, The Golden Road (1965-1973), just barely squeaked into the charts at number 191. Next week, X will mark the spot as DMX's The Great Depression is on track for a number one bow and Incubus' Morning View the likely runner up.

"America the Beautiful" が 今週発売の ビルボード誌の シングル・セールス・チャートの ８位に入りました。 エルヴィスのシングル盤の トップ１０入りは、 ７２年の "Burning Love" 以来 ２９年ぶりです。

Elvis is Back in the Billbord Top Ten with RCA's Special Elvis CD To Benefit Disaster Relief The charity single, America the Beautiful entered the Billboard Top 100 Singles Sales Chart (for the week ending 10/21, Nov.3rd.issue) at #8. Congratulations to RCA and to all the Elvis fans for this achievement. (Screen shots from "America The Beautiful" CD)
	If I Can Dream America the Beautiful Amazing Grace If I Can Dream (video) \529

Song Listings of all the Dec. '75 Las Vegas Shows

Jerry Presley swears Elvis wrote part of new book By HEARNE CHRISTOPHER JR. The Kansas City Star, Date: 10/23/01 22:30 Stop me if you've heard this... Elvis is alive. No, really. So says the King's self-proclaimed second cousin Jerry Presley of Kansas City, and he's as serious as a heart attack. Jerry Presley, you may recall, does an Elvis impersonator gig, locally and nationally, purportedly with some of the Big E's original band. Now, as if things aren't all shook up enough on the planet, Presley says there's a whole lot more shakin' on the way. Presley says he's playing his cards close to his vest for now, but here are the shocking truths I could pry out of him. "There's a book out about the truth about Elvis. And it's (in part) written by Elvis. It's written by a doctor named Donald Hinton. I'd love to spill my guts." But only an "inner circle" of about five people knows the real truth, Presley says, "And I'm part of that inner circle." Hinton's book, published last July, is called The Truth About Elvis Aron Presley: In His Own Words (American Literary Press, $12.95). A description on the bookseller Amazon.com says: "It presents the events of Elvis Aron Presley's last 24 years as told to him by `The King' himself through a collection of handwritten letters and cards, telephone conversations and photos since his death in 1977." What's more, Elvis has been living in seclusion as Jesse, the name of his deceased twin brother, all this time, the book contends. Expatriate Cowtowner Jack Soden -- the head of Memphis-based Elvis Presley Enterprises worldwide -- was traveling and could not be reached for this column. However, Todd Morgan, the Presley Enterprises director of media, says he's skeptical of the book. "It's just one of the many stories that have been out there," Morgan says. "But we know Elvis died Aug. 16, 1977, and he's buried in the Meditation Garden at Graceland, and there's no doubt about that whatsoever." The skeptics are in for a big surprise, Presley says. "He's about to come out. That's what the book's about. There's so much inside stuff that can't be talked about right now." What if...? Say Jerry Presley's correct. A few months from now the E Man walks into Morgan's office. Then what? "I'd be thrilled if he turned out to be alive," Morgan says, laughing. "I never got to meet him or see him perform. And I'd have a million questions to ask him, too." The first: "Where the hell have you been? And can I keep my job, because I really like it, and I'd really like to work with you." The modern-day Elvis wouldn't be at all like people make him out to be, Morgan says. "He'd be in style for the times. That's what's so funny. He would have updated his look. He wouldn't be wearing mutton chops or any of the stuff he wore before." If Elvis decided to move back into Graceland, the shag carpeting would most likely be history, too, Morgan says. "Graceland was in a constant state of change when Elvis was alive. He was always changing things." Further, Elvis wouldn't be able to just waltz in and pick up where he left off in 1977. "It would take a little while for me to believe it was him. Because at first, I wouldn't believe it. He'd have to answer a lot of questions. But I don't think he'd just show up. There'd be some sort of formal arrangement." All Elvis, all the time As long as we're on the subject... CD update. Lisa Marie's new CD on Java/Capitol should be released in early 2002, Morgan says. "We don't know for sure. It's in the hands of the record company." Shark update. Lisa Marie was caught up in this year's "Summer of the Shark." The National Enquirer ran a Sept. 25 story, "Lisa Marie Shark Attack Terror. Romantic Cruise with Nicolas Cage Is Cut Short." Complete with photos of Cage and Lisa Marie. "Yeah," Morgan says. "They usually have some sort of photos to go with whatever story they make up." Heartbreak hotel. Memo to folks who think Lisa Marie sleeps over at Graceland and that's why the upstairs is closed to the public: "No, she doesn't," Morgan says. "She selects a hotel in the area." The upstairs is closed because "Lisa doesn't want it open," Morgan says. "The upstairs was Elvis' private place, and she likes to keep it that way." We've heard ... So many Elvis rumors... So few truths. Who knows what to believe when it comes to Elvis? Take second cuz Jerry... "I've not met him, and we can't vouch for him one way or the other," Morgan says. Fact is, the slagheap of Elvis shtick is monumental, Morgan says. "You could have a bonfire that could be seen galaxies away if you piled up every book or article, every falsehood ever written about him. There wouldn't be a lot left to read comparatively if you eliminated the falsehoods."

Linda Thompson Interview from "Essential Elvis" Magazine ( English - Japanese Translation ) Essential Elvis に掲載されました リンダ・トンプソンの インタビュー の対訳を アップしました。 (Thanks to Andrew Hearn)

Subscribe "Essential Elvis" Magazine Bi-monthly 36 page magazine will keep you right up to date with all the Elvis news and it's full of rare photographs too. Along with the latest reviews, articles and special features, our contributors are those who actually knew and loved Elvis Presley. For subscription information, Go to Essential Elvis web-site. Or mail to Andrew Hearn.

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