Black Leather...ummm. Hot? Or HOT!!!
Elvis' 1968 Comeback Special
My favorite pictures/shots of Elvis are those taken in this black leather getup-or any black 'getup'! Even tho I really enjoyed looking at Elvis and listening to him sing, I never quite understood why he changed his wardrobe to the white jeweled jumpsuits. I guess, he thought they would make him look slimmer, but everyone knows that black is a slimming color. Or, maybe he could move easier in them! And the white jumpsuits-they were fancy with all of the designs and stones-we got to see some of them when we visited Graceland. Some of the suits he wore in his older movies were very striking also. I think he looked good in black and yellow, and in burgundy and white. And the stand up collars? I'm not sure about those either, unless his neck was ugly. But, I don't think so... I remember him having a very nice neck! Now me, I like turtlenecks a lot, especially now that MY neck is wrinkled! Anyway, enough about Elvis' clothes...I think we all agree, he looked good in ANYTHING!
We celebrate Elvis all year round, his Birthday, and, we also reflect on his early passing. Of course, we wish he were still around in the flesh. I think he would still sing great, although, it's hard to say what he would look like today! Don't want to speculate on that!
So Elvis week begins August 8th or 9th, I believe, and continues through August 16, the date of his death in 1977. There are plenty of activities planned all over to commemorate his life. There will be a lot music played at Graceland, and in Memphis itself. We listen to the Elvis channel on Sirius radio in our home, and it also comes to us on our TV. There will be live performances at various venues from Elvis impersonators, artist contests-I can't begin to name them all, but you can go to http://www.elvis.com/elvisweek/ew2011schedule.aspx for details, or even go to news.yahoo.com/elvis-week for some of the scheduled events. There's a lot of stuff on facebook about Elvis. I specified Elvis as a favorite on my facebook, and I get updates daily from Graceland and other sites, like the Elvis News site.
Now, what am I leading up to?
'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On'
'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On' is a popular rock n roll song made famous by Jerry Lee Lewis. The song was first recorded in March of 1955 by Big Maybelle for Okeh Records, produced by Quincy Jones. A few months later, Ray Hall made a recording of the song for Decca and claimed to be the writer of the song. Well, in the end, Roy Hall and Dave "Curlee" Williams have both been credited as co-writers of this song. But, the early recordings were not as successful as GUESS WHO?
'JERRY LEE LEWIS'
Jerry Lee got a hold of this song in 1957, and made it his own! He recorded the song for Sun records, but Sam Phillips was concerned that the content of the song might be too suggestive. Well, it reached #3 on Billboard and went to #1 on the R & B charts. Jerry Lee's version of 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On' is rated as the 61st greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine. Jerry Lee "The Killer" Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
Other artists who either performed or recorded 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" include, Elvis (YES!), Little Richard, Ricky Nelson, Conway Twitty, John Lennon, and also, Paul McCartney.
And, someone else we all know and love made a recording of the song. If you have a few moments, we would like to invite you to listen to Karo's version, and view the,- well, hurried up slide show of some of our fun photos. We did this song in just a few takes, as a rough draft-but then, we just left it as is. Only two instruments are played in the song...Karo on guitar, and 'yours truly' on drums. Now, I'm not a experienced drummer-just merely trying to keep the beat.
*** ELVIS, THIS IS FOR YOU ***
I hope you enjoyed the song, and maybe you'll watch an old Elvis movie or two just for old time's sake! Thank you so much for taking time to read and listen. Please stop by anytime and be sure to say hello. I welcome any and all, at any and all ages!
Last August, I wrote a tribute post to Elvis. Now, I may have finally figured out how to put links to my own posts, (any hints?) for reference. The link is below, but, if it doesn't come up, you can go to my archives at the bottom of my blog to get the link.
It's called, This Man Needs No Introduction * I posted it August 7, 2010
August On My Mind! * posted August 1, 2010 (at 106 degrees)
I am grateful to following:
Elvis
Jerry Lee "Killer" Lewis
YouTube
Google
Yahoo Images
Wikipedia
Elvis News
Elvis.com
And my wonderful husband Karo
"The first time I appeared on stage it scared me to death. I really didn't know what all the yelling was about.
I didn't realize that my body was moving."
I didn't realize that my body was moving."
~Elvis Presley
This quote from a 1972 taped interview used in MGM's documentary, "Elvis On Tour".
"Aloha 'Oe"
The thermometer is now reading at 102 degrees in Cowtown, Texas USA!
Phew! That sure is hot over there!! I love to read about Elvis. He was certainly a favourite of mine, and his voice was really unique. It can still send shivers up and down my spine now, even after all this time! And the black leathers? Yes, HOT!! Unfortunately, I couldn't get in to see the video you were talking about. There was nothing there. Perhaps you might be able to do something about that, as I would love to see it!
ReplyDeleteHi Thisisme! So glad you came by. There's always so much to see about Elvis, and you're right-his voice still sends shivers! I'm sorry the video didn't run for you. I checked earlier and it told me to try again later. About an hour later, it played for me. Maybe you'll get a chance to try again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for letting me know. And thanks for a much welcome visit!
Oh WOW that is such a cool video!! You and Karo make such a cute couple too. Love the photos you've used in this clip (even Shawn gets into the act :D)). Another great song from Karo too :D) That man's got serious talent.
ReplyDeleteYour household must jump off its foundations when you both decide to jam ;-)
I'm pretty sure that's you as a teenager posing in front of the fireplace is it Susan? Gorgeous! Fun days eh!
Fabulous tribute to The King by the way - lol,,, I nearly forgot to mention that ;-)
Am off to look at your other links included in the post.
Hope your hot weather is abating... we've got heaps of rain absolutely bucketing down as I type! Cheerio!
susan, i agree totally with you on the leather!! wow!! leather any day over those 'liberace' outfits! the leather is way sexier!!
ReplyDeletemaybe he thought he was getting...old...fat...and needed to wear something that STRETCHED! :/
i hate to admit it ...to you...but i never really cared for elvis a whole lot when i was younger...not til i got older...i appreciated him more.
your video was terrific!! you guys are so talented...now, i want to know if karo was shakin'...like elvis...as he was singing... :)
***Hi Susan, yes-that's me in front of the fireplace dancing it up. My sister was taking pictures of me and I had to get funny. Her picture of the Haunted Castle that I wrote about last October is above the mantle behind me. It seems so funny. I now have that picture in my entryway!
ReplyDeleteKaro really likes to sing, and I'm glad. Since our studio is not professional, we need to have total quiet when we record to keep from picking up other sounds. We are looking around for a bit larger home so we can expand and maybe make a soundproof studio! And, yeah, gotta include Shawn. He loves to mill around with our instruments. We may have him playing something one day.
Well, our weather is still holding in the 103 to 107 degrees...bucket some of your rain this way if you can. There's none in sight yet. I'm glad you stopped by. Hope your Swan mum is holding her own (with help from her friends, of course!). Have a good evening Susan!
***Laura-for shame! Actually, I have to tell you, I got away from Elvis too in the early 60's when James Brown, and the Motown groups came a long...a 'soul' survivor, I was. And, later, like you, I have come to appreciate him more (especially after I got a load of that BLACK LEATHER!) And, back then, people at the age of 30 thought they were old!
Sometimes Karo shakes like Elvis and vibrates his lip when he's messing around singing. But he really tries not to imitate him too much. I noticed when we first started dating that he dances like Elvis-it was funny, and it's like these kids that try to dance like Michael Jackson. Karo was always hooked on Elvis even as a kid!
I'm glad you like our video. It was fun to put together, finding some older pictures and some newer ones. Thanks for your compliments and for taking time to listen to our song. Happy 'lichen' Laura!