From ELVIS...THE MAGAZINE -- 29th Anniversary Issue, August 2006

7 Days With Elvis, 4000 Photos, 50 Years Ago

Alfred Wertheimer is sometimes called the godfather of rock & roll photography, and he well deserves the title.  As a struggling twenty-six year old free-lance photojournalist in New York City, Wertheimer’s good fortune gained him access to Elvis Presley during that first, heady flush of fame in 1956.  The resulting photos captured the everyday Elvis, relaxed and off-guard during down times. Now, Al Wertheimer’s classic photos are the most esteemed collection of pictures of Elvis Presley ever taken. 

Elvis…The Magazine has been fortunate to have Wertheimer’s photos of Elvis featured in nine issues over the years.  Now, on the 50^th anniversary of his photo-taking extravaganza with Elvis, it’s time to honor Al Wertheimer’s remarkable achievement.  Here’s the story.

RCA Victor Records bought Elvis’ contract from Sam Phillips for $40,000 in December 1955.  Their new artist was hot in the mid-south and southwest, but unknown in the rest of the country.  So, it was important for them to get Elvis booked on national TV.  On January 28, 1956, Elvis made his first of six appearances on Stage Show, which starred Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.  About halfway through this engagement, RCA realized they had nothing in their photo file on Elvis.  They needed to get a few publicity shots. 

In early 1956, Al Wertheimer shared a studio with six other photographers.  One of them, Paul Schulzer, introduced him to Ann Fulchino in the Public Relations department of RCA Victor Records.  She put Wertheimer on a list of free-lance photographers she would call as various assignments came up.  When jobs went out to people, they would move to the bottom of the list.  Al Wertheimer happened to be on the top of that list when she needed the Elvis pictures, so he got the call.  She asked if he was free on March 17 to take some shots at the Dorsey Brothers show.  Wertheimer was a fan of big band music, so he jumped at the chance.

Then she told him he would actually be photographing Elvis Presley.  After a pregnant pause, Wertheimer said, “Elvis who?”  He had never heard of Elvis Presley. He also had no clue how drastically this job would change his life.

It was just a one-day assignment at the rehearsal and telecast of Elvis’ fifth Dorsey Brothers Stage Show in New York.  RCA wanted photos for release to newspapers:  head shots; Elvis at the microphone; Elvis with fans; or, best of all, Elvis with celebrities.  Al Wertheimer took the required photographs, but he didn’t stop there. 

By the time he parted company with Elvis that night, Wertheimer had snapped over 400 photos of Elvis, nearly all of which caught casual off-stage moments.  Wertheimer was able to shoot before, during and after the Dorsey show rehearsal, as well as back stage before the live telecast. 

But, in between the rehearsal and the national telecast, Elvis had hours of free time, and Wertheimer tagged along for every bit of it.  They walked back to the Warwick Hotel together.  Along the way, there was a stop at the Supreme Men’s Shop where Elvis considered several shirts but purchased none.  Then, it was up to Elvis’ suite.  At that point, Elvis had known Wertheimer for only five hours, but he obviously felt comfortable around the young photographer.  Elvis stretched out on the couch and looked through 200 fan letters he dumped out of a sack.  Wertheimer took more shots, then settled into a nearby chair and fell asleep. 

Sometime later, Wertheimer woke up to the buzzing of an electric razor.  Elvis had showered and was getting ready for the TV show.  Wertheimer asked if he could step inside the bathroom and snap more pictures (Elvis had pants on), and that was fine with Elvis. Soon, Wertheimer got to observe from the closest perspective the nuances of Elvis doing his hair combing ritual.

After the TV telecast was over, Elvis left through the stage door and was surrounded by approximately 100 screaming teenage girls.  Wertheimer suspected that Ann Fulchino of RCA had encouraged this by contacting local fan clubs, but he could tell the enthusiasm was genuine.  Elvis launched into serious autograph signing, obviously loving every minute of it.  Al Wertheimer climbed on an up-side-down trashcan and clicked away from behind what he called “this sea of hair.”  After Wertheimer was back on the ground, a girl asked him “Are you anybody?”  Sadly, he had to tell her “No.” 

Wertheimer turned in to RCA Victor the dozen shots he felt were best suited to their needs. They licensed the rights to use them for promotional purposes like press kits, or to put them on the back of future album covers.  RCA also got what are called ‘Contact Sheets,’  Each one contained the images from a roll of his film, and they provided an inventory of other available photos.  However, all the negatives belonged to Al Wertheimer.  He didn’t know how much good these pictures would do him, but he had a hunch.

Two months later, Alfred Wertheimer was hired for a second round of photos.  Elvis was all over the news then.  There had been a national outrage over his wild performance of “Hound Dog” three weeks earlier on his second Milton Berle Show appearance.  Elvis’ gyrating hips were blasted as ‘suggestive and vulgar’ by dozens of newspapers and hundreds of preachers in pulpits.

In the midst of this furor, Al Wertheimer quietly slipped back into Elvis’ orbit.  Elvis was always happy with a group of guys around him, and Wertheimer quickly became one of the boys.

The first day of Wertheimer’s new job was June 29, during the read-through rehearsal in New York for Elvis’ only appearance on the Steve Allen Show.  This will always be remembered as the show where Elvis had to dress up in a tux and sing to a basset hound sitting on a 2 x 3 foot platform atop a high pedestal.  

No sooner was rehearsal over, when Elvis and crew headed to Penn Station to board a train.  In the day-and-a-half opening between the rehearsal and the actual Steve Allen Show telecast, they had to ride overnight to Richmond, give two concerts, and ride the train back to New York.  This was precision logistics thanks to Col. Parker, who also put no restrictions on Wertheimer during the train rides.  Wertheimer had free reign during the Richmond concerts, too, because Col. Parker spent the whole time up-front dealing with business matters.

It was during the Richmond performances that Wertheimer had his real epiphany about Elvis.  While Elvis sang, Wertheimer watched the audience and was amazed at how many teenage girls were crying -- hugging each other and crying.  Wertheimer now says, “In my experience, nobody’s ever made the girls cry.  They’ve made them jump, scream, yell, cheer, but not cry … That was my clue.  Anybody who could make the girls cry is going to be a huge success.  And, I better stick around.”

Once the train arrived back in New York, they all headed to the Hudson Theater where the Steve Allen Show originated.  During the dress rehearsal, Elvis had fun with the basset hound, and Wertheimer got a whole sequence of shots.  Steve Allen was determined that nothing like what happened on the Berle show would happen on his.  The tuxedo and the basset hound on a pedestal effectively cut down on the movements Elvis could do.  Wertheimer observed that Elvis knew he was being controlled but was a good sport about it.

The next day Wertheimer accompanied Elvis to the RCA Victor recording studios in New York and witnessed the birth of “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”  Col. Parker was not at this recording session, allowing Wertheimer more unimpeded access.  This time, Wertheimer brought two rolls of color film along, as well as all the usual black-and-white.  That turned out to be a smart move.  Later that year, he licensed the rights for one of the color photos to TV Guide for the first of their many Elvis covers.  He received $250, big bucks back in 1956.

The next day was July 3, and Elvis had a benefit concert to do in Memphis on the night of the Fourth of July.  So, it was back to Penn Station to start a twenty-seven hour train ride to Memphis.  This trip was unlike the train rides to and from Richmond. They were at night and everybody slept.  This trip provided daylight travel during large portions of two days.  Wertheimer got to spend lots of time with Elvis – and the Colonel.

Wertheimer took some shots of Col. Parker.  Although it may not have been intended, this warmed up Parker, and he and Wertheimer had several good conversations.  After watching Col. Parker in action and talking with him, Wertheimer said, “This guy is pretty smart.  He’s thinks like a chess player.  You know, he’s thinking way ahead – three or four moves ahead.  He has a great understanding of cause and effect”

There has to be some hi-jinks on a long train ride, and this trip had some.  A huge stuffed Panda showed up from nowhere.  Wertheimer thought maybe the Colonel snuck it in.  Elvis and the guys loved it.  The Panda moved around and got used as a pillow a lot, but it always had his own seat next to somebody.  That night, Wertheimer went to Elvis’ compartment, where he was listening to acetates of the recent recordings.  The Panda was on his upper berth, strapped in with its legs coming through the webbing.

The next day Elvis put the Panda on his hip and walked down the aisle of the passenger car.  It became a prop as he flirted with the girls on board.  When two teenagers didn’t believe he really was Elvis, he pointed to Wertheimer and said, “See that photographer over there?  Would he be taking my picture if I wasn’t Elvis Presley?”

Wertheimer was now traveling on his own tab.  He took it upon himself to complete his Elvis photo story by accompanying Elvis to Memphis to see him at home with his family.  When the train arrived in Memphis, Wertheimer got to spend the afternoon hanging out at Elvis’ recently-purchased house at 1034 Audubon Drive. 

Gladys and Vernon had no problem with Wertheimer coming into their home and snapping all kinds of pictures.  He got along so well with Gladys that historians consider him an authority on her.  He says, “I seemed to become the resident expert on Gladys Presley, even though I was only around her a few hours.”  Wertheimer was interviewed extensively about her for a book, and Elvis Presley Enterprises has also gone to him to get a sense of what she was like and her relationship with Elvis.

One of Wertheimer’s shots that day was of Elvis with no shirt on, a boil and pimples on his back in full view.  A German magazine licensed the rights to use that picture years later and airbrushed Elvis’ back clean.  Wertheimer feels his original image shows that none of his Elvis photos were posed; that all his shots were of the real Elvis.

At 7:30 that night, Col. Parker showed up at Elvis’ home.  Shortly after that, the local Sheriff arrived.  He drove Elvis, Parker, and Wertheimer to Russwood Stadium for the homecoming concert.  Wertheimer got one shot in the squad car and dozens at the concert.  This was Elvis’ triumphant return home.  As he told the 14,000 fans, “You’re going to see the ‘real’ Elvis Presley.”  When it was over, the Sheriff drove Elvis home, and Col. Parker took Wertheimer to the train station. 

During the two-day trip back to New York, Alfred Wertheimer had time to reflect on what had happened during the past six days: a TV show rehearsal and telecast, a concert in Richmond, a major recording session at RCA Victor, three long train rides, an afternoon with Elvis’ family at their home, and a big holiday concert in Memphis.  To simply share all that with Elvis would be reward enough, but Wertheimer also had rolls and rolls and rolls of film.

The exact number of pictures has been subject to speculation and two earlier magazine articles on Wertheimer used the round number of 4000.  He says this is too high; that what really counts is the number of marketable photos.  After culling out the unusable shots (too dark, out of focus, etc.), Wertheimer says he has 2053 photos to license for future commercial ventures.

Wertheimer abstained from using flash bulbs.  He took the attitude of being ‘a fly on the wall,’ unnoticed and able to catch the casual un-posed moments.  So, he used two small and very quiet 35 mm Nikon S-2 Rangefinder cameras with no flashes, which kept Elvis oblivious to Wertheimer’s presence most of the time.

Without a flash, it was often necessary for Wertheimer to use very slow shutter speeds to get enough light for a good exposure.  This technique is called using “available light,’ but Wertheimer pushed it to extremes and coined the phrase ‘using available darkness.”  He says, “The darker your environment, the more people let it all hang out.”  That certainly worked with Elvis.

During 1956 and 1957, Wertheimer licensed some of his Elvis photos to magazines including  Life, Pageant, Coronet, Colliers, Look, and several teen fanzines.  He co-published a newsstand magazine called The Amazing Elvis Presley that sold 400,000 copies with a cover price of 35 cents. 

However, once Elvis was drafted into the Army in 1958, and was stationed in Germany, demand for Wertheimer’s Elvis Presley photos fell off substantially.  Wertheimer derived no income from his Elvis photos for the next nineteen years.  During that time, Elvis was arguably the most photographed man in the world.  The media seemed happy with current Elvis photos, and cared little about shots of young Elvis.

 All that changed on August 16, 1977.  Within 24 hours of Elvis’ death, Time Magazine called and asked if Wertheimer had anything they could use.  Soon, all sorts of media hungry for classic images of the young Elvis rediscovered Wertheimer’s archives. “And the phone hasn’t really stopped ringing in the last thirty years,” he says.

Wertheimer’s photos of Elvis have now appeared in countless books, calendars, watches, posters, and gallery prints.  The book “Elvis ’56,” published in 1979, is a remarkable collection of Wertheimer’s pictures that, as one critic noted, “Had the intimacy of a diary and the authority of a historical document.  “Elvis ‘56” is also the title of a 1987 video that used about four hundred of Wertheimer’s images, many of which have not appeared in print.

Alfred Wertheimer is excited about his next venture, a coffee table book titled “Elvis at 21: From New York to Memphis.”  Unfortunately, it won’t be published in time for Elvis Week this year, but he will still be there as usual -- doing a slide show and telling stories at the “Elvis Insiders Conference.”  He will be the hit of the day.  Al Wertheimer has great Elvis stories, and he loves to tell them.

©  2006   Philip R Arnold   All Rights Reserved

Contributing Editor, Phil Arnold is also host of ELVISBLOG.  www.elvisblog.net

From Elvis International, the Magazine...71st Birthday Tribute, January 2006

A Look Back, 50 Years Later, At What Could Be The Most Significant Month in Elvis’ Career

On January 2, 1956, Elvis performed at a high school in Charleston, Mississippi.  It was an event similar to more than a hundred others in 1954 and 1955 when Elvis toured extensively throughout the south and southwest.  But things were about to change for Elvis – in a big way.

Back in late November 1955, Sam Phillips sold Elvis’ contract to RCA Records for $35,000, but nothing changed in Elvis’ life immediately.  He still had a string of previous concert commitments to fulfill, and there was the usual downtime over the Christmas holidays.  Right after his 21^st birthday, however, things got very busy for Elvis. 

On January 10, he and Scotty Moore, DJ Fontana, and Bill Black did their first recording session at the RCA studios in New York City.  Floyd Cramer, who had played piano behind Elvis on some Louisiana Hayride shows and Chet Atkins, guitar virtuoso and RCA Nashville studio chief, augmented the small group.  This first session produced “I Got A Woman,” a hit for Ray Charles a year earlier, and “Money Honey,” and earlier hit for the Drifters.  Both would end up in Elvis’ first LP album, Elvis Presley.

The big accomplishment of the day was recording “Heartbreak Hotel,” a song that sounded unlike anything Elvis had recorded before.  It would ultimately become his first hit for RCA and would stay at # 1 for seven weeks.

After one of his last performances at the Louisiana Hayride on January 15, Elvis started a six-day tour through Texas, as part of Hank Snow’s All Star Jamboree.  Col. Parker was Snow’s manager before taking over Elvis’ career, and he put Elvis on thirty-two of Hank Snow’s shows.  On January 20 in Fort Worth, Elvis did his last appearance as a supporting act.  From then on, he would always be at the top of the bill.

On Saturday, January 28, Elvis made his first appearance on national television.  He and the boys performed on CBS’ Stage Show, starring Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey.  Elvis sang “I Got A Woman” and “Shake, Rattle, and Roll / Flip, Flop, and Fly,” two Joe Turner hits he often performed on stage.  Although Elvis’ first TV exposure was on a rather low-ranked show, it was the start of the buzz about him that grew to a roar later in the year.

Elvis finished January on a tremendous roll.  Next up, in quick succession, were more recording sessions at RCA, more television appearances, a two-week tour through Virginia and the Carolinas as the headliner, the release of his hugely successful first album, and a screen test with Hal Wallis at Paramount. 

In spite of all this, bigger things were still ahead for Elvis.

 © 2005   Philip R Arnold 

From: Elvis International, The Magazine -- 28th Anniversary Issue,

August 2005

If you were on the Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, which of these drummers would you pick for the relatively new “Sidemen” category?

DJ Fontana:                  The beat behind the King.  Elvis’ original drummer, who performed and recorded with him from 1955 to 1968.

Benny Benjamin:           Motown’s first drummer and the most beloved musician in Hitsville.

Hal Blaine:                    May well be the most prolific drummer in rock and roll history.

Earl Palmer:                  Probably the greatest session drummer of all time.

Pretty hard choice isn’t it?  Well, the selection committee has already enshrined three of these drummers, and it is time for them to add one more – DJ Fontana.

There can be no arguing with the merits of Benjamin, Blaine, and Palmer.  The capsule summaries above come right from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame web-site.  Benny Benjamin recorded with all the Motown greats like the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Supremes, Gladys Knight, Martha and the Vandellas, and Marvin Gaye.  Hal Blaine was a first-call session drummer in Los Angeles, recording with the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, the Mamas and Papas, the Byrds, Johnny Rivers, the Association, Sonny & Cher, the Grass Roots, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, and Herb Alpert.  Earl Palmer started in New Orleans and recorded with Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, and Little Richard.  Then he moved to Los Angeles and backed Ritchie Valens, Ray Charles, Duane Eddy, The Monkees, Neil Young, and Elvis Costello.

Looking at these resumes, you will note all three men were outstanding session musicians, but none was ever a sideman to one rock star for an extended period of time.  DJ Fontana, on the other hand, was a sideman in the truest sense.  He performed with Elvis on hundreds of live shows and played drums on 460 RCA Elvis cuts.  Plus, he did other session work in Nashville for over 30 years, recording with a veritable who’s who of singers.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame created the Sidemen category in 2000, and got it right when they picked Scotty Moore among the first five inductees.  But, in a move that defies logic, DJ was omitted, and two other drummers, Blaine and Palmer, were selected.  Scotty and DJ should have gone in together.

In 2001 the Hall enshrined the other Elvis guitar player of note, James Burton, of TCB band fame.  No drummer went into the Hall that year.  Another slight to DJ.

In 2002, only one musician, Chet Atkins, was added to the Sidemen list.  Why not DJ?  Who knows, but it surely wasn’t his lack of credentials.

In 2003, the Hall added a third drummer, Benny Benjamin.  This is when the fans of DJ Fontana started to really get upset with the selection process.  Rumblings of ”let’s get DJ into the Hall of Fame” were heard at Elvis Week and other gatherings, and on Internet chat groups.  Hundreds of letters and petitions went to the Hall extolling the praises of DJ and cheerleading for his inclusion.

As reported in Elvis International magazine a year ago, four of the world’s most famous rock drummers formally approached the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Sidemen Nominating Committee about DJ Fontana’s qualifications.  Ringo Starr of the Beatles, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Levon Helm of the Band, and Max Weinberg of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band had it right.

In spite of this intervention by all-star drummers with Hall of Fame credentials, the selection committee ignored DJ again in 2004.  Incredibly, they did it again in 2005. The most frustrating thing is that they selected no one to the Sidemen category in either year.  If there were no other notable musicians worthy of induction, how could they ignore DJ with such great qualifications.

Maybe we need more people championing his cause.  How about a lot more?  This writer thinks the time has come for the citizens of Elvis World to let the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame know we are fed up.  We cannot e-mail them, because they do not publish an e-mail address.  But they do have snail mail.  Please take a few minutes to write a letter to:

            The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation

            1290 Avenue of the Americas

            New York, NY  10104

There’s no need to remind them what stupid jerks they are.  Instead, you might want to add substance to your plea by emphasizing DJ’s qualifications.  To review, they are:

• Elvis’ original drummer.
• Performed and recorded with Elvis from 1955 to 1968.
• Played drums on 460 Elvis recordings.
• Top session musician in Nashville for 30 years.
• Supported by Hall of Fame Drummers Ringo Starr of the Beatles and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones.
• Fellow Elvis sideman Scotty Moore already inducted into the Hall of Fame.

It’s time to stop the injustice to DJ Fontana.  Please send a letter and help get DJ into the Hall of Fame.

©  2005   Philip R Arnold

Contributing Editor, Phil Arnold can be reached at philarnold@charter.net

From: Elvis International, The Magazine -- 28th Anniversary Issue, Summer 2005

Suppose you got to help create a list of the Top 500 Rock & Roll songs of all time.  Bet you’d have lots and lots of Elvis hits in there.  I know I would.

Well, the folks at Rolling Stone Magazine would not.  Elvis had a few high spots in their survey, but his overall total seemed low.  In all fairness, we do have to thank Rolling Stone for presenting the list in their December 9, 2004 issue.  It was a wonderful thing for this old rock fan and many others to read and think and reminisce about.

This not the first time Elvis fans have been disappointed at The King’s representation on a major list of top songs.  Three years ago, VH1 presented their Top 100 rock songs of all time (complete with music video clip on each one).  Elvis got some recognition, but not what you’d expect.  Let’s take a look at what these very credible music enterprises had to say about Elvis’ songs, and where they reside in the galaxy of the greatest.

SONGS IN THE TOP 10

Rolling Stone – 0                               VH1 – 0

That was tough to take.  Not one Elvis song in either Top 10.  Of course, the competition was very tough, with the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, John Lennon and others taking a position in the top 10.  Both polls had great songs selected on their lists, although they had some significant differences.  I’d have trouble disagreeing with any of the choices.  There just wasn’t any Elvis in there!

SONGS IN THE TOP 20 

Rolling Stone – 1                               VH1 – 1

They each pick one… but not the same one.  VH1 rates “Jailhouse Rock” as #18, while Rolling Stone has “Hound Dog” at #19.  These classic old songs both deserve that recognition, or better.  But, there are other equally good Elvis songs that should have been there, too.

SONGS IN THE TOP 50

Rolling Stone – 2                               VH1 – 2

Come on!  Only 2 Elvis songs in the Top 50 of all time.  That’s just wrong.  All VH1 could add was “Hound Dog” at # 31.  Rolling Stone added “Heartbreak Hotel” at # 45.  Out of the Top 50 rock songs, they found only three Elvis recordings between them:  “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Heartbreak Hotel.”  Sorry, they are all Top 20 material, at least. 

SONGS IN THE TOP 100

Rolling Stone – 5                               VH1 – 4

Rolling Stone gets on board with “Jailhouse Rock” at #67 and adds two new titles:  “Mystery Train" at # 77 and “Suspicious Minds” at # 91.  It’s easy to agree with these picks.  We can be pleased Rolling Stone’s Top 100 recognized both a song from Elvis’ early work at Sun Records and also a staple of his later jumpsuit years.  “All Shook Up” is mentioned for the first time at #68 on the VH1 poll, and they gave a belated nod to “Heartbreak Hotel” at #71.   Between the two polls, there were just six different Elvis songs selected in the top 100.  That’s not enough.

SONGS IN THE TOP 500

Rolling Stone –11

Next up was another Sun disc, “That’s All Right (Mama),” at # 112.  That’s a good pick, but this was followed by the poll’s second-biggest mistake: “Don’t Be Cruel” at only # 197.  I can’t believe it.  There can’t be too many members of the selection committee who were around in 1956, and had that song in their 45 collection.  If they had, “Don’t Be Cruel” would be Top 20, maybe Top 10.

Rolling Stone rated “All Shook Up” at # 352.  Give me a break.  “All Shook Up at # 352???  The song stayed # 1 on the charts for twelve straight weeks.  How could they possibly make a mistake this big?  At least VH1 had it at # 68. 

The first Elvis ballad to appear was “I Can’t Help falling In Love” at # 394.  Next came “Blue Suede Shoes” at # 423.  Carl Perkins’ version came in at # 95, making “Blue Suede Shoes” the only song to be in the Top 500 by two different artists.  Frankly, I think a good argument could be made for Perkins’ version being in the Top 20.

The last Elvis song to make the Rolling Stone list was “Love Me Tender” at # 437.

My initial anger at the lack of respect given to Elvis songs in these polls has now been tempered by a new realization.  It wasn’t the songs that made Elvis special.  It was Elvis.  His looks, his clothing, his voice, his stage persona.  He was the total package and probably would have succeeded even if he had recorded lesser material.

In spite of this handy justification, it’s still fun to think where we would put Elvis recordings in the Top 500 rock & roll songs of all time.  “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock” would squeeze into the Top 10 somewhere.  “Heartbreak Hotel,” “All Shook Up” and “Don’t Be Cruel” belong in the Top 20.  “That’s All Right,” “Mystery train,” and “Suspicious Minds” would be in the Top 50.  “Love Me Tender” and “Can’t Help Falling In Love” would be joined by another ballad, “Loving You,” in the Top 100.  Certainly the next 400 places would include “Teddy Bear,” Blue Suede Shoes,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” and “Burning Love.”

Adding it up, our revised list would have two Elvis songs in the top 10, five in the top 20, eight in the top 50, eleven in the top 100, and eighteen in the top 500.  Now that’s more like it.

If it was up to this writer, the Top 500 would also include three personal favorites.  “(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care,” featured the movie Jailhouse Rock, is arguably the best song Elvis recorded that was never released as a single.  “Reconsider Baby” from the album Elvis Is Back is considered by many to be Elvis’ best blues recording.  And “Santa Claus Is Back In Town” is simply the best rock & roll Christmas song ever.

There were six songs selected to the Top 10 in both polls:  “Like a Rolling Stone”/Bob Dylan, “Satisfaction”/ The Rolling Stones, “Respect”/Aretha Franklin, “Imagine”/John Lennon, “Good Vibrations”/Beach Boys, and “Hey Jude”/Beatles.  The polls were done years apart by different all-star juries, which gives credence to the outstanding quality of these songs.  The biggest Top 10 discrepancies were “What’d I Say”/Ray Charles (# 10 Rolling Stone, # 41 VH1), and “Hotel California”/Eagles (# 6 VH1, # 49 Rolling Stone)

The selection committee for the Rolling Stone Top 500 seemed to be especially fond of 60’s music, choosing 202 hits from this decade.  The 70’s were next with 144 selections.  The 50’s were only the third best decade with a puny 71 picks.  That’s not enough.  It’s painfully obvious that not many of the judges were around and listening to music in that decade.  They missed dozens of outstanding songs on their list.

In yet another tribute to the genius of Sam Phillips, Sun Records provided five of the Top 100 songs.  The honored songs were: “I Walk The Line”/Johnny Cash, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On”/Jerry Lee Lewis, “Mystery Train”/Elvis Presley, “Blue Suede Shoes”/Carl Perkins, and “Great Balls Of Fire”/Jerry Lee Lewis.  And “That’s All Right” was close behind at # 112.

Chuck Berry challenged Elvis with the second most 50’s songs on the list.  Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard and Bo Diddley followed, but Fats Domino was way under represented (eight Top 10 hits, only two songs on the list)

Every song on Rolling Stone’s list received a critique narrative, which enabled the magazine to fill forty-one pages of the issue.  It was also interspersed with fifty-six full-page advertisements and numerous partial pages, so it was a good marketing move.

Here’s some of what they had to say about the Elvis songs. 

Hound Dog:  “With snarling vocal authority, precision rockabilly jump and slashing lead guitar by Scotty Moore, Presley transformed the song’s blues changes and put-down rhyme into a declaration of independence… “  (For my money, everything Elvis recorded in the 50’s was a declaration of independence.)

Heartbreak Hotel:  “… what Sun Records founder Sam Phillips called a ‘morbid mess’ went on to become Presley’s first Number One hit and million selling single, thanks in part to Scotty Moore’s steely guitar and a thumping bass from Bill Black.”  (Would it have hurt to give some kudos to DJ Fontana, too?)

Jailhouse Rock:  “The King… sang it as straight rock & roll, overlooking the jokes in the lyrics and then introducing Scotty Moore’s guitar solo with a cry so intense the take almost collapses.”  (I’ve gone back and listened to that part of the song again several times, and I still don’t know what that writer was talking about.)

Suspicious Minds:  “Recorded between four and seven in the morning, during the landmark Memphis session that helped return The King to his throne, ‘Suspicious Minds’ is Presley’s masterpiece.”  (But only # 91 on their list.)

That’s All right:  “Recorded in a shockingly fast, lusty new style, the single was the place where race and hillbilly music collided and became rock & roll.  … and the world changed.”  (When the magazine sang the praises of their top pick, ‘Like a Rolling Stone,’ they said, “no other pop song has so thoroughly challenged and transformed the commercial laws and artistic conventions of its time.”  (Baloney!  “That’s All Right” did all that and more.  It changed the world, remember?)

Don’t Be Cruel:  “… his take on this blues song, “Don’t Be Cruel,” backed with “Hound Dog,’ became a double-sided hit on the pop, R&B and country charts.”  (But that was only good enough for # 197 on your list.)

All Shook Up:  “Presley fell in love with the tune the first time he heard it.  The song went on to sell 2 million copies.”  (Not enough to get it higher than # 352.  Their biggest slight to an Elvis song.)

I Can’t Help falling In Love:  “… this was no vacation for Presley.  It took him twenty-nine takes to nail his exquisitely gentle vocals.”  (Rolling Stone accompanied this narrative with a nice picture of Elvis.)

Blue Suede Shoes:  “Perkins’ single got to Number Two, but Presley’s peaked at Number Twenty.”  (Carl’s version was better, but Elvis did a major improvement when he re-recorded the song for the movie, “GI Blues.”)

Love Me Tender:  “It represented a brand-new sound for The King.  He sang in his softest voice, accompanied by his own acoustic guitar.

Rolling Stone magazine had no trouble referring to Elvis as “The King” in most of their song critiques.  We wish they had treated his songs with more respect in their list; but let’s face it, the key to Elvis’ success was Elvis himself, not just his recordings.

©  2005   Philip R Arnold

 From:  Elvis International, The Magazine -- 70th Birthday Tribute, January 2005

It’s been a real kick contributing to Elvis International magazine for six years, and my best fringe benefit so far happened in Memphis during Elvis Week 2004.  It was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.   Darwin Lamm, Editor/Publisher of Elvis International, put on the two biggest concerts of the week … back to back on one night.  Darwin is exceptionally organized, and he has been promoting concerts since 1988, but he still needed two “Production Assistants” for these shows.

Gary Olsen, a Vancouver, BC, disc jockey and experienced concert promoter, was the number one man.  I was the go-fer.  Gary carried around a stack of papers, referred to them often, made decisions and gave orders.  I went for ice.  I also went for sandwiches, sodas, and Xerox copies (three different times).  If Scotty Moore wanted a bottle of water from the VIP room, I was tickled to go-fer it.

The first of the two concerts was “The Legends Salute the 50^th Anniversary of Rock & Roll.”  The title, of course, was tied to the theme for this year’s festivities, a celebration of the 50 years since Elvis recorded his first release “That’s All Right (Mama)” in 1954.   The Legends concert was scheduled to start at 6:30 PM, but Darwin, Gary and I got to the venue at 9:30 AM.  And what a venue -- The Cannon Center for The Performing Arts.  This theater is almost brand new and there isn’t a bad seat in the place.  It is home to the Memphis Symphony, so you know it has superb acoustics. 

When we arrived backstage, the two biggest names on the whole program, Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana, were already there. There wasn’t any of that big-star-late-arrival stuff for these good old boys. 

Also on the scene were several members of Ronnie McDowell’s band.  Steve Shepherd, keyboard player in the band, quickly assumed the role of floor manager, as he put tape down on the stage to mark where the vocalists and other performers were to stand.  It looked like he had plenty of experience doing this.  Later, I learned he is also a superb keyboard player, and he contributed significantly to the quality of the music that evening.

Scotty and DJ supervised the construction of the riser, which is an elevated platform, three steps above the floor, on which DJ would do his magic.  It was at the back of the stage, but the height enabled the audience to see him. 

As time went by, other performers strolled in.  Bob Moore, who was Elvis’ bass man for 18 years, was an early arrival.  Billy Swan, one of five featured vocalists, showed up soon afterward.  One by one, the four Jordanaires joined the group.  Millie Kirkham, who did back-up vocals for Elvis for 15 years, was warmly received by all the men.  Everyone was in a happy mood, catching up with the others.  It began to resemble a family affair.  Each new arrival made the rounds, talking with the rest, just like at a reunion.  Obviously these folks were dear old friends.

Lee Rocker, fresh off the Straycats reunion tour in Europe, added his unique presence to the swelling crowd of performers. He sported black leather and lots of sterling silver ear-rings.  Ronnie McDowell, who would be the surprise vocal guest of the night, dressed another way with shorts, tee-shirt and sandals.

Stan Perkins, oldest son of rockabilly legend Carl Perkins, arrived with a few friends and had a good time shaking hands and talking with everyone.  Eddie Miles, the great Elvis tribute artist, showed up wearing jeans, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat.  His entourage blended into the growing group of people who displayed all-access badges, but who had no specific part in the performances.  It just added more to the party atmosphere.

Finally, the one man everybody adores, Boots Randolph, strolled on stage.  It didn’t take long to figure out that Mr Yakety-Sax is a super nice guy.  Boots was so friendly and had lots of stories to tell.  Later, backstage at the second concert, when a chair next to Boots became available, I wasted no time claiming that prized spot.

Actually, the entire day at the theater was a prize, one that gave me the opportunity to go autograph hunting.  For a fifteen hour period I carried with me the 50^th Anniversary issue of Elvis International.  Darwin Lamm had honored me by publishing in this milestone issue three articles I had written.  One was about Scotty, DJ, and the Jordanaires, plus a nice sidebar piece on Bill Black.   Another was about all the singers and other musicians who joined them in the Legends concert.  Finally, I wrote about the four members of the TCB Band, plus Terry Mike Jeffrey.  He handled the vocal duties for the second concert, “The TCB Band Salutes Elvis and the 50^th Anniversary of Rock & Roll.”

In total, the three articles featured short biographies and other commentary on 21 performers.  My goal was to get each one to sign their name over the text I had written about them.  In my mind, every performer was a legend with a connection to Elvis, and I was out to get all their autographs in my magazine.

First, and most important to me, were Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana.  I got them early while the concert hall’s crewmen were assembling DJ’s riser.  By the time the Legends Salute rehearsals and sound checks began, I had the autographs of everybody appearing in the first concert.

Rehearsals were interesting, but these folks had all worked with each other enough times in the past that not much rehearsing was needed.  Sound checks were kind of boring.  I was surprised to learn that there is so much difference in the settings each singer specifies to the guy up in the sound booth.

In between the autograph seeking, I did various Production Assistant jobs.  I helped to set up lunch in the VIP room.  I was blown away when Elvis’ long-time nurse and friend Marion Cocke pulled into the backstage loading zone with a car full of sandwiches.  This wonderful 78 year-old woman made them all in her kitchen.  There were four different kinds (but no peanut butter and ‘naner).  Later, after the thirsty crowd of performers and their guests consumed all the cases of bottled water, we solved that problem by loading the large bottled water unit in the venue office on a cart and taking it to a prime spot just off-stage.

By the time the first group of performers finished rehearsals, Terry Mike Jeffrey and the four TCB Band members were ready to do their thing.  Drummer Ronnie Tutt had been hanging around for several hours spending time with old buddies, and I got his autograph early.  Terry Mike was another early arrival, so it was easy to get his signature. 

However, guitarist James Burton, bass player Jerry Scheff, and piano player Glen D Hardin got right to business before I could shove my magazine and black Sharpie pen in front of them.  The TCB boys really didn’t have to do any rehearsing, as they have played together so many times in the “Elvis, The Concert” shows.  Terry Mike Jeffrey has performed with them numerous times in the past few years.  I decided to skip their sound check and went back to the hotel for a little nap.  It would be a long night, and I wanted to be sharp for all of it.  I’d get their autographs later, before the show.

The nap was great, but it turned out to be poorly timed.  By the time I returned to The VIP room, a catered hot supper had been delivered … and consumed.  I settled for two slices of bread, some potato chips and a soda for my meal.  Soon, all thoughts of food vanished as other responsibilities called.  My favorite Production Assistant assignment of the night occurred when the son and daughter of the late Bill Black couldn’t get their will-call tickets at the window.  I went out front and was able to save the day by talking some sense to the ticket lady.  I felt so proud of myself.  It also gave me the opportunity to get both of Bill’s children to sign my magazine over the paragraphs I had written about their dad. 

The only other non-performer to sign my magazine was Red Robinson, another Vancouver DJ, who served as master of ceremonies and announcer for both concerts.  Red turned out to be a real buddy and a great guy to hang out with on Beale Street.

Other writers in this magazine will regale you with accounts of the two concerts as they experienced them from their seats in the audience.  My vantage point was backstage, or should I say side-stage.  True backstage would be behind the tall black curtain.  Howe