High Expectations

Check out the clip of Elvis’s rehearsal of “The Wonder of You” from Youtube below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSodZqm2rv8&feature=related

Through it’s an awesome song, hearing it three or so times is perhaps pushing it. It might even seem like a waste of time for a busy person like yourself. But Elvis didn’t.

Now, unless you’re an intense Elvis fan (like myself) then you might not listen to the whole clip, but you can still pick up the importance of what Elvis does in it.

This clip is from February 1970, a couple months before Elvis did the famous shows that went on to become part of the documentary film Elvis – That’s the Way it Is. You’ll notice that even at this early stage, Elvis and his band are playing very well together. Actually, despite a bit of messing about, the first rehearsal shot at the song would probably have been show worthy. Yet, Elvis and his band go through it again. Then, on the second rehearsal of the song, Elvis actually stops the band and tells them to change what they had been doing well to try something that he felt would be better in the long run.

On the third time through, the band plays once more, sounding better than it had either of the two previous times and with Elvis’s improvement added by the backup singers towards the end of the verse. Compare this to the version of “The Wonder of You” included in Elvis − That’s the Way it Is and you’ll see that in the couple months till those shows, Elvis and the TCB (Taking Care of Business) band had worked on it even more and, as a result, it sounded even better.

Sound like a lot of work? Something that took years for Elvis to build up the dedication to go over a song in rehearsal with a fine-toothed comb to perfect it? Well, no. Looking into Elvis’s past, we can see that he’d been like this years earlier.

When Elvis recorded “Hound Dog” in 1956, he went through 31 takes until he thought it was good enough to put out as a single. 31 takes! Think of going through one of your projects 31 times to get it right.

So, what am I saying? That you should go over something until you can’t stand it anymore. Perhaps not. But what I am saying is that Elvis kept himself to a standard. He would not stop practicing the same song until it was the way he wanted it to be. Then, coincidentally or not, it went out, people loved it as much as he did, and it became a hit. When you believe your work of a certain calibre and won’t settle for anything less, you are bound to keep that certain calibre of work because you wouldn’t submit anything less than that to the world. The higher that standard, the higher the calibre of work and the better the work, the more likely people will want to buy that work.

No, you don’t have to go into rehearsal for days going over a song. No, you don’t have to take 31 takes to have a song put out. But you certainly can go over something until it is a standard you find worthy of selling, enough that you would buy it yourself. Take it from Elvis, and your level of achievement will mirror it.

Elvis’s Lessons:

Ø Hold your work to the highest expectation and let nothing less be enough. Others will wonder why you are so good but you’ll know that your high standards are the ‘secret’.

Ø Keep on trying to improve your work, even if it doesn’t require improving immediately. Change happens one of two ways: you make it happen or it happens to you. It’s much less stressful and rewarding when you initiate change and improve in the way you want rather than being made to change by society and still not being on the edge of innovation.

P.S. If you're interested in hearing Elvis's performance of "The Wonder of You" from Elvis - That's the Way it Is, a couple months after the rehearsal discussed in this article, here's a link to a video of that scene.

Elvis and the Photographer: A Story of Gratitude

I was just listening to George Klein on Sirius XM’s Elvis radio station (channel 19). Today, as usual, he had an interesting story that demonstrates not only one of Elvis’s many positive aspects, reasons for the King’s continual success, but one that can also be harnessed by you.

The story goes that for Elvis to get back to his room after a show at the International (later the Las Vegas Hilton) he couldn’t get back through the casino without being stopped. So, he would go backstage through the maintenance passages and take the service elevator. With him would typically be about six members of Elvis’s gang of friends, the Memphis Mafia, and about four bodyguards.

On this particular occasion, when Elvis and his entourage got out of the elevator, a man with a camera greeted them by asking Elvis if he could take his picture. Suddenly, Elvis’s bodyguards were on the man, pushing him to the wall and taking his camera.

But Elvis told his bodyguards to lay their hands off the man. When the man was released, Elvis asked the fellow how many pictures were on his camera. The man replied thirty-two whereupon Elvis asked him how he would like him to pose. Long story short, the man didn’t leave until Elvis had posed for all thirty-two shots.

Afterwards, Elvis asked his bodyguards to be easy with his fans because if it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t be where he was.

First off, I’ve gotta thank George Klein for a great story which I only wish I could tell as well as he can. It’s touching to hear a tale of such humanity when many celebrities are pulled into the bustle of their own importance. But more so, humanity is what makes Elvis fans still get the warm fuzzies for him thirty five years after his passing (and yes, I am no exception).

Elvis cared so much for the man that not only did he save him being roughed up and give him a picture, but he gave him as many pictures as possible could. Why? Because Elvis recognised that people like that fan were responsible for his success. And even if that man had never bought an Elvis record in his life, the man’s spreading of Elvis’s neighbourliness might encourage others who would.

Elvis realized that no one gets anywhere without something to get them there. Moreover, nobody becomes successful without someone helping them, whether that be a friend, a relative, or, yes, a fan.

Elvis’s Lessons:

• Remember (and be grateful to) those who helped you get somewhere. They can be your parents, relatives, friends or strangers. It doesn’t matter. What does is that you give them the respect they deserve because they helped you become something and even if they individually can’t take that away, a multitude of them can (and your common decency should hurt long before that ever happens). They helped you, so it’s only fair if you help them, too, even if it only be through gratitude. The best bit: your continual support of them will encourage them to continue supporting you. Result − both you and them are happy in the long run.

P.S. If your interested in seeing Elvis perform in one of the shows that could have preceded the story in this article, here's a clip from Elvis: That's the Way it Is of the King singing Patch it Up.

Give Back

In 1958, Elvis Presley reaches the peak of his early success. He’s scored a bestselling LP, garnered several number ones in charts all over the world and has starred in several movies, including ‘57’s The Jailhouse Rock, but he is about to hit a metaphorical transport truck; in the years following the Second World War, conscription is present in the U.S. and it is Elvis’s turn to join the army.

So, let’s look at this the way Elvis might have seen it: he has come from nothing to exceedingly successful in several areas of the entertainment industry. He has achieved more than many would think possible… and now he is going to be serving time in the army. The media has always been fast-paced but this is an age when a big record company dropping you could destroy your career. And if Elvis’s fans go onto the next sensation, Elvis is out of a job.

But apparently Elvis doesn’t see it this way; he believes that he is good enough and has good enough fans that after serving in the army they won’t desert him. He doesn’t fight to get off the draft. He feels that it is his duty as a US citizen (of the time) to join up and if all the other men in the country are being called up, why not him?

So, on March 24^th 1958, Elvis is sworn in as a private in the US army and, on the 25^th, has his hair and sideburns shaven off

Elvis is a good soldier, or so his promotions infer. In the two years that Elvis serves, he rises to the rank of sergeant and is discharged honourably at the end of his tour of duty (served mainly in Germany). Elvis is possibly in the best shape of his life at this point (wait… he is scary thin!) and has met his future wife, Priscilla Beaulieu.

Though he has released a couple tracks in the army, now comes the big challenge – will anyone remember him!? Well, it seems that his time in the army hasn’t hurt Elvis much at all (unless you count his now seemingly more-reserved stage behaviour as ‘hurt’).

On 23^rd March 1960, Elvis’s train to Miami, Florida, is well marked by fans and the press. Later, on May 12^th, Elvis performs on the Frank Sinatra show and sparks high ratings. Thanks to his time in the army, men who previously thought he was overly-feminine had no ground to stand on and people who criticized his ‘easy’ lifestyle lacked evidence.

And support from fans? Elvis releases Stuck on You” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” (both peaking at number one on the Billboard 100) as well as the movie G.I. Blues which becomes Variety’s second highest grossing film of 1960. Elvis was back, and the world still knew who the King was.

Elvis’s Lessons

Ø When something great happens to you or you are successful, remember Elvis; give back through time, money, energy, participation in some service (it doesn’t have to be the army – charity is a good way of giving back, too) to let others know how much you appreciate their support. And the best bit: the more people you give back to, even if they didn’t care about you before hand, the more people will respect you afterwards.

Ø A little bit of self-confidence and belief in yourself never hurts. When you believe you are the best, you don’t have to worry about going away to give your energy to others for a bit; you will still be capable of remaining the best when you return to your normal work (providing you put the effort in returning to your previous station). But beware. Notice ‘giving your energy to others for a bit”, well it means a bit! Don’t lose your vision or you’ll be in real trouble.

P.S. If you're interested in seeing Elvis in his first comeback, this is a clip of him from his famous Frank Sinatra Show appearance.

Move On When It's Time

Since that fateful day in 1953 when Elvis Presley first walked into Sun Studios, Elvis had been closely associated with that studio (who also had members such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins) and Sam Phillips. He’d got his first recording contract and cut his first commercial track there. His band started at Sun and all Elvis’s success had stemmed from that little studio in Memphis.

But Elvis was getting big. By 1955, he had a large fan base, a gruelling touring schedule and several minor hits to his name. Elvis’s career needed a boost.

The first big change that changed Elvis’s life and career forever was his meeting Colonel Tom Parker, later to become Elvis’s manager. Parker had managed singer Eddy Arnold but had now heard the buzz about this new singer. He felt he could take Elvis’s career to the next level, as his manager, and that’s exactly what he did.

One of Parker’s first important acts was getting Elvis a recording contract with RCA in late 1955. RCA was a large enough company to get Elvis’s work all over the United States and later the world. Elvis must have been scared. He’d never recorded anything not under the Sun Studios label and everyone who knew him well in the recording industry would have been with the smaller studio. But to become as famous as he would, he needed to move to the bigger company.

Elvis’s musical selection had changed considerably since when he first started. His first couple songs had been bluesy, like Arthur Crudup’s “That’s Alright Mama”, or country-ish, like “I Forgot to Remember to Forget”. They had elements of blues, gospel, and country and were called rockabilly, a style Elvis was originally associated with. These songs tended to be upbeat, crowd pleasers. But when Elvis got the first single done for his LP, Elvis Presley, for RCA, it was the slow, bluesy, hard-hitting “Heartbreak Hotel”. His new studio was furious. They wanted him to be successful so they could be successful and this was like nothing else he’d ever done before. But the change paid off. “Heartbreak Hotel” became Elvis’s first national number one in April 1956.

Elvis’s musical style continued to evolve and he started adding more “real” rock ‘n’ roll into his repertoire, the rhythm and blues that people like Chuck Berry and Little Richard were putting out. Elvis’s cover of “Long Tall Sally” or “Rip it Up” are examples of this.

Then came another big change; Colonel Parker got Elvis into Hollywood and the movies. Starting with Love me Tender in 1956 and moving through films like Loving You and The Jailhouse Rock in 1957, all with songs unique to the themes and titles of the pictures. Scary at first, but Elvis ended up with an average salary of one million USD per picture and continued to make thirty-one films (not including his two concert documentaries).

The best parts of Elvis’s life came with changes. There was when he went into the army, the tracks he recorded while in it and the buzz created when he got out. Then, when musical tastes were switching to the like of The Beach Boys and, later, The Beatles and The British Invasion, Elvis was in Hollywood making movies and selling their soundtracks. When he got tired of that, he did his ‘68 Comeback Special, including the original acoustic portion of the show. He moved on to Las Vegas sporting custom made jumpsuits instead of the typical tuxedoes of other singers. Then, he sang in the first globally broadcast concert in Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii.

And, as a matter of note, the lowest points in Elvis’s life were when he wasn’t changing or doing something new. His movie-making in the 60’s led him to play the same, old, stale characters after a while and he put on weight and was less popular during his later time in Hollywood. Also, his constant touring schedule in the 70’s, staging over 1,100 concerts between 1969 and his death, eventually led to less exciting performances and poor health which eventually killed him. Elvis was known as an innovator of popular music and is remembered for that now. Change is innovation. Stagnation leads slowly, as it did in Elvis’s case, to death. In contrast, he never looked healthier than when he was doing something new, like star in his 1968 comeback special. Makes you think, huh?

Elvis’s Lessons:

Ø Elvis moved to RCA when his career needed to go to the next step. Go to the next big opportunity, even if you’re scared, when it’s time to push the boundary a bit more and get out of a rut. HINT: You’ll know you’re in a rut if you aren’t enjoying what you were doing before as much as you used to, if you feel unfulfilled. Remember Elvis’s Hollywood career.

P.S. If you're interested in hearing some of Elvis's early RCA, Rock n Roll, material, here's a recording of "Rip it Up": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZPpd8-pbm4

Failing is Not a Reason to Give Up

Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys were a pretty new item on the music market in 1954. Their rockabilly style, mixing country, blues and gospel music together, was new, too. As a result, it required an open-minded person to accept these new styles and not be offended by them. And America in the 50’s was a very easy place to offend people.

Back in those days, the Grand Ole Opry was the largest country show in the United States. Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records and Elvis’s contract, got the Blue Moon Boys a gig at the Grand Ole Opry, a very unusual stroke of luck for a group so young. They were excited. They were unheard of and now they were on one of the greatest shows in the U.S.

But things didn’t go quite as planned. Apparently the country element of rockabilly wasn’t large enough for the conservative country crowd. The crowd did not respond well to the show put on by the boys and the talent producer of the show told Elvis afterwards that he should go back to driving trucks. Ouch.

The Blue Moon Boys weren’t done yet, though. The Louisiana Hayride was also running at this time and, though not as big as the Grand Ole Opry, it was more open-minded. When Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys showed on their show, they were a big hit and returned many times afterwards. Taking the advice of that Talent Producer at the Grand Ole Opry could have destroyed a perfectly good career because Elvis and his band didn’t fit into that shows niche.

Later, Elvis, now managed by Colonel Parker and working for RCA, went onto the Milton Berle show to play a couple songs. He finished with a crowd favourite, a cover of Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog”. Elvis’s version is much more upbeat and rock ‘n’ rolling. Then it would go into a slow section where Elvis would shake his body to the music and get the crowd going wild. The music of the show is fine. The clip is even good and nowadays most people would smile with Elvis’s energetic movements, but not America back in 1956. Some people were so offended, they wanted to have Elvis banned.

The newspapers tore the Mississippi kid apart. But the Colonel got Elvis on the Steve Allen show, a big show similar to David Letterman’s show nowadays. Allen brought Elvis on after a “he’s learnt his lesson” speech. Elvis was further humiliated by singing “Hound Dog”, the song that had got him in trouble, to a real hound, a moment he would say to the end of his life was his most embarrassing moment.

Working through his imminent failure had done him a favour; Steve Allen’s show beat Ed Sullivan’s show in the ratings that night. Sullivan, known for showing the latest cutting edge acts of the day, was flabbergasted and wanted to get the boy who had outdone him that night on his show.

Elvis was booked for a performance which has since become a legendary moment in that show’s history. Sullivan called Elvis, “a very nice boy” and Elvis’s career was safe and back on track again. Elvis returned to the Sullivan show for a further two, unforgettable performances.

Elvis was still not immune to failure; Elvis and his boys were offered a four week engagement down in Las Vegas. But after a couple weeks of bad reception from the conservative audience, who expected entertainment on the line of Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra, Elvis’s group cut their stay short and left casino town. However well he was doing in the charts, Elvis could not guarantee the love of older fans as well.

Fast forward thirteen years to 1969: Elvis has done his ’68 comeback special and has had his biggest selling hit with “Suspicious Minds”. Elvis wants to return to touring and the Colonel has once again booked him in Las Vegas at the International, later the Hilton, Hotel. It’s hard to imagine the thoughts going through Elvis’s mind. This was the town which had seen one of his greatest flops when he was a national sensation. Now he was still making a comeback. His whole concert tour career might hinge on the success of these shows. What would happen if he failed again, even after the changes of time, and he had to cut his tour down, again?

But times had changed and so had people’s opinions. When Elvis performed in Las Vegas, all these years later, he was warmly received. So warmly that a documentary film Elvis –That’s the Way it Is was done through MGM showing Elvis during that first year back in Vegas. Elvis continued to play successfully at the Hilton until the end of his life and is still associated with that famed hotel in Vegas.

Elvis’s Lessons:

Ø Failing is not a reason to give up. Not everyone will dig your style. Take what you can learn from a situation and move on, continuing to do your best. Who knows, maybe next time you try you’ll be successful.

Ø Given different changes and after being altered by the pass of time, situations that once turned out in failure can be turned around to create success. Elvis could do it in Las Vegas, so can you do it in your life.

P.S. If you're interested in seeing Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show, this is a clip from his first appearance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsP6fluNoTU&feature=related

Be Really Good At Something

I was only listening to an Elvis radio station when the King himself came on singing a version of Fats Domino’s big hit, Blueberry Hill. It was a pretty good cover which I and many other Elvis fans may have enjoyed, but it also spells out a major point of controversy associated with Elvis. More about this later…

Blueberry Hill was written in 1940 by Vincent Rose, Al Lewis and Larry Stock to be played in a western, originally being sung by Gene Autry. Glenn Miller had also had a hit with it and there had been a host of other covers in following years. Fats Domino released the song in 1956 and it rose to number two in the US and number six in the UK – his biggest hit.

For those with a poor memory, Fats Domino was the big-boned rock ‘n’ roll pianist who put out his first song in 1949, “The Fat Man”. Over time, the loveable Domino put out twenty-three big records, each selling over a million. His hard work not forgotten, he was inducted into the Rock n Roll hall of fame in 1986 (its first year and also the year Elvis was inducted).

So where am I going with this? Well, Domino, considering he didn’t even write “Blueberry Hill”, is an example, as Presley was, of a musician in the 50’s who would sing other people’s songs as if they were their own. They would then have hits with the songs and be associated with the tune for ever after. Another good example is Presley’s 1956 cover of Carl Perkin’s 1955 song ‘Blue Suede Shoes’. At the time, people were interested in hearing the gritty, new rock n roll versions of these songs or, in Perkins case, another artist’s interpretation of a song.

But what has happened with time is these songs tend to get associated with one person. It still gets many a Carl-Perkins fan when ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ is credited as an Elvis song because of Elvis’s enduring popularity, leading people to give Elvis credit even though the original was by Perkins a year earlier. In Domino’s case, Presley also covered his hit a year later. At the time, this meant a different version and, clearly, Domino’s version kept selling long after Elvis’s version came out; it wouldn’t be remembered so well today if it hadn’t.

But to the controversy: isn’t one artist covering another person’s song stealing the credit that person deserves? And, if the artist covering another person’s song is stealing, and Elvis did a lot of covers in his time because he didn’t take part in the writing process of many songs, then does that make Elvis a leech, stealing the popularity deserved to his fellow his musicians? Interesting point, huh?

Well, not really. Elvis claimed to be a singer. And that’s what he did, sing. And he was very good at it. But that’s a musician’s job, not a writer’s job. Writing songs is a completely different talent with different required skill sets. The best songwriters aren’t always great singers nor vice versa. Elvis couldn’t craft a good song so he made up with it by singing his all on other’s songs. And, if you’re into classical music, you’ll know this isn’t that weird; Mozart hasn’t played any of his hits in years, or Beethoven, but no one complains when Daniel Barenboin does his excellent covers of those great composers’s work. He’s perhaps not a legendary composer himself, but he is a great musician who does them justice all these years after the grave took them.

But, isn’t it different in pop music? Nope. Rihanna didn’t write her smash hit Umbrella, but The-Dream, Kuk Harrell, Christopher Stewart and Jay-Z (for his rap introduction).

Furthermore, there are copyright laws. Even if a songwriter loses publicity because another artist did a more successful version of their song, providing they had it copyrighted and have the rights to it, they can still get royalties on that song. Chuck Berry, the legendary Rock n Roll guitarist, does this when people cover his songs.

It’s not like talented song writers can’t be singers, like Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, or either one of the Lennon- McCartney duo, but there’s nothing wrong with being one or the other, like Elvis was. You’ve just got to be extra good at the one skill instead of decently extra good at two.

Elvis’s Lessons:
Ø You don’t have to be a little good at a lot of things; there will always be other talented people to take care of those areas if you can’t (like song-writing in Elvis’s case). But what is important is that you’re good at one thing, so good that you can make the original sound like it was a cover (for Elvis that was singing). That’s what Elvis did through his whole career and he still has more hits than most fellow singers then and now.

P.S. If you're interested in hearing Elvis's version of "Blueberry Hill", check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4zF3M_Y24E

Make Good Friends

When Elvis got called back to Sun Studios by Sam Phillips in 1954, Phillips hooked him up with Scotty Moore, a guitarist, and Bill Black, an upright bassist. It’s said that the two older session musicians weren’t too impressed with the young Presley when they first met him. He was several years younger than either one of them and less experienced. But after they played together a bit, the rapport started building and first impressions disappeared in place of friendship.

The Blue Moon Boys, as they were then called, created their own unique sound, a mix of country, gospel and blues, later called rockabilly. They first made magic together when they had their first regional hit, a cover of Arthur Crudup’s “That’s Alright, Mama” in 1954. More songs followed, including a breakthrough into the national charts with “Baby Let’s Play House”. Scotty Moore was the original manager and the group started getting a regular local tour circuit.

Soon, Phillips decided that the trio could use a drummer. D.J. Fontana, who met Elvis off the Louisiana Hayride in 1954, got the gig and soon started becoming a feature of the group’s recordings and live performances.

When Elvis’s contract was sold from Sun to RCA in late 1955, Scotty, Bill and D. J. followed right along. The final original addition to the Presley sound came with the vocal group The Jordanaires. When Elvis’s first RCA LP came out in 1956, the legendary Elvis Presley, this group backed Elvis up to Platinum.

But life wasn’t all good; when Elvis was told by the talent agent of the Grand Ole Opry that he should go back to driving trucks, his band, now close friends, stood behind him. Then, when Elvis and the group got lukewarm results with their first shows in Las Vegas, his group stood behind him. And when Elvis was nearly banned for his ‘overly sexual’ dance moves on the Milton Berle show, this band followed him through it, to his return and humiliation on the Steve Allen show (Elvis was required to sing “Hound Dog”, the song who’s dance moves got him in trouble, to a real hound) and later with his big comeback to popularity on the Ed Sullivan show. Even when Elvis’s popularity eclipsed the personas of the rest of the group, they stood behind him.

This group were in his movies and backed Elvis up until 1958. Then, after a pay disagreement with Elvis’s manager, the Colonel, Elvis and his original band parted ways, except for the Jordanaires who continued to back him up until 1970.

But Elvis still needed a group of friends to help guide him. With childhood friends such as Red and Sonny West and George Klein, these men became known as the Memphis Mafia, Elvis’s personal escort of friends, who stayed with him for the rest of his life.

And if you’re wondering about what happened to his original group, Scotty, Bill and D.J., it worked out better than you may have worried. Scotty and D.J. continued their friendship with Elvis and worked with him on his ’68 Comeback Special, when he was returning back to public performing, during the informal, sit-down portion of the show. Only Bill completely severed ties with Elvis, dieing suddenly in 1965.

Elvis’s Lessons:
Ø Make friends, a couple will do, that have positive mindsets and similar interests to you. Then go through a couple memorable occasions with them. Life will change but your friendships will provide stability.
Ø When friendships break up, as they might, it’s not an excuse to go friendless and remain hurt. Be like Elvis; move on and make more and different friends. Everybody is unique and has something to offer and as a result will impact your life positively in different and unique ways (if they’re good friends − those who impact you negatively are generally not true friends).

P.S. If you're interested in seeing Elvis singing "Hound Dog" to a Hound on Steve Allen's show, check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xypX3lsF2nE