Posts Tagged ‘Elvis Presley’
As we prepare for Holiday travel…
“Pilots and co-pilots on many airlines are required to eat different meals to minimize the effects of food poisoning if it should occur…” Says it all.
[TotH to DoobyBrain]
As we unwrap the food that we carried on, we might recall that it was on this date in 1970 that The President met The King: Richard M. Nixon welcomed Elvis Presley into the Oval Office. Two days after meeting Vice President Spiro Agnew in Palm Springs, Presley flew to D.C., and headed unannounced to the White House (with two bodyguards), where he presented the Marine guard with a hand-written letter to Nixon offering his services in the War on Drugs. The leatherneck got permission to admit The King, but having recognized him, apparently didn’t search him: on meeting Nixon, Presley pulled out an antique Colt .45 which he presented to the President as a token of his commitment to the cause. Some weeks later, Nixon offered Presley an official position in the Administration’s anti-drug campaign.
Six and a half years later, Presley died of heart failure, attributed by the coroner’s report to “undetermined causes.” It’s widely believed, however, that his death was caused by a lethal mix of a variety of prescription drugs and obesity.
Ready… Set… Glow!…
Readers who have pending fashion purchases will be relieved to know that Pantone (“the world-renowned authority on color”) has announced the The Color of the Year for 2011: Honeysuckle (PANTONE 18-2120). “A vibrant, energetic hue,” it sounds like just what the doctor ordered…
While the 2010 color of the year, PANTONE 15-5519 Turquoise, served as an escape for many, Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, Honeysuckle is encouraging and uplifting. It elevates our psyche beyond escape, instilling the confidence, courage and spirit to meet the exhaustive challenges that have become part of everyday life.
“In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”
Eiseman continues, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”
And not a moment too soon.
As we realize that this means a wholesale replacement of our accessories, we might recall that it was on this date in 1955 that Carl Perkins recorded his rockabilly classic “Blue Suede Shoes” at Sam Phillips’ Sun Records studio. Released at the start of 1956, the single was a hit, and was ultimately covered by a number of other acts– most famously, by Elvis Presley.
The B-side, also written by Perkins, wasn’t too shabby either: “Honey Don’t” was covered by at least 20 other acts, including The Beatles.
So you wanna be a rock and roll star…
Q: How do you get a drummer off of your front porch?
A: Pay for the pizza.
In a recent interview, Mick Jagger (who studied, one might remember, at the London School of Economics) observed that the financial lot of a recording artist has been pretty dodgy since the beginning of the 20th century. As the BBC reports:
“When the Stones started out they didn’t make any money out of records because record companies didn’t pay you,” he said. “Nobody got paid. I always wonder if Frank Sinatra got paid.
“Your royalty was so low. If you sold a million records you got a million pennies. It was all very nice, but not what you imagined you were going to get.”
However things changed as musicians became more adept at controlling their creations.
This came at about the time the Stones hit what many see as their peak, which included the 1972 release of the critically acclaimed Exile on Main Street.
Later the boom in music sales through the development of the compact disc bolstered the earnings of those on lucrative royalty deals.
“There was a small period from 1970 to 1997 where people did get paid and they got paid very handsomely,” Sir Mick said. “They did make money but now that period’s done. If you look at the history of recorded music from, say, 1900 to now, there was that period where artists did very well but the rest of the time they didn’t.”
So how does a musician fare these days? According to a recap in The Root… well, You Can’t Always Get What You Want:
Read the whole sad story at The Root.
As we reconsider taking out a loan to pay for that additional floor tom, we might recall that it was on this date in 1954 that Sun Records released the first single by Elvis Presley, “That’s All Right (Mama)”/”Blue Moon of Kentucky.”
The tracks were covers that clued early listeners to the influences that Presley would marry with such power as he rose to royalty: “That’s All Right” is a blues song by Arthur “Big Boy” Cruddup, while “Blue Moon of Kentucky” is a bluegrass ballad by Bill Monroe.
But that stardom was still in the distance; while Presley’s renditions became instant hits in Memphis, hometown of both Elvis and Sun, the 45 received mixed reviews in the rest of what would become Presley’s kingdom.
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