I haven’t posted in two weeks, and it feels like more. But I had two garage sales spread over a couple of weekends, and that was a lot of work. I made $367, so that was good, but I need to get back to posting.
I’d like to do a follow-up to my Nov. 4 article about an Elvis Picture Disc Rarity.
As you learned in the original post, To Elvis: Love Still Burning is an album of 11 tribute songs about Elvis released after his death released by Jerry Osborne, author, publisher, ex-deejay, and avid Elvis collector. That bio is according to a front-page article in Billboard magazine about Jerry.
One of Jerry’s many accomplishments was his bi-weekly newsletter titled Record Digest published for record collectors. He was a huge collector himself, and owned dozens of Elvis tribute 45s. He narrowed down to the best eleven and decided to make an album.
Jerry had to go through many procedures to take his product to market: clearances and licenses, getting the green lights from RCA and the company that controls the rights to Elvis merchandising aids, securing the artwork for the album, and signing on with a company to press the vinyl. There were no legal hassles because these weren’t songs sung by Elvis but songs sung about him.
Jerry ordered an initial pressing of 8,000 copies to be sold through his Record Digest and collector shops. But they immediately sold out, and soon record distributors ordered 500 and 2,000 copies. As sales increased, Pickwick Records got involved and ordered 8,000 copies. At one point, To Elvis: Love Still Burning was backordered 30,000 copies. Fans really wanted to hear tribute songs to Elvis.
I met Jerry Osborne and hung out with him backstage at a couple of Elvis Week concerts. He gave my book, BIG E and the SANTA MAN a very positive review. You might find it fun to visit his website, especially if you are a record collector.
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