Elvis Aaron Presley- We thought he was dated; he didn't have long hair and was largely a fixation of our older sisters and mothers; Graceland and his lifestyle was legend but to us, he had become a stereotype of himself as mega-stars tend to do. But what a fixation he was. Southern cool, made the fans swoon and throw themselves as well as their undergarments at his feet. He could sing, dance and in his own way, act. He set the stage for Michael Jackson to follow in more ways than one. A mystery of dynamic dimensions who had his own self-created niche- younger than the Rat Pack and clearly not aligned with the Beatles. My childhood buddy was on a post high school graduation trip to Pittsburgh and happened to be in Memphis the day Elvis died. He was a casual observer and was swept up and talks about it with amazement to this day. He described it as the "world just quit spinning". Citywide shock and disbelief. Tears and a feeling of loss that made strangers family.
He would have been seventy-seven today.
A few songs after the fold.
The screams and the shoes.
The moves.
The jumpsuit.