The Original King

Tryin' to Get to You

Wertheimer accompanied Presley on a 27-hour homecoming train trip to Memphis following the singer's appearance on The Steve Allen Show in July 1956 in New York. Wertheimer took this remarkable portrait after the entourage -- the photographer, Presley and his manager, Col. Tom Parker -- changed trains in Chattanooga.

The Hollywood Reporter must have been reading my mind lately.  I've been on a kick of posting photos of the original King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.  I've always been an Elvis fan, but in the past few years have come to not only appreciate his music, good looks, and films, but also his classic sense of style.  

The Hollywood Reporter features sensational photos of the King by Alfred Wertheimer.  Wertheimer was called in 1956 to shoot photos of the young King right when his career began to take off.  The 2,500 photos he took will be shared in a book called Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll by Taschen in April.  Will you get the book?  If you're an Elvis fan like I am, what did you appreciate the most about him?

Out to Lunch

"This is one of my favorite pictures," says Wertheimer of the candid shot of Presley and his cousin Junior Smith. "The waitress was saying, 'Gentlemen, what would you like?' Junior actually is thinking about food, and Elvis is looking her over so carefully-- he was almost saying, 'Oh, I'd like you.' "

The King at Play

Wertheimer's most famous Presley photo -- of the singer and an anonymous fan -- was taken backstage at the Mosque Theater in Richmond, Va. “Within moments of setting up the frame, she says to Elvis, 'I'll bet you can't kiss me.' And he says, 'I'll betcha I can.' "

Professional Aspirations

"We wound up in the Supreme Men's Shop. He stopped by the door of the dressing room, and on that door were about 10 glossies signed by actors in dedication to the store owner. And Elvis was looking at them as if to say, 'One day I too shall be on the wall of the Supreme Men's Shop.' "

Necessary Maintenance

Given unfettered access to Presley in his suite in the Warwick New York Hotel, Wertheimer followed the sound of an electric razor and found Elvis, shirtless and shaving. "I say to him, 'Elvis, do you mind if I continue the assignment?' He said, 'No, come in.'

All photos by Alfred Wertheimer courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter Online

All captions in black courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter

It Runs In The Family

Flipping through my Vanity Fair this month, my jaw dropped when I came across the above photo.  Any idea who the beauty is?  It's Riley Keough, Lisa Marie Presley's daughter, and granddaughter of the King himself.  Now you see it, huh?  Yes, the beauty runs in the family, that's for sure.  

Photos by Miguel Reveriego for Vanity Fair Magazine

Happy Birthday Elvis

Today marks Elvis Presley's birthday. He would have been 76 today. Wow, time flies. Happy Birthday King.

Elvis and Last Days

I can't believe I haven't blogged since Saturday! I've been trying to get over this cold thing and started back to school this week, so I've been really busy! I promise to get back on track, so don't desert me now! I just finished reading the Elvis biography that I have been reading since July. Wow. You have no idea. What a tragic life he had. I can't believe all that he went through, his personality qwerks, and what he had to deal with on a daily basis. I've posted pictures of cute Elvis. Here are some from the end of his life. So many videos of performances on YouTube to check out also. Hope you all have a great day!

Blue Suede Shoes Gone Forever...

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. I found a great article on Yahoo News and thought I would share it with you. Here are some little known facts about Elvis and his career. Where would we be without his music?

--According to Robert Sillerman, former CEO of the company that owns 85% of Elvis Presley Enterprises, there are more than 84,000 performers whose principal occupation is impersonating Elvis.

--"Elvis" was the middle name of Vernon Presley, Elvis's father

--Despite being the "King of Rock And Roll," Elvis never received Grammy recognition for any of his signature rock hits. He did win three Grammy awards over his career, but they were all for gospel recordings. He did, however, receive a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1971.

--Elvis played bass on his 1957 hit, "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care."

--Elvis never performed live outside of the United States, save five Canadian shows in 1957.

--After leaving the Army, Elvis made his first post-military appearance in 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a benefit concert in which all proceeds went to the USS Arizona Memorial building fund, honoring American sailors killed in the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

--Elvis's friends noted that he loved pepper on his eggs--in fact, he often poured so much pepper on his omelet that it appeared black.

--Everyone knows about Elvis's iconic 1956 pink Cadillac. But did you know he also owned a nearly identical model in purple? Both cars are on display at the Graceland Museum.

--Comedian Johnny Carson once quipped, "If life was fair, Elvis would still be alive and all the impersonators dead."

--Larry Geller was responsible for styling Elvis's hair for the sad occasion of his funeral. When setting about his task, he was startled to find that Elvis had half an inch of white-colored regrowth under his dyed black hair. Geller quickly improvised a touch-up job using a black mascara wand.

Elvis

I'm reading Baby Let's Play House right now and it is fascinating. I know I always say that, but I am learning so much about Elvis's background that I never knew. Here are some yummy photos of him to brighten up your day. Anything you want to share about your week?

Ann Margret and Viva Las Vegas

I always thought Ann Margret was so sexy. She just had that something about her. Elvis and Ann performed in many films together and were known to have had an affair. One of the movies I love with the two of them is "Viva Las Vegas." (1964) Here are some bits of trivia, and pics of Ann and Elvis. What do you think?

--One of the guitar players on the soundtrack was singer/actor Glen Campbell.

--When the wedding scene was filmed, many tabloid magazines at time published photos of the "wedding" and suggested that Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret really had gotten married.

--Was double billed with Tamahine (1963) in most theaters when first released.

Glen Glenn Troutman

So many of you might never have heard of Glen Glenn, but I just found out that my he is my boyfriend's uncle! He was popular in the 1950's here and continues to be popular in Europe for his rockabilly sound. I am in love with his sound and even have some of his songs on my playlist. Here is some information and pics. If you remember him or know who he is, let me know!

GLEN GLENN was one of the many talented singers of the 1950's who did not reach the success he was worth. He was born as Glen Troutman on the 24th of October, 1934 in Joplin, Missouri. He lived there with his family till they moved to San Dimas, California. Soon after his arrival in California, Glen started playing guitar. After a short time he met Gary Lambert who was a gifted guitar player and they started playing country music. Then in 1952 they decided to try making it in the music business, so they left school.

THEIR FIRST SUCCESS in country music was in 1952 when they won a talent spot at the "Squeakin' Deacon Show" at the "Riverside Rancho" in Los Angeles. In 1954 they started to appear regularly in many local country bars like the "Country Barn Dance" in Baldwin Park. Those days they called themselves "Glen & Gary - the Missouri Mountain Boys."

IN EARLY 1956 Glen & Gary started touring Missouri and the states around together with Glen's cousin Porter Wagoner. Their tour was very successful and they appeared on many TV show like the "Ozark Jubilee" and the "Circle 7 Jamboree."

LATE IN 1956 Glen was back home again in California and joined the Maddox Brothers and Retta Maddox. They toured a lot and appeared on a TV show called "Cal's Coral." Glen also became involved with Rockabilly then - which was new to his style.

"KATHLEEN" and "ONE CUP OF COFFEE" were the first two demos Glen made in 1957, and so he was searching for a record contract. But although some record companies were interested, he did not get an firm offer so he decided to record some more in January of 1958.

THIS TIME he had better luck and signed a contract with Herb Newman and Lew Bedell (ERA Records) in February of 1958. Soon "Everybody's Moving" b/w "I'm Glad My Baby's Gone" were ready for release. This minor success was followed by "Laurie Ann" b/w "One Cup of Coffee" (ERA 1074) and this was really a big hit, but since Glen had been drafted on January 20th, 1958, he was not able to promote his records in the right way and so his last single on ERA "Would Ya" b/w "Blue Jeans and a Boy's Shirt" wasn't a huge success when it was released in late 1958.

NEARLY AT THE SAME TIME Lew Bedell left the corporation to form his own label, Dore', and took some of ERA artists with him - one of them was Glen. In the spring of 1959 Dore' produced "Goofin' Around b/w "Susie Green from Abilene" in cooperation with the Ernie Freeman Band, but that wasn't a big hit either.

WHEN GLEN quit the Army in December of 1959, he returned back to his music business. He married in 1961 and after releasing his last single in 1964, he became fed up with touring around the states and decided to take a daytime job (with General Dynamics), quit the music scene and spend time with his family.

1987 found Glen in Europe, playing a few shows in Holland for the "Rockhouse Festival" and then on to Great Britain. In 1993 went back to tour Europe again performing 9 sell-out concerts in 5 countries.

Glen has the unique distinction of performing with the best drummers in the business: D.J. Fontana (Elvis), W.S. Holland (Carl Perkins & Johnny Cash), Dickie Harrell (Gene Vincent's Blue Caps), Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats), Sandy Nelson (#1 solo artist), Dick Richards (Bill Haley's Comets), Richie Frost (Ricky Nelson).

His tune "Everybody's Movin'" has been covered by "The Boss," Bob Dylan, Brain Setzer, Neil Young and Tom Petty.

Glen cut nine albums in the 1950's.

While in the Army, he entertained troupes in Hawaii, Korea and Japan.

His single, "Laurie Ann," was once the Pick Hit of the Week on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.

Glen has sung with a host superstars such as: Elvis, Buddy Holly, Buck Owens, Glen Campbell, Tommy Collins, Lefty Frizzell, Carl Perkins, Slim Whitman, Joe Maphis, Wanda Jackson, Carl Smith, Justin Tubb, Ferlin Husky, Merle Travis, Marty Robbins, Robin Luke, The Everly Brothers and others.

Elvis <3

I was looking through my Elvis images and had to share some with you. Could anyone be any more gorgeous? Wow...make my heart melt...Enjoy!