The Genesis of Elvis

From the Netherlands comes a new Elvis book by Bart Eikema van Hommes, The Genesis of Elvis, first written in Dutch in 2016 but recently translated into English!

Synopsis:

This biography aims to uncover Elvis’s cultural roots and identify the sources he drew from on the path to his world-changing sound. The musical history surrounding the pop icon is excessive and this book takes an analytical approach to try and shed some light on Elvis’s world. Where did he live and which churches and schools did he attend with his friends? Which artists and radio stations influenced him at an impressionable age? Where did he perform in the early days and first commit his voice to the eternal grooves of vinyl? All these questions and more must be asked to begin to understand Presley’s sound and it’s invaluable influence on Rock and Roll. As John Lennon once put it: “Before Elvis there was nothing!”

For more info and an inside look at the book, have a look at Amazon here.

The book is also available in South Africa online at Loot, currently for R349.

 

Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii

In 2023 we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this first worldwide satellite concert by ONE MAN.  

Some interesting tidbits surrounding this historical broadcast:

• There were other satellite concerts before and after Elvis. 
• The satellite that would transmit the concert signal belonged to NBC and was very costly to hire. NBC was asked to host the Special and in return received the highest TV ratings for the year. 
• The stage was made in L.A. and shipped to Hawaii.  
• When the wife of Kui Lee heard that about Elvis' concert for her charity foundation, she had to go straight to the doctor for tranquilizers.
• You cannot charge money for a TV audience, so donations were asked for each ticket.        
• Aloha From Hawaii was the most expensive TV concert of its time at $2,5 million.
• The rehearsal concert was set to be recorded at 20:30 on 12 January 1973 but by 19:00 six thousand fans had already stormed the venue and crammed into the available 5,300 seats. 
• Elvis wanted a suit that said America. Initial ideas included the outline of a map or the star-spangled banner, but they eventually decided on the national bird. 
• The live broadcast had to be just shy of an hour, after which the satellite feed would be cut off, so Elvis organised for Joe Esposito to be at the side of the stage with a flashlight to indicate when there were 10 minutes left.
• The sound equipment of NBC and RCA combined overloaded the power. Two hours before the rehearsal concert the lights flickered on and off and the sound engineers went to borrow extra equipment from the Navy. A few minutes before the start of the show, there was a hum in the sound system, caused by the stage lights, and lead plates were obtained, again from the Navy, to counteract this.

There are many more fun facts, especially the 1.5 billion people having watched the broadcast, amongst others South Africa. (NOT!) At this point in time? Sure! The Parker marketing machine did the trick, though, and it's all now part of Elvis lore.