ELVIS PRESLEY : IF EVERY DAY WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS

This YouTube poster did a great job of giving the history of this song, written by Red West, and performed by Elvis, and the Youtube video is original and of excellent sound quality!

To quote him, "Elvis Presley - If Every Day Was Like Christmas (1966), the last holiday single Elvis ever released, was written by a childhood friend, Red West. The Imperials Quartet and the Jordanaires are providing the backing vocals. Elvis recorded it on June 10, 1966 at RCAs Nashville studios. The single release in November 15, 1966 (If Every Day Was Like Christmas - How Would You Like To Be), it has been credited for selling over 1,000,000 copies. Red West wrote "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" in 1965 and recorded his own version on the Brent label, which was his own label, named after his son. Although the writing credits on the label show Red West's own name, the artist is shown as Bobby West. 2,000 copies were pressed and sold locally in the Memphis area around Christmas 1965."

(348) ELVIS PRESLEY IF EVERYDAY WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS

Another song that Elvis recorded that had Red West as a songwriter... Red is doing well late in life as an actor. (You can search for Red in our blog using the Google search feature!)

(347) ELVIS PRESLEY HOLLY LEAVES AND CHRISTMAS TREES

Here is what we said on post 89:

Elvis' recording of Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees is here in this YouTube Video presentation. It was written by entourage member and body guard Red West and another songwriter, Glen Dale Spreen. Elvis published it himself, buying it for his Elvis Presley Music, one of three publishing entities he owned.

Can you tell we're warming up to the holidays here? Well, we think today is the first of the twelve days of Christmas. And Elvis always made a big deal of Christmas, with gifts to others, gifts to The Entourage, gifts to his employees, gifts to his family, gifts to his friends, and gifts to strangers, through generous donations to a great number of charities, mostly Memphis-based.

But for Elvis this spirit of giving had everything to do with his idol, the only idol he ever had, King of all Kings, Jesus Christ.

(331) RED WEST SINGER-SONGWRITER ACTOR and FEROCIOUS ELVIS BODYGUARD

RED WEST wrote about thirteen ELVIS PRESLEY'S songs... including a few for VIVA LAS VEGAS... He and I also wrote a few.

I've always admired Red's creative spirit and versatility. He had his own band at Hume highschool and could play chords up the neck of a guitar that even Elvis didn't know and was a lot of fun and part of the entertainment at the parties.

But back in the day, the thing that RED WEST was most known for was skipping the karate and getting right into wrapping a guy around a pole! He did what he had to do to bodyguard Elvis and talked about doing so after the fact.

Here is an interview of Red West that Elvis' all time friend GEORGE KLEIN did on his MEMPHIS SOUNDS show. I'm proud to say that Red continued to pursue his dream of being an actor after Elvis died, and he is well regarded and successful at it.

This video has some scenes of Elvis and the guys horsing around and Elvis throwing in a few karate moves. At the time I was also taking karate. Sometimes Elvis and I had a few rounds.

I FEEL LIKE CRYING : PAT BOONE ON LONDON AMERICAN RECORDINGS

LA TIMES : JERRY SHILLINGS FULL STORY ON THE DAY ELVIS MET NIXON

The LA Times today ran a Column One article called "GETTING THE FULL PICTURE" and it's the story of when Elvis met Nixon. You can get to the picture of the two shaking hands and the story by clicking on our title above.

An excerpt: "Then it's time for gifts. Elvis pulls out the commemorative Colt 45 he had taken from his wall and carried into the White House, to the dismay of the Secret Service. ("We've got a little problem here; Elvis has brought a gun.") He presents it to Nixon. The president moves over to a drawer of presents he keeps on the left side of his desk, its contents organized in order of increasing value: golf balls, pens, paperweights in front, and way in the back, 16-karat gold pendants, lapel pins and brooches. Nixon peruses the drawer with Elvis peeking over his shoulder. He pulls out gifts for Schilling and West." ... Faye Fiore

The gun is on display at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda. The badge (federal agent at-large for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs), specially prepared by the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs with Elvis' name on it, hangs in his home in Graceland, on the Wall of Gold.

HELLO TO RED WEST and CONGRADULATIONS !

We're linking to IMDb movie database for the career of Red West, who was one of Elvis Presley's friends - and body guards - for many years. Red and I wrote a few songs together when I was up at the house. I consider him a friend to this day.

Red had bit parts in Elvis' movies and then committed to an acting career. As you can see from looking at the database he has managed to get a role a year for some time and he's no quitter. RIGHT NOW "Father of Invention," is in post production and he's working on TBK" The Toolbox Murders."

ELVIS WOULD BE PROUD OF RED !

Here's Red's MySpace. Click! Doesn't look like he has much time to update it but...

http://www.myspace.com/red1936

(223) ELVIS sings RED WEST'S SONG "IF EVERY DAY WAS LIKE CHRISTMAS"

This song, "If Every Day Was Like Christmas," is one of the most beautiful songs Elvis recorded for the holiday season, and Red West wrote it. Red West was one of Elvis' bodyguards for many years, and if you'd like to read a bit more about him, use the Google Blogger-Search Feature above to read previous posts. Red remains a friend of mine to this day. He and I also wrote a few songs together!

(89) ELVIS'S RECORDING of RED WEST'S HOLLY LEAVES AND CHRISTMAS TREES

Elvis' recording of Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees is here in this YouTube Video presentation. It was written by entourage member and body guard Red West and another songwriter, Glen Dale Spreen. Elvis published it himself, buying it for his Elvis Presley Music, one of three publishing entities he owned.

Can you tell we're warming up to the holidays here?

Well, we think today is the first of the twelve days of Christmas.

And Elvis always made a big deal of Christmas, with gifts to others, gifts to The Entourage, gifts to his employees, gifts to his family, gifts to his friends, and gifts to strangers, through generous donations to a great number of charities, mostly Memphis-based.

But for Elvis this spirit of giving had everything to do with his idol, the only idol he ever had,

King of all Kings,

Jesus Christ.

VIDEO TAKEN DOWN 2013

(88) RED WEST / MUSICAL TALENT and THE ENTOURAGE

Recently I overheard a slew of slander against Elvis' men - The Entourage. Since The Entourage was an ever changing group of men, this character didn't know who - or what he was talking about.

Characterized with that prejudice against Southerns as rude, crude, overgrown frat boys, and a bunch of "dummies," the man went on and on.

There was a time when I decked a guy at a news stand for making fun of Elvis - the Elvis who was once called "The Hillbilly Hepcat." Prejudice!

I can tell you that Elvis respected intelligence and that a few men in the entourage where college educated. He wasn't an education snob though. He was successful without higher education and he never judged a person by it.

Elvis also loved to be surrounded by musical people. Besides Cliff Gleaves, the funny man, entourage member Red West, best known as one of Elvis' bodyguards, also had recorded and had musical talent and songwriting ability.

Red West and I wrote a couple songs together, one called "I Feel Like Crying," and another called "Don't You Cry." We pitched them and sold them to Pat Boone, who still owns the publishing on it, at his publishing house Cooga Mooga.

NEW LINK 2011 Above : Rockabilly RED WEST on Rockin' Country Style.

(71) JOHNNY RIVERS WOULD NOT QUIT

The one person I invited out to LA and to stay with me who just wouldn't was Ersel Hickey. Ersel remained true to New York. Johnny Rivers once said to me years later "Ersel was the first punk rocker."

Johnny Rivers came out to LA from New York to live and moved in with me. He was looking for a record contract and he worked his tail. Johnny stayed with me, and he stayed with a few other friends of his in the business, including Lindsey Crosby's, Bing's son.

He had a little sports car and we went all around in it. Johnny and me drove up to Elvis' that first house party I attended there. Elvis was making the movie "Flaming Star," at the time.

Elvis had a juke box on one end of the room and a record player on the other. The juke box usually was stocked with the latest Top 40. Parties at Elvis' were alive with personality and music.

Johnny Rivers was one of many talented people who made Elvis' parties special. Elvis entertained us. Cliff Gleaves was usually there on piano at Elvis' request. Johnny would strap on his guitar and go through a series of hit songs - other people's hit songs.

He was on his way to becoming Mr. Whisky A - Go-Go but not quite yet.
Jam sessions often erupted at these parties. And when it came to music at Elvis' the talents of Red West, who was one of Elvis' entourage, were part of those jams.