| This newsletter proudly brought to you by the letters TCB, USA TODAY NETWORK and The Commercial Appeal. |
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| Greetings from Memphis, where the countdown to Elvis Week - 40th anniversary edition - is on ... |
| Forty years gone, still in the pink |
| He was larger than life, so we probably should have seen it coming: Turns out Elvis Presley is larger than death, too. Forty years after he died on Aug. 16, 1977, the King of Rock and Roll is still a commercial force, still a cultural icon, and still bringing in the crowds. |
| Record attendance is projected next month in Memphis for Elvis Week, the annual commemoration of his death. They'll come to Graceland from across the country, around the world, and we've reason to believe they all will be received - and accommodated. |
| From the $92 million, 450-room Guest House at Graceland - the largest hotel to open in Memphis since The Peabody in 1925 - to the $45 million entertainment complex "Elvis: Past, Present and Future," Elvis Presley Enterprises is banking on the King's enduring appeal. |
| It will be the first Elvis Week for the hotel and entertainment complex - the biggest additions to the property since the mansion opened for tours in 1982 - and based on early bookings, an EPE spokesman said, "it's like nothing we've ever seen." |
| Elvis Week runs Aug. 11-19, and features the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, the Candlelight Vigil, and - hey, why not? - Elvis: Live in Concert, with a full symphony orchestra performing live on stage with Elvis, King-sized, on the big screen at FedExForum. |
| Elvis has not left the building. |
| The boy genius who would be King |
| If you thought Elvis' 1954 recording of "That's All Right" - you know, the big bang of rock and roll - was just some happy accident, think again. Or rather, listen up. |
| The box set "A Boy from Tupelo: The Complete 1953-55 Recordings" - yeah, Elvis has a new record coming out - makes the case for the boy genius who became King. Due July 28 from Sony/Legacy, the box includes masters, outtakes and live cuts that show the kid's creative instincts and knack for synthesizing myriad sounds were on display from those first Sun Records sessions. |
| Sound advice: 'Let's get real, real gone for a change' |
| In each edition of "The Weekly Elvis," we'll riff on a favorite song from the King. But it won't be one of the huge hits you already know so well. "Hound Dog" is hot and "Don't Be Cruel" is cool, sure, but today we have three words for you, the title of what may be the wildest record the King ever made: "Milkcow Blues Boogie." |
| You could debate which Elvis record to put in a time capsule and shoot into outer space, to explain the Presley phenomenon to whatever life forms reside in the vast cosmos. But you could melt down a 45 rpm copy of Sun Records No. 215 and use it as rocket fuel. "Hold it, fellas," he says to the band, seconds into the song. "That don't move me. Let's get real, real gone for a change." "Milkcow Blues Boogie" is Elvis unhinged. It's rockabilly on a bender, with falsetto cries, barnyard double entendre and some moments of true vocal menace. |
| Full-court Presley |
| We'll have appropriately outsized coverage of all things Elvis - from rankings of his best songs to an imagined interview - closer to the anniversary. Meantime, the Elvis beat has been busy lately. The highlights: |
| Red West, Elvis friend and actor, is dead |
| Get it now: Home of Elvis physician 'Dr. Nick' is on the market |
| Colonel Parker will join Elvis as a movie star |
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