Where Were You When Elvis Died?

There are certain events that happen in life, where you can recall where you were, and what you were doing at the time, regardless of how much time has passed since it happened. For me, such is the case with the Kennedy assasination, 911, and when Elvis died. In fact, I was sitting at home talking on the phone to a girl I was seeing at the time. After spending a good bit of time on the phone charming her in anticipation of seeing her later that evening, she suddenly screamed into the phone, "oh no, Elvis just died". She then said abruptly, "I'll call you right back", and hung up the phone before I could say anything in response. After calling everybody that she could possibly think of to give them the sad news, she finally called me back about two hours later. Oh well, if I had to take a back seat to someone, I guess Elvis wasn't a bad choice.

Elvis Presley and Taxes

There was the remark made by one of Elvis's acquaintances that Elvis felt a sense of pride that he paid more taxes to the I.R.S. than just about anyone else. Nowadays, I don't think you'll find many people who would get a sense of pride from having paid the I.R.S. a huge sum of money, but Elvis was one of those rare individuals that made more than he was able to spend.

Elvis after being in the Military

There are many who say that Elvis wasn't quite the same when he returned from his military stint. The claim is that the military had tamed him a bit, and taken some of the 'wildness' from him. While the military does have the tendency to do that to people, I still feel that Elvis was still passionate about his music and that passion really revealed itself in his performances. I believe the high point of his post military life might have been the 'Aloha' concert from Hawaii. He was really 'on his game' in that performance.

Elvis Had a Twin

Some people aren't aware that Elvis was the second of identical twins; his stillborn brother was named Jesse Garon. I've wondered from time to time if his brother had lived, how would that have impacted Elvis? Also, would his brother had the same charm, talent, magnetism and other qualities that Elvis possessed? Imagine being the twin of Elvis and all the ramifications that would have in both a positive and negative manner.

Elvis Presley

He could be humble, temperamental, charming, playful, or impulsive. And then there was his music. Elvis Presley impacted people in many different ways. Those who knew him and those who knew of him. He is ranked as the number one performer in the history of rock and roll. Bigger than all of ‘em. They called Elvis Presley ‘The King of Rock N’ Roll’.

It is said that Elvis was in monetary straits in 1977 which essentially forced him to maintain a grueling concert tour to fulfill a myriad of financial obligations, most notably the Internal Revenue Service. At the age of 42, Presley was using a variety of prescribed drugs and other medications to allow him to keep up his energy, focus and determination in an effort to succeed in his endeavors. On August 16, 1977 Elvis succumbed to heart failure, due in large part to his futile attempt to pull it all together.

Some loved him for his movies. Some for his concerts. Others just liked his dance music or perhaps his beautiful ballads. Many other reasons apply but all in all, Elvis Aaron Presley was the man for his times.

Chuck Berry.. Rock and Roll Survivor