Posted on April - 03 - 2010
Book shows Memphis as Elvis saw it
Barney Sellers/The Commercial Appeal files
“Elvis Presley’s Memphis” will show the singer’s affection for his hometown, as in his last Memphis concert July 5, 1976.
You may think you know Elvis Presley. In the 33 years since his death, he has been analyzed, presented and written about by everybody from Graceland to The Grammy Museum to the Smithsonian Institution.
Recession or not, 600,000 people arrive in Memphis every August to see and feel in a visceral way what Elvis saw and felt on his way to becoming the soul of America’s rags-to-riches dream.
In those 33 years, Graceland preserved and nurtured the Elvis image while The Commercial Appeal explored the phenomenon of his impact on Memphis and the world. For the first time, Elvis’ hometown newspaper and the tenders of his life story are joining resources in the form of a book, “Elvis Presley’s Memphis,” that merges their photo and print archives in a still-evolving story.
Elvis didn’t just spring untried and untested on Sun Recording Service in 1954. He went on the road in his own hometown from the basement laundry room of the Lauderdale Courts housing project to sock hops in the old Chisca Hotel to the Eagle’s Nest, a club built around a swimming pool. He sang in church. He sang at school talent shows. He lived Downtown. He became a suburbanite. He bought the rambling estate of a prominent surgeon.
Asked what he missed when he was away, he said: “I miss everything about Memphis.” Everywhere he went, he told friends, “I would love to show you Memphis.”
The book looks at Memphis through the eyes of Elvis and his journey from truck driver to music’s James Dean to the ultimate celebrity, always with at least one foot in his hometown.
Pre-orders can be made through June 1 at $29.95. Upon publication, the book will retail for $39.95. To order, go to elvispresleysmemphis.com or complete the order form on page C6 of today’s paper.
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