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Elvis' #1 Pop Singles on Cashbox, USA: Heartbreak Hotel (1956) Don't Be Cruel (1956) Hound Dog (1956) Love Me Tender (1956) Too Much (1957) All Shook Up (1957) Teddy Bear (1957) Jailhouse Rock (1957) Don't (1958) Stuck On You (1960) It's Now Or Never (1960) Are You Lonesome Tonight? (1960) Surrender (1961) Good Luck Charm (1962) Return To Sender (1962) In The Ghetto (1969) Suspicious Minds (1969) Burning Love (1972) (The Cashbox chart is now defunct) Elvis Facts: Elvis was 5' 11" tall
Elvis' natural hair color was dark blond
Elvis' blood type was O Positive
Elvis' shoe size was 11D
One of Elvis'( maternal) ancestors, Morning White Dove (born 1800, died 1835), was a full-blooded Cherokee Indian
Elvis' uncle, Noah Presley, became Mayor of East Tupelo on January 7, 1936
The Presley family moved to Memphis on November 6, 1948
Elvis was issued a Social Security card in September 1950 with the # 409-52-2002
In 1954 some of the shows played by Elvis & The Blue Moon Boys were at the Overton Park Shell; the Bel-Air Club; Sleepy-Eyed John's Eagle's Nest Club and the Louisiana Hayride
Elvis' first manager was Scotty Moore, then Bob Neal, before signing with Colonel Tom Parker
The first DJ to play an Elvis record was Fred Cook (WREC), not Dewey Phillips (WHBQ). However, Dewey had the distinction of being the first DJ to play an Elvis record in its entirety
Elvis once dated famous stripper, Tempest Storm
Elvis was filmed from the waist up only during his 3rd and final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
In the 50s Elvis was friendly with rising stars, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner and Ty (Bronco Lane) Hardin
Gladys Presley was 46 years old when she died, not 42, as many books suggest
The Roustabout album sold 450,000 copies on its initial release, 150,000 copies more than any of the preceding three soundtrack LPs. It was Elvis' last "soundtrack" album to reach #1 on the major album charts in the US
Elvis received $1m for filming Harum Scarum (aka Harum Holiday). The film grossed around $2m in the US
Elvis and Priscilla married on May 1, 1967
They were officially divorced on October 9, 1973
Elvis earns nearly $3.5m in 1968 and pays just over $1.4m in income tax
Elvis' return to live performing in Las Vegas on July 31, 1969 was in front of an "by invitation only" audience. Stars in attendance included Wayne Newton, Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey, Burt Bacharach and Angie Dickinson
On January 9, 1971, the national Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) announced Elvis as one of "The Top Ten Young Men of the Year". Elvis spoke at the official awards ceremony on January 16
"Elvis: Aloha From Hawai" made entertainment history on January 14, 1973, when it was beamed around the world by satellite. In the Philippines it drew 91% of the audience, in Hong Kong 70%. The viewing audience was estimated at more than 1 billion
For his 4 week Hilton Vegas season in August 1973 Elvis received $610,000 Sales of Elvis' 1973 album, Raised On Rock, were less than 200,000 units on its initial release
Elvis paid $2,959,000 in income tax in 1973
In December 1976 Elvis was sworn in as a special deputy sheriff of Shelby County (Memphis) by Sheriff Gene Barksdale
Elvis' final live concert was in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977 When Elvis died, he and his father Vernon, were embroiled in an FBI investigation called Operation Fountain Pen More than 1,500 books have been published about The King in more than 30 languages
At Dec 2005 Elvis' biggest selling album in the US is the budget priced, Elvis' Christmas Album, with accredited sales of 9 million units (fingers crossed it reaches 10 million to give Elvis his first "Diamond" award)
By early2006, Sony BMG's "collectors label", Follow That Dream, had released more than 50 Elvis CDs
During the 1980s, tour guides at Graceland stated that Elvis' biggest selling album (globally) was Moody Blue, with sales exceeding 14 million
While Sony BMG estimates Elvis' global sales exceed 1 billion, the company is unable to substantiate this figure. Accredited sales worldwide are estimated to be less than 400 million
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Published by AuthorHouse, USA, 2006, 415 pages, Illustrated, ISBN: 1420897039 Reviewed by Nigel Patterson
'An eclipse is obstruction of light, darkness, a casting of shadow. When a light 'goes out' early, there cannot be fullness of life and it is then obstructed.' When reading this book it is not hard to imagine something has obstructed the vision and memory of Jimmy Denson. This could well be the book to rival Albert Goldman's mean spirited and much reviled, 'Elvis'! Like the widely denigrated Goldman biography, separating fact from fiction in this totally over the top account of the Elvis story is challenging. It is a book well suited to the now, largely defunct Elvis "underground", with its sensational, colorful and fantastic claims, observations and beliefs, all neatly wrapped within a somewhat out of place spiritual texture. At times you will laugh out loud, at other times you'll want to wring Denson's neck! Both books are a revisionist dream. Interspersed with some solid research, Goldman set out to destroy the existing Elvis legend and replace it with one of the most damming and depraved accounts one could imagine. Jimmy Denson's account, as told to writer Heart Lanier Shapre, approaches its subject in a strange, hybrid manner where the narrator professes great love for Elvis and then details him as a pitifuly scared, drug addicted youth with rotting green teeth. After so many mundane and repetitive biographies piecing the Elvis story together in the same one-dimensional jigsaw puzzle like mosaic, this books hits you right in the face with its 'out of left field' rancid picture of the King of Rock 'n' Roll.
Denson traces Elvis' drug addiction to his days living in the Lauderdale Courts in Memphis. Starting out as a typical youth experiment with glue sniffing it progressed through the inhalation of gasoline fumes to amphetamines. If you believe Denson (and a small number probably will), Elvis was a certified drug addict during his teenage years. This makes it seemingly consistent with the use of pills by Elvis, et al, during Sun Studio days (as portrayed recently in the critically acclaimed film, 'Walk The Line'), a claim very much at odds with the usually told story that Elvis' pill problem started when he was in the Army. Despite its often repulsive narrative, 'Elvis Through My Eyes' threads a spiritual theme replete with biblical quotations. It is a strangely concocted brew! Heart Lanier Shapre's narrative is also unusually structured, its text flowing in a generally chronological timeline but punctuated by hundreds of quotes and biblical diversions. Many of the quotes are from Jimmy Denson and his bother, Jesse Lee, while others are from members of the Memphis Mafia, third party authors, Al Dvorin, and a female Elvis impersonator. The litany of amazing claims is staggering and hard to comprehend, as are Denson's gems of wisdom and observations, all of which continue to flow like an unstoppable, raging torrent careering down a stream. Among his many statements:
Denson also suggests (the not new idea of) a surrogate, neo-incestual relationship* between Elvis and Gladys, adding a statement that Gladys often said of her son, "He'll never be normal". Denson further suggests George Klein, wanting protection from school bullies, hung around Elvis hoping the Denson brothers would protect him too. Jimmy Denson claims he was taken aback at how George idolised him! It's nice to be wanted! The underlying purpose of 'Elvis Through My Eyes' appears to be to showcase Denson's ego and need for recognition at Elvis' expense. If it wasn't for the Denson brothers, Jimmy Denson would have you believe Elvis could have been in real trouble. Others will argue if Elvis did indeed spend a lot of time with the brothers, he was definitely in trouble!
That audiences watching the documentary, 'Altered By Elvis', which features Denson, laughed out loud at some of his preposterous claims, says a lot about his credibility. Noted Elvis world identity, Bill E. Burk, said of Denson (a former Golden Gloves pugilist) in a recent online newsletter: How to describe Jimmy Denson:
A. His elevator doesn't go to the top?
B. A couple of Jokers short of a deck?
C. Someone who stayed in the boxing ring a couple of bells too long?
What others have said of 'Elvis Through My Eyes': "This book is TRASH! I would not waste my time!" Bren "Mercy, this guy is seems to be demonic himself - or just plain crazy. Sounds a bit jealous or something. Just MHO". Jennie "If you thought Paul McLeod lived in his own world, then Jimmy Denson is the commander in chief of the entire universe!" Elvis Express "I am writing to you about a book I am begging you not to buy or endorse. It was written by Las Vegas resident Heart Shapre with Jimmy Denson. It has one of Ed Bonja's pictures on the cover and says "By Ed Bonja" misleading people into thinking Ed wrote this piece of trash. The name is the same as Bill Burk's "Elvis: Through My Eyes". IT IS IN NO WAY CONNECTED TO BILL BURK! It says Elvis was a drug addict before he went into the army, among other lies. It is an awful book that does nothing but tarnish Elvis' image, based on lies. It alludes to homosexuality, Vernon being a womanizer and abuser and other trash. PLEASE FORWARD THIS INFORMATION TO ANYONE YOU KNOW". Sandi Pichon
On the back cover of the book are the words: Eternal Love Vigil In Song. Cute device but outdated, and very much in contrast with the often debasing nature of the narrative inside. The book's image gallery comprises a series of low grade, dark black & white visuals including many of various Elvis tribute artists. A few of the Elvis visuals are reasonably rare. When the tirade of online messages (see above) vehemently criticised 'Elvis Through My Eyes' earlier this year the 'negative' publicity was in fact a positive, as interest in the aspersive nature of the book saw online sales spike, at least temporarily. On Amazon, the book dramatically rose from around 330,000 to inside the top 100,000! Undoubtedly many fans wanted to see what the fuss was all about, and in all likelihood this review will have the same effect. Verdict: I found 'Elvis Through My Eyes' to be strangely riveting, and at the same time, repulsive. It is one of those rare, colorfully extreme works that is so bad it is almost good. For many, it will leave a long lasting bitter residue. You've been warned. And yes, it will have little trouble sitting comfortably alongside the widely despised Goldman biography. Dear old Albert must be turning in his grave now that his carefully planned notoriety is being usurped by what he would term a virtually unknown country hick. * Dee Presley, Elvis' former mother-in-law, achieved worldwide tabloid attention by once suggesting an incestual relationship between Elvis and Gladys. The real issue between Elvis and Gladys is appropriately explained by psychologist, Peter Whitmer, in his absorbing pschological profile of Elvis, 'The Inner Elvis'. Copyright, EIN, April 2006 Click to comment on this review Feedback Ida Ritter (USA): I read your review and have to say that I am in complete agreement with your verdict about this book. I red about this book before and I also listened to an interview that Lee Dawson from EER made to Denson and when I listened to him I made up my own opinion about this evil man, at the end of the interview he even used four letter words towards Lee at which he did not even responded, the way he talks and the tone of his voice full of hatrage says it all.
What are the real reasons this man had to write such bunch of lies and damaging material that only tries to hurt Elvis's image and reputation only he knows, he is so full of bad intentions and as a human being deserves no respect at all from any other human being. But again some Elvis fans will buy anything referring to Elvis but in the again I cannot blame them for wanting to read first hand what is said about Elvis instead of taking second hand news about it.
We all know the drug problem Elvis had, the Memphis Mafia said all in their book without hiding anything (drug related of course) proff exists that the drug problem started while he was in the army, I heard from some other people, a lady that still lives at Lauderdale that Denson never had the kind of relationship with the Presley's that he pretended and portrayed in his book. I hope nobody believes anything of what he wrote in this evil book.
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Quote: "Elvis Presley is the supreme socio-cultural icon in the history of pop culture" (Dr. Gary Enders) Quote: "Elvis is the 'glue' which holds our society together....which subconciously gives our world meaning" (Anonymous) Quote: "Eventually everybody has to die, except Elvis" (humorist Dave Barry) Quote: "He is the "Big Bang", and the universe he detonated is still expanding, the pieces are still flying" (Greil Marcus, "Dead Elvis") Quote: "I think Elvis Presley will never be solved" (Nick Tosches) Quote: "He was the most popular man that ever walked on this planet since Christ himself was here" (Carl Perkins) Quote: "When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew I wasn't going to work for anybody...hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail" (Bob Dylan) Quote: "When we were kids growing up in Liverpool, all we ever wanted was to be Elvis Presley" (Sir Paul McCartney) Quote: "You can't say enough good things about Elvis. He was one of a kind" (Johnny Cash) Quote: "And don't think for one moment he's just a passing fancy....he's got enough of it to keep him on top for a long time" (R. Fred Arnold, Fury magazine, Aug 1957) Quote: "It isn't enough to say that Elvis is kind to his parents, sends money home, and is the same unspoiled kid he was before all the commotion began. That still isn't a free ticket to behave like a sex maniac in public" (Eddie Condon, Cosmopolitan) Elvis records reaching #2 & #3 on the Cashbox Pop Singles chart: #2: A Fool Such As I (1959) #2: A Big Hunk Of Love (1959) #3: Hard Headed Woman (1958) #3: One Night (1958) #3: (You're The Devil) In Disguise (1963) Elvis Facts: Tickets for Elvis' show on March 29, 1957 in St. Louis cost $2.00 to $2.50
While in Germany Elvis was hospitalised with tonsillitis in October 1959
Despite being an illegal immigrant, photographic evidence shows Colonel Tom Parker traveled to Canada with Elvis in 1957
Elvis strongly believed there weren't enough good songs in King Creole to justify releasing a soundtrack album. RCA initially agreed, releasing two very successful EPs from the movie. A soundtrack LP eventually followed
During the 1960s Elvis had his own football team, Elvis Presley Enterprises, which played in the Menphis touch football league. In the 1962 final, EPE narrowlt lost to Delta Automatic Transmission. 6-13
In Clambake, (Elvis) Scott Hayward's driving licence shows February 23, 1940...taking 5 years off Elvis' real age
In the 1970s Elvis was ofered $5m to stage a concert in front of the Pyramids in Egypt. When the Colonel declined the offer, Saudi billionaires raised the offer to $10m
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