Elvis arrives in New York, again at the Warwick Hotel, where he had already stayed for the TV show. It was the third and last appearance on the show for Ed Sullivan, who had already taken a liking to Elvis and not only accepted him, but introduced him as a good guy. Elvis had been recognized by someone who had at first taken issue with his music and the way he acted. But he realized that he was an ordinary young man who sang well and was a sure success. Regardless of his artistic interest, his appreciation was real. But it is true that there was still censorship involved and Elvis' performance had to be filmed in close-up or medium shots to avoid problems.
The audience also exploded in enthusiasm with their shouts at every gesture, every look, every movement that Elvis made on stage, so that regardless of the vision that the viewer could have at home, those present reacted as they usually would.
Elvis would dress for this performance in his blue velvet shirt given to him by Natalie Wood and a gold Lamé vest given to him by Barbara Hearn, his attire was striking, but even more so the confidence with which he handled his performance in front of the audience. His confidence during his performance was total in front of a devoted audience, it would be a happy moment for him, which would be remembered as one of his best performances on TV and live.

This time, Elvis sang seven songs, including several he had performed before: "Hound Dog", which he normally used to say goodbye to the audience, curiously he sang it to start his performance, he would follow with "Love Me Tender", "Heartbreak Hotel" and another version of the song " Don't Be Cruel", which he would perform in a different way , more in the style of Jackie Wilson. Elvis then dressed in a wool sports jacket, to continue with the rest of his performance, his clothes as always marked his style, then the song "Too Much", "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again", which was an old country song and what would surprise everyone the most, a gospel song, "Peace In The Valley". It was a song that no one would have expected in his repertoire, only those who really knew him, knew that this style was loved by Elvis.

The public that had only heard him rock songs, more up-tempo country songs or the occasional ballad, had yet to discover other types of songs that he liked and did not know his more spiritual side. Elvis had not yet recorded any gospel, there were still many songs to be discovered in this artist who would surprise his public.
Ed Sullivan did not understand the reason for this last song and did not want it to be sung, because it did not fit his style, but Elvis explained that he wanted to dedicate it to his parents, so he finally agreed, it would be a surprising ending with which everyone realized the magnitude of this interpreter who knew how to reach the public with more styles, including Gospel.
Elvis was fired by Ed Sullivan with these words : "Ladies and Gentlemen, because he is now going to the Coast, to shoot his new movie, this will be the last time we will see him for a while, but... I wanted to say to Elvis Presley and to the country, that he is a real nice and kind boy and wherever you go, Elvis, we all... we want to say that never in our show, we have had such a nice experience with a star. So let's give a big round of applause to this very nice person."
Elvis was grateful and proud for this, but from now on everything was going to change, since he didn't know that his television appearances would be impossible for the time being because of Colonel Parker. In an excess of ambition and greed, Colonel Parker had imposed prohibitive prices for new TV proposals, which obviously made it impossible to see him again in this medium. But the year began with many projects to carry out, many commitments that would continue to bring him the desired success.

What followed would be the concerts he had planned for 1957, and there were many of them. This Ed Sullivan's program, had again the expected audience success, which would bring Elvis even more fame and popularity. The youth would see in him, a symbol of rebellion and change, new airs for a young generation that was trying to get out of the customary way of life. Although Elvis always defended his music against this symbol of rebellion, which he had no intention of having, since all he wanted was to sing and make the public enjoy himself. The year 1957 begins, a year of successes, of rise and madness, also of censorship. But Elvis would be in the most important moment of his career and he would be recognized as "The King of Rock".

"Following the Path of the King..."."

After the Ed Sullivan TV show, it was time to record new songs and the decision was made to make a Gospel EP, in which Elvis put all his interest. It was his favorite music and surprisingly the proposal was made to record these four songs that had nothing to do with the style for which he was known until now. Elvis had the opportunity to record this album that would be his illusion, it is true that he wanted to improve and sweeten his image so as not to increase the criticism of the more conservative public, but really the interest was special for Elvis and had nothing to do with the public. The idea was to record this EP and some singles to be released later. It would start with the song "I Believe", a song that Elvis liked very much, recorded by Roy Hamilton, whom he admired. He would show confidence in recording it, he would sing in an emotional and delivered way, accompanied by Gordon Stoker on piano. The second song, which he had curiously found by the author Turner, "Tell me why", in the same way, he would show in a sincere and heartfelt way the lyrics of the same. This song had been recorded unsuccessfully before, but Elvis would give body and spirituality to it.Freddy Bienstock of Hill & Range, had proposed another couple of songs for the sessions. Among the regular songwriters they had Aaron Schroeder and Ben Weisman, who were to write for Elvis. The question of royalties, already beginning to weigh, for these working for Elvis Presley had a clear reward, despite giving up a third of the royalties to Elvis, the reduced share they earned exceeded the total share they would have gotten from a recording. For this Film they had written "Got A Lot O'Livin'To Do", a rhythm song for the opener.Also included in the sessions was Otis Blackwel's composition, "All Shook Up". In fact, Blackwell had been challenged to write a song for Elvis in the same vein as the one written earlier. Otis had given away half of his songwriting share on "Don't Be Cruel," agreeing to let Elvis Presley share the credit. As a songwriter he would have fought all of this, but the success of that song certainly took that idea away and "All Shook Up" received the same treatment, but it would be the last time Blackwell or any other writer would accept this kind of financial deal. "All Shook Up" was almost as natural as "Don't Be Cruel," and Elvis knew exactly how to interpret it. Thorne Nogar, the sound engineer, superimposed Elvis hitting the back of his guitar just as he had done on "Don't Be Cruel," giving the song an upgrade, with a beat that made the song a hit, with a natural and as always delivered performance. The only problem that existed in these recordings was time, Steve Sholes was always concerned about this and on the second day of recording the songs had to be finished, because they had to record the soundtrack of the film "Loving You" the next day, in these two days the spirit and energy were the same, everyone was very eager to do these songs well. Freddy Bienstock's help was important, because he was getting songs for Elvis that could be hits, like the first song they recorded on the second day.
 A Claude DeMetrius song, titled "Mean Woman Blues", with a rock and roll melody that became the basic blues base which made Elvis' interpretation natural, with his usual rhythm when singing it in the film.The song that would cost the most to record "I Beg Of You", the reason being that they couldn't get the rhythm they wanted. After twelve takes, Elvis decided to continue recording a gospel song, "Peace In The Valley", which Elvis felt so strongly about, just like he did for TV, he performed it with all his strength and heart. 
The next song "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", the number that Ink Spots had recorded, Elvis really liked, it was the song he had dedicated to his mother and he would record it again this day. He wanted to live up to it and do a good version, but Steve Sholes wanted to move on to the next song to complete the religious EP. The last song of the night was a second Thomas Dorsey classic, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord." Another song that Elvis poured his heart and soul into with full interest and feeling. 
The fourth Gospel song was still to be recorded, but Elvis had to be in the studio the next day to record songs for the movie "Loving you". They didn't want to wear him out after these sessions, so the EP would be finished the following weekend. After all the problems he had with the music in Elvis' first movie, "Love Me Tender",  Hal Wallis had learned from Elvis' way of being and fortunately adapted to him. Elvis needed his musicians and they took his band and the Jordanaires to Hollywood and were even hired for small roles in the film "Loving you". It was a solution so that everything would work out correctly and to the liking of his main investment, Elvis Presley. 

"Following the King's Way..."

Premiere in Memphis on July 9, 1957 Strand Theatre National Premiere: July 30, 1957 
Gross: $3,700,000

The week of January 14, 1957, rehearsals for the film "Loving You" began at Paramount, while the songs and soundtrack were being recorded, and production of the film began a week later, shooting began on January 21, 1957, and ended on March 8. The film was made in color. The film was shot at Paramount Studios, except for the Jessup farm scenes, which were filmed in the Hollywood Hills. Three titles were originally intended for the film: "Lonesome Cowboy", "Something for the Girls" and "Running Wild". Since in early January it was still undecided which one it would be, Ed Sullivan named "Running Wild" when he said that Elvis was going to film a new movie, when he made his last appearance on his show. Once filming and filming began, it was decided to change the title permanently to match the Leiber & Stoller song "Loving You".

The week of January 14, 1957, rehearsals for the film "Loving You" began at Paramount, while the songs and soundtrack were being recorded. The production of the film would begin a week later, the shooting starts on January 21, 1957, and ended on March 8. The film was made in color. The film was shot at Paramount Studios, except for the Jessup farm scenes, which were filmed in the Hollywood Hills.
Three titles were originally intended for the film: "Lonesome Cowboy", "Something for the Girls" and "Running Wild". Since in early January it was still undecided which one it would be, Ed Sullivan named "Running Wild" when he said that Elvis was going to film a new movie, when he made his last appearance on his show. Once filming and filming began, it was decided to change the title permanently to match the Leiber & Stoller song "Loving You".


In the film would appear as extras his parents, Vernon and Gladys, in a moment of a performance of Elvis himself.Scotty Moore, Bill Black and D.J Fontanta, also acted as musicians and even had some phrase in dialogue since they were the members of the company. Dolores Hart debuted as an actress in this film, singing as well, she would also appear in another Elvis film "King Creole".The great actress Lizabeth Scott, was very popular as an actress and singer, considered one of the most emblematic femme fatales of film noir of the 1940s and 1950s.In this film , Elvis looks natural and his interpretation is good, in one of the moments in which he is sincere with the character of Glenda and tells her the true story of Deke Rivers, he shows a promising future as an actor. 
Elvis had an innate potential for acting that he could demonstrate with good films, good plots, although in this film the story was very simple and did not have a great plot development.The film includes several songs in which we can witness the genuine Elvis of the moment, just as he drove his audience crazy. Since this film could describe something similar to Elvis' rise in his own career and the handling of his manager, represented by Glenda in the film.Elvis' character was a sensitive man marked by loneliness, searching for friends, loyalty or a family. The script of the film was embellished with joy, through the songs to be adapted to the story, in order to contrast with the somewhat dramatic history of his character. The numbers that Elvis performed were magnificent interpretations of the moment that could be performed in concert. 
Elvis had moments that would remain in the memory of the viewer, such as the interpretation of "Mean Woman Blues" , his fight in a cafeteria or when he sings "Teddy Bear", for which his fans flooded his house with teddy bears.From the beginning of the shooting Elvis feels very comfortable with his scene partners, mainly with the actor Wendell Corey, who gave him a lot of professional advice (his influence was such, that he later named his cat after him). Also with the young actress Dolores Hart, with whom he would later have a short relationship, with whom he also played in his best film "King Creole".
 Although before he noticed a supporting actress named Yvonne Lime, with whom he would also date, he said she was a very funny girl, in general Elvis lived some pleasant days in this filming and went out a lot in Hollywood, at this time also with Rita Moreno. Elvis immediately fitted into the Hollywood environment, but Scotty and Bill, with whom he had shared so many adventures and so many roads, were not at all comfortable there. They felt displaced and also ignored. The reason is that they were no longer a regular circle with Elvis and it was very difficult to get close to him, because at all times there was always someone in the way. The Colonel was making things more and more complicated by his conditions and Elvis did not seem to be bothered by this distance, nor did he ever do anything to remedy it. So it was even more painful, but this would continue to be the case from then on.

Plot:The screenplay based on the novel "A Call From Mitch Miller", by Mary Agnes Thompson. It tells the story of a trucker, Jimmy Topkins or Deke Rivers (the character of Elvis), who manages to succeed as a singer since he is discovered by the publicist Glenda Markle (Lizabeth Scott). He is accompanied by country musician Tex Warner (Wendell Corey).
Deke is a handsome young man, impetuous and with a good voice, which has a great attraction with the public, but at first he is not interested in acting and being fired from his job, he throws himself into the adventure to reach success. Markle and Warner, believing in his potential, want to promote his talent to fame and fortune, giving him every thing they feel he deserves. At first Warner sees Deke's addition to the act as merely additional, and believes he will return to stardom. But eventually he earns the show for his worth, Glenda's publicity stunts advance him faster, but Deke feels cheated and Warner loses the promoters' interest as a performer. The Elvis-like story would be similar in some ways to his rise to fame and the handling of his manager.

The film would be well received by the public. It was released nationwide on July 30, 1957, reaching the number 7 spot in the National Variety Box Office Poll, remaining on the list for four weeks. The film's soundtrack was recorded from January 15 to 18, 1957 at the Paramount Pictures Scoring Stage, followed by two more sessions at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on January 12, 13 and 19, also from February 23 to 24. 7 songs were composed specifically for the film by Elvis Presley Music and Gladys Music. Reviews were mixed, but generally acceptable for Elvis Presley's performance.
 
Variety wrote a favorable review, in which they singled out Elvis saying, "he shows improvement as an actor...being surrounded by an able team of performers." The New York Times criticized his performance : "Paramount's Loving you, starring America's favorite hound-dog screamer...", etc.
In any case his character had much in common with Elvis and his quest for true friendship, affection and love.

"Following the Path of the King..."

RECORDING SESSIONS FOR THE FILM "LOVING YOU" 1 part.
January 18, 1957.

The recordings for the film "Loving you", the second movie that Elvis Presley made, would take place in January and February 1957. Part of them would be made on stage, in the Paramount studios and others in the Radio Recorders.
Evidently the sound was very different so it had to be coupled and perfected. Part would be the ambient soundtrack of the film and on the other hand the songs that were going to be included in it.

In January and February the soundtrack of the film and the songs that Elvis had to perform were recorded. Elvis would count with his usual musicians and also with the best session musicians at Radio Recorders, such as Dudley Brooks, the pianist, arranger and composer, who worked with the greats of the moment, Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley.... They were also accompanied by Tiny Trimbell, guitarist, who would be known at Warner Brothers Studios, for appearing as a musician in many films and also in recording sessions for many artists of the moment such as Doris Day, Ricky Nelson, Bing Crosby, Elvis... Another artist, George Fields, also known in recording sessions for his harmonica.
Thorne Nogar, again would be the sound engineer of Radio Recorders, who would work with Elvis in many films and who understood him perfectly since he knew how to adapt to his requests. One of the ideas they had would be to include the version of "Mean Woman Blues" in which Elvis sang alone, with the orchestra following in the middle of the song. This title was intended for the ending, but it was decided to change it to the song "Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do".

Another modification was also made, as an instrumental version of "Peter Cottontail" was recorded for the film, instead of the originally planned "Tennessee Saturday Night". There were several versions of the theme song. The farm version of "Loving You" was originally planned to be guitar and harmonica , while the final version was supposed to have a full orchestra backing. Another curiosity is that they started using the binaural type of track, supposed to perform a lead vocal on one channel and the whole band on the other, so that they could allow for more flexibility when mixing, after recording.

The Colonel, always looking for the biggest profit, had negotiated with Wallis and Hazen to have Elvis' own music signatures, all the music he would sing in the film and even the numbers performed without him. When Hill & Range presented their new material to the producers and Steve Sholes, Elvis' producer, in December 1956, it would be accepted.
Included in the recordings were four songs written especially for the film, composed by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, two great songwriters of the time, responsible for many hits. The film's story was intended to portray the rise to fame of a young singer. In reality the captation by a timely woman who leads him to fame.

The writer and director of the film, Hal Kanter, wanted to meet Elvis and had flown to Memphis for dinner at the Presley home, and then traveled with Elvis to the benefit show in Shreveport, to see how he fared in the show, which represented Elvis' final appearance on Hayride. I wanted to go further by getting to know the audience's vision and Elvis himself on stage, with the intention of developing a story that could be adapted to him. The entire musical score would be created to allow Elvis to shine before the viewer. Hall Wallis was against recording at Radio Recorders, because he wanted to record at Paramount Studios, but Elvis was used to performing his songs in smaller studios, in a more intimate way, so he finally agreed.
In the same way, the way film recordings were made was planned down to the last detail and for Elvis, who was used to being more spontaneous and creative in the studio, it was a disappointment at first. Elvis needed more air for his music, more freedom and this caused him in the early days a bit of insecurity and frustration. The musicians did fit in with the rest, they were professional and used to adapt and even collaborate in the arrangements of Paramount's musical director, Charles O'Curran. There were further complications because Elvis was not happy with the sound recording within the space of the venue and was trying to get the song recorded after it had already been completed.

The song "Party" would be the first to be recorded, with just the band and the Jordanaires. The song "Mean Woman Blues", was so well liked by producer Hall Wallis, that he wanted to replace it with "Without You" by Leiber and Stoller.The recording of "Lonesome Cowboy", had to be done in several takes, at first it was to be the title track, engineer Thorne Nogar had to splice it.During a break in the recordings Ben Weisman, the composer, introduced himself to Elvis. He wanted to meet the artist to whom his songs had been offered, for the soundtrack of his film.

Ben Weisman would go on to become one of the composers with the most songs recorded by Elvis. Their meeting in the studio would be particular as Weisman would tell it, "I noticed Elvis sitting in the corner, jamming some blues on the guitar.""I walked over to the piano next to him, sat down and joined in. He didn't look up, kept playing and even improvised and switched keys with me, but I followed him." Elvis looked at him with a smile and asked who he was and what he was doing in the studio. Weisman told him he was invited to the session, because he had written one of the songs he was about to record, called 'Got A Lot O' Livin' to Do'." They were asked to re-record this track and "Mean Woman Blues", evidently the sound had nothing to do with the studio, on Radio Recorders.
The band would record the instrumental parts first. Included in these sessions was the song "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" written by Kal Mann and the Bernie Lowe theme, with a catchy, upbeat rhythm to give variety and change. It is always necessary to have a main theme that later develops into an ambient score with instrumental variations.
The score chosen was "Loving You" by Leiber and Stoller, although it had been recorded days before, they were not entirely satisfied and wanted to improve it. It was done in different scenes, several versions, also the beginning where the credits were, which was made more animated. But the main problem was that they couldn't get the right sound, and Elvis couldn't find himself, he couldn't feel the score, it was hard for him to get a feel for it. It was hard for him to get a feel for it.
They had to record even more and they started rehearsing versions of "Blueberry Hill", the music was written by Vincent Rose, the lyrics by John L. Rooney and popularized by Fats Domino, as well as the song "One Night" by Smiley Lewis and Dave Bartholomew. Although Elvis did connect very well with the two songs this time, the band was not able to connect, and the recordings were never finished. Although these two songs were not included in the film.
The song "Hot Dog", by Leiber and Stoller, would cost more takes to record. Others of the song "Got A Lot O'Livin'To Do" were also repeated. Everyone's feeling was that the filming had not been properly completed. For this reason there was still much to be done. The day after, they would return to Radio Recorders to finish the Gospel EP.

"Following the Path of the King..."

In these new sessions they wanted to perfect some songs already recorded and finalize others, also more songs were added, such as "Don't Leave Me Now" a song composed by Aaron Schroeder and Ben Weisman.
A song that posed some problems in the recording to the point of needing up to twenty-nine takes to complete it. It would again have impediments with the band, so this would already put in doubt if the musicians could get to record movie soundtracks, even as Elvis evolved with his music, they could meet their needs.

Something similar would happen in the song "I Beg of you", in which twenty-two takes had to be done and even with this, it was not clear that it would be liked in the end. A change had been requested in the song "One Night", composed by Dave Bartholomew, the lyrics were modified to avoid censorship. The censorship problem had been hidden by varying the lyrics slightly. Without these impediments Elvis' interpretation in the new version made up for it: since he felt free of worries about the song itself, as his interpretation became intense and with absolute control, magnificent.
"One Night" would make a splendid recording, so it was decided to remove it from the film's soundtrack and it would be chosen for release as a single. It would be released with the song "I Beg Of You" but with no future date set for the moment. The reason is that since at that time RCA had more singles waiting to be released, this is why its release was postponed.

Since the "Loving You" soundtrack had only seven songs, more songs were needed for its release, a song that had been a hit for Bing Crosby in 1956, the song "True Love" by Cole Porter, was chosen. Also the song "I Need You So" by Ivory Joe Hunter, which had been dropped the previous September. Again "Loving You" was taken up again to finish it in four takes.
Elvis would also record Billy Emerson's "When It Rains, It Really Pours", the song he had been working on at Sun Records, but which was never finished. This time he would sing it with a more rigid rhythm but with great dedication, to finish this initial task with Sam Phillips.

The home, the family and the people who surrounded Elvis Presley were always very important. Elvis was created in an absolutely family environment, despite being father, mother and son, but at this time, the rest of the family that could be close would be very important to him, also at work and in his relationship with others.Elvis since childhood would feel that he had no place, no home, until he met Graceland. There he would find the familiar base, where he established his roots, because for Elvis Presley it truly became his place, where he could always be at peace and be happy. Whenever he had time, between tours, movies, recordings... there he found himself, in the place he loved and granted him tranquility and the company of his loved ones.

The place of Graceland is forever associated with the figure of Elvis Presley, as well as his image and his voice. The house became a legend forever linked to the myth. Since he bought the house and, despite the years and other places, this place would undoubtedly be Elvis' desired and loved home. Located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee. The house became linked to his destiny from the day he first visited. The history of Graceland began as an earthly property in 1861, when Stephen Toof named it in honor of his daughter.  In 1939 his granddaughter Ruth Brown Moore and her husband built a two-story house. It was done in classical style for living in. The house was designed for her daughter Ruth Marie, a natural talent, she was a musical prodigy. She was a pianist and played the harp from the age of four. Their architects Fürbringer and Erhman designed large rooms at the front of the house, as a possible stage for concerts they could perform in the house, since the child eventually became a harpist with the Memphis Symphony.



 On March 17, 1957 Elvis purchased Graceland and in April 1957, the Presley family moved into their new house, making it their home and family symbol. Elvis advanced a deposit of $1,000 in order to sign the contract detailing the terms of the sale. He really could have haggled his original price, but Elvis didn't work that way, when he liked something straight away, he didn't think, the decision was made and that would be how he chose the place. The price was $90,000 and the property had the house with a farm, with pastures and in 1957 it was still a rural area. The final contract was signed on March 26, with Vernon, Gladys and Elvis Presley. The idea of transforming some parts of the house and adding others was very clear in Elvis' mind, who knew what he wanted to do with it.   Elvis added buildings, structures and the music doors that open the property. Over time even more land was added and buildings were also added to the original house to accommodate not only his family, but also the people he would have in his employ.  Elvis enjoyed changing the decoration and his parents added the vegetable garden and chicken coop, for Gladys it was also a place to grow crops and keep her animals, she was always a country woman and having a bigger house would not make her change at all. In June 1971 the city council changed the name of Highway 51 South to Elvis Presley Boulevard. The Meditation Garden was built in 1964, so that Elvis could relax as a place of contemplation. 
The style of the decor was initially classic but Elvis kept adding and modernizing the decor, with all the comforts of the time. But over time the house also took on a life of its own, the rooms with ambiences created by Elvis and reflecting his personality.  Just as it did with his music and his clothes, Graceland reflected his personality and tastes for years, the house would change its decor over time, reflecting its owner's changes and maturation.   As we enter Graceland in front is a staircase to the second floor, and to the left is the living room with fireplace and in the background is the music room. To the right is the dining room, the entrances are arched, initially with classical moldings.
 Custom mirrors were added over time. With large carpets that have changed color according to the period. The dining room with curious cabinets in the center with black marble floor. There is a room behind the living room and the kitchen is behind the dining room, also at the back there is a bedroom and a bathroom. In the basement is the TV room , also the billiard room and the jungle room , which would be a joke for Vernon the father of Elvis, but finally the decoration pleased Elvis so much that he left it that way. The rooms are peculiar, the basement tv room with several tv screens, a stereo, a bar, is decorated with mirrors and the TCB beam . 


  Outside the House, a building was added in the sixties, on the south side of the main house. The second floor includes Elvis' bedroom, with his dressing room, his bathroom, his daughter's bedroom and another bedroom in the southeast corner of the house which was his personal and private office. A small corridor was added to annex another part of the house where his trophies, costumes, etc. are currently displayed.  There is a one-story building where Vernon had his office and there were also trailers where friends and employees stayed. There is also the barn and horse stable. In 1975 another two-story structure was built for sport, they called it the Racquetball building. It had a lounge area and a playing court, Elvis' private dressing room, Jacuzzi and other facilities for guests. It is currently used for displaying awards and costumes. What was clear is that Elvis made his house to his liking, mixing styles from different environments but above all as always reflecting his own personality. 
It was always his favorite place and his essence, since in this house Elvis lived great moments with his family and friends. When he moved to Los Angeles, to Hollywood to make movies, or to Las Vegas for concerts, he had other houses that he bought over time. But the reality is that his life was linked to this house forever, Graceland was his true home.
FROM TUPELO TO MEMPHIS 


"Following the King's Path..."

Concert tour March and April 1957, clear evidence of how great an artist Elvis Presley would become as he walked through his hits and enjoyed the moment. After finishing the movie "Lovin You" and buying his new home Graceland, Elvis was eager to get back to performing. It had been three months since the last concert and he didn't know how the public was going to receive him, because after making two films, they might have changed with him.

Actually Elvis was always very insecure in spite of success, as he knew that fame was very treacherous. But when the concerts came, Elvis regained his strength to give his best. To accompany him Elvis thought of his cousin Gene Smith, because Junior thought he was too eccentric, he also asked his friend George Klein who was no longer working at WMC, Radio. He needed to be with someone, because he said that otherwise he would feel very lonely.
 It was clear the distance with Scotty Moore, Bill Black and DJ Fontana, more and more far away from him, but Elvis would really let it happen this way.

Elvis would travel to Chicago for his first performance on March 28, 1957, first he would have a press conference held at the Saddle & Sirloin Club. As an influence of a suit they saw at the Liberace show, Elvis suggested to Colonel Parker a novelty in his show, the designer Nudie Cohn was commissioned to make him a special suit for the stage. He was the tailor who worked for the Hollywood Stars and he would create a suit that would become known for how striking it was, the Gold Lamé suit.... It would be the first time Elvis would wear the full suit at this Amphitheater, where he would make a gross profit of $32,000.

During the concert, Elvis knelt on the stage, more than 13 fans fainted and of course the pants of the suit would suffer with his show, so Colonel Parker, asked him not to lie on the floor again, because of the value of the suit. He was also wearing gold-colored shoes, but it was clear that the pants were uncomfortable, because they were too flashy.
From the next show, the following day he would stop wearing the Lamé pants and replace them with black ones. There was a lot of commotion after the shows, including threats, so it was necessary for everyone to carry identification. The concerts started the custom of taking pictures, so thousands of flashes accompanied during the performances, screams, police and hysteria, were the keynote of these concerts.

During the performances there were bomb threats, screams and tumults, security was very important because at all times there was danger for Elvis, as there was no control by his fans. The tour took place during 10 days in 10 different cities and also big, so the profit he would have would be three hundred thousand dollars in which tickets, souvenirs, etc. were included. The public was divided between the fans and those who wanted to ruin the concerts, since they even threw eggs at Elvis, everything was too complex. There were fainting, screams and scandal was the tonic of the newspapers that wanted to criticize the concerts. Elvis was selling records, he was still the most prominent and popular artist, but he had too many people against him trying to boycott his way. This tour was in the northeast and would be interesting, as it would be the first time to give concerts in Toronto and Ottawa, Canada. Also the curiosity of the golden Lamé suit that he would wear in these concerts.

The promoter of these concerts was Lee Gordon, of Australian origin, who was very interested in booking Elvis and told the Colonel about a tour in Australia. But evidently, it would never happen, because Colonel Parker was never interested in leaving the country, the performances in Canada were a curiosity. On March 28th Elvis would perform at the International Amphitheater in Chicago, a crowd of more than 13,000 people. Before the concert he gave an interview, in which he was asked about his future projects. Elvis would answer that he was living for the moment, recording records, making a movie, but he didn't really know if he would go back to being a truck driver. It is clear the insecurity he had for these answers in the face of the success he had, because he was not sure that this could really last.

It was a very contradictory tour since there were many interests in a certain sector, so that the public would not go to see him, they wanted to put opposition to any performance and on the other hand his success was undoubtedly clear to the youth who followed him without hesitation.

"Following the King's Way..."  

Concerts on April 3, 1957, 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm, performances at Ottawa, Ontario Memorial Auditorium.

Elvis' presence in Toronto seemed to give rise to contradiction and opposition from the leaders of Ottawa's private schools, forces gathered to obstruct Elvis' appearance in the City. The citizens of Toronto did welcome Elvis with open arms. It was April 3, 1957 and Elvis had two performances at the Ontario Memorial Auditorium in Ottawa. The attempted to dissuade students from attending the Elvis concert because they said the good reputation of their students would be ruined. But many parents of the students and others would fight for the freedom to do what they thought best.
The students were asked for a vote, but it was forced because they were made to pledge in order to curtail their decision, it was all very absurd, because they were trying to boycott his show without ever having seen it.

Elvis said at one point to the press, that he wished people would stop talking about something they didn't know about and watch his show to judge it. He didn't mean to be vulgar or suggestive, Elvis actually said he didn't think so. On the other hand the Ottawa Elvis fan club, which was the largest Elvis fan group in Canada, went ahead with their plans to welcome Elvis to the city.
Again Elvis' lodging was a secret, they were waiting for him to skirt both sides of the road from the city limits to downtown and also the Elvis club in Ottawa, Sidney Ledson, because they wanted to give him a charcoal picture to present at the Auditorium where he was to sing.Elvis Presley's success, far from dropping in the charts or in popularity, had grown even more by the release of his latest single, "All Shook Up".
Everywhere he was climbing to the top of the charts, including Toronto and Ottawa. He would be in every newspaper in town announcing his new album. This was increasing the excitement, the hype at the concerts he was going to perform in these days. The song appealed even more to the audience, because almost everyone had already heard the new song and wanted to see him in person.

As the Montreal performance had been cancelled, it was arranged through a travel agency and Canadian Pacific Railway, that all Elvis fans in Montreal could see him in Ottawa on April 3. Through a train they called "Presley Special" that carried about five hundred passengers and eight other buses. It was audiences of all ages, teenagers and adults.
The Journal would report that more than 16,000 people paid to see Elvis between the two performances on this day and it would be true because the box office takings were $45,000.

As usual, Elvis gave a conference before the concert at the Auditorium. Most of the questions he was asked by the press, would be with not very good intentions. Elvis' attitude would be natural and without any angry words on his part.
He was asked about the moment as an artist as if it were a passing thing and Elvis admitted that his popularity among teenagers might be coming to an end. Elvis said it was a very uncertain business and that the end could come in a few years, his modesty made him think he would have to accept it, when they stopped asking for his autographs. But he affirmed that he would continue singing as long as they liked him, and he also had another project in which he confessed that if Rock and Roll died, he would not cry over spilt milk, because he wanted to become a good actor and he wanted to devote himself to movies seriously.
He would be very honest since he recognized that he was far from that goal, since his work in the movies at the moment was an uncertain birth. He also acknowledged that not having privacy got on his nerves, he had ups and downs but recognized that it was part of the business. It was his attitude that impressed the reporters, more than any information. One of the reporters,
Bob Blackburn said of Elvis that he responded promptly and intelligently, said he didn't try to dodge questions, didn't get angry and remained honest. He was also helped by his keen sense of humor and quick wit. All those who were against him were pleased with the answers of this young artist who really spoke frankly to their questions.

Elvis was attentive to the fan club and also to the winners who were there to see him, all this at the end of the press conference.There were two shows scheduled at 4:30 and 8:30 , so Elvis had plenty of free time between his performances in the dressing room. And in this time he did something unusual, he gave personal interviews.
Elvis was eating a cheese sandwich and drinking from a milk carton in one of the field hockey locker rooms when he spoke to Atkinson who was part of the CFRA studios. He was very surprised that Elvis called him Mr., all the time, since he was a little older than he was. He recorded a brief interview for his Campus Corner Radio show and Atkinson also presented Elvis with a scroll proclaiming him as "The top man in the Campus Corner popularity poll for the last year and a half".
He was also interviewed by Mac Lipson of CKOY Radio, to which he responded with long, thoughtful answers, but it was clear that Elvis was more comfortable with this more personal type of interview. Interestingly he asked him a question about the controversy surrounding him, the good and the bad... to which Elvis responded by comparing his situation of people liking or disliking him regardless of what field you're in. "regardless of what you do, there will be people who don't like you. I mean, even if you're perfect. I mean I'm not saying, you know, I'm perfect, because no man is perfect. But there was only one perfect man and that was Jesus Christ...already people didn't like him. You know they killed him."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACiGWwD-X8A&t=216s

The concert would begin with some pre-Elvis acts, but it was time for Gond Atkinson to take the stage to introduce Elvis. Then the noise was deafening: "I'll never get a standing ovation like that again," confessed Arkinson. The roar of the audience reached far and wide, filling the Auditorium for both performances. Elvis Presley was dressed in the jacket, belt and shoes of his gold Lamé suit, but this time he wore dark pants and an open black shirt. Around his neck he wore a silver chain, from which hung a large gold medallion . Elvis would later tell that it had been given to him by an admirer in Ottawa. It is believed that he received it at the press conference just before the performances, later this medallion was used on stage three more times: in Philadelphia, Spokane and Tupelo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es34VmV8W3w

The newspapers wrote about the performance, The Citizen reported that when Elvis appeared for the first time, the reaction of the girls was to cry, cover their faces, scream from the emotion, the great majority were teenagers who seemed in ecstasy, hypnotized and with the only desire to get close to their idol, but there were also many adults, women and men. The noise was such that many of them could not hear Elvis' singing voice, although it didn't seem to matter, since the experience was shocking for many of them, some of them looked amazed, others amused. Evidently the effect was different for each person, but what was clear was that the Elvis magnet left no one indifferent.
Elvis' performance was performed with strength, with confidence, he already knew the attitude of the public, of his fans, and he managed his performance at all times. His songs were always applauded and shouted by the audience, regardless of whether his fans were listening to him or not. Elvis controlled the situation with his songs and his body movements, with every note, every pulse, the audience was still ecstatic with his performance. As in previous concerts, the police were on standby for any situation, for the young people running towards the stage, etc. The control was maximum so there was nothing more than a few reprimands and some had to be thrown out of the concert, but it was logical that the enthusiasm unleashed hysteria.

The newspapers exalted more the lewd and contortionist movements of Elvis than his singing, but they were really stunned with what they witnessed, what gave more to talk about was the attitude of the majority of the public out of their minds, with their screams, moans, their overacting attitudes due to the lack of control and their enthusiasm. Elvis and his band would sing as usual giving their best but the atmosphere was charged with an inevitable spark that he unleashed with his performance. Elvis represented the fuse that would explode the bomb, the Tornado that would sweep the Auditorium.

https://www.youtube.com/watch time_continue=20&v=wqWzpNiwwXk&feature=emb_logo

"Following the Path of the King..."

Elvis would catch a cold with the change of temperature so cold in Canada and had to rest his voice to be able to face the four shows that awaited him in Philadelphia, but he had to cancel one day that was scheduled. The Pennsylvania Sports Arena had a capacity of 6,500 people, these shows would be announced on March 24 and the sale of tickets priced at $2, $2.75 and $3.50, would be made slowly until the date of the shows.As was customary a press conference had been scheduled at the arena itself and when he finally entered the room, he was accompanied by "four detectives". This was what a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer said, but in reality they were Elvis' usual escorts, including Gene Smith, George Klein, etc.
Elvis had an interview with more than sixty people, a press conference held before his performances. The journalists saw in him the famous young man who was driving the youth crazy, but they would describe him as modest and captivating. Always the image he gave was not the one that really got through to the people he talked to, his real way of being.
Elvis was dressed in a black silk suit, white shoes and socks and a black velvet shirt open to the chest, he wore a chain with a gold medallion, which he later told them was given to him by a fan, days before.
The reporters asked him about his future, if he thought people would be coming to see him in five years. Elvis told him, "I'm not going to predict the future," evidently Elvis was clear that his present might be fleeting so he replied modestly.
" Maybe not . People get tired of you , you don't stay hot forever"... he also added that he didn't believe that his music or any other could be the cause of juvenile delinquency, because kids could just dance or scream but they didn't do any harm to anyone.
He was also asked if he had a special girl, to which Elvis said he did not. He didn't really have anyone concrete or important enough to consider a serious relationship. Elvis told them that when he went on stage he was very nervous and he didn't care if they shouted at him or not, because he felt more confident in case he made a mistake on stage.
About his hobbies he said he liked to play billiards with his father, etc.
Actually most of the questions were usually similar, but they didn't ask him about his albums, nor about his plans to record more songs.

As usual there were a few opening shows before Elvis came on stage. When it was time to sing, on this occasion he did not wear the gold Lamé suit jacket as he would come out dressed the same way as in the Press Room, in his black silk suit and there he stood in front of the spectators, the crowd stood up and began to scream wildly.
There was a great uproar as he began to sing, Elvis wore a guitar around his neck and sang by twirling his legs to the sound of his songs, bringing his arms and knees to the audience. For every move he made, the audience grew angrier. He could only be understood better when he sang a slower song, holding the microphone and swaying slowly.
But the audience drowned out almost everything he did, so his performances were almost inaudible.
The girls would stand up and stretch their arms out to the stage to touch him, this made Elvis smile and keep singing. The girls screamed, held their hands to their heads in discomfort, cried or ran after security. Most of them were teenagers, almost children ...
Of the four performances at the Arena, the last, on April 5, was the one witnessed by the most adult spectators. This show drew much larger crowds than the previous shows and Elvis Presley wore his gold jacket and shoes, along with a white satin shirt and black pants.
Elvis' performance in this last show was described by a fan as if it were an earthquake, his way of singing and moving gave off such energy that it drove the audience crazy. The performance left a mark on the fans and when the end of the show came, twenty police officers escorted him to the street where a car was waiting for him to leave. But nearby there was a group of fifty girls who saw him leave the building and fought the poor policemen who were protecting him, in their eagerness to get closer to Elvis. They ended up chasing the car until it sped off and lost sight of his fans for good.

Curiously, ticket sales for these four shows in Philadelphia would not be as expected. They were not sold out, actually the stadium was less than half full for the April 5 shows, less than 2,300 tickets were sold.  The next day it sold out even more, and although it was a more satisfactory sale, it was not enough to sustain the promotion. The $41,000 gross at the box office would barely cover the contractually guaranteed Elvis show, leaving the local organizers to pay for venue costs and security out of their own pockets. It was unfortunate that the hopes of Colonel Parker and the local promoters who would have liked to attract more fans to Philadelphia could not have been fulfilled. But surely if it had been promoted, provided buses so that they could get to the stadium from nearby cities, this would have been different. It is also true that he had a lot of people against the shows who would try to ruin his shows.

There were many stories about girls who came to see Elvis' show, running away from home without their parents' permission, they were real fans.There were also incidents at one of the concerts, when Elvis had been singing for ten minutes and some eggs were thrown on stage, which fortunately did not reach him. Elvis saw it and dodged them, the Jordanaires did too, but one of the eggs hit Scotty's guitar neck. This made Elvis very angry and he walked away from the stage, finally he turned to the audience, looked at them and said "Most of you came here to enjoy the show".
This anecdote was also cause for comment in the press on Elvis' second day. The headline of the "Inquirer" read: "Elvis Egged at Arena - Gittar Gets the Yolk", in addition to highlighting the anger of Elvis Presley, who managed to end the performance, when he sang "All Shook Up". It was a somewhat isolated incident, but it showed that there were many against his show. By the time the police arrived, Elvis fans had already singled out the four young men, surrounded by broken eggs at their feet, and they were taken to jail for disorderly conduct. The four were later interviewed and said they didn't like Elvis, but wanted to see him live, said he was repulsive, but denied they were the ones who threw the eggs.
There was also an attempted plot by a brotherhood, who wanted to cut Elvis' hair and sideburns, this was discovered by the press, who prevented all this barbarism.
Certainly in any event of an artist, many things can happen, but for Elvis it would be an offense, in spite of the success in front of the rest of the public. Elvis had finished his planned shows, he had performed 10 days and fifteen shows and was already on his way by train to reach his new destination.
The new project he was going to do would be a film, so the concerts would be postponed until September 1957.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6btgO6BnCs&t=19s


"Following the Path of the King..."

On August 31, 1957, it would be the last concert that Elvis Presley would perform in Canada, at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, BC.
He had performed a few months before in the northeast area where he was very well received at his concerts.
His arrival was announced on August 8, 1957, on the front page of the Vancouver Sun and in the Victoria Daily Times.
His show would be at 8:30 p.m. m. at Empire Stadium, with planned seating for 22,000 people.
Tickets could be purchased by mail or in store or at the Empire Stadium box office.
But as always, many writers in the local press continued to criticize, but it would not matter because Vancouver was looking forward to seeing his idol.
Elvis would be located in the north area of ​​the stadium in full view of the public, so it would be one of the greatest demonstrations of hysteria in history.
Colonel Parker went ahead four days to organize the concert

Red Robinson, had the opportunity and luck to meet Elvis and spend time with him, in his suite at the Hotel Georgia and then inside the dressing room at Empire Stadium before the start of the show.
He said Elvis had a sex appeal and charisma that was undeniable, but he said there was something else, his aura, his presence was something special. They talked of course about music and normal things at his age, girls, cars and that he was a lovely guy, he just wanted to sing.
Red was a disc jockey in Vancouver and the emcee at the Elvis concert. He was the first to play rock 'n' roll records on a regular basis. He witnessed what
strict and controlled that was the security to reach Elvis, in the Hotel, on the 12th floor, in room 1226. He had two ex-marines as guards guarding. But when he left, he would say that "the teenagers went to the hotel and went up to his room and destroyed it. They took everything, pieces of carpet and pillows, oh, it was a disaster!"
Elvis arrived by train but got off Clark Drive, before reaching Great Northern Station, to avoid the large crowd of waiting fans, he was picked up by a local chauffeur who took him to Empire Stadium.

During his press conference inside the locker room at Empire Stadium, a reporter asked him about this. Elvis didn't want to offend anyone so he said he didn't want to be rude and disrespectful but, they were just on time for the concert and he had to prepare for your show. Also because he had to rest and rehearse.
He also stated that "although he believed that he was acting 'naturally' in the Love Me Tender and Loving You movies, he felt that he was still a rookie as an actor."
Asked about the screaming, if he could sing, Elvis said that the screaming covered up his mistakes when he got nervous. They also asked him about his lack of privacy, but he accepted it because it was his job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7sXc3k-yKI

Before going on stage, Elvis played a prank on Red Robinson, asking a policeman for handcuffs and putting them on Red, who he hooked to a bar to his surprise.
shower bar. Then he laughed and left her for a while not knowing if he could come out to present his performance.
The joke lasted a few minutes and Elvis released him like a naughty boy.

Once on stage there were opening acts and the public chanted repeatedly: "We want Elvis!". The air cadets and police officers hired to control the crowd felt tense and uncomfortable with the uncertainty of what was going to happen when Elvis came out to sing. There were more than 25,000 fans.
Robinson's introduction was barely heard when he told the audience, "On behalf of 'Teen Canteen,' Canada's biggest teen show, I'm proud to introduce Elvis Presley tonight."
Elvis arrived waving and escorted to the stage in his convertible.

Already when Elvis begins to sing the song "Heartbeat Hotel" all the attendees were delighted with his performance. Unfortunately, a large part of the audience abandoned their seats to descend onto the grass field to approach the stage at the north end. This would start to cause problems and the show had to be stopped, because a large crowd had formed in front of the stage.
All the lights were turned on as Elvis retreated between boxes and the public was warned that the concert would be canceled if they persisted in his attitude.
The crowd left the stage and Elvis would come out again to sing to continue his show. Although the tranquility did not last long because they would return to the charge. This time it would be another crowd that rushed towards the stage, pushing against an iron fence that surrounded it.
The police formed a chain around it in an attempt to keep people away so they could contain the chaos.

Despite the mess, Elvis continued to sing for his audience, but due to the situation  he was rushing his interpretation. After singing, "All Shook Up","I Was The One","I Got A Woman",
"Thats When Your Heartaches Begin", "Fools Hall Of Fame","Dont Be Cruel","Love Me" and "Mean Woman Blues", ended with the song "Hound Dog", but their concert at Empire Stadium, barely It had lasted 22 minutes.
The riots were still going on when Elvis got under the stage with Red Robinson, while he distracted the audience with a
lure. someone dressed
wearing the gold lamé jacket he entered a limousine and was driven near the tunnel area to confuse Elvis's real exit.
He luckily gave Elvis time to leave in another vehicle that took him to his hotel.
People wouldn't leave the stadium despite being told that Elvis wasn't there anymore.
Many were disappointed, they attacked the scores, the instruments, which went flying. The poor musicians including Scotty, Bill and Dj took up to two hours to come out. They felt the stage moving and they were very scared until they finally got into their cars, they were shaken by the people.
Elvis' vehicle, parked at Empire Stadium, was attacked while he was still on stage. His radio antenna and Tennessee plates were stolen from his car. A disaster that could have been avoided with a more secure organization.
The sad reality is that they were just fans who wanted to get closer to his idol but everything was complicated until the end.

"Following the Path of the King..."

Studio Sessions for RCA September 5-7, 1957:
Radio Recorders, Hollywood
Elvis Presley had to record again in the studio, in order to publish new songs, he planned to publish a Christmas album and several proposals were made. Elvis did not want to make an album like that, he had no interest, but he did want to record other scores that had been presented to him. It was difficult to make him record something that would be for Christmas on these dates, so the only thing that occurred to the Colonel and the RCA would be to bring a Christmas tree with its corresponding gifts to the studios. But this would continue without motivating Elvis, who despite being a great professional and complying with his contract, he was still not interested, because he only wanted to record what he liked and would agree out of obligation.
These sessions were held September 5-7, 1957 at Radio Recorders, Hollywood.
Again the producer would be Steve Sholes with engineer Dudley Brooks. The musicians would be Scotty Moore, guitar and Bill Black, bass, who would still agree to record in these sessions, because they had also been promised to record some instrumental song, but as always, they never fulfilled this commitment. Also the drummer DJ Fontanta, the vocal accompaniment of the Jordanires formed by The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker, Neal Matthews, Hoyt Hawkins and Hugh Jarret and the novelty of including a soprano soloist Millie Kirkham.
In these sessions the collaboration of the composers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller would be of great help, since they did the work of arrangers on the scores, contributed their songs and also during the sessions they composed a song at the request of Elvis.
On the first day of September 5, what Elvis wanted was to make an improved version of the song “Treat Me Nice”, which he was enthusiastic about from the first moment and in which he trusted for its publication as a single. Although it had already been included in the film "Jailhouse Rock", he wanted to perfect it and it would have to be re-recorded, because the band sounded very weak except for the claps backing the Jordanaires. Leiber and Stoller had made a new arrangement, changing the accompaniment to more suitable drums, introducing piano, and slowing the tempo to give the song a change, ending in fifteen takes.
The novelty in these sessions would be to include the voice of the soprano Millie Kirkham, whom Elvis had heard and wanted to have her in the session, in the following song it would be particularly necessary for Elvis.
The song "Blue Christmas", had already been recorded by various artists, had also already been a country hit for Ernest Tubb in 1950. Actually it was a song that lent itself to many interpretations and looking for another type of style it was chosen to be able to interpret it in a more modern, slow way and with a more insinuating tone. It was more suited to Elvis' repertoire, which had nothing to do with Christmas. Elvis wanted to make it different and wanted to include the voice of the soprano Millie as a response to her interpretation, a curious intervention that would become a classic in "Blue Christmas". It was what is called in musical slang an "obbligato", a musical passage that must be interpreted exactly as it is written, it was indispensable in the song. Although Millie had to interpret it without lyrics, just a melody and exactly as Elvis had asked her, she felt a little confused, due to the contrast that it was with the singer's interpretation, but the result is special.
Only two songs were made the first day so producer Steve Sholes was desperate and partly blamed the band. But it's clear that Elvis always wanted to perfect takes, so there were many times when he would request a new take.
On September 6, Steve Sholes would confirm his theory since, because of the musicians, they had to take 29 takes on the song "My Wish Came True". Also for him, the result would not be satisfactory and Elvis was not entirely happy either.
Elvis liked Millie's voice so much and he wanted to introduce her in a special accompaniment on the song. It was not a special score for him, but he wanted to record it because it was by one of his favorite authors, Joe Hunter, the song entitled "My Wish Came True".
The next song "White Christmas" was arranged based on the version made by the Drifters and Clyde McPhatter, it was a bit daring and composer Irving Berlin was so offended that he tried to have the record banned from Radio.
The song "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Gene Autry was also recorded on this day. It was covered the same or very similar to that of the author, without any innovation, it did not contribute anything new, only the beautiful voice of Elvis. The following song "Silent Night" by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber would also be recorded without bringing anything different. Although nothing new was added to these versions, Elvis's voice and feeling made them magical.
The last song recorded on September 6, was the one that aroused the most interest in Elvis. "Don´t" a ballad written by his favorites Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who had written the score for him, although they had sent it to him in June of the same year. It was a song suited to his style voice and one that they knew Elvis would nail perfectly.
It started playing in a slow rhythm with arrangements and Elvis sang it beautifully, with all intention and feeling, because it was a song that he really liked. It was a topic to choose to publish as a single, because the result was optimal and sincere. A song with a simplicity and beauty in its interpretation, the score simply adorned with basic arrangements.
Elvis was still not enthusiastic about Christmas songs so he asked for a composition that suited his style so he talked to Leiber and Stoller. They wrote the song on the fly, they got what Elvis wanted when composing a Christmas song in the Blues style. "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The focus of the song was for Elvis a clear invitation to sing it like a hard blues, the lyrics spoke of Santa Claus in a big black Cadillac coming through the chimney. The song would be recorded in seven takes.
The last song that was recorded was already a classic sung by Bing Crosby, “I'll Be Home For Christmas”, which in Elvis's voice comes to shake, due to its sensitivity. It really is a wonderful song that makes it clear that his interpretations come in all styles.
The recordings did not leave time for anything else, although it had been planned to record "Fool's Hall Of Fame", nor for the re-recording of "One Night". There was also another song that was offered to Elvis that could not be recorded in these sessions "I'm A Hog For You", but would be left to record until 1959. Also Colonel Parker realized that Mike Stoller had offered him and the song to Elvis without going through the usual procedure of negotiating with Hill & Range before it got to the singer.
As for the songwriters, the Colonel had a clear commercial strategy, they had been forbidden to do this in order to secure their publishing deals, this made everything much more difficult and to achieve over time, than the songs that Elvis really liked they won't get to him.
Curiously, being an album that Elvis would not like to record, the publication in October of the Lp "Elvis Christmas Album" would be an absolute success, it would reach number 1 and would remain on the charts for 4 weeks, obtaining a Gold disc. It would include the songs Christmas songs and four songs from Elvis's Gospel album. An Ep "Elvis Sings Christmas Songs" would also be published, which would also reach number 1 on the Billboard, selling more than 500,000 copies.
With these Christmas songs, Elvis would once again go up to the Artists' Heaven and leave a Star in the Firmament...
From Tupelo to Memphis
"Following the Path of the King..."

On September 27, 1957, Elvis performs again in his hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi, at the Mississippi Fairgrounds, Alabama 8:00 p.m. m.
Elvis drives to Tupelo with Anita and her parents, along with Cliff Gleaves, George Klein, Lamar Fike, and Alan Fortas.
The local newspaper refers to him as "the best ambassador any city could have", it was a good publicity where he encouraged all the inhabitants to give him a warm welcome.
Of course he was given a different importance
  in many respects from those of the other seventeen cities he visited that year.
Elvis was visiting his town for a few hours and would return to his Graceland home to rest.

This would be the only performance that Elvis Presley did live in the South where visitors from neighboring states would join.
Fair manager James Savery had advance reservations from nine states, as well as Arkansas, Lan Alabama and Tennessee had signed on for the Tupelo performance, taking advantage of their only opportunity to see Elvis perform that year.
Elvis performs to a crowd of 12,000 people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHnqMvvAlBg

  Colonel Parker announced on March 21 that Elvis would return to the Mississippi, Alabama, fair and show, stipulating: "We will go to Tupelo, but all money on actual expenses will go to build a youth recreation center for children in East Tupelo. ". Tom Parker's prediction was estimated to raise around $15,000 for the youth center project.
This day $24,000 was raised, it would be an absolute success.

When Elvis walks on stage the first thing he yells at the audience about him is "Take it easy."
"Well, we'll have a party later." "
There were soldiers to contain the crowd, seventy members of the National Guard who formed a barrier between the crowd and the stage, for the safety of the show, but with only a rope separating the public, for this reason there were incidents with young people who crowded and they wanted to touch their idol.

As always there would be a press conference prior to his departure on stage.
It would be his first performance without Scotty and Bill. Because of economic issues, although Elvis did not blame the Colonel, he felt betrayed, not realizing the real situation that his friends had.
Elvis hired two session musicians to replace Scotty and Bill: Hank Garland, one of Scotty's idols and a great jazz guitarist, and Chuck Wiginton on bass. Chuck was close friends with both Scotty and D.J.
After the show, Elvis told D.J. that it wasn't the same without Scotty and Bill. Both musically and for comfort and relaxation on stage, nothing was the same. The Jordanaires did not know anything about this absence, Elvis was very upset because he really loved Scotty and Bill, but he did not know how to handle this matter.

The Show had the following repertoire:
Heartbreak Hotel
I Got A Woman
When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again
Mean Woman Blues
Shake, Rattle And Roll
Hound Dog

The performance would be memorable and Elvis sang his song "Hound Dog" energetically as the crowd made its last surge onto the stage. The guards quickly escorted her to his car and back to Graceland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2gM2XFJFOs
It was the last time Elvis Presley would sing again in his hometown of Tupelo.
His Path already had another direction to take.
"Following the Path of the King..."

 Pan Pacific Auditorium, Los Angeles. October 28, 1957.

 Of all the actions carried out in 1957, the one on October 28 would be the one that sparked the most anger and scandal in conservative society and in the authorities.
 Obviously the public did not agree because the performance was received with applause, the usual euphoria and the usual shouting in their shows.


 The reason for this criticism would be the last interpretation of Elvis on stage with which he closed the show, where he sang "Hound Dog".
 RCA had a symbolic dog named Nipper, who represented his record label and it was customary to put his pet on stage to accompany the performances of
 Elvis Preley.


 Elvis was ending with his song "Hound Dog" and he was so excited and focused on his performance
 that he simply grabbed Nipper by the neck with his left arm and lifted him up, then dropping to the ground, continued to sing with the microphone in his right hand, glued to the little dog.


 The general public was enthusiastic, but there were some who were upset and outraged, seeing what was not real.
 What for Elvis would be simply an acting game turned into dirty bad press and a threat of jail time if he didn't clean up the show from him. The Colonel was threatened and so was Elvis, but he really didn't pay much attention, because the next day he kept moving the same way on stage, but without approaching Nipper.


 The next day, the press exaggerated his interpretation in such a way as was usual, they said it was "obscene and outrageous,,".


 But Elvis never saw it that way, he just drifted naturally, like when he would jump offstage and kneel in front of the audience. As an artist that he was, Elvis improvised, he had nothing calculated or intentional, he moved by instinct and by feeling the music.


 One of the attendees who was below the stage, during the performance, would launch a dirty slander. He said that Elvis unbuttoned his pants and rubbed against Nipper as if he were masturbating to him. This was false and also misinterpreted. There was some interest in discrediting Elvis.
 Fortunately Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires, who sang next to him, said that Elvis never undid any buttons, just hugged the puppy while he sang.


 Obviously there was a bad intention, a lot of envy of his success and too many unfounded prejudices. But it was clear that the conservative world of 1957 was not ready for a fresh and intense interpretation of a magnificent young artist: Elvis Presley.
 "Following the Path of the King..."


 

On November 10 and 11 Elvis Presley would perform in Concert in Honolulu, it would be the last time in a long time because he was about to complete his military service. The reception in Hawaii would be benefited by the press, since two days before Elvis's arrival, the Star-Bulletin published a letter from Brenda Matsuda asking the citizens of Honolulu to receive Elvis Presley with open arms." The controversial Elvis Presley comes to our Hawaii. It is a great privilege for the people of Hawaii to welcome this rare talent combined with a personality that represents solid entertainment." knew him they did the same, although he also had some against him. In the Star-Bulletin press, a full-page ad was published that said: "Aloha Elvis-Hawaii welcomes you", in addition to naming all his records. And they were also announcing the Concerts, his new movie "Jailhouse Rock.", soon to open at the Waikiki theater. There would also be a special edition "Elvis Special Souvenir Extra" of the Star-Bulletin, which featured a huge portrait of Elvis Presley on the cover. .With articles that talked about their concerts. Tickets were sold with a price of $2.50 and $3.50 for reserved seats and $1.50 for general admission. The Honolulu Stadium only allowed a capacity of 14,963, due to the layout of the stage. Both concerts were packed and had good visibility for the show. The gross admission was about $32,000.
Tom Moffatt and Ron Jacobs were two DJs for KHVH, which was Honolulu's Top 'n' Roll station, the station was at the Hawaiian Village Hotel. They wanted to promote the concert and they dressed a member of the Radio as Elvis Presley, then they put him in the back of an open convertible and sent him driving around the city, also stopping at the Honolulu stadium. People thought it was Elvis himself, so Moffatt received calls on the radio, saying that they had seen Elvis all over the city. The joke had reached the ears of Colonel Parker who called them and looked at them very seriously, but finally told them. I present Elvis, in addition they were asked to introduce him in their shows.

Concert November 10, 1957 Honolulu Stadium
There was an introduction by Chicago comedian Howard Hardin, then acts by Ray Tanaka and his orchestra. Plus various artists, Sterling Mossman; dancer Kaui Barrett; singer Phyllis Brooks; Eddie yer's Queen's Men from the Queen's Surf Floor Show; and the knife and fire dancer Kal Lee. Tom Moffatt was chosen to introduce Elvis in the afternoon show and Rob Jacobs would do the same in the evening performance. Elvis would enter the Stadium in his limousine to the stage. He was wearing the gold jacket with black shirt, pants and shoes. She would begin to sing and move slightly at first, then she would move her hips, her knees, let her shoulders fall and shake her body until she caused hysteria in the girls. The concert would be the usual, as in previous concerts the shouting grew to a frenzy You could hear shouted comments, moans, applause, an example of the extent to which Elvis's influence on girls reached among the audience, as one of them shouted: "Oh, Elvis, you're killing me. I can't stand it, I can't stand it. I bear." The best would come at the end, when Elvis sat on the edge of the stage, causing the audience to advance to the barrier. He then he jumped onto the grass as he sang "Hound Dog" and they dove over the barrier. Elvis kissed a girl and would return to the stage taking a coconut hat from another fan. He then leaned over the crowd putting on his hat and finishing his song. Then Elvis jumped into his waiting car and left the stadium with an energetic exit that left his fans screaming.
Tom Moffatt described the end of the performance where he said Elvis impressed him when he sang the last song and did an encore, with a sexy version. and slow of "Hound Dog". When he saw him singing on his knees under the stage, he thought it was one of the best Rock and Roll moments he had ever witnessed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfZMCNEf2v8

Concert November 11, 1957
Schofield Barracks Conroy Boxing Bowl Honolulu
One day after the performances at Honolulu Stadium, Elvis and his band They would perform at the Conroy Bowl in Schofield on November 11, 1957. It was Armistice Day and Elvis was dressed in a pearl gray suit and a black shirt. With his guitar he would begin to sing and once again win over the audience that he would shout and follow along. Although the Elvis Presley show was primarily intended for military personnel and their dependents, it was also open to the general public. With all tickets priced at $1, a lot of people showed up from Honolulu to help fill the Conroy Bowl to capacity 10,000. A couple of Schofield acts helped open the show. The Lightningaires Band and The Lucky Charms. When Elvis took the stage for his last show of the decade, he was dressed in a pearl gray suit with a black shirt, striped socks and dark shoes. The next day there was only one article from Schofield, Hawaii: "A Great Showman, Elvis Presley, the one-man hurricane who took rhythm and blues and turned it into a multimillion-dollar rock'n'roll rampage, literally ripped into at the Post Bowl on Monday night and rocked 10,000 screaming and screaming fans. The hottest thing on this post since Honest John, Elvis sent the audience, mostly teenage girls, into a state of mass hysteria... his rendition of "Jailhouse Rock" brought the house down. He threw his hips, wobbled his knees, dropped his shoulders, then jerked and rolled. The more he rolled, the more the audience screamed." Again the King rocked his crowd with his voice.
"Following the Path of the King..."

The year 1957 ends with Elvis Presley at the top of his career, famous and adored by his public, but criticized by a conservative party that was opposed to his music.
On the verge of making a film that would leave a mark on his career as one of the best films made and an open door to a future as an interpreter.
But a door is also opened to the unknown, to restlessness and bewilderment due to his obligation to carry out military service that will keep him from success and from the public for two years. Elvis was very afraid and did not know what could happen, it was the great unknown in the year beginning 1958.
His interests, his desires were being fulfilled and there was still a lot to do, he had so many projects and dreams, a whole world to discover. He wanted to act and learn as much as he could from everyone around him in Hollywood.
He was young and he wanted to do everything with enthusiasm and strength, the best he could give of himself was what he wanted to offer with his music, with his performances. Even he had so much to offer that military service could be a big slap in the face to his ego and a drastic change of direction he never imagined. But it was reality and Elvis would have to accept it like every responsible young American he was.
Elvis was still a person who accepted what came to him with resignation and the year that begins he is going to prove his worth in another field, besides the artistic one. As a comrade, as a man, as a soldier, he is also going to give his best.
The change is coming... 1958
"Following the Path of the King..."