Elvis Presley - Let history get it right

Elvis Presley’s Graceland, with its real life and death focus on the man; Sam Phillips’ Sun Records, and the “Memphis” sound; Colonel Tom Parker and his intelligent promotion; Mississippi Gospel roots; and the global impact on music produced by the combination of all of this, came into focus for me while walking the grounds of Graceland on the southern outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee. Read more

Book Review: “Fortunate son: the life of Elvis Presley” by Charles L. Ponce De Leon

“Fortunate son: the life of Elvis Presley” by Charles L. Ponce De Leon delivers the relevant facts of the life and career of Elvis Presley in a consise format. The book frames the rise of Elvis Presley in the cultural context of the 1950’s south, where Elvis Presley is “formed” by an unique combination of musical and cultural influences. The musical visions of Sam Phillips are aptly described, as Elvis enters the recording world at Sun Records in the midst of the Memphis musical world of rhythm and blues. Bringing with him the influences of Gospel, and traditional southern music to be combined with Memphis R&B, Elvis and Phillips forged the new sound that was about to change the world. Read more