FROM OUR ARCHIVES : ELVIS PAPER DOLL VEGAS STAR

There are so very many Elvis products for purchase out there, many owned by die-hard fans. (I have a few items myself, given to me by Elvis, which I will never sell!)

Once Elvis started performing in Vegas and later at big stadium shows, he had all his costumes custom made. Off stage he wore fashionable but ordinary clothing.

People seem to think he walked around in his show clothes.



This paper doll comes from Dover - the publishing people - from a book of Vegas Star paper dolls. Dover has their own web site and you can purchase this book and so many other interesting titles, many art oriented. We get to use this image for free because ours is a noncommercial site.

ELVIS PRESLEY : ROCKA A HULA BABY FROM HIS MOVIE BLUE HAWAII - 1961

FROM OUR ARCHIVES : ELVIS PAPER DOLL GOLD SUIT

This image comes from Dover Publishing, and comes from a book of Rock and Roll star paper dolls. We thank Dover for allowing us to use this image for noncommercial sites.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES : (24) HOW I MET THE FAMOUS YOUNG ELVIS PRESLEY & WINK MARTINDALE

(24) HOW I MET THE FAMOUS YOUNG ELVIS PRESLEY and WINK MARTINDALE
 from September 11, 2007

United Artists had me touring around the country, playing live on television, radio, and at record hops on a promotional tour for my launch with "Lonesome Love," and "Tiny Spaceman." On my first tour of the Mid South in 1957, I went to Memphis, Tennessee to perform on a couple shows.

One of them was Wink Martindale's version of a dance party show.

At this point I was beginning to become used to the adoration of my fans. I was a teen idol. My name was mentioned in the columns and pictures of me and magazine articles about me were out there. The girls chased me around and even tried to tear my clothes off. Wink had the kids in the audience ready to give me a hearty welcome, but as I sang, I realized I had never caused so much commotion before... HA!

Elvis Presley and his early entourage had burst into the station to see me!

That's what all the commotion was about! Even Elvis wanted to see what "The Next James Dean" really looked like. I was so excited that Mr. Elvis Presley was out there in the audience. Elvis Presley had achieved stardom and had become a millionaire. I was a fan of his and he was an inspiration! But I never dreamed Elvis would be coming round to see me!

After my performance, Elvis asked me to come back to Graceland TM with him to meet his parents, Gladys and Vernon Presley. He had just purchased his own stretch limo and, after I piled in with the guys, Elvis drove us home in it himself. His family was much like mine because of our southern upbringing, and his father Vernon and especially his mother Gladys were welcoming. Gladys had the table spread with food and asked about my family. She said they had relatives in the Smokey Mountains.

That night I met Elvis's best friend from Humes High School in Memphis, George Klein, and funny-man ex-DJ, and recording artist Cliff Gleaves too.

That evening was the beginning of a friendship with Elvis Presley that lasted the 20 years until his death.

(478) ELVIS! ELVIS! ELVIS! AND THE MOVIES!

Elvis Week is a celebration at Graceland TM and though it takes place at this time because Elvis died on this day, it has become a celebration of the man's life and his music.

The mid-1960's were ones of intense movie making for Elvis and his music was recorded on albums which were soundtracks of those movies.  I visited Elvis on a few different sets over time but because of my own career commitments I wasn't free to travel with him, so I missed out on a lot of fun.  But since his home during these years was still Los Angeles, I was able to keep up with him between films. He would make 31 films in his lifetime, other wise known as "film career."

In 1965, "Tickle Me " for Allied Artists and also in 1965, "Harum Scarum" for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

In 1966, "Frankie And Johnny" for United Artists and also in 1966, "Paradise, Hawaiian Style" for Paramount (and Produced by Hal B. Wallis who Elvis had worked with before on films including "Blue Hawaii," and who has been quoted as saying, "An Elvis Presley picture is the only sure thing in Hollywood."  Deborah Walley, one of the actresses in this film was a friend married to a friend.)

Like most Elvis movies - musicals, the script was written so that Elvis could sing and further the plot that way.

Elvis' management by Colonel Parker has come under scrutiny and criticism over the years, and I know that looking back Elvis wished he'd had more dramatic roles, that he'd done more with his talent, but the Colonel was satisfied with the income Elvis and he made making the movies and sound track albums.  Colonel was making about 25%.

Over time Elvis made movies for Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists (the company that once signed me for both acting and record making), Allied Artists,  National General, and Universal, spanning the years 1956 - 1969.

ELVIS! ELVIS! ELVIS! MOVIES!

DEPERATE GENERATION : A CLASSIC DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT 1990's ROCKABILY CULTURE AND CARS

This documentary film by Emily Dutton is about a Rock-a- Billy revival in Southern Claifornia during the 1990's, a sub-culture surrounding classic car clubs. It's about STYLE, as interpreted 40 years after the Rock-a-Billy era, as expressed in hair ("greasers"), clothing, interior design, and body art - tatoos. It's about hot rod events, musicians - stand up base! - and a then-younger generation of the handsome and the beautiful. 

Watching it, I thought the artists that Wes has talked to me about over the years, including Elvis Presley, and their roots in Rock-a-Billy!  My sense is that the not-famous stars of this DVD also found retro values of comfort to them and that they played out those values in their friendships.

Christine Trzyna

(477) BUDDY KNOX "THE ROCKABILLY GOLD RECORD LEGEND" AND PARTY DOLL : COVERED BY STEVE LAWRENCE, RICKY "BONGO" JAMES, JOHNNY MAESTRO and THE CRESTS, and THE HULLABALOOS

LINK TO OFFICIAL BUDDY KNOX SITE : BUDDY KNOX OFFICIAL

In the end, I don't think Buddy Knox himself made much money on his hit "Party Doll," a song that was covered all over the United States by local bands and covered in many recordings which illustrate the role of the music arranger and music producer in a record, not considering the song's popularity and endurance. 

The song became a standard at local dance party type shows. It always got people up and jumping.  Buddy wrote the song when he was a teenager and it was one of the first he recorded while with Jimmy Bowen and their group The Rhythm Orchids.

We were checking out the videos of  Buddy and Jimmy on YouTube and found a lot of covers of "Party Doll," some which illustrate that American Invasion of Britain!

You'll find some excellent renditions of the song that go from Rock-A-Billy to Jazz to Mod Beatlesque circa 1966.  Take a few moments to listen to the variety of these recordings of Buddy's song.

This first video is from the Ed Sullivan show, I believe. 
The song was over quick. That's Jimmy Bowen on the bass.  

As Recorded on Roulette and Columbia and...

Steve Lawrence didn't hesitate. His recording came out in 1957, not long after Buddy's.

Same year the song was recorded in Britain by Ricky "Bongo" James and his group. Jazzy Cool.



Johnny Maestro of The Crests recorded it in 1960!  - looking for a hit four years after the became a hit for Buddy. 

 
1966 in Great Britain - The  HULLABALLOOS!               
Recorded on Roulette... Roulette wasn't giving up those residuals!

Rock-a-billy cover bands like Sha-na-na and The Jets cover the song in their live performances.

(476) BUDDY KNOX BY BRUNO OF HOLLYWOOD

HERE'S BUDDY in HOLLYWOOD

I went on tour with Buddy for a couple years and he made the introductions that got me onto Roulette Records where he was signed. Eventually we made our way to Hollywood, after playing in in the lower 48 states... or was that 47? Well, we didn't play in Utah though I got some press in Utah, and we didn't play in Hawaii, though we wanted to. Elvis loved Hawaii and we all wrote or sang songs with the Hawaiian theme.

Sometimes while on tour Buddy would go off and play with Jimmy Bowen, who he'd had the Rhythm Orchids with, and sometimes I went off to play with Jimmy, who was instrumental in my early career.

I also had my photo taken by Bruno of Hollywood. He was the photographer to go see when you came to Hollywood. So far that picture hasn't made the e-Bay auctions like some of the pictures that my manager took of me when I was at United Artists have. Most of the pictures that hit e-Bay of me were sent out in press kits.

(Want to know more about Buddy or Jimmy?  Check out that Google Search feature embedded in this blog!) 

QUESTION FROM READER WHO BOUGHT A SIGNED COPY OF MELODIE D'AMOUR

We recieved a question from a reader who bought a signed copy of Wes Bryan - "Melodie D'Amour", wanting to know what it's worth.  We don't know the answer!

Here are some considerations.  From time to time we check the e-Bay auctions and we see that overall the price of Wes Bryan records has steadily climbed up by a dollar or two over the years, with a recent mint  quality copy of "Lonesome Love" starting at around $65.  Two years ago it was at about $45. There was a lot of United Artists promotions of that record, I and it went GOLD quickly.  It's rare but not so rare.

So first consideration would be the condition and playability of the record itself, next would be the rarity of the record.  Disc Jockey and Promo copies come up more than pressed copies on e-Bay, especially of my song "Freeze" which did well because the Freeze Dance was invented for it, and the record not only got bought up for parties but went into a lot of juke boxes which pay the hell out of a record so "Freeze" is rarer. 

As for the signature, figuring that it's an authentic Wes Bryan signature that should ad value.  But it's not George Washington's so -

We figure the collectors know more than we do.  OUR SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO JOIN e-Bay so that you can communicate with some of the collectors and oldies record shops and see what they would be willing to pay you for it!

ERNIE BANKS Quotation on Friendship

"Loyalty and friendship, which is to me the same, created all the wealth that I've ever thought I'd have." - Ernie Banks