Jan 09 2009
Happy Birthday Elvis
After writing yesterday’s post about the Handsome Dicks playing Elvis’ Birthday Bash, it dawned on the Rockblog that Elvis’ birthday must be sometime soon. Lo and behold, the Rockblog was once again spot on with noticing the obvious. Today would have been Elvis Presley’s 73rd 74th birthday (Thanks to atorturedsoul for catching my mistake).
Hell, if the stories can be believed (and why shouldn’t they?) it still might be his 73rd birthday and he’s celebrating with his buddies at the gas station in Michigan where he works, or with Bigfoot in their secret hideaway in the woods, or on a spaceship a million light years from Tupelo.
Seriously though, love him or not, you would have to be a complete idiot to not recognise The King’s influence on rock and roll. You can say what you want about “he just stole the black man’s music”, but the fact is there were NO black rock and roll superstars hitting the headlines and making the teenage girls go crazy when Elvis started out.
Elvis was the blueprint for rock and roll. People have built on it, changed it, tried to reinvent it, and in some cases even improved upon it, but if you break it down and follow it back all rock and roll roads will lead you back to Elvis.
Happy Birthday King, wherever you are.
I believe it was his 74th. Memphis television stations are local for me and they are bombarding us with all of the hoopla surrounding Graceland right now.
Did you make it to the AC/DC concert? I’m being drug to it Jan. 30 in Memphis.
Hey, you’re right. I totally forgot what year it was. I should get the hang of it around Easter time that we’re in 2009 now.
I’ll be seeing AC/DC when they come to London in April, and again when they come back at the end of June. Got tickets for both as AC/DC is the one band me and Mrs Rockblog both like equally.