Today would have been the 80th birthday of Elvis Presley. I have written of my high regard for Elvis Presley in other posts before, but in case you haven't read those, I really like him a lot. On New Year's Eve, I was happy to see that PBS had the Elvis concert from Hawaii, the one that was first broadcast live on Jan. 14, 1973. It was the very first concert that was ever shown by satellite and was seen in 40 countries around the world. It was not seen in Europe until the next day (shown during prime time viewing, I believe) but it was not shown in the USA until April, because the January date was the same day as the Super Bowl! (And YES, I very much remember watching it on TV in April of 1973, that is my birthday month!) Still, it is a marvelous thing to think of music being broadcast live all over the world for the first time, isn't it? I have also watched it on YouTube but I still loved seeing the concert on TV. One of the things that I noticed...he said, "Thank you, thank you very much" after almost every song. We have heard that so often by the Elvis impersonators, but when you hear Elvis say it, it sounds sincere and from the heart.
The concert hall in Honolulu where Elvis performed his "Aloha From Hawaii" has a life size bronze statue of Elvis which was installed in August of 2007, the 30th anniversary of his death. Visitors to the statue often leave leis draped around the statue in honor of Elvis. There is a plaque on the statue and the following is engraved upon it:
Elvis Aloha From Hawaii. The world's first satellite TV Concert.
Jan. 14, 1973.
With supreme talent and sincere humility, Elvis Presley made his gift the world's. Thank you, thank you very much.
USS Arizona Memorial Click on that link and read about another concert by Elvis to raise money for the memorial to the USS Arizona.
It's nice to think of Hawaii...it was 12 degrees this morning!
I do really enjoy Elvis and think that he breached a lot of different genres and did quite a lot for music. I wasn't aware that he was actually the first person to really broadcast music across the world like that. He did a great deal for music and I think he left the world a better place than he entered it.
ReplyDeleteThat is, of course, assuming he's not hiding somewhere on a desert island. I like to think he's hiding in Vegas, disguised as an Elvis impersonator.
Hey, your comment reminds me, you should watch the movie "Honeymoon in Vegas". It's a funny movie but the best thing for me is that I get to hear the songs of Elvis (not performed by him but still nice to hear). Believe it or not, you will see the very young Bruno Mars in this movie playing an Elvis impersonator! (Don't know how old he was, but he looked to be maybe 5 or 6!!)
DeleteElvis would have been 80 today? Oh, that does not compute. He is forever young.
ReplyDeleteShame that he died so young, we lost someone special.
DeleteGee... Just from that little clip, I've fallen in love with him all over again. So he was just 5 years younger than my mom? That's a surprise. I'm going to look for his statue next time I'm at the Blaisdell Center. How neat!
ReplyDeleteI loved that clip of his news interview also. Wish he could have been given the same respect that he showed for others (thinking of those reporters at that news conference!)
DeleteYes! Please go to the area...was it the Neal Blaisdell Center? Let me know if you think that statue looks like him as much as it looks in the photos!
Yes, it is the Neal Blaisdell Center. I'll keep my eyes open.
DeleteWhen I realized yesterday that it would have been Elvis' 80th birthday, I was thinking of you and saying to myself "I wonder whether Kay will write a post about this..." And there you are :-)
ReplyDeleteI didn't plan on this post, honestly, but when I started to type, this is what began writing! Elvis really has a hold on me, I guess.
DeleteI had no idea - about you and Elvis or his birthday! Such a shame that he wasn't able to make more music! xx
ReplyDeleteOh yes, Amy, I love Elvis! I don't have a shrine to him or listen to him nonstop, but I truly think he was a great singer, wonderful supporter of charities and just a decent human being.
DeleteFor years I would call people on their birthdays and sing "Happy Birthday" on their answering machines, and sing like Elvis! I could do it too! Very often, folks didn't know it was me! HA!!
I never saw the concert because I lived in New York City at the time and was studying classical music. Lol.
ReplyDeleteOh no! That sounds like my luck! Oh well, at least you were in NYC! I was in Moultrie, Georgia in 10th grade, so you were in a better place, I am sure! :-)
DeleteHard to believe he would be 80 now, he'll always be the young Elvis for me.
ReplyDeleteFavorite movie of his, G.I. Blues.
I even like the movies of his that everyone makes fun of....he was always so nice to all the kids in this movies. One of them, Kurt Russell, played Elvis in a movie years later. He really liked him a lot, as did anyone whoever worked with him.
DeleteHey Kay! Thanks for the info about the Elvis concert on YouTube. I'll have to check it out. I was in Madrid, Spain at the time, and my husband-to-be (#1), was in the hospital, so I never even heard about it. The first album I ever bought was Elvis's "Blue Hawaii." I put it on layaway at the drugstore in Sioux Lookout for about a month, until I could earn enough money to pay it off with my paper route and babysitting. It was a whopping $4.12 (Canadian). It's scary to think that he would have been 80! Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteAh, Blue Hawaii. I loved that movie, but Angela Lansbury played his mother in that movie and her Southern accent was awful! I really love her, she sounds so much like my English mother-in-law, but doggone, that accent was so wrong! Otherwise, loved that movie and music.
DeleteMadrid, Span! My word, you have been places in your life!!!
I so agree about AL's accent. I beyond cringe when I see that move again!
DeleteI clearly remember that 1973 concert. I cried and cried when he sang the American Trilogy. As a matter of fact I still get tears in my eyes when i hear it. his voice was so powerful.
ReplyDeleteWell, I can only tell you that in Georgia that American Trilogy was very startling, but with Elvis, it seemed very healing to hear Dixie and The Battle Hymn of the Republic together (along with the spiritual All My Trials).
DeleteI am the same way about his voice. I loved him singing with such heart, but hey, I even loved the way that he spoke, with his true Southern accent!
Oh wow, 80. Elvis. Love him and love his music! And April 1973 was the exact month I was born!!! :-) Thank you, thank you very much. XOXOXO!
ReplyDeleteApril of 1973, maybe they waited to show the Aloha concert to make it during the month of your debut on Earth! I bet that's why!! LIke Elvis, you are special too. xxx
DeleteI'm not old enough to remember Elvis.....
ReplyDeleteI have an aunt who is only 8 years older than I am, but she ADORED Elvis. And my sister and I promised to take her to a concert the next time he came to Atlanta. When I heard he died, that was the first thing that I thought of, I wouldn't be able to take her to see Elvis. And then (as I was driving a car), I pulled over and had to process his death for a moment. Only time I have ever done that.
DeleteHello Kay,
ReplyDeleteElvis and his music have certainly endured after many other pop stars have faded into insignificance. So, it must be the case that there are many others such as yourself who admire his work.
Having just returned from South America to the big freeze of Budapest, we can certainly empathise with your thinking fondly of Hawaii whilst it is cold outside. May Elvis continue to rock on.....
Thank you for your kind messages. They are very much appreciated.
Wishing you peace, joy and success for 2015.
Hello Jane & Lance!
DeleteSo happy to see your comment here! I loved your photos from South America, they make me feel warmer.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it very much.
Wishing you all the best in this new year also.
Love Elvis! His life story fascinates me.
ReplyDeleteHope you are warmer today!
Besides being a huge talent, he was also a bit ahead of his time, I think.
DeleteI admire someone who treats everyone else with such respect. We need more folks like him.
The sun was gorgeous today but I am still cold!!
Happy birthday Elvis! I would love to be in Hawaii too...It was about 12 below here! At least it felt like it! Brrrrrrr!
ReplyDeleteYes, let's go to Hawaii and we will take our photo together with this Elvis statue. That sounds like a great plan to me! Stay warm!!!
DeleteThere was and is only one King...and that is.....Elvis, of course!!! All others are just pretenders to the throne! :)
ReplyDeleteIt really is true that Elvis was one of a kind. One of the many things that I loved about Elvis, he always said that there was only King, and he wasn't talking about himself! I love that.
DeleteI'm a big fan, too. I like both the young and older Elvis. That concert holds a very special place in my heart. That April my mother was dying. For those two hours I had a little respite from the awful sadness I was feeling. I looked it up, and it was on the 4th, the last day my mum was lucid.
ReplyDeleteOh Nan, I am so sorry. Of course, you would remember this, a respite (what a beautiful word!) from the awful sadness.
DeleteI don't have a shrine to him or anything, I just respect him very much and it angers me when he is ridiculed.