Elvis Presley Interviews and Articles by By Scott Jenkins
Interviews and articles about Elvis Presley by By Scott Jenkins.
The following interview with Sonny West took place in Sydney Australia, on May 4th, 2005. If you think you know Sonny and his motivations over the years, you may want to think again after reading this interview.
When you think of the TCB Band on stage with Elvis, it is probably James Burton's guitar that first springs to mind. It's difficult to imagine what Elvis concerts would have sounded like had Elvis not chosen James to help make his Las Vegas '69 comeback what it was. I felt very privileged that James gave me over two hours of his time on his day off, the day after the recent Elvis Presley In Concert show in Sydney Australia.
George Klein was one of Elvis' oldest friends, having first met him in high school way back in 1948. Over the years, he has championed Elvis' name and is still involved with the Elvis world. I spoke to George Klein from his home in Memphis.
John Wilkinson was Elvis' rhythm guitarist from 1969 to 1977 and - along with lead guitarist James Burton - was the only one of the TCB Band never to miss a single show in all those years, notching up over 1100 performances with the King on stage. He's had a long and distinguished career in the music business, and has been playing the guitar since he was five. I spoke to John via telephone from his home in Springfield Missouri.
Ginger Alden is of course known in the Elvis World as the woman who shared his last few months with him. Late in 2014, after years of keeping silent about their relationship, she released 'ELVIS AND GINGER: Elvis Presley's Fiancée
and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story'. The book has been received warmly by fans and the general public, and went to No.1 on the New York Times Bestseller list.
Interview with Wanda Jackson the first lady of Rockabilly.
A number of websites are reporting the story that Nancy Sinatra recently said that 'Elvis, frankly, was just an OK singer' ... 'Elvis was the King, but he was no Chairman of the Board' .... 'You're talking about the difference between stardom and talent', ... 'Elvis had talent and was a big star, but no one touches Frank and no one will in terms of musicianship and elegance and charitable work' ... Well Nancy did not say any of this. Elvis Australia's Scott Jenkins asked Nancy (Via her twitter account) and received the reply, read in full.
Scott Jenkins interviewed
George Klein this week about the
Elvis Duets tape George has possession of with recordings of
Help Me with
Larry Gatlin,
Guitar Man with
Jerry Reed and
Blue Suede Shoes with
Carl Perkins. George reveals if the Elvis recording of Blue Suede Shoes used is a live or studio recording and tells us that this was a totally different project, it was to be called
Elvis and Friends.
THERE'S a saying in the Elvis world which goes: If you're an Elvis fan, no explanation is necessary. If you're not, no explanation is possible. How do I know this? I am an Elvis fan. There was a time when people like me felt trepidation about admitting such a thing. After all, Elvis and his fans had been the subject of scorn for so many years, that we sometimes felt ostracised by others who were into 'cooler' music.
Elvis Presley In Concert at the Acer Arena, Sydney Australia, October 14, 2006. The lights dimmed, and the crowd exploded. I let my mind wander as the 2001 theme started playing, and pretended it was the real Elvis coming out. And before I knew it, the band was on stage, the crowd was going bonkers ...
One of the great things about reviewing television programs as part of my job is getting to see the shows before they go to air, often in a more intact state than when they finally are telecast. So, I should tell you that this review is based on the full version of '
Elvis The Early Years'. By the time Channel Ten airs it in Australia on November 6, over 30 minutes will have been cut. And, to be honest, that can only be a good thing: the less that is seen of this production, the better as far as I'm concerned.
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever.
+ Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.