Sweet Inspiration 1970

Sweet Inspiration was the only top 40 hit for the Sweet Inspirations although they appeared on many 60's and 70's hits as a backing group. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison Burning of the Midnight Lamp by Jimi Hendrix and Just One Look by Doris Troy. They also did backing vocals for Aretha Franklin and Dusty Springfield in the sixties. This version by Elvis was a one off performance from the midnight show 20th August 1970 . Interviews with Whitney Houstons mum Cissy, Myrna Smith and Estelle Brown precede his performance.

I'm Leavin 1974

Michael Jarrett/Sonny James ballad. Michael said he wrote the song after he had given up performing to concentrate on song writing and its written about his girlfriends lack of faith in his songwriting and his decision to leave her and move on. She had said to him what if your songs arnt good enough. Michael said the unusual structure of the song belongs to Sonny James. In the Nashville recording studios in 1971 Elvis is heard saying phew this song is tough but its worth working on. Elvis performed it on various occassions at live shows but none compared to the haunting studio recording due to the difficulties in getting the pace of the song just right. In this live recording from 1974 Elvis is heard chatting to fans and singing one line of the song Stop the World and Let Me Off. 

Little Mama 1955

This was recorded live at the Lousianna Hayride March 1955. Many mistakenly think this is Thats Alright Little Mama but this is a completely different song Co written by the music producer Jerry Wexler . Wexler wrote for Billboard magazine and is said to have coined the term Rhythm and Blues. He produced Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin and was the man who connected Elvis with the Sweet Inspirations.  Originally sung by The Clovers in 1953. Elvis often performed Clovers songs in his early live performances songs like Fool Fool Fool, Love Bug. Love Potion Number 9 is their most known hit written by the great Leiber and Stoller who of course were prolific writers for the early Elvis recordings. 

Reconsider Baby 1977

A song written by Lowell Fulson in 1954 its registered in the top 500 songs that shaped rock'n'roll. Elvis first recorded it for his Elvis is Back album in 1960 and featured the great Boots Randolph sax break. Its a song Elvis would perform in his concerts every now and again and was first perfomed live in 1970 in front of Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin. I only just recently found out that Elvis had performed this on numerous ocassions in late 76 early 77. This recording is from february 1977 .

Love Bug Clovers 

This song is often said to have been performed by Elvis at some of his 55/56 shows but no recording has ever surfaced.

Recordings at Home and Backstage

• Twelfth of Never was an adaption of an old English folk song The Riddle Song first released by Johnny Mathis in 1957 . Cliff Richard and Donny Osmond also had hits with this. Elvis version comes from his rehearsals done in Vegas in 1970.

• Turn Around Look At Me was one of Glen Campbells early hits from 1961. Glen played on a What d I Say on Elvis Viva Las Vegas sessions in 1963 and remained a good friend of Elvis. Glen appears in one of the most iconic photos of Elvis at George Kleins wedding . That day Elvis was photographed walking around with a flashlight in a long black coat.This rare audience recording made at an Asheville concert 1975 .

•  Young Love A song which was a hit for a many artists in the 50's with the most famous being by Tab Hunter and Sonny James. Sonny version spent nine weeks at number one on the country charts in 1957. Sonny died earlier this year 2016 at the age of 87. The original was done by Ric Cartey and the Jiva Tones in 1956. Elvis on the spot version is from the 1968 rehearsal show. Its followed by a small snippet of Patsy Clines Shes Got You.

• Fool Fool Fool This is a song originally done by the Clovers in 1951 and written by Atlantic Records boss Ahmet Ertegun who put in an offer of 25000 dollars for Presleys contract in 1955. This was recorded by Elvis probably in January1955 at a radio station in Lubbock Texas.

•  Photos of Glen Campbell and Elvis together. The Famous flashlight pics. December 5th 1970

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Fairytale and Fire

     Fairytale, written by Anita and Bonnie Pointer it was the second single release from their 1974 album Thats A Plenty . Elvis recorded a version for his 1975 album TODAY . He loved the song so much, he called it "the story of my life". After recording it, he included it in all of his live shows. 

      Due to the success of the song, The Pointer Sisters won their first Grammy award for Best Duo or Group in 1975. Anita and Bonnie were also nominated for songwriters of the year.

The group was also invited to perform the song at the Grande Ole Opry, making The Pointer Sisters the first black female group to ever perform at the Opry.

Fairytale Pointer Sisters

Fairytale Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley Live Memphis Colliseum 1975

Fire written by Bruce Springsteen . This was the song he tried to get to Elvis in 1976 by jumping the fence at Graceland. After Elvis died in 1977 he passed the song onto the Pointer Sisters who had a big hit with it in 1978. 

Pointer Sisters live at the Attic 1981 Fire

  Bruce Springsteen tribute to Elvis Johnny Bye Bye

 

Elvis and Glen Campbell

Summer Kisses Winter Tears

      Written by Ben Weisman for Elvis. Ben wrote 57 songs for Elvis . His song First in Line was one of the initial songs chosen by Elvis for his lead Album with RCA. That first meeting of the two happened on the set of Loving You  regarding the song Got A Lot of Living To Do . Ben said my song writing for Elvis was completely different from my other song writing. I specifically wrote songs just for him and what i thought he would like. The Mad Professor as Elvis nicknamed him, remained friends until the end. In later years many of Weismans songs have had remixes and become hits. His latest hit with an Elvis connection has been the remix of Rubberneckin.
   Ben talking about the last time he saw Elvis . Elvis invited me to come to one of those wild parties, you know, the last evening of the season in crazy Vegas. I went upstairs and Elvis grabbed me, stood me up in front of the crowd and announced, "I want you all to meet Ben Weisman. The man who has written more songs for me than any other writer - 57 ! I want to hear it for this man".
 There was a big applause, then he took me over to the piano. It was just me and him. Elvis wasn't looking too good. His eyes were puffy and he'd gotten very, very heavy. He said to me, 'Ben, there's a song I love called "Softly as I Leave You" Indeed, I knew it well, one of those ballads that just about everyone had a crack at in the sixties."
"After he sang his heart out Elvis said, 'This is not a song about a man who's leaving his girlfriend. It's a song about a man who is going to die.'
I didn't know what to say, but I knew there was trouble coming. As Elvis held my arm, I could feel his hand shaking. It made me feel as though mine was shaking, too. And that was the last time I saw him.    
    Summer Kisses Winter Tears was a ballad written to be sung by Elvis to his leading lady during a love scene. Unfortunately, the powers of  Hollywood had him sing it to a group of Indians sitting around a campfire smoking a peace pipe! At the preview, the audience broke into laughter when the scene occurred. As a result, the song was cut from the film. Over twenty years later in 1992, as fate would have it again, Elvis' recording was released in a Wim Wenders' film entitled 'Until The End Of The World', directed by David Lynch'. David Lynch is a life long Elvis fan

          David Lynch quote Elvis swims in our minds, and in the emotions all through time. One of my favourite Lynch films is the 1990 black comedy Wild at Heart which starred a young Nicholas Cage doing an Elvis impersonation. Cage would also star in other Elvis connected movies like Honeymoon in Vegas. Nick married Lisa Marie Presley in 2002. Nicholas was a life long Elvis fan as well being born on January 7th 1964 of course the king was born on January 8.

 Julee Cruise version of Summer Kisses Winter Tears from Until the End of The World 

Instrumental version with Elvis home movies

   Nick Cave I'll Love You Until the End of the World 

another song from the soundtrack. One of Nick's signature songs is of course 

Tupelo his tribute to the KING 

I've loved music always, and my music fire was lit by Elvis Presley, really, and all that was happening back then.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_lynch_4.html

I've loved music always, and my music fire was lit by Elvis Presley, really, and all that was happening
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_lynch_4.html

I've loved music always, and my music fire was lit by Elvis Presley, really, and all that was happening
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/david_lynch_4.html