You. Me. And Elvis!

  Gone more than 40+ years, yet it's easily said that Elvis is not only remembered but more popular today than he was at the time of his death in 1977.

With more than 500 estate registered fan clubs, and double those numbers that aren't official, Elvis and his legacy has grown to a size that I do not believe even the man himself could have even imagined.

At the time of Elvis' death, Graceland was valued at 4.9 million dollars, and reportedly required 480,000 dollars a year in upkeep. With Elvis no longer working to support the life style that he, his family and friends had grown accustom too, his annual income of about $1 Million a year was getting ready to drop to $500,000!

In 1979, after Vernon, Elvis' father passed, Priscilla was given some very sobering news, 'By 1993, there would be nothing left!' Lisa' trust fund, Graceland, the family, everything Elvis had worked so hard to support would be gone.

What would be left? There would be no more live concerts, no more studio albums, no new music! What were they to do? Priscilla knew.

The fans! Me and you! We were the obvious answer. We were the guarantee the Presley family was looking for.

Famous from the age of 19, Elvis had spent the majority of his life bonding with us, his fans. He loved us. We felt it. It was real and genuine, and most importantly, it was mutual. He was protective of us, often reminding his security, "They put me on that hill, Jack." and if he found out someone had not followed his "be nice" rule, all HELL would break lose! "Those are my fans! Not yours!" he would fly into a rant.

      



To this day, Elvis remains the most photographed and the most autographed entertainer in musical history! Why? Because he never said no. Even when in hurry, he would stop for just a few. Coming out of his house, whether it be Graceland or California, fans would wait, and times were rare that he would not stop. He was thankful for the life he'd been given, and he knew where it came from--God, me and you!

 Elvis loved being Elvis! And he loved that we loved him in a way that nobody else could; a fantasy kind of relationship, immune to the troubles of the real world.

 "I missed it, man, I just missed the closeness of a live audience." Elvis said upon his return to the live stage.

For the most part, Elvis enjoyed the attention, often drawing it to him. The stories of Elvis ousting himself while incognito are many! Yes. He liked the attention. And who could blame him? We all want to feel love, be loved.


 


"I never expected to be anybody important," Elvis Presley.

                      

He couldn't have been more wrong!

Patricia Garber (TL)

Elvis ALIVE in 1977

Whenever the year 1977 comes up in the Elvis world, it's often followed by an "I wish," or a "I just can't talk about it." It's understandable; the world lost a great talent that year and many a friend. In fact, until recently, the musical year of 1977 has virtually been erased from Elvis Presley's Estate and the Sony/RCA agenda. And what about the 1977 CBS Special? Well, Priscilla herself has vowed to never let it see the light of day.

A year with such tragedy is hard to recover from-- if EVER--especially for his family. With that said, it's easy to see how a year like 1977, musically, can be so easily over shadowed, by health issues, drama inside the Memphis Mafia, rumors of drugs, and ultimately Elvis' last days.

However! Despite the struggles, there were positives happening in Elvis' life; he was finding his way back!

"Elvis was planning on taking a year off," long time friend, Larry Geller says. "He wanted to relax on the beaches of Hawaii, and get his health back."

The plan for a much needed break was in the works; right after the Summer Tour--the tour that never was--due to kick off Aug, 17th, 1977 in Portland, Maine. Elvis knew he needed to make changes, clean up his health and his life. It's been rumored that one of those changes was even going to reach as far as Colonel Parker, his long time manager. Elvis wanted a fresh musical start. He wanted to explorer his full potential. And we've only to look at the Spring Tour of 1977 to see that the changes were already beginning to take place!

 Elvis' song list began to change, as he reached back to where it had all started, sharing songs from the stage he hadn't done in years, if ever!  Songs like "Return to Sender," "Fever," "One Night," "Reconsider Baby," where back! They were mixed with newer hits like "Moody Blue," "And I love you so!" He was making it new and exciting.

Yes, the media still hounded him; his weight, his age, his health, they just couldn't let it go. But he was having a great time!

"I want to do, "Where No One Stands Alone," he said one night from the stage, "I'm gonna sit at the piano because I'm the only one who knows it." He tells the crowd that he's never done this song from the stage before but he wishes to share it with them tonight.











Elvis at the piano, what a treat! Friends, this spring tour, had him reconnecting and gearing up for what would have been--what he wanted--a fresh start. It was not meant to be his last.

Sure, his heath was a constant problem, often visible to the crowd; acute glaucoma and a lazy colon, all rending Elvis dependant on pain medications. He knew he looked a mess. But he was ready to fix it.

Musically, Elvis was NOT washed up. On the contrary, he was ready for the next great Come Back of his life! He was gearing up and planning to take over the world, yet again!

And though it's understandable that many Elvis fans, and Elvis' estate alike, tend to feel sadness during this time of his work, some avoiding it all together. We urge our listeners to listen with your heart and not your mind. Don't dwell on what happened that fateful year, celebrate his dreams with him, what he wanted, and what we all know, he could have had!

This Sunday, June 24th, we here at Blue Suede Connection will be spinning a jam packed two hours of tunes from Elvis' Spring Tour 1977! Hear amazing finds, including the sit down piano version of "Where No One Stands Alone." Come celebrate Elvis' vision with us!
 (WRGG 93.7, listen here, 2p-4p, eastern)

It doesn't have to end on Aug, 16th, 1977. His dream. His music. It will last forever!      

Patricia Garber

Blue Suede Connection - Built On Love and Friendship

The absolutely best part of the Blue Suede Connection story is how we came about; formed by the purest means, love and friendship.

In the fall of 2016, three Elvis friends, Dan, TL, and local entertainer, Kevin Booth, were trusted by a new community radio station in Greencastle, PA, 93.7 WRGG, to fill a few hours every Sunday with Elvis!

Some times in life it's all about timing, and that's what it was for us, as Dan had just started doing a few hours on the air for them in the afternoons, and had the experience behind him (we aren't kidding when we say he's a 20+ year radio vet).

First and foremost, we were excited to just hang out with each other, laugh, and spin Elvis music. I think all of us had to pinch ourselves, in awe that we were trusted to be doing the one thing we'd all been doing in the privacy of our own homes our entire lives--enjoy Elvis!

Every week, we talked Elvis, acted silly, and some day's, even shed a few tears with each other. It relieved stress from the weekly grind, and over all, readied us for the start of a new week.

And what's even better? We were hearing from our listeners that they too felt like Blue Suede Connection was the start of their week, putting them in a good place for their own grind!

Fabulous!

Back then we called our little ditty, Elvis Now Radio! Man we loved that name, but it wasn't long before we realized that if real true Elvis fans, like us, were digging this kind of Sunday party, then there were millions of others just like us across the globe! Syndication was an obvious next step right from the start.

We'd all been involved in the Elvis world for, well, forever! We'd all made life long friends because of Elvis, like Dan and Kevin; fell in love because of Elvis, like Dan and TL. Elvis had long before us been the common dominator to many great things, in many lives.

When Elvis was asked to do the 1973 Aloha via satellite, they didn't just choose him because he was one of the greatest entertainers from America, though that helped, they picked him because the single name, ELVIS, was known in almost every corner of the world! They picked him because people related to Elvis, and Elvis loved connecting with people.

Syndication came in the summer of 2017. It started just as our birth at WRGG started, with a little community radio station in Standish, Maine, WZJF. The little station, now owned by Kristie Ronfeldt, had been willed to her by her uncle, Dave Patterson, upon his death. WZJF was on the air because of LOVE. Blue Suede Connection was created from LOVE.

Could their be anything more perfect than to start syndication with such a history? Exactly. That's what we thought too.

As our one year anniversary of syndication approaches, we are amazed at how our show has evolved, from the name change to the sad departure of Kevin Booth--who left to be the great daddy he is to his lovely daughter Abby!--to now to be heard in over 30 station in 5 countries.

It's it amazing what LOVE can do? And it started with you right here, reading this now. Yes you! The Elvis fan whom loved the man first and shared it with us each week. We are truly blessed. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your love and friendship.

Elvis' music will live on long after we are all gone, but today, in this moment in time--it's remains ours, together!

TCB/TLC
Patricia Garber

Lost In The 50's - In Stereo!

Girls screamed. Boy's fumed. America needed him. He was a breath of fresh air, giving to the youth of the time music they could call their own. Up till Elvis, the younger generation had no one they could claim. The generation before them had Ole Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, and Dino, Dean Martin.

What did they have, Pat Boone? Sure, they could play it safe with Mr. Clean, but what they really craved--though they didn't yet know it, was something more exciting! Raw. Forbidden. Someone their parents would hate.

                       Enter Elvis Presley and The Blue Moon Boys.

Only 19 years of age, Elvis, backed by Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and later, DJ Fontana, were a pleasant surprise to every teenager, not just in the USA, but across the world!

This week on Blue Suede Connection, we're going back to the 50's, exploring the hits as well as alternate cuts; live and recorded. AND! Several cuts are in 50's STEREO! Not mono, as was originally aired to the Radio of the times! New sound with Vintage ad's from the times will air again, after more than 60 years, and Elvis himself will speak to us about fame, girls, and the controversy he unintentionally started.

Or was it intentional after all? Come join the conversation and music, starting this Sunday, LIVE, on 93.7 WRGG, www.wrgg.org, and replaying all week on many of our fine Affiliates.

Check out where and when to hear Blue Suede Connection HERE


Be there or be square!
PEACE
Dan and TL

It's with much sadness that the world lost it's final member of The Blue Moon Boy's this week.  Dominic Joseph Fontana, known to all as DJ, went to heaven to join Elvis and the gang on June 13th 2018. He passed peacefully, in his sleep, at the grand ole age of 84. Born in Shreveport LA, he spent his final years in Nashville, TN.

Above art work by Betty Harper

 

Over One Billion Viewers - Elvis' Aloha Concert 1973

Where were you in 1973? If you were sitting in a packed stadium in Honolulu Hawaii you are amongst the few and fortunate! Most of us watched from our homes. In fact, over one billion viewers watched from their homes that night!

I (TL) was six. My memory skips around; from my dog, Dante, to our new home in Portland, Oregon, and the very memorable struggle of a six year old trying out their new bike on the hills of my Mt Taber neighborhood. And. The night Elvis Presley sang for the world.

It was cold for January in Oregon. Mom, in her late 20's, had a fire going and a girl friend visiting that night. Carol King spun on the turntable and Elvis danced on a small TV set near by. I sat, cross-legged on the floor, before the young ladies, listening and taking notes, as all six year olds do when adults attempt to share a normal moment with friends.

I noticed Elvis. I noticed my mom and her friend noticed him too. For every time he'd get to dancing, the volume on Carol King would go down and Elvis would go up.

Interesting! All that gyrating had caught their attention. Very interesting!

I wrote it down.

Far-far away, on a coast I didn't even know existed, called the East Coast, another young Elvis fan was being formed. Danny (Dan) lay on his tummy, chin in his hands and legs curled up behind him, eyes focused on the dark features of the super hero waving his cape before him!

Amazing! Like Superman, only better!

Four thousand miles between us, and yet unknowingly we watched (together) history being made.

This week on Blue Suede Connection, Sunday, June 3rd, we are going back to 1973 and that moment Elvis took the stage in Honolulu; American Eagle jumpsuit, cape and all!

We will be spinning all the music, including the TV ads that aired on that very night, along with interviews from those that were there--including Elvis himself!

You won't want to miss it. Catch it first on 93.7 WRGG, www.wrgg.org. 2p -4p eastern. And all week long on many of our affiliates (see the "where to listen" tab for days and times).

Hear it. Relive it.

Dan and TL
Blue Suede Connection