Elvis News:

 

Memphis Celebrates Rock 'N' Roll's 50th By Barry A. Jeckell NEW YORK (Billboard) - Pegging the day Elvis Presley recorded a version of Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right" July 5, 1954 -- at as the date "rock" and "roll" were married, Memphis will celebrate 2004 as the 50th anniversary. A year of events in the Tennessee city will mark the occasion that sparked a revolution from Sam Phillips' tiny Memphis Recording Service studio and his Sun Records label. Helping to spearhead the effort will be a group of "musical ambassadors" appointed by Memphis Mayor Willie W. Herenton. The group consists of Memphis native Justin Timberlake, blues legend B.B. King, soul great Isaac Hayes and former Presley sideman Scotty Moore. "Having played lead guitar for Elvis' 1954 recording of 'That's All Right,' it's a thrill for me to be a part of this historic celebration," Moore said in a statement. "The blues and rock 'n' roll have always been closely connected, feeding off one another," says King, who has performed on the city's storied Beale Street for decades. "It's that mixing of styles that has made Memphis such a fertile ground for musicians." "The many sounds of Memphis shaped my early musical career and continue to be an inspiration to this day," adds Timberlake. For Hayes, the occasion will return him to the place where he began his career, writing and performing songs such as Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" at the city's legendary Stax Records label. "Rock 'n' roll began in Memphis," he said. "And the city continues to be a focal point of enormous musical creativity today." The celebration will kick off with "Countdown on Beale" on New Year's Eve, followed by the annual events surrounding Presley's Jan. 8 birthdate. Appropriately, the yearly late summer "Elvis Week" activities, set for Aug. 7-16, will be incorporated into the 50th anniversary theme. Along with events still in the planning stages, Memphis hopes to lead a "global moment in time" where radio stations around the world will be encouraged to play "That's All Right" simultaneously on July 5. A Web site (http://www.50yearsrocknroll.com/) has been created as an information center for the anniversary events.

 

Elvis Rules Forbes List of Top-Earning Dead Celebs NEW YORK (Reuters) - The King still wears the money crown. Rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley, dead for more than 26 years, on Friday led the Forbes.com list of top-earning deceased celebrities for the third year in a row, to the tune of $40 million for the year ending September 2003. With perennial megahits like "Don't be Cruel," "Jailhouse Rock," and "All Shook Up," his "30 #1 hits" CD has sold 9 million copies since being released in 2002, and a follow-up CD, "Elvis: 2nd to None," is in the top 10 on Billboard's album chart after coming out two weeks ago. Runner-up on the list was Peanuts cartoon creator Charles Schulz, earning $32 million. Third at $22 million was writer J.R.R. Tolkien, whose "Lord of the Rings" books have been transformed on screen into a lucrative movie franchise. Former Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison earned $19 million and $16 million, respectively, putting them fourth and fifth on the list, based on estate earnings. New to the list this year were Broadway musical composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, with $7 million, as well as song writers Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, and Dr. Robert Atkins -- whose popular books and products promoting high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage again -- who all earned about $6 million each. Rounding out the top 10 were children's book author Dr. Seuss, race car driver Dale Earnhardt, rapper Tupac Shakur, reggae star Bob Marley and movie star Marilyn Monroe. Seuss could make a run for a top 5 spot next year as his "Cat in the Hat" book will be released as a motion picture starring Mike Myers next month -- spurring new interest in his works and opening up other marketing opportunities. Frank Sinatra and James Dean returned to the list of 19 after falling off in 2002.

With special thanks to Elvis world Japan!

Little Sister - studio version (4.1MB - Video for Media Player) Little Sister - karaoke version (4.1MB - Video for Media Player) (Elvis' voice removed from CD,"2nd To None") By Request! A Little Less Conversation - remix version (5.8MB - Video for Media Player) Stuck On You - studio version (3.9MB - Video for Media Player) Stuck On You - karaoke version (3.9MB - Video for Media Player) (Elvis' voice removed from CD,"30 #1 Hits") Burning Love - studio version (4.8MB - Video for Media Player) Burning Love - karaoke version (4.8MB - Video for Media Player) (Elvis' voice removed from CD,"30 #1 Hits") Always On My Mind - studio version (6.0MB - Video for Media Player) Always On MyMind - karaoke version (6.0MB - Video for Media Player) (Elvis' voice removed from CD,"2nd To None") Promised Land - studio version (4.8MB - Video for Media Player) Promised Land - karaoke version (4.8MB - Video for Media Player) (Elvis' voice removed from CD,"2nd To None") His Latest Flame - studio version (3.4MB - Video for Media Player)