Alannah Miles had a boyfriend. He was riding on a bus. But it was not just any bus. This was a bus filled with good people. They were Elvis fans. Christopher Ward became inspired to write a song about this experience. It was August 1987 and they were traveling to Memphis to attend the 10th…
Imagine driving down a highway with virtually no other vehicles in sight, no billboards, no gas stations, no hotels or businesses for several hours. Now visualize this as a two-lane paved road, with origins of being a trail during prehistoric times, now twisting and curving through dense tall forests and beautiful countryside. We took this…
Read more Roadtrip 2020 Day 8: The Prehistoric American Trail
“Elvis is a workhorse,” his first cousin Harold Loyd, told me in 1976. “It was true when he started back in ’54 and ’55 before he was ever on TV or in the movies. It’s true now.” “When we played when we was boys, we played hard,” Harold who worked at the front gate security…
Read more Roadtrip 2020: 1st Week Recap-Elvis, Rock n’ Roll, Music
“Elvis Aaron Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935 to Vernon and Gladys Presley,” the sweet lady sitting on the front porch swing stayed on script. “Born in this two-room house built by his father, grandfather and uncle, Elvis was one of twin brothers born to the Presleys. His brother, Jessie Garon…
Read more Roadtrip 2020 Day 7: Elvis’ Tupelo Childhood Friends Die
Visiting the birthplace of Elvis Presley the past two days gives me a new perspective into the life of the greatest entertainer in history. For some reason, even realizing Elvis didn’t live in his birth house very long, I somehow equated that iconic two room house with all of his childhood. The Presley’s were poorer…
Eleven-year-old Sterling Smith was keen at being idle and solemn about his watermelon business. Those two qualities worked together for the young boy during the hot Mississippi summer of 1973 when he noticed four cars parading toward his watermelon stand on Highway 51 going northbound one scalding afternoon. “I would play a game with myself…
Read more The Shrewd 11-year-old Who Wouldn’t Negotiate With Elvis Presley
In the history of rock ‘n’ roll there can’t be many more important places on earth than the modestly-sized red brick building almost on the edge of downtown Memphis. 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee is the legendary site of Sun Studio, where Sam Phillips established his Memphis Recording Service back in 1950. His purpose was…
How are COVID-19 restrictions impacting Elvis Presley fans visiting Memphis? Here’s the very latest information and our tips for a safe trip. Note: This data and suggestions are as of today, Wednesday, June 24, 2020. Of course conditions could change at any moment. Our intent is to offer helpful insight for those considering travel. We…
Read more Considerations and Tips For Elvis Presley Fans Visting Memphis
“If they gave out college degrees in Elvisology, you’d have a Master’s,” the DJ told me. That was at a radio station in downtown Memphis, April 1976. I was being interviewed because there was much buzz (was that even a word, other than the sound a bee makes, in ’76?) about Elvis. It was recently…
With the phenomenal success of “Heartbreak Hotel,” Elvis’ popularity skyrocketed so much that he found a new place to dwell. Before flying to Shreveport on March 3, 1956 with cousin Gene Smith, Elvis writes a $500 check for a deposit toward the purchase of a house for himself and his parents at 1034 Audubon Drive. It would…
When Colonel Tom Parker arrived from San Antonio to Albuquerque on April 19, 1972, he was greeted with news about Denise Sanchez, an 8-year-old fan from Santa Fe who was battling cancer (Leukemia) since the age of 6 and, like her mom was a huge Elvis fan. Denise had already lost a leg and part…
Read more 8-Year-Old Denise Sanchez Met Elvis Before She Died
Ever since I was fortunate to meet with B.B. King for an interview in his tour bus in 2010, my interest in the origins of American music grew immensely–especially in the Delta Blues region. The proverbial “melting pot” accurately describes how the Mississippi Delta was fertile grounds to grow gospel, blues, country, and rock into…
