Graceland Blog

This blog could have been called “Kiss My Firm But Pliant Lips” at 50, but thank goodness, it’s not. That was the original title to Elvis Presley’s 28th movie, “Live a Little, Love a Little.” Released in October 1968, the comedy just turned 50. In addition to plenty of laughs, the movie gave us one of Elvis' biggest hits, "A Little Less Conversation." Let’s take a look back at this comedy, and say farewell to one of the king&... Read More

Here we are, Elvis fans... the last part in our Elvis' #1 Hits series.   It's really incredible to consider Elvis' success. Fans often gasp when they round the corner to see his wall of gold at the Elvis: The Entertainer Career Museum. So many Gold, Platinum and Diamond Records. So many awards. So many records sold, so many spins on the record player, jukebox and CD and, now, so many digital streams. So many lives touched.   This final part of our series spotlights a... Read More

BY JON WATERHOUSE   Elvis Week Brunch with Ronnie Tutt   From the late 1960s until the end of his career, Elvis’ live performances had an undeniable pulse. Certainly, Presley himself provided the electrical force emanating from the stage. The tangible heartbeat of the music came courtesy of drummer Ronnie Tutt.   Like D.J. Fontana before him, Tutt’s rhythmic skill not only provided the essential backbone for Elvis’ live sets, but his percussive instincts... Read More

BY JON WATERHOUSE Throughout this year’s Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, all eyes and ears remained fixed on the competitors. The glimmering jumpsuits, the robust vocals, the rhythmic moves. It’s their night, especially 2018 Champion Ben Thompson from England. If you ask host Joey Sulipeck, it’s his job to keep it that way. “I’ve always seen my role during the show as the last person you think of,” said Sulipeck, who works as Chief Meteorolo... Read More

BY JON WATERHOUSE Yesterday, for veteran record producer and singer-songwriter Andy Childs, a project born at Elvis Week 2017 came full circle in the very spot it began. Flanked by Lisa Marie Presley, Joel Weinshanker and Sony Music’s John Jackson, Childs and company celebrated the release of “Where No One Stands Alone,” a reimagining of select Elvis Presley gospel songs with new instrumentation and Elvis’ original vocal performances as the centerpiece. Childs an... Read More

In 1973, one Memphis legend, Elvis Presley, visited another Memphis legend, Stax Records, to create music.This month marks the 45th anniversary of Elvis’ first sessions at Stax.Brother and sister team Estelle Axton and Jim Stewart created Stax in Memphis in the late 1950s. The studio saw successes and failures throughout the years, but the music created there still lives on. Jim Stewart created Satellite Records in 1957, and his sister Estelle Axton joined in on the business in 1960. It was r... Read More

The King of Rock 'n' Roll never made music by himself.He worked with some of the best musicians, singers, songwriters, producers and engineers in the business. All of these talents combined to bring some of the most influential and groundbreaking music to the ears of music fans around the world.Here on the Graceland Blog, we've covered several of the incredible talents who worked with Elvis, including Floyd Cramer, Blue Moon Boys, Sam Phillips, and The Jordanaires. This week, we're getting to... Read More

Elvis Presley earned the title of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll thanks to his endless work inside the studio, on the stage and on the big screen.Elvis topped the charts again and again – if you need the proof, check out his wall of awards at Elvis: The Entertainer Career Museum at Elvis Presley’s Memphis at Graceland. Here on the Graceland Blog, we’re digging deep to go behind the scenes of Elvis’ biggest hits – in fact, we’re up to part 6. Check out part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5.Whic... Read More

“Elvis swinging higher than the Space Needle with the gals, the songs and the famous World’s Fair!”Elvis’ twelfth movie, “It Happened at the World’s Fair,” was released April 3, 1963, making this year its 55th anniversary. The musical comedy follows Mike (Elvis) and Danny (Gary Lockwood), crop duster pilots who travel to the World’s Fair in Seattle to pay off Danny’s gambling debts and to get their plane back from the local sheriff. Along the way, Danny plays poker to make some quick cash, an... Read More

Elvis Presley was a lot of things - a singer, the world's greatest entertainer, an actor, the King of Rock 'n' Roll - but he was also a music fan.Elvis loved all different kinds of music, from gospel to blues to rock 'n' roll to country. You could tell if Elvis loved a song you'd written and released because he'd cover it himself.While Elvis sang plenty of songs written just for him, he also made a habit of covering songs he liked throughout his career. If he really liked your tune, you might... Read More