Elvis Presley Remembered

Fans of Elvis Presley across the world will be pulling out all the stops at events to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of his death, come August 16. It was on this date in 1977 that Elvis passed away at the age of 42. There will of course be the candlelight vigil at Graceland in Memphis, United States of America where the King of Rock 'N' Roll was laid to rest. Thousands of fans will be flocking to Graceland for the pilgrimage that day. All over the world, Elvis impersonators will be coming out in full force to sing his songs and imitate his dance moves at many Elvis Tribute Artistes events. In the United States there is even an Elvis cruise which will sail from Tampa, Florida to Cozumel in Mexico.

Over here in Malaysia between fifteen to twenty of Malaysia's own Elvis Tribute Artistes will be gathering at the Ol Skool Bistro at 125 Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya, (telephone: 016-2066444) on August 16 to perform and pay homage to the greatest singer and entertainer of them all. Ol Skool Bistro, situated opposite the EPF Building is a favourite hangout and watering hole for the fans of Elvis. The tribute to Elvis has sort of become an annual event here. The festivities which will kick off at 3.00pm and continue till 3.00 am the next morning will bring together Elvis impersonators from Penang, Melaka, Seremban, Selangor and Sarawak who will be belting out the songs of Elvis from the 1950s to the 1970s.

I remembered that an Elvis Presley impersonation competition was held at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur a couple of months after Elvis passed on. The event attracted about a dozen Elvis wannabes. Rocky Teoh, the then reigning Elvis Presley of Malaysia, was there as a guest artiste. The contestants who took part in the competition were actually quite good. Not only did they sing like Elvis, some even looked like Elvis from afar! The competition was won by Eddie Francis who did a mean impression of the King. After Eddie won the competition, he received so many offers to perform at functions and events that he resigned from his job to become a full time Elvis impersonator.

Back then during the 1970s, there was an Elvis Presley Fan Club which had its headquarters at a bungalow at 1 Jalan Sultan Ismail in KL. I went once to this place to have a chat with William Honda Tan, the president of the club. William knew Elvis like the back of his hand and regaled me with interesting snippets about Elvis. He also showed me his collection of Elvis records. William used to organize bashes on the anniversary of Elvis's birth or death and he would often turn up at these functions in his jumpsuit complete with cape, scarve and sunglasses, a la Elvis. The bungalow at 1 Jalan Sultan Ismail is there no more. It was reported that William left the building sometime in the 1990s to join Elvis.


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> Elvis Presley And His Trademark Jumpsuits - Part 1

> Elvis Presley And His Trademark Jumpsuits - Part 2

> Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100 - Part 1

> Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100 - Part 2

Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100 - Part 1

Chubby Checker's "The Twist" has been ranked as the number 1 song in the 50 years of the the Billboard Hot 100 Chart while the Beatles have topped Billboard's all-time Hot 100 Artistes. Here is a list of the Top 10 Singles and the Top 10 Artistes

The Top 10 Singles

1. The Twist by Chubby Checker
2. Smooth by Santana
3. Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin
4. How Do I Live by Leann Rimes
5. Macarena by Los Del Rio
6. Physical by Olivia Newton John
7. You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone
8. Hey Jude by The Beatles
9. We Belong Together by Mariah Carey
10. Un-break My Heart by Toni Braxton

The Top 10 Artistes

1. The Beatles
2. Madonna
3. Elton John
4. Elvis Presley
5. Stevie Wonder
6. Mariah Carey
7. Janet Jackson
8. Michael Jackson
9. Whitney Houston
10. The Rolling Stones

Many would be as surprised as I am that none of Elvis Presley's songs have made it to the Top 10 as many of his hit singles like Teddy Bear, Love Me Tender and Jailhouse Rock were released before the Billboard Hot 100 started in August 1958. I am all shook up that Elvis's top hits like It's Now Or Never, Are You Lonesome Tonight and Good Luck Charm which were released after August 1958 did not even make it to the list. I had also expected classic hits by The Beatles like I Saw Her Standing There, I Want To Hold Your Hands or And I Love Her to be in the Top 10 but certainly not Hey Jude. The song Hey Jude isn't all that great and the ending is pure cacophony!

Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts of Billboard magazine acknowledged that the list may not be consonant with some fan's personal thoughts of the most popular songs of the past 50 years. "This is simply a chronicle of how each of these songs performed in their era on the Hot 100. We're not saying these are the most memorable songs of your life. Everyone has a subjective frame of reference," said Mayfield. Billboard is also showcasing some other chart achievements on its website www.billboard.com. The other "controversial" list is the Most No.1s by an artiste.

Most No.1s By Artiste (Number In Brackets)

1. The Beatles (20)
2. Mariah Carey (18)
3. Michael Jackson (13)
4. Madonna (12)
5. The Supremes (12)
6. Whitney Houston (11)
7. Janet Jackson (10)
8. Stevie Wonder (10)
9. Bee Gees (9)
10. Elton John (9)

You may notice that Elvis Presley isn't on the Top 10 list of Most No. 1s by an artiste. While Elvis had 7 number 1s on the Hot 100, 11 of his number 1 hits were released before the Hot 100 existed. Elvis had a total of 18 number 1 hit singles in his career. This means to say that there is a tie between Elvis and Mariah Carey for the most number 1 hit singles by an American artiste ever. I believe many would not disagree with me if I were to rank The Beatles as the greatest band or group and Elvis Presley as the greatest solo singer of the 20th century. Next week, I'll be talking about Chubby Checker and his song that helped inspire a global dance craze - The Twist.

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> Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100 - Part 2

Elvis Presley And His Trademark Jumpsuits - Part 2

Elvis Presley was reputed to have worn more than 120 of his iconic jumpsuits during his concerts in the 1970s. The jumpsuits were in different designs and colours, from white to blue, red and black. His earlier jumpsuits came with matching capes but these were omitted in later designs. About 90 of his jumpsuits are being kept in Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, USA of which more than 50 are on display at the museum there . Elvis's jumpsuits were truly haute couture works of art and many were embellished with the images of birds or animals like an eagle, peacock, tiger, or Chinese dragon.

Recently, one of Elvis's favourite jumpsuit, the "Peacock" jumpsuit was sold for a record US$300,000 (MR986,000) in an online auction in New York. Two of his jumpsuits, namely the "American Eagle" jumpsuit which he wore in the "Aloha From Hawaii" concert in 1973 (see video clip above) which was telecast live to an estimated one billion television viewers worldwide, and the "Sundial" jumpsuit which he wore in one of his last appearances in 1977 are valued at up to US$1 million (MR3.3 million) each. I believe his "Chinese Dragon" jumpsuit would fetch a world record price if it was put up for auction in China or Hong Kong

Elvis was hugely popular in Asia - in China, Hong Kong, Japan and South East Asia. In China and the Chinese speaking communities around the world, he is known affectionately as Mao Wong meaning King Cat in Chinese. In Japan, Elvis has a large fan base and many of his fans dress up to look like him. Former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi who was born on the same date (January 8) as Elvis is reported to be a big fan of The King.

In Malaysia, the anniversary of the birth or death of Elvis is commemorated every year in some restaurants and pubs with performances by Elvis impersonators. A couple of years ago, a restaurateur in Kuala Lumpur had an Elvis birthday bash by displaying a pink Cadillac, similar to the one owned by Elvis in front of his restaurant. Elvis impersonators also gave a performance in front of the restaurant during the lunch hour and caused a massive traffic jam in the vicinity. Elvis would have been 73 if he were alive today.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Elvis impersonators were aplenty in Malaysia. One of the first and most successful impersonators was Rocky Teoh of Taiping. Rocky had some success as a recording artiste and released several albums of cover versions of songs by Elvis and other singers. Rocky and his backup band, The Fabulous Falcons of Ipoh toured Malaysia and Singapore from 1965 to 1967 performing in Cathay Organisation cinemas to packed audiences everywhere. They also toured Thailand in 1966. Rocky Teoh died tragically on September 8 1990 at the age of 44 in a road accident in Kuala Lumpur.

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> Elvis Presley And His Trademark Jumpsuits - Part 1

> Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100

Elvis Presley And His Trademark Jumpsuits - Part 1

Thousands of visitors gathered recently on August 16 at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, USA to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. It was on this date 31 years ago that Elvis passed away at the age of 42. Elvis Presley will always be remembered as one of the greatest singers/entertainers of the 20th century and his popularity has remained largely undiminished till today. Graceland is a mecca and a shrine to the multitude of his fans from all over the world who come every year to pay homage to Elvis at his grave , tour Graceland and visit the museum where his memorabilia including his famous collection of jumpsuits are on display.

During his younger days Elvis would wear tight-fitting pants or jeans when performing on stage. His dance moves especially his controversial leg shakes and hip gyrations would send the audience wild with frenzy. The "King of Rock and Roll" was not given the sobriquet "Elvis The Pelvis" for nothing! When Elvis appeared in the Ed Sullivan television variety show in 1956 he was televised mainly from the waist up as his dance moves were considered risque and a negative influence on the youth of America!

Elvis wore his trademark jumpsuits during the 1970s when he toured the United States. It is often said that Elvis made the jumpsuit fashionable. His outfits were elegantly tailored and were often embellished with sequins and precious stones. Elvis would often wear scarves with his jumpsuits and give away or throw the scarves to his delirious fans during his performances. Elvis must have given away a lot of his scarves during his concert tours. Looking back with hindsight, if Elvis had autographed the scarves that he gave away, they would be collectibles today, worth a small fortune and maybe even traded on eBay!

On August 7 2008, it was reported that one of Elvis's favorite jumpsuits known as the peacock jumpsuit was sold for US$300,000 (RM1 million) at an online auction in New York, making it the most expensive piece of Elvis memorabilia ever sold at an auction. The white outfit with a plunging V-neck and high collar, features a rhinestone bejeweled blue-and-gold peacock design on the front and back with tail feathers tapering off as they cascade down the entire length of the legs that flare at the bottom. The jumpsuit is also cinched at the waist by a wide belt decorated with gold medallions in a design resembling the eye of a peacock. More of The King next week.

Related Posts

> Elvis Presley And His Trademark Jumpsuits - Part 2

> Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100