(121) THERE'S A HOUSE PARTY TONIGHT - KEELY SMITH

Keely Smith and Louis Prima were one of the favorite Lounge Acts acts of Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack in Vegas.

I thought Keely was terrific and had an amazing voice. Make that HAS an amazing voice that has only gotten better with time. Keely performed at J.F.K.'s inauguration and in the 2000's she's recording CD's and making appearances on television shows sans Louie who passed some time ago in 1978. So many of the songs she and Louie recorded were high energy and positive. They were good time party songs, fun in Vegas songs, and "There's A House Party Tonight," is one of my favorites! Now, we searched for a video of Keely and Louie and this song to no avail, but we didn't want to miss posting about them. House parties, be it Vegas, Palm Springs, or Los Angeles, were the rage. They were private parties. Parties of the rich. Elvis' kind of party.

Link above to a NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO site that features an interview with Keely.

From YouTube a Video of Louie and Keely in the mid to late fifties singing "When You're Smiling." Keely's stone face is in direct contrast to Louie and the band's energetic performance, and that's exactly what's so funny about it!

On March 22 2011 we substituted in the below YouTube video, which is not of the song "There's A House Party Tonight," but does document Keely's act with Louis!

(102) ELVIS'S MEN, HIS GUYS, THE ENTOURAGE

The men Elvis surrounded himself with were called "his guys," or "the crew," or "the entourage." The whole idea of this entourage of ever changing men being a "mafia" came later, and in my opinion was an unfortunate connotation. Elvis wasn't the only celebrity with his own people surrounding him for security or for companionship either. Frank Sinatra was known for his "Rat Pack," and aviation pioneer and filmmaker Howard Hughes, known for keeping starlets as mistresses, had his "Mormon Mafia."

Well, in any case, some of these men started out as friends of Elvis Presley and other were hired in, and they were considered in some way to be "family," because of the many hours they were around Elvis in his employ. They were on payroll and they were there to make the busy and complicated professional and personal life of a superstar easier and more secure. They were there to do things Elvis' way. And he was very much in charge.

As his companions, they benefited, living the life of a millionaire with Elvis, not because their pay was high, not at all. It was because of the benefits - including women, beautiful women.

(66) THE ENTOURAGE Versus THE RAT PACK - Elvis' Boundaries When It Came To Women

While Elvis was filming "G.I. Blues" and having an affair with Juliet Prowse, came the day there was some pounding on the door of his hotel suite. Elvis answered the door himself, though any of the guys could have done so for him.

Frank Sinatra was out there determined to see Juliet. Elvis wouldn't let him in.

Elvis had not long before appeared with Frank on Frank's "Welcome Home Elvis" television special out of Miami but Elvis saw no reason NOT to date Frank's girl.

Understanding Elvis' idea of "boundaries" when it came to women is important to understanding his sense of friendship. No real friend of Elvis would EVER, and I mean EVER, date a woman who was HIS! You had to spend a lot of quality time with Elvis to know which of the many women he remarked upon as "girlfriends" really were! So to be part of his close circle you knew who he was really interested in, even if he was really interested in a FEW women! To be a part of Elvis's circle and start up with a woman he wanted was the fastest way to be excommunicated. I've only heard of one man in his group who in later years very likely had an affair with a woman who was most special to Elvis.

He was territorial. He tested you to see if he could trust you.

Since no one in Frank Sinatra's Rat Park was a real friend to Elvis, since none of them were part of his inner circle, or a member of his entourage, he saw no reason not to date Juliet. He didn't think Frank or any other star owed him in any way for the same reason.

For those of us who really cared about Elvis, we were hands off his women! And being around Elvis meant being around women, women, and more women, most of them beautiful, many of them - not all of them - ready, willing, and able. There were jokes that the Entourage and his friends at the parties got "the left overs." There's truth to it. I can say that I'm not the man who got the most women.

Having met a good number of women that Elvis had affairs with, while he had his type, I wouldn't put a dime on the big deal psychological theories about Elvis Presley's sexuality.

(53) CROONER or COUNTRY? WAYLON? FABIAN? HOW ABOUT BOBBY DARIN?

So Elvis was worried about Waylon Jennings and Fabian, and personally I think it was his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who decided it was best for Elvis to show his versatility by going more crooner than country.

Then again, Elvis may have seen that Bobby Darin was also making a move towards crooner with his success with "Mac the Knife" in 1959. It was the number one record in 1959 in the United States and in Great Britian!

Here's a You Tube presentation of Bobby Darin doing Mac, another suited up Rock and Roller, going the way of the Frank Sinatra "Rat Pack."

No matter what direction Elvis took musically, he would never give up singing Gospel music.

Video updated January 26, 2011.

(51) ELVIS WORRIES ABOUT HIS COMPETITION : FABIAN

Elvis confided in me that he was worried about his career. "Music's changin' Wes," he said. He was worried about two men... Fabian Forte, called Fabian, an Italian kid from Phili, younger than Elvis, was a big worry for him.

Fabian was a friend of mine from New York. He was part of the "in crowd," an all for one and one for all guy I spent time with who had encouraged me to move ahead in my career by leaving United Artists, just as several other musical peers had. Fabian had seemingly captured a great number of Elvis Presley fans while Elvis was away in Germany, record releases or magazine and newspaper articles about Elvis or not. Fans could not wait to see their idol, Elvis, on television again, and it had been communicated to Elvis that it might be Fabian who had taken what we would call today his "market share."

Perhaps Fabian was also on Elvis' mind because he had the attention of Dean Martin, and Dean Martin was someone Elvis admired, imitated in his youth, and wanted to meet. Dean Martin did not seem to share the same enthusiasm for Elvis, but he liked Fabian! He had Fabian on his show, singing with him. Maybe Fabian was even Dean Martin's protege?

Now as you watch these You-Tube presentations, I want you to notice how Fabian is dressed in a suit, presented as a sort of young Dean Martin, a crooner. Fabian is younger than Elvis, handsome, and talented, and he fits in his tailored suit.

An early Fabian singing "Turn Me Loose" in his early, Rock and Roll personae. Cliff Richard, "The English Elvis" also covered this song, complete with Elvis-like sneers. Fabian had a hit with "Turn Me Loose," which came out as a single on Chancellor Records.

Fabian wasn't objecting to becoming a crooner. Should Elvis? Is Fabian Dean Martin's protege? Fabian singing "All of Me" seems to be part of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack" here!

UPDATED JANUARY 26, 2011 NEW LINK TO FABIAN's OFFICIAL SITE above!

And here is the History of Rock on Fabian!

http://www.history-of-rock.com/fabian.htm