Steven Kent's REMEMBERING ELVIS PRESLEY

January 7, 2010

I was asked tonight how and when I became an Elvis fan, and if I cried the day he died. On this, what would have been Elvis' 75th birthday I have decided to share this information. Here is the answer to that question.

When I was a kid we used to go into San Francisco every Sunday morning and attend church at Forest Hills Christian Church. This was where my grandparents went to church for many years. After church we would go to my grandparent’s house and then have an early Sunday dinner. I remember one such Sunday afternoon just before my 8th birthday. My grandparents were the richest people in the world because they had not one, not two, but THREE TVs in their house. As dinner was cooking I was watching the TV in the den. I was flipping the big knob turning the channels, and low and behold what do I see. Here was this really cool looking guy singing and dancing in all his black & white glory. It was Elvis! It was Jailhouse Rock! I had never seen anything like that before. Just a few years earlier I remember sitting in front of this same TV watching my older sister screaming her head off while watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I remember thinking to myself, what is wrong with her. Don’t get me wrong, I loved The Beatles, and still do. But they did not move, or sing like this guy I was watching on TV now. It was mesmerizing. I called out to my Mother to come in here and see this. I asked her if she knew who this guy was. “That’s Elvis Presley”, she said. She kind of chuckled at me discovering him some 10 years after his explosion onto the scene. She told me that we could go and look for one of his records. This was before the big record stores, Tower, Sam Goody, etc. Back then I remember buying records in JC Penney, Thrifty Drug stores, and such. I remember going to this big “discount” store that used to be over in the canal area of San Rafael called DISCO. They had a record department and mom bought me Elvis Golden Records. Hound Dog, Don’t Be Cruel, All Shook Up, Jailhouse Rock, etc.…Wow! I played that record night and day, and sang along with every song. I was hooked.

December 3rd 1968, ELVIS on NBC in living color! I sat, and I watched Elvis sing his heart out for an hour on TV. I was blown away! So where 45% of the television viewing audience. This was of course what would become known as the 68 Comeback Special. Years later TV Guide would dub this “the greatest single performance by and entertainer in television history” (many years later I would go on to work for, and become friends with Steve Binder, the producer and director of this show) The soundtrack from this special became the second Elvis album I would own.

In November of 1970 I found out that Elvis was coming to the Cow Palace in San Francisco. The concert was sold out instantly and I could not get tickets. I was so bummed. Right about this time my Father and I were having dinner one night at San Rafael Joe’s. I told him about the Elvis show being sold out. He mentioned to me that a woman we know, Joan Blackman had something to do with Elvis, (she was his co-star in 2 movies, Blue Hawaii, and Kid Galahad) and maybe she could get tickets. As it happened Joan would show up at Joe’s later that evening. I must have bugged the hell out of her about Elvis that night. She said she would try and contact the Elvis people to get us into the show. Well as it turned out she wasn’t able to contact anyone to get us in. I was so disappointed, and I think Joan felt bad that she had let me down. Oh, well life goes on, and I got 3 new Elvis albums for Christmas that year.

Elvis to return to the Bay Area after 2 years, the article in the paper said. This time he was going to be at the Oakland coliseum in November 1972. We stood in line for 2 hours one day to get tickets. Success! Even these “nose bleed” seats were fine by me. I was going to see the King in concert! The day finally comes! Saturday November 11th 1972. 20,000 people packed into the Coliseum. After an hour of opening acts, and a 25 minute intermission, it was finally time. An announcer kept telling everyone to “please take your seats.” “We will not start the second half of this evening’s concert until everyone is in their seats.” The crowd was absolutely going crazy and nothing had happened yet. The excitement in the building was like nothing I had ever experienced before in my life. Finally the announcer says, “may we have the house light down please.” All of the sudden the place erupts into a frenzy like you wouldn’t believe. It was pitch black in the arena, and the crowd was deafening. All I could see were the little red lights of the amplifiers on stage way down yonder. Then I heard the opening strains of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The crowd jumps to yet another level of excitement. I felt like my 12 year old heart was going to jump out of my chest. By the time the orchestra had built to the incredible crescendo, an eerie hush had fallen over the crowd and it felt like time had stopped, and then BOOM! Drum roll, and then, what would become the most famous opening riff in music history. The band was just cooking hot, and then there he was. I could see this tiny white suited speck arrive on the stage way down there. I thought the crowd was loud before, but now it was pandemonium. He strutted back and forth across the stage acknowledging the people who were lucky enough to be sitting down front. Then he strapped on the guitar, grabbed the microphone… ”Oh see! See, see rider”, and we were off and running. I remember watching this man work the crowd handing out scarves to the lucky few, and waiting to hear my favorite song, Burning Love, which was at the top of the charts at the time. He sang it and I was jumping out of my seat singing along, as was everyone else in the arena. The place was going wild, and then something happened I’ll never forget. Elvis completely changed the mood, and sang his great gospel number, How Great Thou Art. Right then you could have heard a pin drop. It was so quiet. I had never heard anything sung so beautiful in my life. Then all of the sudden…”good night ladies and gentlemen, thanks for coming, and God bless you all.” “Wise men say only fools rush in. But I can’t help falling in love with you.” That was it, no encore. 70 minutes had gone by in the wink of an eye, and the announcer said, “ladies and gentlemen…Elvis has left the building. Thank you, and good night.” What a show! What a night! Wow! Through the years I would have the great fortune of seeing many musical greats live on stage, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen. All of these shows were great, but I have never ever seen or felt the sheer excitement that Elvis garnered when he walked on stage.

On January 14th 1973 Elvis would perform the famous satellite show from Hawaii that would be beamed live around the world. This would be the pinnacle of Elvis’ career. To this day it is the most watched TV concert special of all time. Unfortunately after this incredible achievement Elvis would start to unravel on a tragic downhill slide. Later that year on September 3rd 1973 I would attend my first Elvis show in Las Vegas, and afterwards I got to meet the man face to face. The entire experience was like a dream. I remember how extraordinarily good looking he was. I spoke with him, but don’t remember much of what I said. Except I did tell him I wanted to be a singer just like him. He gave me his guitar pick, told me not to be just like him, but to be myself…thanked us for coming, and said good night. This would be a major turning point in my life. I lied in bed that night remembering in my mind how the women had screamed and thrown hotel keys and underwear on the stage. I thought to myself, this looks like a pretty good job to have. I think I’ll play guitar and sing someday.

Well, I would go on to attend several more Elvis shows over the next 3 years and would be in the audience for one of his last shows in Las Vegas in December 1976. Luckily I never experienced any of the bizarre behavior that would be brought on by his depression, and increased dependence on prescription drugs. But after that show in Vegas I remember my friend Joan saying that he’s not long for this world. I was 16 and didn’t really understand what she was seeing. But then there was that day…that horrible day in the summer of 1977. August 16th … Bruce, David, Seth, and I were rehearsing a comedy show in Ruby Scott Auditorium at Tam High. In the show I did a short Elvis routine. I remember Seth coming in the door and telling me to sit down. I’ll never forget the look on my friend’s face. “Steve”, he said, “Elvis died this afternoon.” I remember thinking that it was a joke, (knowing my crazy friends) but when we went out to the car, turned the radio on and every station was playing Elvis songs, I knew. We were all stunned, and just sat there for a moment. I asked Seth to drive me home. He dropped me off and asked if I was going to be alright. I told him I was fine, and he left. As soon as I walked in the door my phone started ringing. I answered it, and it was my friend Bill calling all the way from Boston. “Hey Steve, are you alright?” I told him I was fine. We talked briefly, I thanked him for calling and we hung up. After that people were calling me one after another. I’m fine, I kept saying. Finally I stopped answering. I sat in my room in the dark and listened to all my Elvis records that night. Never once did I cry.

Almost 33 years have passed since that day. I have still not cried over Elvis being gone. I have visited Graceland and have played his records countless times, but still have not cried over the loss of my idol, my hero, my mentor…until tonight. On this the eve of what would have been Elvis’ 75th birthday I was on stage doing what I do. Doing what I do because of Elvis. Because of the inspiration he gave me all those years ago. The inspiration I still feel today when I hear his music. But tonight what was different? What made me lose it? I’m standing on stage when a young 9 year old girl asks if we can play any Elvis songs. I asked her what she wanted to hear, thinking she would say Hound Dog, or Blue Suede Shoes. I was drop dead floored when she asked for Are You Lonesome Tonight? We did it for her, and she stood in front of the stage looking up at us with tears in her eyes, and I just lost it. I could hardly sing a note, but somehow managed to get through it. On the break I found out her name was Madison, and I asked her why she liked that song. She told me it was her Daddy’s favorite Elvis song. I asked her where her daddy was, as I wanted to meet him. She told me her Daddy was in heaven with Elvis. Well, that was it. Now I was just destroyed. Her Mom came walking up to me with tears in her eyes, and thanked me for playing the song. She told me her husband had died in Iraq about a year ago. She told me he loved Elvis and used to sing all his songs to her and their daughter. Before they left Madison came up to me and gave me a hug and told me she wants to be a singer like me, and Elvis. So tonight I cry. But not tears of sorrow because Elvis is dead… but tears of joy because he still lives, and he still inspires. Not only me, but I’m sure countless others…and most of all, a beautiful, brave little girl who draws strength in knowing that her Dad is up in heaven singing with Elvis. There truly IS no business like show business.

Elvis was a good actor that never got the chance to be a great actor. He starred in thirty films between 1956 and 1969. Most all of them were musical fluff of some kind. However these films did create a whole new genre....The Elvis Movie. Unfortunately it was all about money to Elvis' manager, Col. Parker. Even though Elvis got bored making these kind of movies, and he knew they were not good, he always stood out above the material. Col. Parker had him convinced that this is what the fans wanted. Hal Wallis, the famous movie producer, once said, "the only sure thing in Hollywood is an Elvis picture"... and he was right. Every Elvis movie made money and Elvis earned one million dollars a picture, which made him the highest paid actor in Hollywood during that period.

I have my favorite Elvis movies, and some of them were not ones that the critics consider his best, but what do critics know, right? Hope this small list helps you in your discovery of Elvis in Hollywood.

Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Loving You (1957)
King Creole (1958) Directed by Michael Curtiz, Casablanca
Flaming Star (1960) Directed by Don Segal, Dirty Harry
Blue Hawaii (1961)
Follow That Dream (1962)
Kid Galahad (1962)
Fun In Acapulco (1963)
Roustabout (1964) Barbara Stanwyck co-stars
Viva Las Vegas (1964) Ann-Margret co-stars, a must see just for the chemistry between Elvis and Ann
Frankie And Johnny (1966)

Hope this helps you in your discovery of Elvis in Hollywood.

Contributed by: "Steven Kent" Date: Thurs, Jan 7, 2010 / 23:56:14 PST