Elvis: From Earth to Mars Via Perseverance

One of seven boarding passes with Elvis Presley's name on it.

Following the landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars with great interest, I was pleased to read on the Elvis Information Network that Elvis Presley is among the nearly 11 million names of earthlings to ride along on the rover.

Wanting to learn a bit more, I visited NASA’s website and found this:

NASA’s "Send Your Name to Mars" campaign invited people around the globe to submit their names to ride along on the rover. And people did – with a grand total of 10,932,295 names submitted. Those names now sit on the surface of Mars, written on three fingernail-sized chips on board the Perseverance rover.

I also discovered that it is possible to retrieve a certain “boarding pass” if you fill in the name of that person. So typing ”Elvis Presley” I realized that no less than seven fans had submitted that particular name to be included on the flight to Mars.

But you know what? Elvis has landed on Mars before, on something called the InSight mission, that placed a single stationary lander on the Red Planet on November 25, 2018. Proof being a boarding pass that popped up for that flight as well (a total of 2,4 million names rode along).  

And not only that. On December 5, 2014, NASA’s Orion spacecraft made a first test flight, with nearly 1,4 million boarding passes submitted. And Elvis name was on two of those as well.

Finally, Elvis Presley also has two boarding passes for NASA’s next Mars mission (scheduled departure July 2026). And now I have one, too. So we will go there together, the King and I. Pretty cool!

Additional reading:

• Send your name to Mars (NASA website)
• Hound Dog Most Played Song In Space (post from April 12, 2011)

Pictures Of Elvis

I remember it took both time and effort to draw this back in 1985.

Not a day goes by without Elvis taking part in my life in some way or the other. Today, on Elvis birthday no less, I rediscovered an old drawing I made in the middle 80's, inspired by the RCA 50th Anniversary Series.

I don't know what it's like in other countries, but here in Sweden, each apartment usually has its own storage in the basement. Having moved to a bigger apartment last year, you can imagine what it looks like in our storage. Lots of boxes full of stuff.

Anyway, today I went down there because my four year old son was missing some of his children books I had retired, thinking he was a bit old for them. Finding them surprisingly fast, I then spotted a box containing books I had when I was a kid. Thinking there might be something there for my ten year old daughter, I opened the lid. Leafing through the books inside, I saw nothing she would be remotely interested in. 

But just as I was to put the lid back on I spotted a folder with some drawings inside. I recognized the top one right away and was transported back in time, remembering how I painstakingly had tried to draw not one, but five versions of Elvis, each one representing a certain point in his career.

I must have had a lot of patience when I was younger.

Together with the books, I took the drawing with me up to the apartment. Looking at it now, I think I nailed the jumpsuits pretty well (three of the five versions of Elvis were from the 70's as I thought that was the coolest period), and the hairstyles on the other two (from the 50's and the 60's) aren't half bad. But the faces on all five leaves a lot to be desired. Clearly, I couldn't get them right. Although the letters "ELVIS" and the 50th Anniversary-logo turned out ok. 

All in all, it was nice getting reacquainted with a drawing I did in 1985. Maybe I should have it framed?

Thank you Elvis, and happy birthday!

A day like this it hits me how lucky I am to be an Elvis fan. Not only because of the great legacy Elvis left behind, like his songs and movies, but also because the interest in Elvis is as high as ever. It's certainly as big as when I became an Elvis fan some 35 years ago.

And being a fan is as fun today as it was then. So thank you Elvis, for providing the soundtrack to my life!

The First Time Elvis Sang In Public

There is no mistaking it, it's Elvis Presley I'm listening to. But the song doesn't sound the way I'm used to, with Elvis playing the piano and the Jordanaires backing him up.

Yet there is something in the small child's voice that reveals to me who is standing behind the microphone. Because, although he is only ten years old and singing without accompaniment, he makes the Red Foley “weeper” about a boy and his dog his own.

Eleven years later he will record an emotional version of “Old Shep” for his second LP album, at Radio Recorders on September 2, 1956. But the young Elvis I hear now is performing the same song in a talent show at the annual Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy show in Tupelo, on October 3, 1945.

As he finishes the song, I picture him looking up from where he is standing on a chair to reach the microphone, smiling shyly as he hears the audience of several hundred his age applauding enthusiastically. The microphone then follows him down to his parents, clearly picking up the sound of  his mother Gladys talking to him. “I'm so proud of you, son,” she says.

The announcer from the local radio station WELO which is broadcasting the contest, then reveals the winners. Elvis wins fifth place, just like he will state 27 years later, in a 1972 interview done for his last movie Elvis On Tour. The last thing I hear before the recording fades, is the announcer asking all the contestants to once more get on the stage for a group photo.

I look down at the one-of-a-kind audio recorder in my hand. It has just traveled through time, capturing ten minutes of Elvis' life. As it could only make one round-trip journey through time, and only record for ten minutes, I had to choose wisely. Pressing the “play” button to once more listen to Elvis singing for the first time in public, I'm convinced I did.

The imaginary story above is the result of a recent post by Troy Y. over at The Mystery Train Blog titled Choose Your Elvis Adventure: 600 Seconds.

10,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong

The crypt is located inside this mausoleum.

The crypt at the Forrest Hill Cemetery in Memphis where Elvis was interred after he died will not be sold on auction. Over 10,000 fans (me included) have signed an online petition to prevent the sale, and today I received the following press release from ElvisMatters, the Belgian/Dutch fan club that started the campaign:

Elvis Presley’s crypt has left the auction block. Celebrity auctioneer Darren Julien said Friday that his company has agreed not to sell the crypt after fans worldwide demanded that it be kept as a shrine to his memory. (= the petition) Julien’s Auctions announced in May that it would sell the empty tomb at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, Tenn., at its “Music Icons” auction Sunday. Julien said the company won’t sell the crypt “until Forest Hills finds a plan that best suits the interests of the fans while respecting and preserving the memory of Elvis Presley.” Presley was interred there alongside his mother, Gladys, after he died Aug. 16, 1977. Two months later, they were reburied at his Graceland home. The original crypt has remained empty ever since.

I remember visiting the Forest Hill Cemetery together with fellow fans during Elvis Week in 2005. It feels good that the crypt that I saw then will remain empty, and that I played a small part in making that happen.

So, thank you, fellow Elvis fans, and a big thank you to ElvisMatters member and Navy Officer Rev. Fred Omvlee who personally delivered a Letter of Protest from the fan club. I salute you!

A Presley Signature Ending Style

A couple of days ago I decided to give the Girls! Girls! Girls! soundtrack album a spin. Listening to the second track, “I Don't Wanna Be Tied,” I found myself enjoying the transition from the fast tempo of the song to the slow ending, done in the style of “Jailhouse Rock” from Elvis '68 Comeback Special in 1968.

Simultaneously, I remembered reading a fan comment on ElvisNews.com some time ago, suggesting an album with all the songs Elvis ended this way. Finding it, I noticed that just a couple of songs were mentioned, so I went ahead and made up a playlist with all the tracks I could think of with this typical “Presley Signature Ending Style.” This is what I came up with:

“I Got A Woman”

Master, take 8–1/10/1956

A song Elvis used in his live act at the time, and had already tried to record at Sun, “I Got A Woman” became his first RCA master. It's a fast and bouncy number, right up to the slow ending that is timed perfectly. Released on Elvis Presley in March 1956.

“Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do” (finale)

Take 13–1/18/1957

Used to great effect towards the end of the movie Loving You, this must count as the ultimate slow ending version, at least movie wise. Has Elvis ever ended a song in a cooler way in any of his feature films? This version was finally released on the first Essential Elvis volume in 1986.

“Steppin' Out Of Line” (record version)

Master, take 9–3/22/1961

One of my favorite cuts from the Blue Hawaii soundtrack recordings, “Steppin' Out Of Line” sadly didn't make it into the movie or even onto the original album as a bonus song. Instead, it ended up on Pot Luck in 1962. I actually prefer the record version (with Boot Randolph's saxophone) over the movie version. Also, the record version has a much better ending, guess what kind it is?

“Rock-A-Hula Baby”

Master, take 5–3/23/1961

Apparently Elvis favoured the slow ending style while recording the Blue Hawaii soundtrack. “Rock-A-Hula Baby” ends in almost exactly the same way as “Steppin' Out Of Line,” and just like the latter it's a fun song, wild and cooking. One of the musical highlights from the movie as well as the soundtrack album.

“I Don't Wanna Be Tied”

Master, take 8–3/28/1962

Performed in the movie Girls! Girls! Girls! at a local nightclub, “I Don't Wanna Be Tied” isn't a bad number. But compared to “Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do” (finale), it falls far behind. This is especially true for the slow ending, where the movements made by Elvis dressed in a jacket and tie are miles from the ones made in Loving You five years earlier.

“C'mon Everybody”

Take 3–7/9/1963

Not featured on the master (take 5), the alternate take 3 includes a slow ending, just as the movie version did (having Elvis dancing together with Ann-Margret). But it's clearly done on the spur of the moment, as it starts five seconds after the take ends, sounding very improvised and unpolished. But great to listen to, nevertheless. First released on FTD's Silver Screen Stereo in 2001.

“Frankie and Johnny”

Master, take 6–5/14/1965

Though not containing a strictly slow ending, the title track from Elvis' twentieth movie offers something along the same lines. That's why I decided to include it on my list.

“Baby, If You'll Give Me All Of Your Love”

Master, take 5–6/29/1966

Definitely featuring a Presley signature ending style, “Baby, If You'll Give Me All Of Your Love” is a fast rocker, maybe not of the best quality but sung well by Elvis in the movie Double Trouble. Watching it on the big screen is another matter, with Elvis slapping an uppright bass and singing to some kind of doll's head placed at the top of it.

“Jailhouse Rock”

Live Master–6/29/1968 8PM Show

Recorded to the day two years after “Baby, If You'll Give Me All Of Your Love,” “Jailhouse Rock” from Elvis' ´68 Comeback Special is a different ball game altogether. Singing with a rough voice, he has never sounded more driven or wild, and the slow ending is sensational. It's Elvis returning to his roots.

“Winter Wonderland”

Master, take 10–5/16-1971

Why Elvis favoured a slow ending on his version of the seasonal standard “Winter Wonderland” is anybodies guess. Clearly, he was tired of the song, and the performance is spiritless, to say the least. Maybe he thought a slow ending would help save it somehow (I think it did), or maybe he just did it for laughs.

“I Can Help”

Master, take 2–3/10-1975

Elvis version of Billy Swan's “I Can Help” was to be his last fast tempo studio recording to feature a slow ending. He nailed the song in one single take.

“I Got A Woman”

Live version

When Elvis returned to the stage in 1969, one of the songs he brought with him was “I Got A Woman,” complete with the slow ending he originally used in the 50's. A couple of years later he would add the “Amen”-routine to this song, but the slow ending remained right up until the last concert in 1977.

“Jailhouse Rock”

Live version

Elvis also sang “Jailhouse Rock” in 1969, but without a slow ending as the song was coupled with “Don't Be Cruel.” Later on, though, he re-used the ending from the '68 Comeback Special. One example of this can be found on the album Elvis In Concert from 1977.

“Johnny B. Goode”

Incomplete studio jam–5/18-1971

This snippet only lasts for about a minute and was originally released on FTD's I Sing All Kinds in 2007. As the jam ends Elvis starts to sing what sounds like a slow ending, adding, “I said Johnny.” But when the musicians start to follow he laughingly says, “No, no, no, no,” aborting the idea.

Finishing the above list, one question that still remains, is if it was Elvis that originally came up with the idea to end songs this way. But maybe the answer isn't all that important. That type of ending will always be a “Presley Signature Ending Style” in my book.

Graceland Service

Tonight I attended a church service that was a little different. A couple of days ago my brother spotted a poster advertising a "Graceland service with songs by the King" in a church close to where I live (S:t Johanneskyrkan) and that sounded too good to miss. My brother joined me, as did my mother.

Soon the church was full of people. A woman playing the bass explained that she and the man that sang and played the piano had been doing the "Graceland service" since 2006, visiting different churches and performing together with the local church choirs.

Glancing at the program that was handed to me as I entered the church, I noticed that the songs weren't just religious ones. In fact, the whole service started with "Burning Love," followed by the more spiritual choice "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," where the audience was invited to join in the chorus.

After a prayer it was time for "I Want to Be Free" and then the actual sermon took place. "Crying In The Chapel" felt appropriate after that, as did "In The Ghetto" when people could approach the altar and light a candle. "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" was a surprise (after all, it's a home recording).

During the Holy Communion the choir and the band sang "Loving You" and "Can't Help Falling In Love," not exactly the choice of songs I would associate with that, but it worked well. As did "How Great Thou Art" where everyone in the church sang the chorus again.

After "Love Me Tender" and benediction it was time for "Amazing Grace" and then the service closed with "An American Trilogy." So ended the "Graceland service with songs by the King," and on my way home I thought once again how much Elvis' music means to so many people.

One Boy, Two Little Girls

January 8 is always a day when I think a little extra of Elvis, and in my own humble way try to celebrate his birthday, maybe by watching one of my favorite movies or playing a record that has a special meaning to me. As he would have been 77 years today, for some reason I came to think of the Elvis In Concert album, recorded in 1977, so that will be my choice this time.

But today is also important to me for another reason. Twelve years ago I asked a pretty girl out on a date, and by chance that date took place on Saturday, January 8. I'm happy to report that the date went well, today that girl is my wife and we have a beautiful daughter.

In fact, the two of us always try to go to a restaurant on this particular day each year, and usually ends up joking about if it's Elvis or us we're celebrating. And all kidding aside, I'll be able to listen to Elvis In Concert together with my daughter during the day, and focus on my wife in the evening.

Happy birthday, Elvis! (And thank you, honey, for being the best wife there is!)

What A Wonderful Elvis Year

As 2011 draws to an end I find myself thinking about what a good Elvis year it has been. And browsing through the blog posts I've written during the last 12 months, here are some of my most memorable moments:

The absolute highlight was the release of my blog book, The Elvis Today Blog Book, in which I'd collected the 271 posts I penned from August 16, 2007 to January 8, 2010. As I'd worked hard with it since August the year before, it was a great feeling to finally hold the real thing in my hands.

Record wise it's been a fantastic year as well. The Follow That Dream label began the year with the fine release Live In Vegas, featuring the August 26 dinner show from Elvis' first Las Vegas engagement in 1969. Then, after the "what if" album Elvis Sings Guitar Man, the label took a dive with the two summer releases Stage Rehearsal and Amarillo '77. But Ernst Jorgensen and Roger Semon then made more than up for that, and closed the year with some excellent releases, such as 48 Hours To Memphis, He Touched Me, Promised Land and Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas.

On the Sony main label, Ernst Jorgensen compiled and produced the critically acclaimed 5 CD deluxe set Young Man With The Big Beat, that put focus on Elvis in 1956. The highlight on the set was Elvis' final show for the Louisiana Hayride on December 15, 1956, previously unreleased. And speaking of Louisiana Hayride, I must also mention Memphis Recording Service's release The Complete Louisiana Hayride Archives 1954-1956, collecting all of the surviving Louisiana Hayride material with Elvis on one disc.

I recall I was a bit nervous one day in March when I was interviewed by the editor of the official news magazine for the University of Gothenburg where I'm currently holding a position as a public relations officer. Two months later the magazine was published, featuring an article spread over two pages titled A Life With Elvis under the heading In My Spare Time. Soon I found out I wasn't the only fan in the building where I work.

Another Elvis experience I remember really made me feel good. One evening in April, I gave a presentation about his religious music in a church. it was a fantastic feeling being able to present and listen to Elvis' gospel music in its right element.

Finally, I have to mention the pleasant correspondence I had with a veteran from the U.S. Navy and its Patrol Squadron VP-45 regarding an "Elvis ... if he's out there we'll find him!" crew patch I bought many years ago.

So, what does 2012 hold in store? I for one hope we'll see From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee and Moody Blue released in FTD's Classic Album Series. After all, Jungle Room Sessions from 2000 is one of their most popular titles, and the interest for the bootleg series Welcome To The Jungle proved that the demand among the fans for more outtakes from 1976 is high.

Oh, I almost forgot. On March 24 I'll attend Elvis Presley In Concert when the show is playing Copenhagen, and two weeks later, on April 7, when The Original Elvis Tribute (featuring Bobby Wood and Duke Bardwell, among others) is performing in Vara, Sweden, I'll be in the audience as well. So, surely looks like I'm in for another great Elvis Year!

Happy New Year!

I've Got A Thing About You Baby

Today we celebrated our daughter's first birthday together with family and friends. Though she didn't receive any Elvis gifts like she did a year ago, his music was of course playing in the background.

And speaking of Elvis, I couldn't help looking up how he celebrated Lisa Marie's first birthday. According to Elvis Day By Day the celebration took place in Aspen on a ski-and-snowmobile vacation.

Then, while leafing through the adjacent pages, it hit me how many important and crucial career moves Elvis made during the year following Lisa Marie's birth.

• He proceeded to make movies in a more adult vein (Live A Little, Love A Little, Charro! and The Trouble With Girls).
• He did his 1968 Elvis television special, later referred to as the '68 Comeback Special.
• He (or rather the Colonel) accepted a deal to perform at the yet-to-be-built International Hotel in Las Vegas in July 1969.
• He choose to record at American Studios in Memphis instead of Nashville, cutting songs such as "In The Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds," the latter turning out to be his first number-one hit since 1962.

Looking back at my own year since our daughter was born, I'm of course nowhere near an impressive score like that. Still, it's been the greatest time of my life, becoming a father and spending time with my daughter. And Elvis continues to take a part in my life as well.

Yet another Swedish Connection

Living in Sweden, I'm always on the lookout for new connections between Elvis and my country. There are more of them than one might think, and last week I discovered another one. Or rather, a colleague at work made me aware of it.

It's not the first morning I've found something waiting for me in my post-office box having to do with Elvis. This time it was an article from a daily newspaper (DN) about a Swedish ashtray and a meeting that took place between a freelance journalist from Sweden and Elvis in Hollywood 1963.

The journalist, Bo Hanson, had a tough time getting through the entire wall of agents and studios people, but was finally granted a ten minute interview. After waiting for two hours, the doors were thrown open and there he was: Elvis Presley. Bo Hanson later described the meeting in an article published in the Swedish magazine Allers, on May 3, 1964. 

He' so handsome, so beautiful in his white, tight pants, his bright red shirt and the most adorable little white bolero jacket, that it almost isn't true. 

Elvis understood how disappointed the Swede was that the meeting was so short, so he suggested that they should meet in his dressing room when he was done shooting for the day. That they did, resulting in a two hour long interview.

In it, Elvis talked about his record debut, his military service in Germany and his love for his house in Memphis, Graceland. Bo Hanson also learned that Elvis didn't feel ready to marry yet, but that his co-star Ann-Margret (yet another Swedish connection!) in the movie Viva Las Vegas, is a wonderful girl, although they are just friends. 

At the meeting, Bo Hanson presented Elvis with an ashtray from the famous Boda glass factory. The resulting photograph of Elvis with the ashtray, designed by Erik Höglund, is nowadays used as advertising for the glass factory. But where the ashtray itself is located today, the article doesn't say. On a table in Graceland, perhaps?

If I Can Dream

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, RCA/BMG released an Elvis Presley single titled America The Beautiful, to raise proceeds to benefit the American Red Cross Liberty Disaster Relief Fund. In addition to the songs "If I Can Dream," "America The Beautiful" and "Amazing Grace," it included a video track of "If I Can Dream" taken from Elvis' '68 Comeback Special.

I remember buying the single, listening to it and then viewing the video clip. It was an emotional moment. Today, on the day marking the 10th anniversary of the attacks, I pulled out the single and played it again. It just felt like the right thing to do. And watching Elvis perform "If I Can Dream," the lyrics took on a whole new meaning, just as they did 10 years ago.



If I Can Dream
(W. Earl Brown)

There must be lights burning brighter somewhere
Got to be birds flying higher in a sky more blue
If I can dream of a better land
Where all my brothers walk hand in hand
Tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true
Oh why

There must be peace and understanding sometime
Strong winds of promise that will blow away
the doubt and fear
If I can dream of a warmer sun
Where hope keeps shining on everyone
Tell me why, oh why, oh why won't that sun appear

We're lost in a cloud
With too much rain
We're trapped in a world
That's troubled with pain
But as long as a man
Has the strength to dream
He can redeem his soul and fly

Deep in my heart there's a tremblin' question
Still I am sure that the answer, answer's gonna come somehow
Out there in the dark, there's a beckoning candle, yeah
And while I can think, while I can talk
While I can stand, while I can walk
While I can dream, please let my dream
Come true, ohhhhh, right now
Let it come true right now
Oh yeah

From Blog To Television

Fellow blogger Troy Y. over at The Mystery Train Elvis Blog made an impulsive decision about two weeks ago that led to him being on television talking about an upcoming Elvis release.

What Troy did was take a chance and e-mail various local news media in Richmond (where he lives) when FTD announced that their September release 48 Hours To Memphis (featuring Elvis' performance from March 18, 1974 at the Richmond Coliseum).was a multi-track rather than the expected soundboard.

Later the same day a reporter from WTVR CBS 6 contacted him. Troy went over the basics of the release, but turned down an interview, as he couldn't have a camera crew visiting him at work. But the reporter, being persistent (as reporters usually are, I know, I've been one) called back the next day and asked if Troy would do an interview after all. So, at his lunch break he went over to the studio and did the interview.

As Troy himself explains at the For Elvis CD Collectors forum, "The reporter was great to deal with and very enthusiastic throughout the whole thing. Overall, I was happy with how it turned out and felt it presented a positive view on Elvis."

I agree, I enjoyed watching it and felt that Troy was taking care of business. Hopefully, Ernst Jorgensen has seen it as well. It's not every day an FTD album gets promoted on television. How about sending Troy a free copy of 48 Hours To Memphis, Ernst?

Elvis at the Coliseum live in concert to be released (WTVR website)

Christmas Blues

This week I wished that I could travel back in time, setting the date to the evening of September 7, 1957. The location was a given: Radio Recorders in Hollywood. This is what would take place, had it been possible:

Standing by the Christmas tree that producer Steve Sholes has arranged to have in the studio, I'll glance into the mix room and see Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller at work, asked to come up with something not sounding like a Christmas standard.

A short while later I'll notice the songwriting duo emerge and approach Elvis. Running through the song with Stoller at the piano and Leiber singing in his hoarse way, Elvis smiles approvingly and says, "Okay, let's make it."

He then knocks the song off in seven takes, singing about Santa arriving in a big black Cadillac instead of a reindeer, in that tough bluesy way. It's the highlight of the whole time travel trip. And, judging by the smiles on their faces, it's a great moment for Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller as well. 

This post is dedicated to Jerry Leiber who passed away earlier this week, on August 22.

Elvis Today ... And Every Day!

Today, on August 16, fans all around the globe remember Elvis Presley. It's been 34 years since he died, and if anything he's as popular now as then.

The most memorable anniversary date of Elvis' passing I've had so far was during Elvis Week 2005 when I attended the Candlelight Vigil. It was an emotional experience to participate, walking up the driveway to Elvis' gravesite together with thousands of other fans, each of us carrying a candle in remembrance.

This year I'll remember Elvis Presley while on holiday, spending the day in a Danish cottage by the sea with my wife and daughter. I've actually prepared this post in advance, as there will be no Internet available. But I'll be sure to bring along my faithful iPod and enjoy Elvis' music a little extra on August 16.

Incidentally, August 16 was also the date when I started my blog Elvis Today, four years ago. And it so happens that this is post number 400. So I'll celebrate that too, even if Elvis will be foremost on my mind.

Thank you for reading Elvis Today. And thank you Elvis, for always being there for me with your music. It means the world.

Did Rhoticity Kill The Hillbilly Cat?

Recently I found out that I'm not the only Elvis fan in the building where I work at the University of Gothenburg. One morning, I received an envelope with the internal mail. In it was a copy of a study in English, written by Mats Mobärg, a researcher and teacher at the Department of languages and literatures.

Turned out he'd read the article about me and my interest in Elvis in the official news magazine for the university, and thought I'd be interested in the study, titled "Did rhoticity kill the Hillbilly Cat?" that he wrote in 2001.

In short, what Mats Mobärg sets out to do, is trying to answer the question if Elvis Presley (a white pop singer) accommodates his singing pronunciation to a southern black model, in a way that resembles European singers aiming at an American target and northern American singers at a southern target.

He does this by investigating something called non-rhoticity, i.e. the absence of an [r] sound in words like arm and here. Non-rhoticity, he explains, "was traditionally a feature of black accents and white traditional upper-class accents, rhoticity being characteristic of white lower-class accents.

By comparing Elvis singing and speaking pronunciation he demonstrates that there is a dramatic increase of non-rhotic forms in his singing as compared to a spoken recording he used as a control (excerpts from an interview in Lakeland, Florida, August 1956, available on Elvis–A Legendary Performer Volume 3).

Mats Mobärg then goes one step further, checking out, among other things, rhoticity and period as well as rhoticity and tempo. It turns out that Elvis as the rock and roll hero of the mid and late fifties to a very great extent is non-rhotic, whereas Elvis the Hollywood crooner of the sixties puts his [r]'s in 50 per cent of the time. Also, that his up-tempo songs, especially the rhythm & blues songs, exhibited non-rhoticity to a remarkably high degree. Mats Mobärg has this to say on the last page of his study:

This would seem to indicate that there may indeed be a accommodation to a black model, since, among the genres tested, rhythm & blues by definition represents the black musical tradition, and non-rhoticity is a primary characteristic of black southern speech. It cannot be claimed, on the basis of the present analysis, that Presley consciously wanted to accommodate to a black style, but it is likely that there was a strong sense of appropriaetness of style in his adaptation of music, which led to the same result.

Are you with me? In any case I thought it cool that a fellow fan working in the same building as me has done scientific research on Elvis Presley.

The Elvis CAC 4 crew patch

I have yet to receive an answer from the U.S. Navy and its Patrol Squadron VP-45 regarding my "Elvis ... if he's out there we'll find him!" crew patch, that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. The veterans from that squadron acted quickly though, just one day after I sent the e-mail, I got a reply from Buck Jones, the president of the Patron Four Five (VP-45) Association.

Although on a Sunday he went to a lot of trouble answering my letter, and later that day, a couple of follow-up questions that I had. Among other things he told me the:

The Elvis CAC 4 [Combat Air Crew 4] crew patch is not an authorized VP-45 Patch. All Navy Patrol Squadron's usually allow individual flight crews to wear unique crew patches on flight gear (suits/jackets). Since most Navy Patrol flight crews stay together for 18 months or less the patches are purchased by the crew as a one time buy and are usually changed or modified with each new group.

As far as I know only one CAC 4 crew had the patch. I served in VP-45 from 1963 to 1970 (flight crew) and 1979 to 1981 (maintenance material control officer). There were times when I was on flight crews that all 12 crews had a unique patch. There were also times when no crews had unique patches. I have no idea when a crew 4 wore the Elvis patch.

He also explained that several military units have used that particular Elvis patch [same message/different picture of Elvis] for crews or unique units. Also, that the U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue units have used the Elvis patch as well.

So, thanks to the president of the Patron Four Five Association I learned a lot, not only about the Elvis patch, but about VP-45 as well. I'd like to take the opportunity to once more thank him for taking the time to answer my questions on a Sunday.

But the story didn't end there. About the same time I received an e-mail from fellow Elvis blogger Troy Y. who runs The Mystery Train Elvis Blog. He'd read my post and found variants of the patch I wrote about, which comfirmed the use of the Elvis patch among other military units.

• SAR team shares stories (Whidbey Crosswind)
• Some new patches (U.S. Militaria Forum)
• Defense.gov News Photos (U.S. Department of Defense)

Elvis Now - Now And Then

What part Elvis should take in my life a particular day is often decided by myself, for example by way of a CD or a DVD. But he can also pop up in different ways when you least expect it, and quite often he does. The following story illustrates this.

Last month I spent a couple of days with my parents together with my wife and daughter. My mother had dug up a couple of old children's books from when I was little, including one in German called Lottes Tagebuch (Lottes' Diary).

Even though my German is rusty, to say the least, I decided to leaf through it, showing the pictures in it to my daughter. About halfway there was a picture showing Lotte browsing through some records in a rack, while in charge of the music at a friend's party. And, to my surprise, the record at the very front was titled Elvis Now.

I quickly went back to the inside of the front page, earning me a confused look from my daughter. I noticed that the book was printed in 1972, the year Elvis Now was released, so I came to the conclusion that's why that particular title was chosen. Now, why an Elvis album was at the front, I don't know. Maybe the author, Margareta Lööf was an Elvis fan and had recently bought Elvis Now.

That's the part Elvis played in my life that day. Not the biggest one by far, but a nice one, nevertheless. And it made me listen to Elvis Now when I came home again. But that's another Elvis experience altogether.

Elvis Now- An Appraisal (my review of FTD's classic album version)

The Handwritten Las Vegas Rehearsal Set List

Sitting behind his desk in his California home at 144 Monovale, in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, Elvis looks down at the canary yellow lined legal sheet where he so far has scribbled only the words "RCA STUDIO REHEARSALS."

He sighs, leans back in his comfortable, green leather chair, at the same time casting a glance at the photo on the desk showing him proudly shaking hands with Richard Nixon, who only days before, on August 9, 1974, has resigned the office of the presidency.

But Elvis has other things on his mind than the Watergate scandal. The fact is, he's as weary as his critics of the predictability of his own show, and is determined to work up an entirely different repertoire for his August 19 opening in Las Vegas.

Tomorrow is the first of three days of rehearsals at RCA's Sunset Boulevard Studio, and Elvis wants his long time friend and stage director Charlie Hodge to have a list of songs he can show to the musicians. It's the way they always do it before going in the studio. "The 2001 introduction has to go and I ain't gonna use my guitar," he mumbles to himself and starts writing with his gold plated fountain pen.

About fifteen minutes later, Linda Thompson, passes the door to the combined office/TV/living room, and casts a quick glance at Elvis. Things aren't that great between them right now, and she knows he's hitting on other girls, including twenty-one-year-old Sheila Ryan, who was on the cover of Playboy magazine that previous October.

Linda tries to catch Elvis' eye, but he doesn't look up from the paper on which he is writing. She knows better than to disturb him and walks away.

Elvis haven't even noticed her. Truth is, he's invigorated simply to be reinventing the show, introducing recent material such as "Promised Land," "It's Midnight" and "If You Talk In Your Sleep," and omitting the medley of past hits.

He also throws in songs he's never done live before, including, surprisingly, "Down In The Alley" recorded back in May 1966. "Janie, Janie, Janie, Janie, Jane, Jane," he sings out loud as he remembers how fun he was having in the studio with that one, clowning around with Charlie Hodge. Some old favorites, such as "Proud Mary" and "I'm Leavin'" also end up on the sheet.

Finished at last, he puts the fountain pen in its holder and looks with satisfaction at the list in front of him. He notices that he's managed to spill some coffee on it and that "Just Pretend" is written twice. No matter. "OK, anytime you're ready," he says to himself as he gets up from the chair, the set list in his hand.

(This post was inspired by an auction on eBay)

Stay Away Joe, Oh Yeah

Even if it's more than a year until our daughter will start attending nursery school, we're already looking at which one to wish for. You see, in our part of town there's a lot of kids and not too many nursery schools, so your first choice isn't always the one you get. But today my wife walked by one that I feel must be a winner.

Looking at this particular nursery school, my wife thought she spotted a photo of someone familiar in one of the windows. So what she did was take a picture of that particular window that she showed me triumphantly when I arrived home from work.

Although very granular, I recognized the motive instantly. ”That's Elvis,” I blurted out. ”From the movie Stay Away, Joe”. My wife smiled at me. ”This must be a great nursery school, don't you think,” she kidded.

I went to the computer to download the photo from the camera and manipulated it as best as I could in Photoshop. A search on the Internet for images from Stay Away, Joe then made it possible to identify the photo as the one used on the cover of the ”U.S. Male”/”Stay Away” single.

Surely it must be a sign. A nursery school with Elvis in the window has to be our first choice. And of course it helps that it's the one located closest to our home as well.